ACEO Spree

First off, thanks to all who took the time to critique my work last week. I absolutely agree that its elements are not working together compositionally. I've decided to put it aside for a bit and come back to it. That seems to help sometimes. I'll be sure to share it when its been reworked.

In the meantime, I have been on an ACEO spree! I've whipped out 5 of these tiny 2.5" x 3.5" pieces in the last few days. It was liberating to work this small and fast after working larger for a time.

To celebrate my spree, I'm going to offer my newest bunch of ACEO's for just $10.00 each! (Standard price is $15.00). This price is only good until midnight Tuesday, April 14th....So hurry! Click your way over to my Etsy shop pronto.

Ciao!

Class Critique

I've never been to Abilene

8" x 10" on canvas.

One of the things I miss about being in school is the community of artists I was a part of. If you had a question about your work or were looking for feedback, there was always someone in the studio to consult and bounce ideas off of.

Flickr, Twitter, and Etsy have become my new art community. I'm grateful to have found a group of creative people to learn and grow from in the cyber word.

So I'm reaching out to you about "I've never been to Abilene". I don't know how I feel about this one. I can't put my finger on it, but it needs something, or needs to be edited.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Don't worry, I have a thick skin. Say what you feel.

Ciao!

Renewed and Relaxed

This week, I am thankful to be a teacher. Though my job is a struggle and a stress, I am afforded time off to renew, recharge and relax.

Spring Break couldn't have come at a better time this year. One of my teaching partners had to have emergency surgery and was out most of the last month. I had to take over one of her classes, which meant that I lost my plan time. It was definitely wearing on me.

I'm only a few days into my spring break, but decompression is already happening. My art "mojo" has returned. (I was having a hard time making anything for a while.) My head is clear and I'm motivated!

I just finished "My Dear Acquaintance" yesterday and have started two more pieces this morning. I used more of my vintage stamps in this piece. Frank Lloyd Wright, Grace Kelly, George Washington and Paul Dudley White MD all make an appearance in this piece.

I'm going to be cranking out this floral/tree themed pieces for a while as I will be peddling my wares at a spring flower themed show on May 8th in Sterling, Illinois. There isn't a web page for this event, but I did manage to find a Facebook event page. I also found out that I got accepted to the Art on the Lawn show at Rockford College on June 13th. I'll be busy, but motivated to make some money for my upcoming trip to Italia!

"My Dear Acquaintance" is available for sale on Etsy.

Have a great week. Hopefully I will have more work to show off later this week.

Truth and Beauty

Meet Truth and Beauty, the newest work in my Etsy shop. I decided it was time to make some more of these larger works on canvas, as I have sold most of the others that I made last summer. Feels so good to sell!

Every time I get reacquainted with paint, I remember how easy it is to fix mistakes or change your mind. There is always the option to paint over it! That's liberating to me, as its not always the case with pen and ink.

Spring break begins tomorrow! I'm looking forward to spending some serious time in the studio, cranking out new pieces for my summer art show line up. Stay tuned for dates and locations.

Happy spring!

Jello Shots

Hello friends.

Not too much to report this week. I've had little time for art, but did manage to list this new cutie. "On a Sunny Afternoon" was created last week on a particularly bright and sunny afternoon. Its now for sale in the Etsy shop for just $25.00.

I'm working on applying to several art shows for the summer. If things work out right, I will have a show lined up for May, June, August and September. I hope I can make enough inventory!

I'm sure y0u're wondering at this point why I titled this post "Jello Shots." Did I have some during my St. Paddy's day celebration? Is "Jello Shots" a title to my newest work? Nope.. My parents hosted a potluck party for their friends yesterday and the theme was St. Patrick's day. What says St. Patrick's day more than lime Jello shots make with Apple Pucker! Yes, my mother made and served Jello shots. She is a wild one!

Spring Cleaning Sale

The calendar reads March 10th. The mercury topped 60 degrees today, and the students are particularly restless. Spring is indeed in the air!

I've decided to do a little "spring cleaning" in my Etsy shop and have marked down several original pieces. "A Spring Garden" pictured above, has been reduced from $65.00 to just $40.00. This is an original people. Its a steal!

Be sure to check out the whole Spring Cleaning section in my Etsy shop.

Working Away

Its been a productive week in the studio. The sunny days and positive feedback from the newspaper article have certainly given me an artistic "shot in the arm."

"Sedia" is my newest chair. It was created with vintage ledger paper, a page from an old Chinese book, a tag from the dry cleaner (top left), some rik-rak, gesso, and a good ole Bic pen. Matt gave me the idea to draw the chair instead of collage it as I usually do. Good thinking Matt! I'm loving this piece! As my regular blog followers and Flickr friends know, my I do a ton of sketching in my Moleskine with a black Bic pen. I have been looking for a way to integrate my ink work into my collage and by George, I think I've got it!

I created this piece on a super fancy Ampersand 6" x 6" x 2" deep cradled hardboard. I am in love with this type of support. With some UVA/UVB spray, there is no need to frame. The 2" wooden box really pops it right off of the wall. Now I just need to sell some art so I can buy some more. At more than $11.00 these are quite expensive.

The title "Sedia" translates to "chair" in Italian. I'm attempting to learn some Italian for my trip to Italy this summer. I can't say that I've been as diligent about it as I've wanted to be. I just hope that when June comes along I can communicate enough to get myself out of the airport and into my hotel in Venice. I'm spending a good part of the first day alone, as Matt's flight from Bulgaria comes in later than mine.

Enough writing for now. I want to enjoy more of this beautiful almost spring day!

*Sedia is for sale in my Etsy shop for $75.00.