Giant Polaroid Transfer Sale

The studio cleaning continues! It's a tiny space but so cluttered I'm having trouble working.

Deep discounting a bunch of Polaroid Transfers from a few years ago.
Just click on any pic to see the detailsThey are all originals (no prints) and have been enhanced with watercolors & colored pencils. Most are framed & ready to hang. Please keep checking back at ArtSnark on etsy
I 'll add 3-4 new pieces every day,

including some emulsion transfers on marble tiles.

You Can't Escape .... Random Tuesday Thoughts

But this guy could
Happy Birthday Harry Houdini!

If you need a little escapist fun today let's get you started:

Harry's My Space page is "authorized by...the grand nephew..."
Houdini tribute If you're at work be sure to mute - the music's a bit of a giveaway that you're slacking off. Course if you're still at work you've already got this covered,yeah?

Den Mother of Random Tuesday, Keely The Un Mom, has rampant robots (+ a lovely Haiku) on her blog today. (C'mon....click thru, grab a button & play along....you know you want too....) So Keely, this pic I found last night on The Great Harry Houdini is for you


Had your dose of vitamin Z today? Check out this new zombie piece by digital artist Barbara Moustafa. She's having a bit o' fun with the latest image prompt from Art On The Darkside , one of my favorite challenge sites.

Mike over at The Mental Kavity features the seriously cool skateboard art of etsian alexxxcastaneda today. Had to nick the image & share....forgive me, Mike?Click the pic to visit alexxxcastaneda on etsy. If you like what you see, visit iamalexxx.com for some more fabulous work by this talented artist

If you are looking for a spellbinding tale check out The Hermitage blog by the wonderful wandering artist Rima. She shares her adventures in art, thought & the great wide world. Her house on wheels is extrememly photogenic too. If you enjoy her blog, be sure to check out Rima's etsy shop, also The Hermitage.

I want to take a minute to say thanks for all the kind comments that have been left by visitors. Although I suck at getting back to you, I do stop by & enjoy your posts. Been out of town & without internet but will be catching up this week, I hope. Seeing some amazing creativity out there! Keep it up

I could get lost blog-hopping today, but the day job awaits. If you can spare a minute, go grab a button & share your wonderful random thoughts with the world.....

IF- Subtract

Polaroid Emulsion Transfer of original sketch

Digging into the archives again to satisfy Illustration Friday's prompt, Subtract. The email came with a wonderful quote by Leon Batista Alberti: Beauty: the adjustment of all parts proportionately so that one cannot add or subtract or change without impairing the harmony of the whole

Back in the early 90's I lived down the street from the Carnegie Museum of Art where I spent hours just wandering and absorbing all I could. Managed to squeeze a bit of sketching in too. The original drawing is a charcoal/pastel sketch of Antoine-Louis Bayre's bronze sculpture Tiger Attacking An Antelope

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

Random Thoughts Tuesday Again !?!

Dang! Where has this month gone?

Any art in this post is created by others, so please click on the pics to visit their sites.
Feeling Linky? Lets go!

Found Thomas Serrano through Illustration Friday. Very very fun.
Check out his art blog waldowalkiria

Gave into the cravings this weekend & bought a couple of pieces for the wall-o-great-art Spring Blossoms by LGraceOriginals

Time by LGraceOriginals

Recently started following darke curiosity emporium blog. John Donald Carlucci has some very cool creations going on. His etsy shop is here

Mike over at The Mental Kavity reminds us that today is William Gibson's birthday. I remember reading Neuromancer a million years ago. Might have to pick it up again. Lately I've been rereading old favorites - some still pass the test of time. Others leave me wondering what the #$@% was I thinking.

Totally lusting after Dr Evil by Shelly at Paper Mischief.

No, not the old dude! The artwork ..... sheesh

TODAY ONLY sale at Cafe Press. Free shipping on orders over $50 with code. If I remember tonight, I think it is time to make some tiles or boxes & see how they do over at ArtSnark's on etsy.....whatcha think?

Zazzle has 50% off posters with code until the 21st

Brass Goggles, a must-bookmark for fans of all things Steamy, has some great links today

In honor of the day, go check out this fun vintage pic at La Donna Papercutting. Aahhh...life before photoshop....

