3/11/10

Enter to win a Mini Traveling Art Kit from Wind And Honey Creations


2 months ago artist J. Elizabeth Johnson showed us around her creative space in Studio Tour # 19. (If you missed it, click the link to check out her studio & artwork. But then come back so you don't miss this great giveaway).


You may remember Elizabeth, she was the one cuddling a lion. Click here to read about Elizabeth & Daniel.

Elizabeth is one busy artist, teacher & business person! She has 3 online shops where she sells her artwork.


JEJohnson Portraits on Etsy is full of her animal drawings and painting. She also creates custom pet portraits.


Wind and Honey Creations, also on Etsy, is Elizabeth's mixed media art shop. There you will find all sorts of colorful collages, fun ACEOs and other altered pieces.

Mini Moleskin Journal - Fairytales By You by J. Elizabeth Johnson

And windandhoney.1000Markets.com carries a large number of her artworks in a variety of mediums and styles.


This versatile artist also teaches classes both in person and online. For more info visit her website windandhoneycreations.com. Soon she will be teaching online classes through the new website Craft.edu.com. (You can find out more about Craft.edu .com on facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/CraftEducom)

As I said, Elizabeth is one busy lady. She carries art supplies and a mini portfolio full of blank ACEO cards so that she can create even while waiting for appointments. Last fall she blogged about the inspiration behind this idea in the post Mini Traveling Art Kit. Just click to visit.


And that brings us to the latest Thursday Giveaway Prize. On March 25th one random winner will receive this hand embellished mini portfolio case from J. Elizabeth Johnson. It measures 4" x 5" and includes 3 blank ACEO cards. Two cards are cut from bristol board vellum and one is bristol board smooth; all are ready for your use.


(ACEO stands for Art Card Editions & Originals. Basically an ACEO is a piece of art that measures 2.5" x 3.5" and can be done in any medium. Also known as ATCs or Art Trading Cards. Click here for more info)


You know what, I'm going to sweeten this prize even more. Elizabeth will send the winner this fantastic mini portfolio with papers. And I will send them a travel sized collection of supplies. I don't have a photo since I only just thought of this. It will definitely contain some colored pencils, a mini sharpener, a micron pen & what ever else I can come up with.

To Enter This Random Drawing leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on 3/25. Prizes ship free & contest is open worldwide.
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And The Winner Of The Elle Moss Random Drawing Is....


Jus and Kat! Congratulations!
Jus and Kat, I'll contact you today with directions for claiming your fantastic prize

Many thanks to the incredibly talented Elle Moss for sponsoring this random drawing! Jus & Kat will receive 1 set of postcards PLUS their choice of one 5" sq. format fine art photograph from ElleMoss.etsy.com. (Those lucky winners! I wish I could have entered this giveaway). To visit this wonderful shop just click the banner.


Also thank you to all who left a comment and entered this drawing! It is your continued interest in these artist features & giveaways that keeps them coming. Pop back later - I will announce the newest Thursday Giveaway prize this afternoon. Till then, wishing you a fantastic day!
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3/10/10

Business Cards, Giveaways, Caravaggio & Taxidermy

Yep, I'm all over the place today.

I was going to share more faves from The Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. Sorry, that post will have to wait until Friday.

Silly me - my head is so full of other people's art that I almost forgot to pick a winner for the Uprinting.com giveaway! So with help from random.org, today's winner of 500 custom business cards is....


cjmommy! Congratulations!
I will contact you today with instructions for claiming your prize

Thanks to all who entered this random drawing; it is your interest that keeps them coming. And many thanks to Uprinting.com for sponsoring this great giveaway!
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Last Chance To Enter The Elle Moss Random Drawing:

assorted photographs from Elle Moss

Tomorrow 1 very lucky winner will receive a set of art postcards & winner's choice of one 5" x 5" square format fine art photograph from ElleMoss.etsy.com. To enter this fantastic giveaway simply leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on 3/11. To see original post announcing giveaway and more photos, click here.
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Caravaggio in Ascendance: A Bad Boy Artist's Time To Shine - On the front page of today's NY Times. This headline made me very happy. Call me frivolous, but I'd much rather start my day with this than an article about the latest celebrity or political scandal.


