Illustration Friday - Summer

Sharing this mixed media reworking of an older drawing for the sunny IllustrationFriday.com prompt, Summer.

Click the link above to visit the I.F. site & enjoy what everyone is sharing. Please feel free to post your summer-inspired creations; the challenge is open all week. If you do play along, pop by and let me know so that I can check it out.

A splash of INK on Music Monday

Been listening to lots of Kishi Bashi lately - 151a got me over the hump on the wooden hands I "tattooed" for last weekend's Detroit art-event, INK. You can listen to the whole album over at his website.  

Kishi Bashi 151a

Singer, songwriter Kaoru Ishibashi is pretty freaking impressive in action. Using his voice and violin he builds and loops layers of sound to form the final music. Watch/listen to him do this for the folks at NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts.

Looking for to a variety of tunes or share your own? When you are finished here jump over to Xmas Dolly's and join in the Music Monday blog hop.

On a different note: The tattoo-themed art extravaganza INK took off like a rocket, flames and all last weekend!

© Chris Gustafson

The fire wielder is Heather Manasco. And, yes, the hanging model, Lotus Purgatory, has hooks through her skin. 

© John Wiley

Curated by Diane Irby and Adam Layne (above photo), this event at Detroit's Tangent Gallery was definitely the place to be - with loads of live action, a variety of vendors and hundreds of pieces of tattoo inspired artwork from around the globe

Photographer Kelly Datillo and model Sarah Robinson (aka Danica Vagabond) pose for a snapshot in front of their collaboration.

© John Wiley

How much fun is this Jeff Shea & Brent James Harris winged sculpture?

© John Wiley

John Wiley took a cool shot of my (now sold) wooden hands reaching out of the wall. I still have to clean up and share the few pics I took before they shipped. Here's one:

Once Upon A Time and  Ever After

I'd been thinking what kind of body art might have appealed to the famously naughty Pinocchio while still made of wood. Here he carries around a vibrant narrative of his many adventures. Perhaps he hopes they will remind him to be a "good boy". Pop back later this week for some closeups and a few more shots of the show.

Oh, and these are the two styles of temporary tattoos I had printed for the show. I'm a fan of temp tats & decided to give a bunch of these away just for kicks. The peel-away backs were printed with this blog address so maybe a new visitor might stumble in. If not, no worries - I had a great time coming up with them, especially the one above.

Want to see more photos of the INK arty party? Folks are sharing them on facebook. Try these links:

INKartshowDetroit

John Wiley's INK photos

Adam Layne

Diane Irby

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Final note today - Ladies, do you like the vintage look but prefer a modern fit? Check out the new Thursday Giveaway, sponsored by Shabby Apple. On 5/30 one lucky winner will take home a $50 gift certificate for some cute retro fashions. TO ENTER: simply leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. on May 30th. For two more ways to enter plus some cute pics, click here

This Artist of the Month is holding a new giveaway

At the Old Hyde Park Arts Center Tampa, FL

Until the 11/30 I have a few pieces hanging over at the Old Hyde Park Art Center in Tampa. It is a cute building from the late 1800s that has been home to the Tampa Realistic Artists (now theTampa Regional Artists) since the 1960s. They offer workshops, exhibits, monthly competitions and lots of other activities for local artists.

Not the best photo above - sorry about that. It was taken with an older phone. I'll pop by with a camera next week once the Art In A Garden show is up.

If you are in the Tampa area & have some garden-themed art, why not stop in this weekend and drop off a few pieces? There is a small entry fee & it's a juried show.You could win!  Find out more on the TRA Facebook page or by calling (813) 251-3780. Alternatively you can download their latest newsletter here: tamparealisticartists.com, under the "About TRA" section (please note, though that other parts of the website are a bit outdated).

Red's Escape

On other fronts - I am testing new printers and have decided to hold another giveaway .... And there will be 2 winners - woo hoo!

You have until 1 a.m. (EST) on 12/1 to enter this random drawing. Simply leave a comment on my blog before then and your name goes into the hat.

Each lucky winner will receive a print their favorite item. To make things more interesting, they can have a print of any pieces found:

1) in my shop ArtSnark.etsy.com (in the sold section is okay too), 

2) in my DeviantArt gallery or 

3) on this blog. There are several that I've posted here which haven't made it to the etsy shop yet

Night Music

As always, thanks for playing! Your interest (& comments) are what keep the giveaways flowing. Good Luck!

We have a winner!

The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

Thanks to everyone who entered this random drawing for a gently used copy of this paperbound book. With help from Random.org a winner has been selected. And that lucky winner is.......

