Posts Tagged ‘art school grad’

Tis’ the season for…. free stuff!

I’m hosting a giveaway on my Facebook page from now until December 21st where a lucky winner will receive five of my mini art prints…winner’s choice! And as an added bonus, if you share the giveaway, and the winner happens to be someone which followed your share link to enter, you’ll win 5 mini art prints, too!  So be sure to enter here!

And, while we’re talking about FREE STUFF, there is another AWESOME giveaway you need to check out.  This one is being hosted by Brienna Pruce over at the Art School Grad Blog.  By following the ASG Blog and commenting, you are entered for a chance to win The Creature!

A little background on The Creature…

Brienna and I brainstormed together a trans-Atlantic collaboration project that involved four additional artists from Europe and the US.  Be sure to check out these fabulous artists that made the Creature the fun creative process that it was!

Brienna Pruce

Cindy Martin

 Louise van Terheijden

Suzy Brown

Yvonne Stewart

And here is my contribution to the Creature…

 

 

Let’s catch up!  Grab your coffee/tea/beverage of choice, and curl up around the old computer screen.

Seen the Gallery page lately? It’s changed a bit. You can now order prints (paper and canvas…metal and other options coming soon), greeting cards, and e-cards right from my website from Fotomoto.  You need another reason why this will rock your socks off?  Previously unavailable illustrations and paintings are now available in print!  Of course, there is and will continue to be a great selection that you won’t find elsewhere, in my Etsy shop.

Speaking of greeting cards, I have some that will soon be offered solely in my Etsy shop next week.  Here’s a sneak peek…

I’m also working on some new holiday designs that will hopefully be available in the coming weeks!  The greeting cards (including envelopes) will retail at $3.50/ each.

Also in the works… more Lolee Bird Ornaments and some other little special woodland friends!  Last night, as I finished up another bird ornament, I couldn’t get this cute little fox sculpture I had in mind out of my head.  So, instead of making a dozen birds last night, I ventured deeper into the forest.  I must say that I am pleasantly pleased with the outcome of my little foxy friend, a scarf sporting owl, a whimsical holiday tree, and even another style of bird.  Here’s  a peek at the sculptures as I wait patiently for them to dry before I get to slather on the paint!

And creatures!  I did mention something about creatures. Well, creature, singular rather.  I don’t know if you recall the art creature creation, as it has been eons since I posted about it, but over the summer, me and some fellow artist friends started a trans-continental collaboration that began in England, ventured to Scotland, made it’s way around the Netherlands, journeyed to Oregon, then land at my doorstep in Savannah.  Well, due to our impromptu move and the craziness that pursued, the creature finally was unpacked and finished in my new studio in Asheville.

Though I REALLY am dying to share my contribution to the project, and especially the entire project as whole, since it looks so neat, I am not at liberty at this time to do so.  But in the meantime, do check out the Art School Grad Blog, where you can see the talented artists’ contributions and read their bios.  I’m hoping to do a little Meet the Creature Artists Artist du Jour interview style in the next few weeks.

But in the meantime, be sure to check out: Brienna Pruce, Yvonne Stewart, Louise van Terheijden, Suzy Brown, and Cindy Martin!

Ok, since I teased you with the creature, I’ll share with you my studio!  Mind, it is still in progress, but at least it is a workable space no longer piled high with boxes of random stuff!  And actually, it is a bit more together since these photos, I’m just being lazy and haven’t taken any new shots, but you get the gist!

 

 

And the hubs was nice enough to locate this bookshelf at a yard sale, slap on a few coats of spray paint, and then some lovely little stencils.  It’s now in my studio, but like I said, lazy today.

 

Oh, and another exciting tidbit!  Just had the Young Maya illustration printed on canvas, which you can find here.  It’s pretty neat to see my illustration on canvas!  Also, I have some new prints of the illustration on Somerset Velvet paper, which will be available soon in my Etsy shop.