I have been a chiaroscuro & Caravaggio fan for a very long time. If we hope into the wayback machine my 1st artistic interest was in sculpture. The paintings of Caravaggio helped me see the 3-d in the 2-d (if that makes any sense). When I took an art class at 16 we were required to draw. Line & color gave me a great deal of trouble. Drawing was a struggle for me until I used light and shadow to form the shapes of the model or still life.


If you like your art history mixed with drama, Caravaggio is the man for you. One of my favorite books is Peter Robb's M The Man Who Became Caravaggio. It is a riveting tale assembled from court documents and full of speculation. Though the tabloid quality is derided by some, I found it a fun read & also used it as a Caravagigo guide book while visiting Italy years ago. Back then I'd have a the paintings to myself or at best share with a couple strangers. Reading today's article it sounds like it might be getting a bit crowded in front of his paintings nowadays.

If you don't mind some dramatics, I also recommend Simon Schama's hour long video about the painter from his Power of Art series. I'm going to try & embed it here. But you can also click here for google video and either watch it there or download.
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I've been wanting to read this since I first hear about it a while back. The Times review today just reinforced it. I've always been fascinated by taxidermy animals. Not in a Norman Bates creepy kind of way; more of a turn-of-the-century-collector type of thing. I used to live down the street from a natural history museum & spent many hours in the animal display areas. Sometimes drawing, other times trying to take in the vibe of a lost era...ahh, I'm rambling again aren't I? One of the side-effects of using the wayback machine I am afraid.

I just love this cover! It is perfect for weeding out potential readers. (Yes, book covers should do this but not all succeed). There is a line at the end of today's review by Dwight Garner about weeding out readers: " You put 'Still Life' down with a line from Mr. Hirst ringing in your ears — a line that will draw you instantly to this book, or make you stand 10 paces away: 'I just,' he once said, 'like rotting.' "

And on that note - thanks for your patience with today's ravings. Tomorrow back to our regularly scheduled program (though I can't believe it is almost Thursday already). I'll announce the winner of the prizes from ElleMoss.etsy.com plus introduce a new giveaway sponsor and prize. Have a great day & hope to see you there
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3/9/10

On My Walls - Treasures from Gasparilla Arts Festival


Sunday I escaped responsibilities & enjoyed the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. There was a fantastic variety of artwork to choose from. & this week I'm sharing some of my favorites. To see yesterday's picks click here.

Several items tried to come home with me. Here are the ones I could not resist. My apologies for any blemishes or whatnot as I've used my old scanner to capture all but the top image.

The first piece to jump into my arms was Kreg Yingst's framed blockprint The Who. Click the pic to visit his website. Make sure you have a few minutes - that place is overflowing with exciting blockprints, linocuts and paintings. You'll find colorful galleries with names like Magic & Circus, Music Blockprints and Matt: A Visual Gospel.

The Who by Kreg Yingst

This is a scan of the framed blockprint. The frame measures 12" sq, so you are just seeing a crop here. I wanted to show you the unique mat and fun treatment on the frame. This piece just reached out and yanked me into the booth. I found myself sucked into this fantastic world of line & color. I had a hard time deciding which piece to take home - good thing some of the others are for sale on his website kregyingst.com.

On the other side of the show I was soon captivated by the large black & white photographs of Laurie Coppedge. She has a gorgeous series of swimmers with a lovely ethereal quality. You can see this set on her website lauriecoppedge.com. Some of her other series are listed but not yet uploaded, so I've scanned in the pieces I purchased. Again, any flaws are due to my scanner & I apologize.

