Enter to win an ACEO of your choice - ends 7/28

Red's Walk ACEO

Hey there! How have you been? 

If you are looking for the winner of Myke Amend's Coloring Book For Grown Up Kids, click here.

Passing storm ACEO

If you are looking for the newest Thursday Giveaway, then you are in the right place!

Fever Dream #1 ACEO

I've just ordered a few dozen new ACEOs for my Artsnark Etsy shop. They should arrive late next week. 

Trevi Letters ACEO

Some are little prints of drawings I've sold. Others are pieces of digital art that I am printing for the first time.

Hush ACEO

To celebrate my jump into prints, on 7/28 one random winner will get the ACEO of their choice from ArtSnark.etsy.com. I will have the new pieces in my shop by then. The winner can pick their fave from those, as well as the ACEOs in my shop right now.

Poppet Holiday ACEO

Are you wondering - What is an ACEO? It stands for Art Card Editions & Originals, sometimes known as ATCs or Art Trading Cards. Basically, it is a really affordable way to own a piece of small art. ACEOs can be in any style, topic or medium. The only requirement is that they measure 2.5" x 3.5". Toss the term into your favorite search engine & all sorts of sites will pop up. If you like doodling or collecting, I recommend you give them a whirl. But be warned they are highly addictive, both to make and to collect!

Steampunk Navigator ACEO

Here is a sampling of the prints I have coming in next week. Can you tell I'm excited? Until now I have only sold originals in my shop. But traffic is sloooow, so it is time to try something new.

So, how do you enter the 7/28 random drawing? Easy peasy - leave a comment on my blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on July 28 and your name is tossed into the hat. Just make sure your contact info is in your profile (or leave an email) in case you are the lucky winner. (Giveaway is open worldwide with free shipping.)

Thanks for stopping by.... and good luck!!

Meet The Artist Behind Ascender Rises Above & Enter To Win Some Great Art

Detail from Unraveling Yellow acrylic on canvas by Ascender Rises Above

Last spring I stumbled onto the wonderful artwork of Jacquelyn Berl (aka Ascender Rises Above). First I was smitten by the vibrant colors in her acrylics on canvas.  Rhapsody in Plume brought to mind the energetic nature paintings of Charles Burchfield, one of my favorite artists.

 Rhapsody In Plume; acrylic on canvas by Ascender Rises Above

Exploring Jacquelyn's website AscenderRisesAbove.com I was tickled by the fantastic textures and details of Scatterlings © series. The originals include bits of plants & flowers in addition to inks and watercolors. They also contain hidden, ehem, models.

Here is a detail from one of the Scatterlings© pieces. You can read more about this charming series here. With so much going on in each picture, it is easy to see why this series is popular with kids too.

Jacquelyn's website also features her bold collages

Annie by Ascender Rises Above

And graphic pointillism drawings

A Passion For The Past by Ascender Rises Above

As well as works done in pastels, on tiles, and variety of other mediums.  

If you like what you see, when you've finished here be sure to pop over to Jacquelyn's website and have good look around. Also, click here if you'd like to take a photo tour of her Studio; she stopped by my blog last Saturday to give us a tour.  

Lucky for us,  this wonderful artist has also dropped by today for a visit ..... and to sponsor the new Thursday Giveaway. Giveaway details can be found further down this post in red. Now let's find out a little more about Jacquelyn Berl, the creative force behind Ascender©.

JB: While working for my Associates of Fine Arts degree in interior design, I was vice president of the student American Society of Interior Designers. I spent ten years doing contract and residential perspective renderings/interior design.

 perspective rendering by Ascender - click here for more interiors

JB: I then expanded my horizons into that of a graphic and fine artist. I have done a great deal of community work, including contributions of graphic work for several non profits. A particular favorite non profit project was the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Wyoming in the the Children's Discovery center, in addition to aiding in graphic needs on newsletters and special promotions on the marketing committee.

JB: I began selling my fine artwork privately, donating some proceeds to non-profit organizations. I've held several exhibits of my work which have combined my artistic vision with a variety of artistic media and form: pointillism, dry pastels, mixed media watercolor and Scatterlings© (a collection of self-directed enchantment art.

