My New Website and Fine Art America (with link)

art for sale

The link above is from Fine Art America.

I started a new website HERE (only a few art works are available from my Bouquet Series, but more are being entered every day), and became a part of another website, Fine Art America, a kind of giant warehouse of fine art with all kinds of artists and all kinds of art.

More about both soon!

Christmas at Valley Artisans Market 2015

VILLAGE THEMED HOLIDAY
THIS YEAR: Sweden

Christmas at Valley Artisans Market, 2015

photo © Debra Ann Salat

My piece for the themed holiday show is the round red circle (as well as a couple of other pieces like it -- not shown). It is my own design (not Swedish folk art), but it is Swedish-inspired art! -- and after all, that is the point of being an artist, coming up with your own creative ideas based on the theme!

There are a lot of ornaments for sale. My favorites included some corn husk angels with a santa lucia crown by Bliss White McIntosh, handmade red glass birds by Cheryl Gutmaker and hand embroidered red stockings with white snowflake patterns by Debra Ann Salat.

Bliss White McIntosh corn husk angel with Santa Lucia Crown:

bird ornaments by Cheryl Gutmaker:

I don't have an image of Debra Ann Salat's, but they remind me of these birds, embroidery style.

Every holiday season, Cambridge, NY has a themed holiday. Last year it was Poland, and this year it is Sweden. This is the first year the gallery took part in the village theme and asked artists to make something that would contribute to the theme.

I thought it was a lot of fun -- these events always are, even if they take me out of my usual art style.

I made so many Christmas designs this year, more than usual, primarily for greeting cards and tags, but I have had no time to publish any of them here. It has been so hard to keep up with everything on my plate. Perhaps I can put them up another time.

Happy holidays to all! 

Valley Artisans Market

216 W Main Street

Cambridge, NY

Hours: 10 - 5 Mon - Sat

11 - 2:30 Sun

Sometime in the last few days I went above 30,000 views. Thanks for the support!

A Beltane Party, 2014

Beltane Fire Dancer

2014

In the last post, I mentioned some of the artists on my private Facebook page that celebrate Beltane and make Beltane-related art. If you are new to my blog see the previous post HERE. 

Do you wonder what a Beltane festival or party is? Go here to the Wikipedia article on it. In short, it is a Gaelic festival about the arrival of Spring typically celebrated on May Day (or a weekend before or after, for those who work M - F). 

Since I know a lot of people who love to celebrate these events, I get invited to a lot Beltane rituals, parties and art-happenings. The fire dancer above was at one of the ones I attended. You can't see her costume, but she wore boots, a mini skirt with bright metallic-like spangles and a headdress with horns. There were at least 10 drummers there to keep her on beat. At this particular event there were about four fire dancers and one fire-eater.

Some people showed up in costume: there were women with a bouquet of flowers around their head, other folks with horns and leaves on their heads and heavily tattooed, some were wearing the Celtic tree of Life somewhere on their person, some re-enactors came with full body chainmaille and impressive ornate swords, some people came with Irish capes and some people didn't dress up at all. In other years I have gone, some people showed up with Green Man masks and regalia and some came with faerie costuming. I was disappointed they weren't there this time. This year there were more tee-shirts, jeans and beer than other years, possibly because there were a lot of young rock bands in the barn on the property (or maybe it was the cold night: who wants to cover up a nice costume with blankets or a coat?).

Some Beltane festivals have Maypole dancing as well, but that kind of event usually takes place in the day time. It also features women with long dresses and flowers in their hair as this picture will confirm. I have also done quite a bit of Maypole dancing throughout the years to celebrate Beltane.

Almost all of the Beltane festivals I have been to feature a bonfire where people dance to drums. For these pictures, these bonfires had just been lit, so there were no dancers yet. There were 3 bonfires in all. A large medieval-like catapult was used to throw a minimal fire into a large pile of wood (i.e. to light the bonfire). 

Here are some pictures of the bonfires:

I liked this photo of a boy in profile:

Here are some more pictures of the fire dancers:

Beltane is also about sitting around fire pits, socializing (the picture is blurry because it was after sundown, a few minutes before the sky turned pitch black):

It is also about eating, drinking and being merry. In this case I was more interested in what was going on behind the people eating, which is why they aren't particularly featured:

Which brings me to a situation where more explanation is probably due. This Beltane party was held at a friend's studio (and grounds). He is a sculptor and there are sculptures everywhere, on everything imaginable. I'd love to tell you who made all of these beautiful pieces (and he very much deserves the credit), but since they are on his private property, I won't, but it makes for an even more enchanting Beltane experience.   