 June from Dezinaworld

Congratulations, June! I'll contact you for your shipping info this afternoon

Again, thanks to all who took the time to leave a comment & enter this giveaway! By the way, I am hosting another random drawing next Thursday (2/3) for the artist Sammie Flame of RawkMama.etsy.com.  To enter that giveaway simply leave a comment on my blog before 1 am (EST ) on Feb. 3rd. One lucky winner gets to choose either the original ACEO Love 

Love art card by Sammie Flame

or $5 to spend at Sammie's Etsy shop. To find out more,  click here. You'll get details plus an interview with the artist.

How The Simple Act Of Creating Must Create Physical Health by Laura Koniver, MD

I met Laura on Etsy last fall when she offered to sponsor a Thursday Giveaway & Saturday Studio Tour on this blog. (Click the links to visit those posts. Also, if you have a moment, stop by her online shop  http://www.koniver.etsy.com). A kind, talented and very interesting person,  Laura describes herself as "A former physician turned artist and homeschooling Mama..." She is also a thought provoking writer. If you get a chance check out her blog, http://heartsongfineart.com/blog. It is  a peaceful place full of insight and eye candy. 

Lucky for us Laura stopped by to share her thoughts on creativity & health. After you've read this piece please take a moment to leave a comment. I think we could get a fascinating dialog going here. Now I'm going get out of your way. I'll meet you at the bottom of the post where I have some info about a new random drawing. (By the way, All photos are courtesy of Laura Koniver MD.)

How I view health now...
or... how the simple act of creating must create physical health.

I took the scenic route in becoming an artist.  The really looooong way around.  The kind of path that took me through medical school, residency, and a bit of clinical practice as a physician before I had children and realized my heartsong was to be a mommy and an artist.  That kind of long way around.

For many years, I tried to merge my two lives... there must be some way (I kept banging my head against the wall) to be an artist who can still heal people medically.  Right?  It should make sense.  I thought about becoming an art therapist.  Maybe medical illustrating?  I invented some new medical/art therapies including casting the human body and then painting it as a work of art mounted on a canvas.  Labels... labels... Must. Label.  Myself.  Something.  Am I a physician-turned-artist?  An artist with a medical degree?  A temporarily side-tracked doctor?  

 And finally, FINALLY, I realized what I intuitively knew all along... creating *is* healing.  Cut out the middle man, no need to invent a new medical therapy...  To create at all, in any form, is to create health.  The very act of creating allows health to flow.

 Creating is life.  Being alive is to create.  There just isn’t any other way around it.  All you have to do is sit there and breath, and you are creating.  

Because never, in the history of ever, has there been another person like you, living this moment of time, breathing this breath of air that you breathe... so everything you do is new and unique.  And never, in the history of ever, will there be another being exactly like you, living this moment of time, breathing this exact breath of air... So the very act of being alive is to create something new and irreplaceable.  

But, you can take it a step further and a step further every moment.  Because the more you create, the more life force you draw through you.  So even though just taking a breath is a creative act, creating something more out of the moment will draw more life in you and through you, and more health to you.  

The healthiest thing you can do is to create and allow your life force to flow through you. 

One form of creating is no better or superior at creating health then another form of creating.  Being a painter or an author or a poet is no more healthy or creative then creating a new meal, decorating a room, cutting your son’s hair.   All work can be creative.  All work can be meaningful.  

In fact, classic artists like painters and sculptures can be the worst at using creativity in their daily lives.  As pointed out in the book The Path Of Least Resistance, Learning to Become the Creative Force in Your Own Life by Robert Fritz, artists typically sequester the act of creating to just their chosen art form.  But creating is something we all do, we need to do, just as naturally as we need to breath.  It can not be sequestered away.  It can not apply to only one area of our lives.  It is life.

Most people live with a problem solving mind frame.  And even though this is extremely effective at what it does (solving problems) what you are left with is the absence of a problem.  This is far different then creating something that wasn’t there before. 

To create is simply to make something new where there wasn’t anything before.

If you are going around problem solving your life... you will be left with a void... no problems, everything solved... but nothing created.  

 And what usually happens when you have an empty space to fill?  Our minds are great at jumping right in with *helpful* things like nagging suspicions, nit-picky chatter, jealousy, gossip, finding something else to be dissatisfied with... even a new symptom or a re-emergence of an old disease pattern comes back once the problem is solved, because you have not actively *created* something to take it’s place.  In short, you are creating a new problem to have something else to solve.  

What if, instead of solving a problem and getting rid of something, you decide instead to create.  To make something new that wasn’t there before.  To bring into your life, and this world, a new situation that is exactly how you want it to be.  