JB: I'm presently working on an upcoming illustrated novel. Feel free to contact me if you'd like to be alerted on the book publication date.

Thanks for stopping by today, Jacquelyn, to talk about yourself and your work. To find out more about why Jacquelyn became an artist and how her work has evolved over the years, check out this great interview.

Now as a special treat, Jacquelyn has generously donated 2 limited edition prints to the new Thursday Giveaway. On 7/29 two winners will each take home 1 print of their choosing. 

To enter the random drawing, simply leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on 7/29.  For a second entry,  click here to visit Ascender Rises Above & leave a comment there too. 1 winner will be randomly selected from each site. This drawing is open to USA residents only and the print ships for free with in the United States. Each print measures 11" x 17". (And if you have the time,please check out this wonderful selection of prints & let us know the title of your favorite.)

I know I'm a little long winded today, but before we finish I wanted to mention a special offer that Jacquelyn is running right now. For the next 2 weeks, she is holding a sale of her 11" x 17" limited edition prints. Each piece is printed to the border, signed and dated on the back. They are printed on 80 lb Dull cover paper with HP Indigo inks on an Indigo 5000 press ( a commercial printer, not a home printer).

Until 7/29 these prints are either "Buy one, get one half-off" or "Buy 2 prints get a third for free". Customers gets to choose which sale they want to apply. Click here for all the details & be sure to notify Jacques which sale you are choosing.

Thanks, Everyone, for popping by today. I really enjoy pulling together these artist features & random drawings. And it is your interest that keeps them coming. Please remember to leave a comment to enter Ascender's fantastic giveaway.

Some more places where you can find Jacquelyn and her art online:
Ascender Rises Above Site
Ascender on Linked In
Ascender's Squidoo
Ascender on Art Bistro
Ascender on Facebook
Ascender Facebook Fan Page
Ascender on Twitter
Check out What's On My Desk

We Have A Winner of Jennifer Stano Glicee Print

Feeling lucky?

Thanks to all who entered the random drawing for 8" x 10" print, Jennifer Stano's It All Starts With An Acorn. Your 90 names were entered into Random.org today. And the Lucky Winner is.....

Congrats Lady HighTower!

I will contact you today with instructions for collection your prize.

Many thanks to Jennifer for sponsoring this great giveaway! It was great fun! To see more of Jennifer's colorful art, visit to her Etsy shop, CoatOfPaint & her blog CoatOfPaintStudios.blogspot.com.

By the way, I am also hosting a giveaway for Uprinting.com - 100 custom printed postcards to the winner picked on 1/1/10. Click Here for Details

Also pop back in later today for details on a new random drawing with a timely prize.

Enter to win a free glicee print from featured artist Jennifer Stano

Welcome back to another Thursday Giveaway & Artist Feature!

Today we're visiting with painter & mixed media artist, Jennifer Stano.

Homefires by Jennifer Stano

Jennifer creates energetic pieces in a variety of mediums. Sometimes paints, sometimes collage yet always bursting with bold colors and gestures. You can view her vibrant artwork in her online shop CoatofPaint.etsy.com as well as on her blog, coatofpaintstudio.blogspot.com. Some of the pieces featured here are available in her Etsy shop. Click on the images for details.

Pink Lotus by Jennifer Stano

Also, If you're in Northfield Minnesota, you can view her painting Pink Lotus at the Northfield Arts Guild through Jan. 2nd.

Jennifer is also the newest Thursday Giveaway sponsor. More about that at the bottom of this post. In the meantime, I'm going to step aside & let her tell you a bit about her life and art.

JS: I’m a part-time painter, full-time artist at heart and life-long equestrian. As an art and art history major in college, I never actually gave much thought to becoming a professional artist. It wasn’t until this past year when I discovered Etsy and the wonderful online community that I began to realize the possibility of pursing my passion as a vocation. I was just amazed to discover this supportive, encouraging group of people who were just like me. Many were working in full-time jobs while creating art on the side, and they documented their struggles, passions and inspirations online. Whereas I’m still years away from realizing my dream of becoming a full-time artist, I’ve found so much encouragement and inspiration from this wonderful, creative online community.