Jen Peeking by Laurie Coppedge


Galenski House by Laurie Coppedge

Don't you just love these? This gentleman (the artist's neighbor) has such an interesting face and all 3 photos have a timeless quality that really appeals to me. Jen Peeking reminds me of a dream I had a few times. It always gave me fright & I'd wake up as soon as I saw the woman looking at me. While this photograph is haunting to me it is also playful and feels like a good counterpoint to the Galenski House pieces. I will hang the 3 together with Jen Peeking in the middle. Matted they measure 11" x 14".

By the way, you can catch these talented artists at other art festivals. They both have show schedules on their websites.

Thanks for stopping in today. I will share some more of my faves from the show tomorrow.

Also, if you have a moment please visit Monday's post. Toward the bottom I suggest some "dos & don'ts" for art fairs. I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. I'm asking everyone to leave some advice based on what they have observed at art festivals. Have you ever been a browser, buyer, or vendor at a fair? Please share your business suggestions, faux pas, or common sense advice. I will collect all suggestions together in a post this Saturday.

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Please note, everyone who leaves a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on 3/11 will be entered in a random drawing sponsored by ElleMoss.etsy.com. 1 lucky winner takes home a set of postcards and their choice of one 5" sq fine art photograph. CLICK HERE for details
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3/8/10

Monday's Muse - Gasparilla Festival of the Arts

Hey there! How was your weekend?

I had the good fortune to spend a gorgeous Sunday at the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. This is my favorite local show. Okay, there were some "sofa art"-type pieces. Fortunately they were sprinkled around. Mostly there was a fun variety of styles, mediums, and price ranges. Pretty much something for everyone.


This show gives away almost $75,ooo.oo in prizes, so a good number of artists apply. This really contributes to the diversity. There is also an emerging artists section, which I think is brilliant. It adds some new blood to the mix and gives a chance to someone who might not otherwise be unable to afford the show. Emerging artists are provided with a tent & $250 stipend. Plus fees are waved. They can not compete for most of the prizes, but they can try for a $1,ooo award. For more details on the emerging artist program, click here.

Acrylic paintings on wood by Suzi Scarborough

The fair was packed with folks enjoying the beautiful weather, redesigned riverfront and of course the art. I had a fantastic time searching out old favorites & finding new ones. Ended up buying 4 pieces and talked to some fascinating people. This week I will share my favorites (with lots of images & links). Click on any of the art in this post to visit the artists' websites.

I'd also like to share some Art Fair Do's & Don'ts later this week.

I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've ever attended an art show - as a buyer, browser or seller. Please leave a comment or drop me an email (address in my profile). I'll post all contributions on Saturday. Today I'll kick start us with (what should be) a couple of "gimmies":


Sellers, please display your business cards.

Yes, many folks that take 1 will not contact you in the future. But some might.

Or they may pass it on to a friend.

Or they may want to write your booth number on the back so they can find you 2 hours (& maybe 2 beers) later. While your amazing work may stick in that potential customer's mind, your booth location may not.

And if you shared the card in your pocket when I asked, Thank You.


Excuse me, Miss Chatterbox, please don't bogart the artist.

Yes, the artwork is amazing and you may have made a mystical connection. And I am sure that you are fascinating. But please remember the artist is here to make money; he is trying to focus on everything going on in his booth.

On the other hand, please do acknowledge the artist if you want to.

Many people do like feedback on their work. And some even like to chat if their booth is empty.

Underwater photo by my 6 yr old.
No, this was not in the show. Just messing with you.

Maybe you (or your 6 yr old or your blind dog) could have made it ... But you didn't and the artist did.

And now he needs to sell it! So please move out of the way; there is a potential customer behind you.

Also, didn't your mother ever tell you that If you have nothing nice to say, please say nothing at all? Or at least save it for when you've left the booth.

Just Be Nice - This one goes out to everybody.

Yes, this should be obvious. And yes we are all human. Maybe you are hungry, thirsty, hot, hungover, tired, broke, jealous, recently rejected or just want to go home. (1) I am sure you are not the only one. (2) This day isn't about only you so please don't spoil it for others. (3) Lighten up. Leave if you can and if you can't... just be patient - I promise it will be over soon.