Here is one of his sculptures that has been offered a beer by some of the guests in the background (again, it was taken after sundown, so it is amazing I got any photo at all):

Here is one of the roads (this particular road led to the party, which is why there are lanterns placed along it). In the dark, the lanterns illuminate the faces of the sculptures. It is really a cool effect when you're tired and you are stumbling your way back to your car. Every road should be lined with sculptures to help you on your journey through life:

Some of the statues along that road:

Here is gypsy-type caravan he made complete with a relief sculpture above the door:

Even the wood-stacking shelter gets some sculpture:

How about a tree? Super fuzzy photo -- but you get the idea...

Even a cart that he made gets the treatment:

Here is another one of his carts (just because I liked it). One of his sculptures you can see in the background of the photo:

Here is one last one I took (before I couldn't take any more pictures of anything except fire):

Perhaps another year I can get some Beltane photos that aren't challenged by a quickly setting sun!

I hope you've enjoyed going down Beltane lane with me.

holiday art shows (2012)

Holiday show season is upon me and this is one show that I'm in this year (note that the opening night is this Friday, November 16, from 5 - 7 pm (includes refreshments and live music).

One other holiday show that I'm in has a first-time-ever Black Friday sale: 20 percent off for November 23 - 24 at Valley Artisans Market, 25 East Main Street, Cambridge, NY. The gallery is only making a 5 percent commission on these sales, so it may never happen again. If you want to enjoy a sale at this venue that is not a "seconds sale", this would be the year to try it. 

I will also be running a sale or two in my on-line shops around that time... stay tuned

WEBSITE

MY ARTFIRE ON-LINE STORE (largest selection)

MY ETSY ON-LINE STORE (seasonal selection)

FACEBOOK (new)  

Autumn Tree of Life

Autumn Tree of Life

© 2012

available HERE as a greeting card

may also be available in my Etsy shop

In celebration of Samhain, Lughnasadh, harvest, autumn equinox, fall, Halloween, Celtic knots and trees (as well as tree huggers!).

The design is my own (including the knotted border, tree and cloudy sky).    

I just finished this piece just yesterday. It was a miracle to get anything like this done since this year has been the most crisis ridden year of my life with barely enough time to catch my breath between unexpected (and emotionally catastrophic) events.

WEBSITE

ARTFIRE ON-LINE STORE (widest selection)

ETSY ON-LINE SHOP (minimal/seasonal selection)

Kreative Blogger Award

Karen Anne Brady of Ireland Brady bestowed upon me the "Kreative Blogger Award". 

Part of accepting the award means I have to share 7 random, but well thought out facts about myself. So here goes:

1. I am generally a happy and positive person.

2. I am a health nut. I don't drink alcohol, smoke, buy junk food or eat or drink anything with sugar in it (except whole fruits) or eat any processed foods (except organic potato chips and Triscuits once in a great while).

3. I make most of the presents I give away at Christmas. 

4. I'd wear some version of Renaissance attire all of the time if people didn't look at me funny (except when on hiking trips, long distance travel or playing sports -- hard to do those activities in long gowns!). 

5. I love old architecture. I feel much more comfortable in older buildings and in older neighborhoods than in new buildings (it's hard to love boxy glass and steel structures).

6. I was a long distance swimmer as a child.

7. I love hiking and discovering things and places on foot away from traffic.

In accepting this award there are a few rules (which allow some leeway to be broken: check out the parentheses below):

When one receives this honor, there are a few rules they can (or not) choose to follow:
1. Post a link to the person who awarded you 
2. Share 7 well-thought out random things about yourself
3. Bestow this Award to 10 other deserving bloggers and let them know.

I am going to break the 3rd rule because I don't follow or read many blogs (except news and political blogs, but I'm not going to count them in). I'm sticking to art and music blogs:

1. Karen at Ireland Brady  -- yup, I'm giving the award right back to her because I read everything she writes.

2. AnnMarie at AnnMarieTornabene -- because I read all of her blogposts as well (her website is well worth checking out too at www.AnneMarieTornabene.net).

3. Abby at MinstrelTales. Abby hasn't written much on her blogger, but she was an active blogger on Myspace for years (before MySpace disappeared and came back, that is!). She tells what it is like to be a traveling Renaissance minstrel in the modern world.