Green Bird by Jennifer Stano

JS: In terms of my artistic inspiration, I’m constantly moved by the beauty of the natural world and horses in particular. My earliest art was drawings of horse based on photos I cut from magazines. In college, I returned to this subject matter for my senior art show, which was a series of oil paintings I did from sketches of the horses in my barn.

by Jennifer Stano

JS: I was also very influenced by the time I spent in Italy during college. I was lucky enough to live in Florence and study art in a traditional atelier where we did life drawings from models who posed for 2 week sessions. This time gave me a great respect for the history and tradition on which much of our current techniques are based.

by Jennifer Stano

JS: Currently, I’m doing a series of oil paintings that are very inspired by the abstract impressionist movement. There is no predetermined subject matter, and the process is very direct and physical. I tend to work fast in the preliminary phase and I seek to capture that energy on the canvas without a lot of premeditation so it’s more of an unconscious process of putting a mark down and responding to that mark in an organic way. The painting itself determines what it will become and I just have to make sure I don’t get in the way.

Enchantment by Jennifer Stano

JS: Though I’m primarily an oil painter, at the moment my Etsy shop is heavily weighted towards my watercolor work because I find the scale conducive to online sales and print production.

A Storm Is Gathering by Jennifer Stano

JS: I’ve also started doing some photography and I hope to have a series of fine art photography note card released soon. There are always so many ideas and not enough hours in the day!

Purple Coneflower Cutout by Jennifer Stano

Keep those ideas coming, Jennifer! Your dynamic pieces have a lively organic feel to them. And thanks so much for stopping by today so share your art & thoughts!

So, Readers, would you like to own 1 of of Jennifer's colorful creation? Well here's your chance. She has generously donated an 8 x 10 glicee print of her acrylic painting It All Starts With An Acorn for next Thursday's random drawing.

It All Starts With An Acorn by Jennifer Stano

It is easy to enter! Just leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on 12/24. That's it. The winner will be announced later that day. Please make sure your contact info is either in your profile or your comment in case you are the lucky winner. This prize ships free to USA & Canada addresses only.

Thanks to everyone who stops in & enters. It is your enthusiasm that keeps these contests & artist features going. If you're in the bloggy neighborhood next weekend please pop by - Jennifer is kindly giving us a tour of her art studio. Won't it be fun to see where she works her magic?

Also if you have any interest in sponsoring a Thursday Giveaway, sharing your art & thoughts with ArtSnark readers or showing off your creative space, please let me know (my email is in my profile). I'm searching for a variety of visual artists to feature in 2010.

Saturday Studio Tour #11 - Harry Boardman & friends

1 - Monster Art by Harry

Got Monsters?

Harry Boardman does! 1 year ago Harry started an ambitious project - to create a monster a day "from Halloween to Halloween" and post them on his blog 365monsters.blogspot.com and etsy shop 365monsters.etsy.com. His creatures are created out of a variety of material and have a quite a mix of personalities. Each also has a brief bio in the listings.

128 Original Monster Art by Harry

Lucky for us, Harry has stopped by to share a bit about his creations and to give us a tour of his studio space:

HB: A little more than a year ago I wanted to challenge myself and exercise my creative muscle. The point was to put myself on edge and take on the sort of task that normal sane people wouldn’t attempt. Aside from doing all of that, this project looked simple as a whole but became difficult fast.

75 - Original Monster Art By Harry

HB: The first week was hard. It wasn’t easy to get into a routine, produce consistently good work, and to be creative each and every day. It seems strange now that monster # 25 was a big milestone for me.

25 - Original Monster Art By Harry

HB: This has been an amazing yearlong project. I’ve posted monsters while traveling around the world, produced a large body of work that I’m happy with, included friends & family in my work, and found new avenues of business like custom monster portraits starting at $65.

Custom Monster Project by Harry

Last Friday, Harry had a live-action drawing gig over at Estetiks in Doylestown, PA where he finished off his year of monsters with these critters and the advice to "know your footwear":

365 - Original Monster Art by Harry

Now on with the Studio Tour!