Oh & don't forget to see what kind of trouble Keely, The Un-Mom & RTT cult leader, is getting into today. And be sure to wish her a Happy Air-Kraken Day! Special thanks to nullalux at cephalopod tea party, as I'd forgotten just how very cool March 17 is

3......2......1.....It's Monday's Muse time!

3 New Listings.......2 In The Bush......aaannnd 1 W.I.P

The studio spring cleaning trickles on... And Inspires! I keep finding stuff I forgot I had - cool random things, nifty supplies & finished artwork... Over the next couple of months, I'll be adding some older pieces to Artsnark's Artifacts on etsy (in addition to my current creations). Many are Polaroid transfers that have been framed & are ready to hang.

For the curious: A water bath is used to separate the image from the Polaroid backing. The flexible image can be stretched or altered. It is then adhered to the paper (or other surface). I like to use a nice thick paper so I can embellish with watercolors & pencils. Once it dries, the final piece is then treated with a UV resistant finish.

Here is a pic of Red Bicycle in its shadowbox frame. For more info just click on any picture.Next up is the Apprentice Box. Just messing around. It's been sitting on a shelf since December. Figured what the heck, might as well list it. Lots of cool stuff on the outside: antique pocket watch parts, misc gears and metal bits, original drawing & photo, the words inspire, strength & discipline and a red feather. The inside is lined with a maroon felt-type material

The Saga of Little Red Continues.....

Finally finished & listed the WIP I posted 11 days ago: 2 In The Bush

And this saaaad & lonely canvas has been clogging up my easel for maybe a year now. I'm selfishly posting this crummy picture as incentive to finish it! Hoping that I won't be able to turn my back now that it's "out there". Love to complete it by the end of April, but in the words of the great Lyle Lovette:

It was a fact of life that no one cares to mention. She wasn't good but she had good intentions...

Speaking of good intentions, if you have a few minutes please pop over to Maternal Spark, the inspiration for all Monday's Muse posts. She's been taking care of a sick little one the last few days & I'm sure she could use some blog-love :D

IF - Legendary

Notorious? That's not flattering at all. They should have used another word.
-Bettie Page

Fabulous Prompt for Illustration Friday! Visions of knights, fairy tales & rock stars swim to the surface! Unfortunately I have no time today so going into "the archives" for this 1. Twas a toss up between a few lovely ladies but I settled on The Notorious Bettie Page.

Bettie is still available at ArtSnark on etsy. She comes with a Free Mat custom cut to your specs. Mention that you saw her here & I'll kick in FREE SHIPPING too!

If you get a chance pop over to Illustration Friday & see what other legendary figures can be found. Or - better yet - play along if you feel inspired!

More Houses for a good cause!

May your home always be too small to hold all of your friends.
~Author Unknown

Joy Mixed Media Wall Assemblage by Chrisy McConnell
Visit her blog and
See more of Chrisy's art atArtDecadence on etsy

3 More unique houses are available now in the OzBushFireAppeal etsy shop. The shop was created in response to the Australian wildfires. Over 900 items have been sold since Feb.8 with all proceeds going to the Australian Red Cross. That's over $15,ooo.oo (AU) so far. All sorts of items have been donated by generous Etsy Sellers. Several METSY Team members donated their time & talent to create these one of a kind houses for the cause.

Little Dutch House by Aimee Wheaton
Check out her blog.
See more of Aimee's art at MazerDesign on etsy

To visit a specific house listing, click on any photo on this page. Also, here is the link to all of the METSY Team Houses in the Oz shop. There are 11 so far. More may be listed before the shop closes it's doors on March 31st, so please check back. If you haven't visited the OzBushfireAppeal shop yet, please do. You might find just what you are looking for & donate to a worthy cause while you're at it!

We Are One by Stacey Merrill
Read about my little house here.
See more of my art at ArtSnark'sArtifacts on etsy

Many many thanks to everyone who has helped with this project. To see my posts about previously donated houses with links to the artists' blogs & shops click here & here . Special thanks to FeliciaFairy, VanillaPixie , & the Etsy DUST Team for creating & operating the shop. They have been just swamped and have done so much to help in such a short period of time. It really blows me away! Please visit these wonderful - generous - creative folks & show them some love!!