My CDs: Wingd With Hopes, The Goldenrod and Saratoga Romance

I haven't written much about my CDs in this blog, so I thought I'd mention some of them. Afterall, it has taken up a large part of my time and life.

My CDs are all available on-line through:

My Artfire on-line shop (scroll down past the featured products)

or through CD Baby:
(a Renaissance CD and an original song CD) 
or:
(Celtic music CD)

You can also listen to clips on MYSPACE to our
Renaissance band's music (Lise Winne and the Spirites Consort)
or our predominantly Celtic/acoustic/folk band's CD (Saratoga Faire band)
or my own Myspace site which has a smattering of the two bands, my own original songs and some demo songs that were never put out for sale  
  
Here are some of my CDs:

Wing'd With Hopes with The Spirites Consort was released in 2001:

Wing'd With Hopes is my best-selling CD to date. It is an album of Renaissance songs using modern instruments, an innovative approach and a produced sound. It was recorded, mixed, mastered and co-produced with Scott Petito (who also records big names like James Taylor, the Band, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, Pete Seeger, Dave Brubeck and Aine Minogue, so it is a quality recording). The instruments are primarily acoustic instruments with world percussion, so it is a kind of hybrid sound somewhere between folk, classical and world music.

Before this recording, I was performing the works of Thomas Campion and John Dowland as a solo artist tackling both the lute part and singing, but it was challanging to do both, to say the least. My father who is a trained classical and jazz pianist suggested I try a new age, creative approach to the music instead, using a band. And that is how Wing'd With Hopes came to be.

After recording Wing'd With Hopes, I won a grant from The New York Foundation for the Arts to make another CD. This resulted in The Goldenrod, which was released in 2004:

The Goldenrod is an original song CD. Three of the originals were written with Jason Kessler, who I worked with from 1998 - 2000 in various capacities from Renaissance and light classical concerts, holiday concerts and jazz/new age style originals. The three compositions, Seaflight I, Where Did You Go and Perhaps Butterflies were songs in which Jason wrote the music and I wrote the lyrics.

There is one song on the CD which did not have my lyrics or music: Dreaming You Back to Me. This one was written by my music partner, Jeff Belding (music) and a lyricist he worked with for awhile, Rene Balsam.

As with Wing'd With Hopes, the CD is also recorded, mixed, mastered and co-produced with Scott Petito.

The inspiration for writing the CD came from the break-up of a relationship and the healing and spiritual journey afterward. Musically, the influences range from Renaissance music, jazz, folk and new age.

In the midst of finishing The Goldenrod CD project, Jeff Belding and I formed a band with Frank Orsini (violin, viola and mandolin) with Jim Lestrange (hammered dulcimer, bass and guitar). We called ourselves Saratoga Faire.

Our debut album, released in 2009 is called Saratoga Romance:

The title track is a waltz written by Jeff Belding about the place where we all met. He also contributes songwriting to The Fountain and Living to Eternity.

But a predominance of the album is Celtic and traditional songs.

We covered two songs on the album: Wind in the Willows written by Alan Bell and made popular by Blackmore's Night and Far Away, an instrumental by Peter Jung that has a Celtic style to it.

I produced the cover art for the CD.


Saratoga Faire is on a bit of a performance hiatus (medical for one of our members -- should be better soon), but we've performed at some great venues.

Our two favorite performances took place at Troy Music Hall (one a concert of our usual repertoire and one a Christmas concert). It is an ornate Victorian era music hall with two upper balconies in upstate NY.

This is a snippet of a photo of the inside of the hall with two upper balconies just above the stage area (from the Troy Music Hall website):

Finally I leave you with a photo of our band at Troy Music Hall after the audience went home (photo by Tania Susi, a Julliard grad violinist):

tiny hospital drawings

tiny hospital sketches and drawings

"birds with a message"

done on one inch strips of bristol

here's another along the same lines:

tiny hospital sketches and drawings

"birds of healing"

done on one inch strips of bistol

These were done when a loved one was in major surgery. 

I was so distraught and worried in the waiting room that I couldn't concentrate on TV or reading. I also felt it was somehow inappropriate for me to be watching empty talk-type shows. I closed my eyes and payed for awhile, but then after two hours took out a drawing pen and began a tiny series of drawings on scrap bristol board.