HB: Welcome to the studio of Harry Boardman. Artist, monster fan, and recovering packrat. Although not a frontiersman, I live in the woods with my wonderful wife Heather (a lampwork glass artist and jewelry designer) with our 2 cats and dog-boy Morty. Even though my studio is in a subterranean situation with one small window, it’s really great. The space is large enough to continuously find new equipment to squeeze in and it’s always good to be down here. Besides, when the zombies attack it’ll be safer down here underground.

HB: This is what you see as you come into the door. It’s a lot to take in at once. I feel like this space is jam-packed with organized chaos. Good things are packed in here for inspiration, cool projects, and lots of choices when the right tool or medium calls.

HB: When my wife and I bought this house my current studio was a small woodshop with long wide short cabinets in it. Most of those cabinets were moved to an undisclosed location but one remained as a place to store and mix oil paints. I do most of my painting on this easel and large pieces go on an open wall behind this area

HB: Another piece of heavy duty industrial metal furniture, the drafting table is a super spot to sketch, layout portraits and paintings on boards, all of the monsters are inked on this table. This shot also shows my white board of insanity covered in color-coded thoughts, my wonderful Epson printer for reproducing my artwork, and extra storage that came as a gift from beyond the grave (the story is way too long).

HB: I keep all of my reference pics in the computer and do a ton of research on it. It’s handy for doing research, marketing, making excellent and timely playlists, and managing my etsy stores.

HB: The cutting/matting/assembly/layout desk is the most recent work space addition to the studio. I’m glad I have it every time I use it.

Be sure to stop by Harry's blog where he celebrated finishing the monster project by creating .... another monster!

Hooray for 365 Monsters! by Harry

He also talks about his next big project 52 Farms. Here's a sneak peek of Harry's artistic plans for the coming year

HB: My next blog project called 52 Farms will start in Spring or Summer of 2010. This one will feature weekly pieces that are larger and more ambitious than the monster pieces. I’ll be creating artwork based on 52 different working farms within an hour or so drive time from my studio in Montgomery county, PA.

HB: When not involved in a blog project, I take commissions for portraits of people, pets, and houses. Oil paintings and mixed media pieces of local landscapes, nature scenes, wildlife, plants, and animals are the majority of my other work.

Want to see some of Harry's non- monster art? Check out his 2nd etsy shop HarryBoardman.etsy.com as well as these other online locations:
http://www.portraitsbyharry.com/
http://www.harryboardman.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Harry-Boardman/9012343994

Want to win a piece of Harry's art? Simply leave a comment on this blog before noon (EST) on Nov. 5 to enter the random drawing for the 8 x 10 matted print Sunset Parking Lot

Sunset Parking Lot by Harry Boardman

To read about the creation of this piece & visit a few more monsters, CLICK HERE for last Thursday Giveaway/ Artist Feature. Thanks for your patience with this belated post. And for stopping by today. And Extra Special Thanks to Harry for sharing his menagerie & creative space with us today!

New Giveaway Art Print & Monstrous Interview

Original Monster # 72 (Zombie Cat) by Harry Boardman

Weeeellllcome....muhahaha.....

Oops - sorry- my Evil Twin took over for a moment there.

Do you like creepies and crawlies and things that go bump in the night? If so, you've come to the right place! Today's featured artist is Harry Boardman of 365Monsters. I stumbled into one of Harry's Etsy shops (365Monsters.etsy.com) a couple of weeks ago and was instantly bitten smitten!


Lucky us! Harry decided to stop by with some of his menagerie. He's also generously donated a matted print, Sunset Parking Lot, for the new Thursday Giveaway. For more about this prize & how to enter the random drawing, see end of this post.

I noticed a few things while making my way through Harry's world. First, these monsters are born of a variety of mediums.

#362 - Original Monster Art by Harry

Also, each one has its own distinct personality. And habitat. For instance, #362 likes to hide by the bed, all the better to catch a pair of unsuspecting toes. You can find out more about individual beasties in both the Etsy listings and on the 365 Monster blog. And you can find out more about Harry right here:

So Harry, why monsters?