Well, folks, that’s all I have to share for them moment.  And I’m feeling it’s time to break fast, as my tummy is a rumbling.  But now worries, I’ll be posting again a lot sooner then later.   I can’t wait to share with you the new woodland friends sculptures once completed!

Wow, in less then two hours, it will already be July! I’m about to head out on a semi-mini holiday to the great state of North Cackalack, but I wanted to post a little something-something, as I have been absent from my musings and interviews for a bit now.

So, I’ve been truly slack with my art over the past month. Though, I’m happy that I can now share with you the painting I created for my mom’s birthday!

She has my mama’s red hair. Oh, and notice the little red cardinal in the upper right…… that’s my ode to Grandma Jeanne, my mom’s mother, who was quite fond of the lovely little red feathered creatures.

Quick story for ya: Cardinals, as I’ve mentioned, tickled Grandma Jeanne’s fancy. I had a dream about a year after her death that she called me on a cell phone -early 2000s and the lovely green-screened Nokias were all the rage- to tell me to let my mom know that she was OK just as a cardinal flew in front of me. So, after sharing this dream with my mom, we always felt a sense of comfort and nostalgia when we saw a beautiful red cardinal nearby.

Upon moving to Savannah in 2006, a male and a female cardinal took up residence in our back yard, and have been there since. We like to think of them as Grandma Jeanne and Grandpa Ira, and that they’ve come back to watch over us.

Well, you can wipe that tear away now. We’ll have no caterwaulin’ on my watch. Besides, I have good news! The talented Mr. Michael Shewmaker has given me permission to share with you the poem which inspired a piece of art work that I shared with you here! I’ll be posting that for your reading enjoyment as soon as I get back into town, being that it is 11:01, and I have not yet packed my bags for our Northern journey.

On another note, the Art School Grad team that I’ve been working with over the past few months has a new featured artist up.  Check out the interview that I did with thelovely, palette-painting, Davs here.  Davs is the winner of the team’s second Line and Lyric competition.  She painted this piece, which was inspired by the poem Hellgirl by the talented Miss Anastasia Brown, who will have a featured spot on the ASG blog in the coming days, with an interview by your’s truly.  So stay tuned!

You can find Davs on Facebook and on Etsy.

 

Well, it is LATE!  And I’ve a very important date with my pillow…right after I shove some clothes in a suitcase and come up with a vegetarian dish for Second Line, the new New Orleans style bar and restaurant in downtown Savannah. I hear their po’boys are well worth the visit, and for you fellow veggies, hopefully my dish will satisfy your bellies!

If your in the Savannah area, head on down to Factor’s Walk and check them out… the hubs will most likely be bartending Thursday through Saturday night, so tip him well! And they have some interesting New Orleans inspired art on the walls!

Until next time….

School’s out, y’all! Time to head down to the pool, the beach, and the farmer’s market…  and what better way to make a splash beach-side (or pick up a bushel of those fabulously fresh Georgia Peaches if you’re in the south) then with the super chic Little Mermaid Eco-Tote designed by Artist Andrea?

You may recall another one of Andrea’s awesome totes featured a while back, Ooh La La (find the fashion print here).  And at the fab price of only $TEN BUCKS$ a bag, why not get two…or three!  And what was that???… oh, yeah!!!  YOU can enter  this super FABULOUS GIVEAWAY hosted by the Art School Grad Blogspot to win your own FREE Little Mermaid Eco-Tote!  Who doesn’t like FREE STUFF???

Andrea also recently released another fab design in her eco-tote line that will have even the landiest of landlubbers a droolin’.  Ahoy! Check out this here booty!   Ok, going a bit ‘overboard’ with all the pirate talk.  I’ll go walk the plank now.