I also had some cardstock with me, so proceeded to continue on this kind of paper (also done during the surgery or in the recovery room -- note, not all of the drawings are here because some are personal, but this gives you a general idea):

tiny hospital sketches and drawings

from left to right:

"doves in hearts"

"trees with hearts and birds, fish in a heart"

"smooth sailing boats" 

done on approximately one inch strips of textured cardstock

except the last one: done on 3.5 inch cardstock

Then came the long wait and worry in the ICU over 2 days. I didn't draw anything then. But when my loved one moved into a room and I spent 5 days in his hospital room watching him get better and fetching aides when he needed to get into the bathroom, et al, I drew these (all except the third at the top -- which is out of place here because it was done while he was still in surgery):

tiny hospital sketches and drawings

angels in hearts (and a few maidens too)

most on paper that is around 2" x 3" bristol

Here is a straggler that couldn't fit on the scanner:

tiny hospital sketch

"male angel in a heart"

2" x 3" bristol

Then I came home and took care of the patient for the rest of the week and didn't do any more drawing. But then one evening a friend came by with an amazing stew and salad (enough for two days) and it gave me just a little time one evening to play around with this one:

"Heart Angel I"

first: 2" x 3" drawing/sketch on bristol

second: colorized

I'm not sure I like the second one as much as the first one. There is something that I like about the black and white. Perhaps it is because the first seems more like "serious art", more Picasso-esque, whereas the second has more of a cartoon element. The first was meant as a healing drawing; I'm not sure the second one portrays that as well. So, I'm not sure where I'm going with this. 

These are way too small to make significant product from other than gift tags (and it was not their original purpose, but copies can often become their own expressions and take on new meanings).

WEBSITE

MY ETSY ON-LINE STORE (seasonal selection)

MY ARTFIRE ON-LINE STORE (widest selection)

3 Autumn Trees in the Circle of Life

3 Autumn Trees in the Circle of Life

© Lise Winne (all elements including the Celtic knot)

available in my Artfire shop as a greeting card set HERE

may also be available in my Etsy shop in season

I had these greeting cards out in brick and mortar stores in the autumn; it is now December and I just got them listed on-line. Better late than never! 

This is my attempt at a Celtic knot. More of my attempts can be viewed HERE. I like incorporating a bit of painterly aspects to the general knot (i.e., not just line drawings filled in with color). 

Can be used for Samhain or someone born in the Autumn.

I also made some round tags with this design. More soon (I hope).

WEBSITE

MY ARTFIRE ON-LINE SHOP

MY ETSY ON-LINE SHOP

treble clef and bass clef Christmas ornaments

3 Star of David ornaments with dove of peace

hand painted and one of a kind

note: each one is reversible (that is why there is a side-by-side view)

© 2012

available through the holiday season in my Etsy shop

also available year-round in my Artfire shop (if they haven't sold)

As with the Hanukkah ornaments I talked about last time (link to that blog post HERE), I actually made them in 2011, but I am listing them for the first time on-line this year.

These are popular with my musician friends! You can tell they are slightly different from one another. I have set aside a few for our tree too. I really like how they look on a tree (and perhaps I will show you soon).

WEBSITE

MY ETSY ON-LINE SHOP

MY ARTFIRE ON-LINE SHOP

Star of David ornaments with dove of peace

3 Star of David ornaments with dove of peace

hand painted and one of a kind

note: each one is reversible (that is why there is a side-by-side view)

© 2012

available through the holiday season in my Etsy shop

also available year-round in my Artfire shop (if they haven't sold)

I actually made these in 2011, but am listing them for the first time on-line. 

They are painted with acrylic paints (each have a coating of poly to protect them).

WEBSITE

ARTFIRE ON-LINE SHOP (larger selection)

ETSY ON-LINE SHOP (seasonal selection)

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)  

November 2012 sale: horse holiday cards

horse holiday cards on sale only through my Artfire Shop for November

wholesale prices: 25 cards for $25 (excluding shipping costs)

from top to bottom (click to be taken to listing or to buy):
Spirit of Winter

Spirit of Christmas

Christmas Horse

Most of 2012 is the year of the Chinese water dragon, a year marked by sudden and unexpected events and changes. For me, that's an understatement! They haven't been pleasant events and have impacted me and every close family member in my life. It has been overwhelming, a juggling act that it is teetering on failurse at every moment, without a shread of normalcy in anything: work, home, relationships with family and friends, events. Phone calls with my mother often begin with "The water dragon strikes again!"

