4/30/13

Feeling Lucky

Life, like photography, is all about perspective.

I was a bit glum this morning as heavy rains = no lacquering . So, I knocked out some paperwork until the sky cleared. Tattooed wooden hands are now ready to ship to the upcoming Tangent Gallery's INK show in Detroit. I'll share them here soon too.

Now I'm just happy I don't have to water the garden tonight - cool.


Off to the War Horse opening night at The Straz Center with my fellow Tampa Bay Bloggers. We are attending as guests of the The Straz - how cool is that?! Pop back tomorrow and I'll tell you all about it. 


Are you looking for something free to do in Tampa tonight? Samsara is at the Tampa Theatre for one night only. It looks like some amazing eye-candy! I'll have to catch it on DVD but the stunning visuals look perfect for the big screen. Click here for info on tonight's 7:30 pm showing.

The good fortune continues... I've been approached by some new sponsors for Thursday Giveaways, so in a week or two and We'll start spread the luck (& love) around!

So, do you feel lucky today? 

4/26/13

Winner of Christina Leta's Sunshine Clockwork Earrings

sunshine clockwork earrings by Christina Leta

I'm a day behind on pulling the Thursday Giveaway but here we are! Hope your part of the world is enjoying some sunshine. Looks like I'll be sending some extra sunshine over to -


 MV Essick from MVEssick.com


Congratulations! 

I'll contact you with directions for claiming your super cute earrings handmade by Christina Leta.

Many thanks to Christina for sponsoring this random drawing. Check out her interview here last month.  Or take a stroll around her Etsy shop for some yummy eye-candy, paintings and vintage jewelry creations: https://www.etsy.com/shop/christinaleta

Also big thanks to those who left a comment and entered this giveaway! Lots more coming around the bend. However I have some planting to do and the day is already warming.... catch you later!

4/23/13

More moments in the garden + Free Canvas Deal

Clerodendrum thomsoniae

It is day 11 of 365 Days in a Garden. Clereodendrum thomsoniae is a weed that I grew tired of fighting, so now the vine climbs the trellis & plants along the side of my house. It seems to be related to the bleeding heart vine.

jacaranda

You can see handful of other plant pics in my last post. I'm a new photo each day to both my Flickr and Pinterest pages. And since I'm using instagram, they are all there too:
Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/artsnark/sets/72157633287403733/
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/artsnark/365-days-in-a-garden/
Instagram http://instagram.com/artsnark

snail

Sliding down the blogroll wormhole recently I found myself at Miss Mustard Seed
..... which led me to Dreamy Whites
..... where I bumped into Flower Patch Farm girl  and her link to 1 free 8" x 10" photo on canvas from CanvasPeople.com (buyer pays shipping & handling).
I ordered an 11" sq. of this instagram photo for $17 + s&h. I'll let how it comes out.

In the meantime here is the link to the photo canvas offer. (I'm not sure how long it is up for). If you decide to print something you have shared online, do send me a link. I would love a sneak peek!

By the way, there are only a couple of days left to enter the random drawing for a pair of sunshine  clockwork earrings from ChristinaLeta.Etsy.com. You have until 1 a.m. (EST) on 4/26 to enter - simply leave a comment on my blog to toss your name in the hat. You can get a couple of additional entries by following the directions found on this page. Just act fast! 

4/17/13

365 days in my garden via instagram


Started a new project - something to remind me to really open my eyes every day.


My goal is to shoot & share a picture a day (for a year) from my garden. 


I've finally joined instagram: http://instagram.com/artsnark and made a new Pinboard: http://pinterest.com/artsnark/365-days-in-my-garden/


I'm not very good at sticking with things, so this will be a challenge. I'm also intrigued by shooting with just my phone. I look forward to turning limitations into creative solutions.


Haven't decided how to handle days when I'm out of town... should I fill in with extra shots? Or seek out a garden where ever I am traveling to share (have to tweak the pinterest board title then, I guess)? What do you think?

Are on you Instagram or Pinterest? Leave me your links - I'd love to check them out.

4/15/13

Music Monday - All About The Money


In honor of tax day Xmas Dolly is jump starting the week with songs about taxes, money or irony. I always like a bit of noise with my coffee on a creaky Monday so we're waking up the week with Unkle & Nick Cave's Money & Run (above). I didn't post the official video as it is not family/work friendly. Click here to watch it.


Here are a few more $ faves including Dr. Teeth performing Stan Freberg, Ruby Raskin & Mel Blanc's Money.


Tom Waits singing and smoking Till The Money Runs Out. 


Sooo many tunes out there, so little time and .... Oh no! My mug is almost empty! Gotta run. If you are craving some more money music, pop over to Dolly's and follow the blog hop. Feel free to share your own- the more the merrier!
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While we are talking, want a chance to win free stuff? 

Seth Apter is giving away a copy of Acrylic Solutions: Exploring Mixed Media Layer By Layer (by Chris Cozen & Julie Prichard to one random person over on his blog this week. But act fast as the drawing is on 4/18! Click here for details.

I'm still collecting entries for Christina Leta's Sunshine Earrings giveaway. Comments left on my blog before 4/26 enter you in the random drawing. Click here for photo of prize plus an interview with the designer.

4/13/13

Wild - Illustration Friday

Carnivore - Polaroid Emulsion Transfer

“And the wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws.”  ― Maurice SendakWhere the Wild Things Are

Digging into the archives for this week's IllustrationFriday.com challenge, 'Wild'. A bit too much on my plate just now to play along properly, but I can't let such a vibrant prompt pass by unnoticed. Carnivore is a Polaroid emulsion transfer of a sketch I made years ago. I took a museum class where we were encouraged to sketch the sculptures - this was a big-ole charcoal doodle on newsprint based on Antoine-Louis Bayre's bronze sculpture Tiger Attacking an Antelope.

