ArtSnark's Artifacts: summer

Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts

8/15/14

Odds & Ends of Summer

Where has the summer gone?

Life has been busier than expected with work and play around here.

Summer's highlight was a visit to Acadia National Park, a welcome break from routine and the sticky Florida heat. I've shared few photos on Instagram and facebook and will pop more up here one day soon.

A close second was catching Kishi Bashi at Tampa's New World Brewery last week.

Ever wanted to step inside a lovely decor magazine? As always, a visit to the restaurant/ bookshop/ decor store/ coffeehouse/ teashop/ eventspace Oxford Exchange was a pleasure. If you are in Tampa this space is a must-see. Also check out their online calendar; there is always something intriguing on the schedule. That's where I spotted the recent Instameet. I love a trip to OE and it was fun to meet fellow shutterbugs. Below is panoramic of the book shop. (Click the pic for a bigger view). For more photos of the meet up search the Instagram app for #OEInstaMeet.

I also returned from my holiday in time to catch Jobsite Theater's performance of Steven Deitz's Inventing Van Gogh. While a bit over the top (especially the second half), the play was an interesting study of truth, myth, art and obsession. There were some outstanding performances,with most cast members jumping through time to play two different characters. I look forward to seeing what actors Ned Averill-Snell (who played both Gaugin and a modern-day art expert/con man) and Greg Thompson (Van Gogh's friend Dr Gachet and a present day obsessed art professor) get up to next season.

My next few days are filled with a bit of back-to-school prep and some projects I've committed to but procrastinated (surprise,surprise). It is all a bit hush hush for now, but I'll share when I can.

So, what have you been up to this summer? Anything planned for fall fun?

7/27/14

A little R&R

Hey, All. What have you been up to lately?

I've had my traveling shoes on the last couple of weeks. I meant to catch up on some belated blogging, but with only sporatic internet access that hasn't been happening.

I'm still more off line than usual for a few more days. Hope you enjoy your week!

6/20/14

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.

7/12/11

Random Tuesday - What'cha doin?

Bubble Boy experiment

Yep, summer vacation- woo hoo! Sadly most of Little Dude's friends are in assorted camps so we have to keep ourselves busy during the week. One day we stuck him in a giant soap bubble. This fun idea came from one of our go-to books for tackling the doldrums, Sean Connelly's The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science Experiments

We've also been painting:

This is one of those cool cheapo art supplies boxes from Michaels. Highly recommend if you know anyone who likes to doodle. The watercolor paints are of a much better quality than the standard kid's sets, less watery & richer colors.

In the background is a cracker box/ paper towel tube castle & a wooden birdhouse awaiting their turn under the brush. The birdhouse (also from Michaels) is actually a Lego Star Wars hideout in the Dude's world.

Working hard on this acrobat toy.

Here's the work-in-progress toy gymnast - L.D. is still debating whether to go zendangle with a sharpie or add a gloss finish.

But....in the meantime it is fun to play with. Boy I sound doofy - mix of allergies, not enough coffee, and vid cutting out early. Next time I'll let the kiddo handle the electronics while I turn the crank. He is much better at it & my tech-aptitude is from the 1800s at the latest.

So...what'cha doin this summer? Any suggestions for keeping the kids busy?? I need them if you have them

Any random thoughts rattling around in your nut? Well, jot em down online & link up over at Stacey Uncorked for Random Tuesday

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By the way, the drawing for Myke Amend's Coloring Book For Grown Up Kids is in 2 days. Leave a comment before 1 am (EST) on 7/14 & your name goes into the hat. For more info & a peek at the book click here.

8/18/10

Wordless Wednesday - Boys of Summer

7/22/09

The Impostor ACEO

The Impostor

Hey There! How have y'all been? Feels like I've been gone for ages. Work (day job not art) has taken over my life the last couple of days, but it feels like I've been gone for ages. I'll be perfectly content if I never have to hear an Emperor Penguin sneeze again! Don't ask. I'm not allowed to tell....

Totally work-fried last night, so I decided to detox with last week's Melange challenge, Whisper. I had this great ledger-style paper that had been partially stamped with what I think was supposed to be RECEIVED - only the top of the word was printed & I thought how it could also be DECEIVED. That got the synapses going, so I went snooping through deviantArt for a new rogue & found this great stock photo from NobleDeath-stock. Started the piece with the gent above. He was supposed to be looking through a window at something worth whispering about. But.... I liked him too much as a stand alone & he was sized right for an ACEO so here he is.

Now ACEOs are like Lays potato chips ... anyone who makes or collects them will agree. So a couple more followed.

Summer Beauty

This ACEO is based on an old family photo.The colors uploaded a little cooler than they really are. Bit more of a reddish-orange dominates the original.

Reflection

I'm not really happy with this but figured I'd show it anyway. I did manage to list these in my very neglected Etsy Shop, ArtSnark. The poor thing would be covered in cobwebs if it was a brick & mortar store. I actually had to renew most items, they've been sitting there so long.

For anyone unfamiliar with Etsy, you can keep items in your shop 4 months before renewing at a low 20 cents an item. Even when sales are down, rent is cheap! And the camaraderie is fabulous. If you are one of those people who is just sitting on your creations, I highly suggest you look into Etsy. It is easy to get lost in the crowd if you are unknown & not great at marketing. But on the other hand, those pieces are just gather dust, yes?

By the way, to view some cool responses to the Whisper challenge click HERE. You can find the artist's links in the comments. This week's Melange challenge is Harbor. Go HERE to add your own art or see what great pieces others come up with

Before I go scrounge up some dinner, let me remind you of the current Thursday Giveaway. Enter & you could be the lucky winner of a 16" x 20" canvas print of your favorite summer photo. Just leave a description of your pic in this blog's comments before noon (EST) 7/30 to enter the random drawing.For contest details CLICK HERE

7/16/09

New Giveaway - Days Of Summer

I don't know about you guys, but it seems like I'm always taking lots of pictures & then leaving them in the computer. I've decided to preserve my family's fun in the sun by getting a canvas print of this double-exposed photo. There is something about this pic of my son splashing around in the Gulf of Mexico that reminds me of my own carefree days long long ago.

So your asking, C'mon, What's the new giveaway? The folks over at OnlinePosterPrinting.com have generously offered a fabulous prize that will help you remember the days of summer long after they’re gone.

A free 16x20" Gallery or Museum Wrapped Canvas Print to 1 Very Lucky Winner!

To Enter just leave a comment describing a summer photo that you would like to have printed. Please do this before noon (EST) Thursday July 30th. (Please note there will be no random drawing next Thursday 7/23.) That is when I’ll use Random.org to pick a winner. Also, make sure you can be easily contacted. You don't need to leave an email address as long as I can reach you through your blog

Some notes from the sponsor:

Giveaway is open to US/CAN residents. Shipping of prizes is not included and must be paid by winner. Online Poster Printing reserves the right not to print obscene or offensive materials.

All designs submitted in the form of a giveaway may be used by Online Poster Printing for online marketing and promotional uses. The designs will be used solely as examples and will not be printed or commercially distributed.

About Online Poster Printing
Online Poster Printing specializes in printing high-quality posters using premium materials. We offers a money back guarantee on all our products, such as photo canvas prints, vinyl banners, wall stickers, and rolled or mounted poster prints.

Now I know you've got some great summer pics around there somewhere. Go find that perfect one & describe it here to enter this fabulous giveaway!