And hey, c’mon, that hot pirate chick needs somewhere to stash her booty…ahem…makeup.  Artist Andrea is hitting the nail on the head with her line of bags.  Check out the lovely new line of cosmetic bags… the perfect size to fit in your overnight bag or even a large handbag!  And the interior is a cushion-lined polyester which equals super easy cleaning in case of a little shadow spillage.  Not to mention a great little zippered interior storage pocket!  And did I mention that she has two super adorable designs?  I have the Juliet style… GORGEOUS!

Disclaimer!!! I feel as though I should mention my recent obsession with turning photographs into vintage, digital Polaroids… check out this site to turn your fave snapshots into classic looking Polaroids by Polardroid.

 

Let’s get back to fun in the sun…

Days beach-side, pool-side, park-side, what have you;  if you have kids (and even if you don’t and you’ve been enjoying that pre-mommy bikini bod and a Pina Coloda in Cabo), then you know summer time not only equals squeals of delight, fun in the sun, and hours of splashing in the waves (followed  by others’ squeals of delight if you’re single.. in Cabo… and just lost your top); you’re also familiar with sand in the most unimaginable cracks and crevices; sunburn, sunburn, evil, awful sunburn; and cranky, cranky, sun-drained tiredness.  Oh, the joys of parenthood…and singledomhood…or whatever. Ha!

Really, I’m going somewhere with this…

What better way to wind down that cranky, tired, over-sunned beach bunny? LAVENDER! From the Greek word, ‘lavare’, which means to wash, lavender is known for it’s reputable relaxation qualities.  Heck, apparently, in the Middle Ages, Queen Elizabeth used it to treat frequent migraines!  If that’s not relaxing, I don’t know what is!

I recently started bathing my three year old wild, sun child, London, in Baby Swank Naturals: Lavender Chamomile after our nearly-daily pool trips. After a few hours at the pool, becoming over-tired and over-saturated in chlorine, a dunk in this lovely baby wash has become my saving grace.  I think London likes it, too.

The light, floral scent of lavender, which is not as overwhelming as similar products I’ve used, is so relaxing  for nerves frazzled by a three-year old’s poolside temper tantrum… and it’s relaxing for the child, too!  I have to admit, one thing that I was concerned about with using this product, was the effects it would have on London’s skin.

See, London has uber sensitive skin.  Right before her second birthday, she developed a rash.  I thought it was a heat rash for the first two weeks.  But then it began to spread, and it was a horrible, horrible sight.  We were out of town, visiting my parents, at the time.  And it just kept getting worse.  So, I finally took her to my childhood pediatrician, who then referred us to a dermatologist that confirmed our lingering suspicions… the dreaded eczema!

Eczema, eczema, eczema!  So many potential causes, so hard to determine…and after of over a year of trying to figure out if it was laundry detergent or the world’s most navigationaly-capable cat (oh, that is a story all in itself…remind me, and I’ll tell you some other time) or just life in general… nothing.  So, back to the Baby Swank Naturals Baby Wash… I was nervous.

At first, I dabbed just a bit on a washcloth, and washed my daughter gingerly, nervously.  Everything seemed fine, no rashes out of the ordinary.  So, the next day, I added a bit more (though a little of this product goes a long way), and scrubbed her down… her steroid creams and lotions by my side (yeah, sadly, it’s that bad).  Nothing.  Nothing at all.  Just a clean, less-cranky, and smelly-good baby girl.  Ok, toddler girl, but she’ll always be my baby!

With that said, definitely check out Meagan’s  new line of baby washes, especially if you’re like me and prefer natural products free of junk like parabens and preservatives, and all those crazy long names that take you an hour of tongue twisting to pronounce.

 

It is my pleasure to introduce you to the newest addition of the Artist du Jour interviewees, the enchanting Julia Finucane.  The talented Miss Julia is also the winner of the first ever Art School Grad Line and Lyric Art Contest, which is hosted by the lovely creator of the Art School Grad Etsy Team and Blog, Brienna Pruce (you might recall her fantastic interview from a while back), and your’s truly.