HB: "I’m just a regular guy who poses as an artist and who also happens to love monsters. While working as an artist, I usually base my pieces on traditional subjects like landscapes and portraits. But I’ve always created monster-related artwork for fun and wanted to share that on my blog 365 Monsters"

#334 Original Monster Art by Harry

HB: "A little more than a year ago I wanted to challenge myself and exercise my creative muscle. The point was to put myself on edge and take on the sort of task that normal sane people wouldn't attempt. Aside from doing all of that, this project looked simple as a whole but became difficult fast."

Readers, pop back on Halloween to hear more about Harry's past year of living with monsters. He will also give us a tour of his Lair Studio. To tide you over, here are a few more of his creations. And remember Not ...All ...Monsters ...Hide ... Under ...The ...Bed

#285 - Original Monster Art by Harry

HB: "When the hot summer sun rises to a mere 50 feet over the ground in August, my body is drawn to the air conditioning like a moth to flame. Having done this for too too long, the yard is reaching (what we in the biz like to call) meadow status. As I attempted to cut the grass, I found that the shaggedy greenery had taken on a mind of its own and wasn't about to sit idly by and be mowed."

Some...May...Be...Closer...Than...You...Think

#136 Original Monster Art by Harry

HB: "I've used the same ink bottle to create nearly every single monster chronicled here in this blog. When I walked into the studio tonight I found that the ink had taken on a hideous and evil form of its own. As I backed out of the studio I kept my eyes on the rallying ink monsters and focused my sights on survival."

#74 - Original Monster Art By Harry

Harry, any last thoughts on Monsters today?

#274 0 Original Monster by Harry Boardman

HB: "Sometimes all it takes is the right suit."

Like, ehem, most of us Harry has a "normal" side too. You can can catch a glimpse of it while perusing the fine art & portraits in his other online shop, HarryBoardman.etsy.com. He has a variety of originals and prints available and works in several different mediums.


Now onto the Giveaway! Harry has generously donated a matted print of his painting Sunset Parking Lot. The print measures about 5.5" x 7". The Mat measures 8" x10" and will fit in a standard frame.

HB: "I was painting a giant mural in an Italian restaurant not far from where we live. On the last day I finished up and walked outside for a breath of cool air and a much needed break. I looked up at the sky and ran to my car for the camera. I started painting this piece a day later.

That’s what’s so great about painting sunsets. They’re full of color, life, and motion. No matter how similar they may be to each other at times, they are all unique and different. Including the touch of humans is part of my aesthetic.

Prints of this piece in varying sizes are available in my etsy store www.harryboardman.etsy.com or from me directly. I can be reached by phone, email, or snail mail from the “contact me” section of my site www.harryboardman.com."

Sunset Parking Lot by Harry Boardman

Next Thursday (Nov 5) 1 lucky winner will be selected by Random.org to take home this fabulous print. Everyone who leaves a comment on this blog before noon (EST) on 11/5 will be entered into the random drawing. It is that simple.

Please be sure to come back on Halloween to see Harry's laboratory, I mean, studio and hear more about his life with monsters. See you Saturday....muhahahaha.....

You can see more of Harry's art in these places:

http://365monsters.blogspot.com
http://365monsters.etsy.com
http://HarryBoardman.etsy.com
http://www.portraitsbyharry.com/
http://www.harryboardman.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Harry-Boardman/9012343994

ALSO, if you're in Doylestown, PA Friday 10/30 drop by Estetiks on 5 Main St. for free music, food & to see Harry draw Monster #365. Info on the event is on Harry's facebook page.

Who will be the lucky winner....

of Amber Freeman's print The Little Gift?

To see more of Amber's art, visit her Etsy shop, Cinnaber. Click the following links to read an interview with Amber & visit her studio space.

O.K. - Random.org has spoken & today's winner is......

BETTY!

Congrats, Betty!! You also get a custom cut mat in black or white. I'll contact you this afternoon with details on how to claim your prize.

Many thanks to Amber for taking part in Thursday's Giveaways. And thanks to all who visited & left such kind comments on this talented young artists work.

Want to play again? Pop back later today. I will be posting a new prize generously donated another talented etsy artist.

The New Giveaway Prize Is Up - Just Click Here For Details

I'm also hosting a random drawing on 10/22 for a custom printed vinyl banner from Uprinting.com - CLICK HERE for rules & banner details