I have a few more thoughts on this topic and would love to hear yours. Please send me your art fair do's & dont's and I will happily post them all on Saturday.

Disclaimer: I have never had a booth at an art show. I love to attend them. And to be honest, I enjoy the people-watching almost as much as the art. I do work trade & consumer shows for the day job and see similar faux pas there as well.

These are simply 1 humble gal's observations. Please add your own - educate me.
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Musical Monday - Mark Linkous


I'll be posting later today about art & such but was saddened to hear about Mark Linkous this morning.





If you want to hear what others are listening to today or add your own tunes, click the button & visit GoodMourningGlory
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3/6/10

Studio Tour #21 - Kim Pfeiffer's "before" space

Please Release Me by Kim Pfeiffer

Welcome to the next installment of Studio Tour Saturday!

Last summer mixed media artist Kim Pfeiffer moved her studio out of the basement and into a sunnier location. Today's tour features her old space. We'll pay a visit to her new studio on Saturday March 20th.

I met Kim through the online art group, ZNE. (If your curious, I've written more about ZNE in this Nov '08 post). When looking through her studio photos I was struck by all of the storage involved. Kim works with lots of little bits & piece. She likes having her supplies where she can see them and get inspired. I'm going to get out of the way now & let Kim show you around.

ATC #3 The Kiss by Kim Pfeiffer

KP: Welcome to my Studio! I love my studio, it is my spot to escape, relax, work and have fun! I love to repurpose items for reuse for storage as you can see! Take a look, if you have any questions feel free to ask.


KP: The space shown here is my old basement studio at my last home. We moved in July and my new "Out of the Basement" studio is coming along nicely!!! It is so nice to have a bright studio now with daylight streaming in the window!


KP: This "daylight" lamp really works great and was especially useful with the basement studio. Anytime I work at my desk I always turn it on even with sunlight coming in the window. It still brightens the workspace for clear vision, clarity and color.


KP: I had no space left in this room but somehow managed to squeeze in what I find! My Hubby would step in and looks around in awe....he doesn't even have questions anymore....he's speechless!!! I filled my studio with papercrafting items, altered art items, resource books and other items that inspire me and stir my creative juices, eye candy as well as yummy scented candles and tarts to burn and music I love to create by as well!


KP: When I see vintage items I am always coming up with storage ideas for my studio.....it is what I do best! This old knick knack shelf works for stamps and jars of trinkets. An old Pepsi Crate works really well for acrylic paint storage, and old sewing machine drawers house little glass bottles of treasures!


KP: My ribbon rack is adapted from an old metal bath towel rack. I love all things vintage and love to find ways to repurpose items I have found. It is not only cheaper to do this but saves the earth as well.

I loved my little basement studio but it is so good to have daylight now. Before I had a little basement window and sometimes I just couldn't stand being down there. Winters were good but in spring and summer I wanted to bring out a backhoe and start excavating to build a walk out patio.

Kim, thanks so much for showing us around today! I look forward to seeing your new creative space in 2 weeks.

And thanks to all of you who stop in for a look around. Be sure to pop back on 3/20 to visit Kim's new sunny studio. She'll also tell us where she gets some of her artistic and storage inspirations. In the meantime, you can find Kim over at Ebay where she sells her creations & altered-art supplies under the ID CountryEssence. Once her new studio is finished she wants open a shop on Etsy & reinvigorate her blog, alteredwerks.blogspot.com.


TimeFlys by Kim Pfeiffer

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By the way, all who leave a comment before 3/11 will be entered in a random drawing to win fantastic prizes from the online shop ElleMoss.etsy.com. Click Here for contest details.

And if you're in the market for new business cards, on 3/10 1 lucky winner will get 500 custom printed ones from Uprinting.com. To enter the business card random drawing, leave a comment on the business card blog post.
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