This is not staying still, battling off problems, living in the defensive.  This is taking a step in the direction you want to go.  This is creating.  This is art.  This is filling a blank canvas with what you want to fill it with.   This is healing.  This is the flow of health.

Creating allows life to move with you and through you and allows health to flow.  

 Back to basics.  You can’t *not* create.  You being alive fulfills that contract.  If you are alive, you agree to be creating in every moment of your life, every fiber of your being.  

So what do you want to create?  If you block creation by problem solving, your energy stagnates and creates dis-ease.  If you create instead of problem solving, you allow the flow of life to sweep you off your feet and into the future of your dreams.

So, what do you think about Laura's ideas? Please leave a comment - I'd love to hear your feedback. Also, your comment will enter you in the newest random drawing (to be announced here tomorrow). So, be sure to pop back & check out the new prize donated by Laura. You'll also be given a chance to have a second entry in the random drawing (which will be held on 7/15). 

Laura, thank you for stopping by today with these intriguing ideas. I have one last question  before you go:  What are you creating now? 

LK: I'm finishing up a new children's book on this topic, the flow of health and joy, geared towards younger children.  It is a picture book, written and illustrated by me. It is called Jake. A Guinea Pig Finds Adventure. and will be released this fall.    

To stay informed of this book, sign up for Laura's Facebook fan page - http://facebook.com/heartsongfineart.   

Other places to see what Laura is up to next include: 

http://www.intuitionphysician.com (formerly HeartsongFineArt)

http://koniver.etsy.com

Visit with artist Linda Hardy and Enter To Win A Piece Of Heart Art

Bejeweled Paper Flowers In A Vase by Linda Hardy

Hey there! How are you today?
Feeling Lucky?

I sure hope so since it is time to announce the latest Thursday Giveaway! A new prize has been generously donated by mixed media artist, Linda Hardy. I met Linda over at Etsy where she has her colorful shop, MamaPainter.etsy.com. Throughout this post you'll get a peek at some of the art in her shop. Click on any image for more information.


Curious about the new giveaway? You'll find out more about the fantastic prize at the end of this post.... but don't hurry. Take off your coat & stay a while! Linda has a few minutes to spare today, so she has kindly stopped by to share her thoughts on life and art. Why don't you relax & get to know each other a little bit while I find us some hot cocoa.

Valentine Heart With Wings In A Tree by Linda Hardy

LH: I am a self taught, mixed media artist. Creativity runs in the blood of my family. My father was a master woodcarver who specialized in water fowl, Cowboys and Santa figurines and my mother not only painted, but is a fabric artist. My sister makes jewelry, crochets, and knits and can sew absolutely anything. My oldest brother is a carpenter who built both of his homes with his own two hands and his daughter is in art school right now! I also have cousins that carve and do metal sculpture. My youngest daughter is a Fine Art major at Texas Tech, majoring in theatre and my oldest is teaching herself to crochet and sew in hopes of opening her own ETSY shop this year! With a family history that thick in art, it was only a matter of time before I found my niche too.

Flower Art Poppies set of 2 by Linda Hardy

LH: Growing up I wanted to go to the Art Inst. Of Chicago but was told that was a foolish dream and I should just learn how to type so I could support myself if I ever ended up divorced. And that is just what I did, until my health issued forced me out of the work force and onto disability. After many, many orthopedic surgeries I found myself depressed and left feeling my life was over by the age of 45.

Hope Cross by Linda Hardy

LH: After a few years of a major pity party, I decided I had to find something that I could do, after all I wasn’t dead and people with physical disabilities overcome challenges every single day. So I took what knowledge I had of home repairs and faux paintings and downsized it to canvas. I started by making Crosses and over the last 2 years have evolved into my own style of art. I’m not sure if it’s contemporary, rustic, sculpture or folk art! It’s a little bit of it all rolled up into a unique concept.

Birds and Hearts in a Tree, set of 2 by Linda Hardy

LH: So, never give up, dig down deep and see what you have inside of you. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Day Dreams by Linda Hardy

Thank you so much for visiting with us today, Linda! It is a pleasure to find out more about the person behind such vibrant artwork. You really are an example of how art heals. It may not take the body's aches away but it can soothe the spirit & make each day a little bit better. Keep up the wonderful work!

Want to read more about Linda & her spirited creations? Visit her online:

Shop - http://MamaPainter.etsy.com

FaceBook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mamapainter

How would you like to win
a piece of MamaPainter's Heart Art?