That's how the Chinese year/astrology is effecting me. Now for those of you into western astrology, I have a Uranus exact square Pluto on my native sun (also exact) most of this year. What does that mean? Well, it means sudden and unexpected events and changes. More of the same, apparently. So, does that mean I get a double whammy since both eastern and western seem to match in this case? It would seem so.

Anyway, since I am unable to get much work accomplished, I thought I'd have a sale of some designs from the past. Enjoy!

WEBSITE

ARTFIRE ON-LINE STORE (largest selection)

ETSY ON-LINE STORE (seasonal selection)

and oh, yes, I launched a facebook professional site recently:

FACEBOOK SITE  

The Frog and the Princess video

The Frog and the Princess Video by Karen Anne Brady
~her work-in-progress video featuring a painting she did~
~the background music is from our band, Saratoga Faire, from our "Saratoga Romance CD"~

(the song is a lesser known Turlough  O'carolan piece called "Miss Noble")

Karen Anne Brady (known as Ireland Brady on Etsy) is a talented artist from the Portland, Oregon area. Her own blog post about the video is HERE.

Enjoy!

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)

Meet Bette Be Good Vintage and Another Time Vintage Apparel!

Vintage 1980s Black Beaded Belt with Multi Colored Flowers XS 26 waist

available HERE

I always loved cummerbund belts from the 1980s. I still have many of them from that era in my closet that I still wear (gave up the big hair that went with these, though!).

Bette has several shops. She primarily focuses on vintage apparel from the Victorian era through the 1960s (but tries to narrow her focus even more to the 1940s - 1950s). This belt is an exception.

Bette's website is Another Time Vintage Apparel and the Etsy shop that featured this belt is Bette Be Good Vintage. Bette also has another Etsy shop called Bette's Bargains.

(Tina of Blue Tine Jewellery also has a blog post about Bette this week HERE). 

birthday gift tags in the round

Happy Birthday in the Round, gift tags

© 2012

available through my Artfire shop HERE

These were made around last Spring, but I am just listing them now.

The greeting card has already been blogged about and is view-able HERE. Even though I put the design on a card, it was really meant for a tag. These have been very popular this summer in the galleries and shops I have them in.

links:

WEBSITE

ARTFIRE ON-LINE SHOP

ETSY ON-LINE SHOP 

Windswept Doves Trinket Box

Windswept Dove Trinket Box
hand painted box for jewelry, trinkets or keepsakes

© 2012

available in my Artfire on-line shop HERE

may also be available in the folk art section in my Etsy shop HERE

(part of the "Windswept Doves series" - the rest of the series is view-able HERE)

I painted this box in the winter of 2012. The top is painted with artist grade archival acrylic paints and the part that is alazarin crimson (i.e. the rest of it) is painted with folk art paints. 

Since I had so many wall paintings in this style and subject matter, I wanted to try a painting on a box too. 

Here is a view of the top:

   

links:

MY WEBSITE

MY ARTFIRE ON-LINE STORE (largest selection)

MY ETSY SHOP 

hand painted butterfly box

Butterfly Box

(for jewelry, trinkets, keepsakes, etc)

© 2012

available HERE from my Artfire on-line store 

or it may be available HERE from Etsy shop

This is one of a series of hand painted butterfly boxes. The whole series of butterfly boxes can be found HERE (or to look at all of the painted boxes in all subject matter, go HERE).

This is the only butterfly box I painted in 2012.

other links:

WEBSITE

ARTFIRE ON-LINE STORE

ETSY ON-LINE STORE 

Meet Lyn of 3 Cedars Jewelry!

Jasper Pendant with Copper Spirals

by 3 Cedars Jewelry

available HERE

Lyn has been making jewelry for 20 years. Today I am focusing on her wire wrapped jewelry, but she has many other kinds of styles available in her Etsy shop HERE.

Lyn has a daytime job as an Optician. 

Here is another piece by Lyn:

 Tigers Eye Pendant with Copper Spirals

by 3 Cedars Jewelry

available HERE

Here is another piece:

Agate Pendant with Drusy and Silver Filled Spirals

by 3 Cedars Jewelry

available HERE

Lyn also makes earrings in this style:

Ametrine Rough Cut Earrings

by 3 Cedars Jewelry

available HERE

Bunny and Moon ACEOs

"Bunny and Moon" original painting ACEO (2.5" x 3.5")

© 2012

available in my Etsy shop in the ACEO section

or in my Artfire shop in the ACEO section

here is another aceo:

"Bunny and Moon II" original painting ACEO (2.5" x 3.5")

© 2012

available in my Etsy shop in the ACEO section

As stated, these are both original paintings and will probably be the only ACEOs made in this subject matter. They are incredibly fussy and require tiny "liner" brushes. We'll see...