From an earlier post: "I love playing with Polaroid transfers, especially the emulsion transfers. Once the image has been heated & lifted from the substrate, it floats in the warm water bath like some kind of funky jellyfish. You can then stretch & fold it (carefully though as it easily tears) before removing & sticking to your choice of surface. In this case, I used canvas paper. While the emulsion was still wet I had fun tearing into the edges. I think the subtracted bits finish out the whole predator feel."

Visit IllustrationFriday for more takes on the prompt. If you are feeling inspired, be sure to share your wild-side and then link up over at the I.F. site before the week is out.



On the aside, I recently read Christopher Bonano's Instant: the Story of Polaroid for the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts book club and enjoyed it much more than expected. Definitely recommend if you are curious about the history of this iconic extinct company and its innovative creator, Edwin Land. 

Sunshine Clock Earrings from Christina Leta

Final Note: There is still time to enter Christina Leta's handmade earring giveaway! Ending 4/26 and light on entries so far (so your odds are very good). A comment left on this blog before the 26th gets your name into the hat. There are additional ways to enter. Click here for more info and an interview with Christina.

4/9/13

Family fun at Tampa Theatre

Disclaimer: The Tampa Bay bloggers were invited by Tampa Theatre to the enjoy the first movie of the 2013 Family Favorite season, The Princess Bride.  I was paid with movie tickets in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Last Sunday the family traveled downtown to visit the Tampa Theatre. If you've been around this blog for a while, you know this is one of my favorite places. This classic movie palace is featured a few of my  older posts, including the reissue of Metropolis (with new found footage) and as inspiration for my painting Wallflower.


Heading towards the towering 'Tampa' signage, we passed through the weekly market. Lucky us - we stumbled into fellow Tampa Bay Etsy Crew members KC Bird from Birdhouse Designs and Coryn Enfinger from Dark Cycle Clothing. If you are unfamiliar with TBEC, it is fabulous group of  talented and friendly Tampa Bay area residents who sell their creations, art supplies and vintage finds online at Etsy.com. If this sounds like you (or if you like shopping local), be sure to check these folks out and enjoy your creative community!


We also stopped at the Spicery tent to restock our pantry. These folks have the best selection of herbs and spices.


Even if we had missed the glowing marquee (impossible), we would have known we were in the right place due to the princesses welcoming everyone outside the theater.


Then it was time to enter the time-warp....waawaawaawaaa... (picture wibbly wobbly noise here)... Woah - the lobby of this fantasy filled space is overflowing with  filigree and mystique. 


Before the show, we enjoyed a free tour of the theater. But first a photo op with the queen and her guard.


Opening in 1926, Tampa Theatre is a grande dame from the golden age of cinema. She has painted pillars, draped tapestries and walls covered in carvings and niches where statues linger. Gargoyles top the foyer and the main theater's ceiling is sprinkled with stars. When the lights go down, the starlight seems to grow - our tour guide told us the blinking ones are good luck. One young fellow excitedly pointed out a twinkling light. At the guide's urging many children (and a few adults) closed their eyes to make a wish. I know this sounds super corny... but there is a magic in this wonder-filled space that brings out the kid in many movie fans.


It is tough to see in this photo, but half way up on the right you can see the edge of the balcony seating. That is my favorite viewing space. 


The Mighty Wurlitzer organ belts out vintage tunes before the show - so much better than noisy commercials and long previews. And, yes, the audience started singing along (I'm telling you: the magic here is contagious).


Then it is showtime! The organ and musician slowly disappear beneath the stage. The lights go down ... and the enchantment begins!


My husband and son had never seen The Princess Bride before and were in for a treat! The husband said after so many years of references to the film he was glad to finally find out who Inigo Montoya was, and why he wanted to avenge his father. My 9 yr old is into fantasy books right now, lately Cornelia Funke's Inheart trilogy, so I knew this would be just his speed. He was sucked right into the film's drama and silliness. A few hours after the show he asked me to share this review: "I like the theater. The ceiling is creative. I love the fake stars and the fake doves. It is cool to sit in the balcony! Regular movies don't have any of that. The popcorn was really good. The have an unusually awesome snack selection. The movie was cool. Can we go again next week?"

Definitely! Next Sunday at 2 they are showing 'Babe'. I have to admit I love that talking pig :) Maybe we'll make a day of it and hit the art museum for brunch and a stroll first... or stop into Oxford Exchange for a spell. There are so many cool things going on downtown lately - and I am thrilled that I can now share my love for the Tampa Theatre with the whole family. The kiddo doesn't have an appreciation for the silents or black & white flicks (yet). Plus he is still too young for many of the 1st run and independent movies they regularly show, so this family favorites series hits the spot perfectly.

Click here for a list of upcoming family movies and theater details. Maybe next weekend we will see you at the movies. We'll be in the balcony.



P.S. My latest Art Abandonment drop was in the balcony during The Princess Bride credits. My intent was to drop this maiden doodle during the tour, but I was having such a great time I forgot until the end of the film. If you would like to know more about the Art Abandonment project follow this link.

4/4/13

Pyro Time

Work In Progress

Playing with pyrography today and having a blast. My first burn victim is this innocent wooden artist's hand. Lots left to do, but having such a grand time!


This tune has been knocking around my nut for days. When an earworm gets this bad, it usually finds its way out through my pencils. I will have to give in soon and see where it leads.....