Just in time for Valentines Day, I'll be hosting a random drawing for one of Linda's lovely heart canvases. It will be similar to these:

Sculpted Hearts by Linda Hardy

The prize canvas is so fresh the paint is still wet - I'll post an image of the actual piece soon. Here is Linda's description of this great prize:

LH: HEART ART - Red Heart Dangling from a Tree. This sculpted piece of art is on a 5" x 7" x .75", stretched canvas frame. The tree wraps around from the side and is covered in aged, silver leaf. The red, puff heart is crackled and aged with a black glaze and is adorned with a silver bow! The canvas has been painted 3 colors of yellow with the finishing color more towards true ochre.

To enter the drawing, simply leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on Thursday 1/28. That's when 1 random winner will be selected. Just make sure you have your contact info in your blog profile or comment. Now how easy is that?! Please Note: this fantastic prize ships free to USA/Canada winner only.

You may have noticed the winner will be picked in 2 weeks. While I loved making a lucky winner very happy each week in 2009, I need to spend a little more time on my art. So, I'm testing out a new every-other-week format for both the Thursday Giveaways & Saturday Studio Tours. We'll see how it goes...

In the meantime, be sure to enter this giveaway!! Also, I'll be featuring Linda's studio on Feb 6th so pop back then & see where she makes her magic.

Heart Art Sculpted Heart on Red Textured Canvas by Lindy Hardy

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Final Note:

Have you heard of the etsy shop Hearts For Haiti? Hundreds of Etsy sellers are donating items. You shop. Your $ goes to Doctors without Borders....and you get Free Shipping (paid for by sellers). Click the link above to shop or you can read my blog post about it here

Studio Tour #18 - Steve Loya

Infinity by Steve Loya

Hey There. How've you been?

Welcome back for another Studio Tour Saturday! Today we are off to Virginia to take a look around Steve Loya's creative space. But 1st we have to get past this guy ......

Goldie by Steve Loya

Tell you what, I'll distract him with a banana cream pie while you make a run for it! Better yet, lets send this big fella after him....

Splotch Monster by Steve Loya

Phew - that was close!

Hey - did you catch Thursday's post when Steve stopped by to share his thoughts and fabulous art? If not, click here (hurry while the monsters are still busy!). Be sure to come back - we'll wait for you...(tuneless whistling)..... Ok, now lets go check out where this fun artist makes his magic!

SL: For the longest time, I have tried to have a room or space somewhat resembling my own art studio, but in most cases those rooms quickly turned into storage spaces.


SL: Most of the time you would find me working on the dining table. The photos you see here are so far the best attempt yet at having a studio, or creative space.


SL: My wife Kris is also and artist and crafter and we both agreed that over my winter break, we'd make an effort to make this space "official".


SL: I had lots of wonderful art lying around, collected over the years, mostly from friends and folks whose work I admire, and decided to hang most of it in this space, as well as some of my own and Kris' work.


SL: I figured it would be a good idea to be surrounded by some inspiration. I've also got my most of my massive CD collection in the room, for both practical and again, inspirational purposes.

SL: Music has always enhanced my life as well as the accompanying artwork. We both have our own bookshelves in the studio.


SL: Slowly, I've been building up a collection of art books over the years, and I find it's good to have those around as well.


SL: Most importantly is that we finally have some organized storage space and a table to work on.

Thanks, Steve, for the tour! Always love a peek behind the scenes.

Did you guys see the turtle tank a few photos back? It is the home of Gammera, the artist's mascot & occasional muse. To see more photos of Gam click HERE. (And here's some fun trivia on his namesake.)

Want to see more of Steve's art? Visit him online:

Main Blog:http://goflyingtrtl.blogspot.com/

Art Only Blog: http://steveloyaart.blogspot.com/

New Etsy Shop: http://www.goflyingturtle.etsy.com

For A Splotch Monster Compendium Vol 1:http://www.blurb.com/books/1023323

A Splotch Monster Compendium Volume 1 by Steve Loya

Feeling Lucky?
(we did make it past those creatures)

Take a chance & enter Steve's random drawing. Simply leave a comment before 1 a.m. (EST) on 1/14 on this blog (ArtSnark) to enter. 1 lucky winner will take home a softcover copy of A Splotch Monster Compendium Vol. 1, a postcard & 1 ACEO. Contest is open worldwide with free shipping.

Thanks for stopping by today! The next studio tour will be on 1/23. While I love visiting all these creative spaces, I'm changing the schedule to every other week for a while. I need to start spending more time on art & a bit less on the computer. In the meantime, other posts will continue more or less on schedule so keep peeking in, okay?

Best wishes for a creative weekend! Cheers!

from Fashion Victims series by Steve Loya