ACEOs have to conform to the 2.5" x 3.5" size format. For more on ACEOs, see this wikipedia article HERE.  

These are part of a series of "bunny and moon" art pieces. The whole series can be found HERE.

They are painted with acrylic paints (gesso first, then the acrylic paints, then polyurethane). These particular ones were painted on bristol board.

links:

MY WEBSITE

MY ETSY ON-LINE SHOP

MY ARTFIRE ON-LINE SHOP 

Skeleton Key Jewelry or Trinket Box

Skeleton Key Trinket or Jewelry Box

one of a kind

© 2012

available HERE through my Artfire on-line shop

it may also be available HERE through my Etsy on-line shop 

This box is painted primarily in french blue. The skeleton key design is my own (in other words, no real skeleton keys were used for the model).

I'm showing one of the boxes I painted at the beginning of 2012. The rest of them listed (at least so far!) were painted in 2011. The whole series can be found HERE.

This could also serve as a box to stash your keys, particularly skeleton keys.

Admittedly, I painted this partly because I like the ornate qualities of skeleton keys and also to please the Etsy Gods (as they are more likely to pay attention to certain kinds of subject matter over others).

Here is another view:

my links:

WEBSITE

ARTFIRE ON-LINE SHOP

ETSY ON-LINE SHOP

Meet Becky of Seventh Child!

Brass Filigree Necklace by Seventh Child

available from her Etsy store HERE for $22.00

It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Becky! Becky has a lot of different kinds of jewelry designs in her Etsy shop, but I am focusing on her jewelry which has a Celtic or Renaissance/Medieval flair for those of my readers who are Renaissance Faire re-enactors or Renaissance musicians (of which I am one). Wouldn't this look great with a courtier's outfit?

Have a look at this one too:

Medieval Style Necklace by Seventh Child

available from her Etsy store HERE

 Here is a detail picture of the same necklace:

detail of Medieval Style Necklace

The reason why Becky's shop is called "Seventh Child" is an interesting one. Please read on (borrowed from her profile page in her Etsy shop):

I am the seventh of seven children and was born on the seventh day (Sunday) at seven in the morning weighing seven pounds seven ounces(really, it's on my birth certificate). It was shear coincidence that all four of my names wound up with seven letters each, but, still, it happened. Hence "Seventh Child".

I love that story!

Here is another one like the previous styles:

Dragon Necklace with a Filigree Medallion on a Brass Chain Choker by Seventh Child

available from her Etsy shop HERE

These are a bit of a departure from the others, but would still look great at a Renaissance faire or a Celtic festival:

Dragon Necklace with Obsidian Teardrop on Hand Beaded Glass Chain by Seventh Child

available from her Etsy shop HERE

Pewter Celtic Knot Earrings with Green Drop Beads by Seventh Child

available from her Etsy shop HERE

heart amulet by Ireland Brady

Crocheted Heart Amulet by Ireland Brady

I just received this wonderful amulet that Karen Anne Brady (i.e. Ireland Brady) made. I won it in her blog give-away contest HERE. It came with full instructions on how to make it which was totally unexpected. Love it! 

I will be modeling it soon, so stay tuned!! 

Mom and Me

new website banner

My newest website banner

To see the whole page that the banner is on, go here

I'm part of a team at Etsy where we help each other, give each other advice and share our struggles with one another. Anyway, a discussion came up about banners and avatars: the need to keep them consistent across the web. 

So, I plan to do that with every site (except perhaps this site: my blog). 

If you are so inclined, let me know what you think in the comments section of this blog.

MY WEBSITE

A return to Renaissance music and Owain Phyfe

I have been listening to bluegrass in the car for most of the year. Jim rotates the CDs in the car and they are almost always bluegrass CDs (note: I am the one who drives the car 90 percent of the time, but he's the one who chooses the CDs, just so you know... and also to let you know, I didn't object because I want to be supportive and explore that direction especially since so many of our mutual friends are bluegrass fanatics). He did put a Solas CD (an Irish band) in the car for a short time, but that disappeared. When it was there, I found myself gravitating toward it the most.