4. Terrance Frank Lazaroff of EtsyExtension. Frank is a gifted potter and shares tips on the business of selling crafts.

I also sometimes read the blogs of this musician and artist (more well known):

5. Jo at TheCartBeforetheHorse. Soft sculpture and dolls and lots of creativity! 

6. Lisa Lynne at LisaLynneFranco. Harpist sharing concert videos, pictures of her travels and the story of finding her birth mother.

Sheep with Lillies

Sheep with Lillies

© 2012

acrylic on panel, 8" x 10"

If you are following along, you know that this is the third in the series of "Farm Animals in the Garden". The other paintings in the series can be seen HERE and you can read why I started the series from THIS BLOG POST.

I have been listing the present 4 paintings from least favorite to most favorite (and I have also realized that it corresponds to how long I worked on each piece: this one was worked on for a longer period of time than the last two paintings: about 3 long days total).

The originals are being juried for a show in my area, but I may have prints available at some point.

other links:

WEBSITE

devastation from Hurricane Irene and how it has touched my life

what Hurricane Irene did to a road less than a mile from where I spent many of my childhood years
(you may have to click to get a bigger picture)

For a change, this post isn't about art. Frankly, the devastation that Irene has caused to my childhood heart and home from that time has made it hard to create the usual kind of fantasy, Renaissance and holiday art and music I am known for. In fact, it is an event like this that makes me do a double-take, wondering what I am doing with my art (and life in general). I feel so sad about what has happened as I still know many people from the area. 

The sadness has intermingled with another sadness over the death of a childhood friend from the same area around the time as the hurricane, someone who put his life out for other people, someone who gave selflessly to those less fortunate.

This next picture is a road (that hurricane Irene turned into a river). It is the road my parents drove on a lot. I drove on it too when I got my license, in fact I barreled down it with abandon because it had so little traffic. You can see the remnants of the road where the dog is standing:

I have heard from a number of sources that the municipality in which it dwells will probably never rebuild it: they will just consider it a "lost road".

The next picture is a road going into the nearby town, only a few miles down the road:

Many people in the area have lost their homes permanently because insurance doesn't pay for flooding.

I have a bit of that "innocence lost" kind of feeling at this time. This was a wonderfully idyllic place to live as a child. It was rural, mountainous and one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen anywhere. And the community! ... let's just say it was a childhood of peace, beauty, deep conversations and purpose in world-wide causes. Think "underground railroad" with lots of like-minded people.

It was such a stark contrast to the life I have now where community is tenuous and often baffling, where I seem to have stepped "down a rabbit hole" and haven't come out yet, for lack of a better metaphor. Where do I find the child I once was who was part of causes, fighting for rights, helping others struck by prejudice and injustice and speaking out fearlessly? 

I am not finding it in my recent art. And that is a part of me that is missing that I suddenly wanted back in the wake of this recent turn of events. In fact, life as a child was sometimes so intense (and sometimes dangerous) that I used art as an escape. Obviously I am still escaping and not using art to engage. This is what struck me about the hurricane. It blew into my mind and woke me up about that. Perhaps I need a new path.

When I look at the piece I did just before the hurricane ("Hurricane of Doves and Hearts" on this page), it began to have a new poignancy for me. Indeed, as in the painting, my childhood home of love and peace was disrupted by a hurricane. I hope the doves and hearts are just merely displaced, not missing.  

Hurricane of Doves and Hearts

Hurricane of Doves and Hearts
© 2011

inks on Arches watercolor paper

(copyright watermark does not appear in actual painting)

I was originally going to name this piece Windswept Doves and Hearts V (to be part of the series), but it seemed to have a lot more energy than all of the other previous paintings. Since Hurricane Irene is on its way, I thought this title was also more appropriate.

Painting with inks almost makes this psychedelic. The others had watercolor or acrylic.

I look at these paintings as diversions. I seem to be drawn to the subject matter when I can't have full concentration powers. They are my version of meditation paintings, I suppose.

 I don't have this one for sale anywhere yet because I've been having trouble uploading images (computer problems and file corruption). I will edit this page as it becomes available to buy.

Here is the simple line drawing before adding color:

MY WEBSITE

MY ART IN ON-LINE STORES:

Artfire (widest selection)

Etsy

MY MUSIC LINKS (hear clips):

Music MYSPACE

My band, Saratoga Faire’s MYSPACE

My Renaissance band MYSPACE: The Spirites Consort

MY MUSIC IN ON-LINE STORES:

CD Baby

Amazon

InandOutRecords (Europe)

My band, Saratoga Faire, on CD Baby

latest exotic bird with playing card symbols

title: Go Fish, the Exotic Bird
© 2011

So happy to be doing something else besides making holiday greeting cards (although this one may turn into an art greeting card at some point). Always check through this link and through this link if you are interested to see whether I make it into a greeting card.

At the moment, however, I am selling these as prints through my Artfire on-line shop. Oh, yes, moon included with the bird!

MY WEBSITE

MY ART AND MUSIC IN ON-LINE STORES:

Artfire (widest selection)

Etsy

MY MUSIC LINKS (hear clips):

Music MYSPACE

My band, Saratoga Faire’s MYSPACE

My Renaissance band MYSPACE: The Spirites Consort

MY MUSIC IN ON-LINE STORES:

CD Baby

Amazon

InandOutRecords (Europe)

My band, Saratoga Faire, on CD Baby

Shamrock with Faerie

Shamrock with Faerie
© 2011

My newest design! This one is up in My Artfire shop as greeting cards here and will also be available as prints shortly.

It will also be in my Etsy shop in March (a little closer to St. Patrick's Day-- not good to list them there now).

This is a closeup of the faerie:

links:

My Website

MY ART IN ON-LINE STORES:

Artfire

Etsy

MY MUSIC LINKS (hear clips):
Music MYSPACE

My band, Saratoga Faire’s MYSPACE

My Renaissance band MYSPACE: The Spirites Consort

MY MUSIC IN ON-LINE STORES:

CD Baby

Amazon

InandOutRecords (Europe)

My band, Saratoga Faire, on CD Baby



Oak Leaf with Acorn Border

(note: copyright watermarks do not appear in actual art)

After my last project ("Pumpkin Faerie"... refer to last blog post), this was a relatively unambitious project. I had been out walking last weekend and picked up some acorns and a clump of oak leaves. I put them on a small table next to me as I finished the pumpkin faerie. They kept "speaking to me" out of the corner of my eye, as the saying goes, and as soon as I was done with the faerie, I started right in on this one.

Right now, I've got it for sale as a print in ye olde online store. (edited on 12/16/11 to say it is also available through my Artfire on-line store, which at prersent has the largest selection). I will probably be adding greeting cards & fine art gift tags in this design too at some point.

I also got a piece accepted into a juried art exhibit called "Black and White" at Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Center. The opening for the exhibit is October 1, 2010 from 5 - 7. And yes, I will be at the opening unless I get the miserable cold that everyone in my family has (ugh). 

Here is the front of the postcard (© Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Center):



I've also spent some time making Etsy treasuries this month (it is a good way to network & support each other). Here are my recent treasuries. I show them in the order I did them, i.e. my first in the month to my latest (note: if there appear to be missing items, it is either because they sold or expired after the treasury was made):

Coolest September

The next one was made for a group of artists who I got to know through a particular forum (many of whom are overlooked by the company) to show the company that there are worthwhile items on Etsy than the sellers they constantly promote:

Gorgeous September 

This next one was also made for these same group of artists: 

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

This one was made late on the evening after my walk through the woods picking up oak leaves and acorns:

Squirrels and Acorns

I've also been featured in treasuries by some of the same artists that I featured. I will share that with you next time.

My Website
My Artfire on-line store (largest selection)

My Etsy on-line store (seasonal selection)
Music MYSPACE (hear clips)

My band site: Saratoga Faire

My Renaissance band MYSPACE: The Spirites Consort (hear clips)

on the drawing table

Sometimes I work on many pieces at once and then post them all when they are done. Here is a peek at some sections of artworks I am slaving away on.

BIRTHDAY CARD TIDBITS SNEAK PEEK PREVIEW:

VALENTINE CARD TIDBITS SNEAK PEEK PREVIEW:

WEDDING CARD TIDBITS SNEAK PEEK PREVIEW:

ART PIECE TIDBITS SNEAK PEEK PREVIEW:

AND THEN HERE'S A PIECE WHICH I MADE IN 2007 WHICH I HAVE NEVER POSTED ANY PART OF (THIS IS JUST A SMALL PART):

My Website

Music MYSPACE (hear clips)

My Etsy on-line store for purchasing some of my CDs and some of my art

My band site: Saratoga Faire

My Renaissance band MYSPACE: The Spirites Consort (hear clips)