Dominating the CD player was Tony Rice, Chris Thile, Alison Krauss and Claire Lynch (who I like a lot -- I particularly like her Woods of Sipsey -- but, let's face it: that song is NOT bluegrass like so many others of hers are). Anyway, I like bluegrass even if I was gravitating more towards songs in the CDs that are not in the genre. I felt I had finally been converted since I was fed a constant diet of it and did not change out the CD player for artists I am more naturally drawn to.

But something funny happens when you are on a constant diet of a particular kind of music: you stop remembering other kinds of music. Indeed, it defines what you listen to and what kind of person you are. For all intents and purposes, I was becoming a bluegrasser even if I could not perform or even jam effectively in the style. All that Jim and I talked about was bluegrass artists (when it came to music of any kind). It particularly dominated conversations when he joined a bluegrass band and was constantly going to bluegrass jams (while I stayed in the house most of this year disabled with various illnesses, medical problems and crises, my identity as a performer now virtually wiped out and in the past). Indeed, there was nothing else to talk about but bluegrass.

Then for a long trip, I suggested to Jim that I might like to break up our listening with something other than bluegrass. So I grabbed an Owain Phyfe CD on the way out. When the car player rotated around to the CD, I noticed a sharp contrast with the bluegrass CDs, something that caught me off guard. The first cut was "Maid in Bedlam" and almost immediately I started crying. Then the whole CD was choking me up. It seemed to touch a part of me that I had not felt for so long in listening to all of the bluegrass CDs: my emotions, my yearning for something old and timeless. Indeed, I felt like I was "home again", even if briefly.

This happened two weeks ago.

Today I found out that Owain is in the hospital. This brought up another round of emotions: life is so short; we are here for such a short period of time. He has made a lot of people happy with his music and there are so many people on facebook wishing him a speedy recovery. He truly found within himself a talented and loved troubadour after working for so many years in the auto industry. Indeed, he has an irresistible delivery for Renaissance music. And it is not just people who have seen him live or on the radio who he has touched; it is also people who walked by my house, people who are normally accustomed to hearing rap and hip hop (and maybe a little country and teen pop now and then too), who suddenly stopped in their tracks and asked, "Who is that? That's quite beautiful."


Normally, a series of crises will take anyone off track, especially if it concerns health. I have gotten used to being taken off track now, of having lost parts of myself, of being distracted by absurdly small projects, floundering around with different directions because I might very well be incapacitated again, and in trying to keep the status quo so that I can make a living off of what products I do have on hand. But in the back of my mind when I do feel well, I am asking: What do I do now? Where do I go? Am I still a Renaissance musician and singer? Does anyone miss me in that role? Do I belong to the genre that Owain Phyfe inhabits or something else? Is there something in me that I have not yet discovered? Is this my true calling or is it something else?


These are all hard questions to answer at this point. But they were all brought up in my mind when I listened with new ears to Owain Phyfe.  

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.

back to the drawing board...

If you've been following my story, I created 4 paintings to gain entry into an art exhibit in my area. The series of 4 paintings is HERE.

Well, I didn't get in. There are a couple of things that I think definitely worked against me: 

1. My work wasn't consistent enough. I had 3 watercolor paintings and 1 acrylic painting. All of them, except for the two chicken paintings, look like they could have been created by different artists. This is definitely a no-no when trying to get into contemporary art exhibits. The body of work should look like it all goes together with a similar style and treatment. The artist's personality and originality should shine through each work and look like it all belongs together. I knew this, of course (having been an art teacher).

2. The theme wasn't developed enough, creating even more inconsistency. One of them is in the realm of fantasy (the one with the big flowers), one is more in the realm of realism and the others emphasize borders. I was just too all over the place. I believe I would have had a better chance if I had stuck to one particular way of working within the theme.   

3. I didn't give myself enough time to create a body of work. I was rushed. This year has been marred by medical crises and illnesses, whether mine or someone else's. Being distracted does not bode well for making a consistent body of work where some leisure can bring thoughtfulness and reflection. Instead I was overwhelmed with too many things on my plate to think clearly about what I was creating. I thought I had enough time to paint 4 acrylic paintings and 4 watercolor paintings (for instance) and choose between the two mediums. 

4. Not enough pieces:  the prospectus called for 4 - 10 pieces. I'm sure most artists went more for 10 which put me at a disadvantage too.   

5. politics: I think there is always a little of that in the jurying of every exhibit (especially in an area like this where most artists know each other, or at least each other's work). Some artists specialize in farm scenery and it is all they do -- full time. This is not my main focus even if it is becoming part of my palette.

In a way, I am glad I didn't get in especially as I am still dealing with #3 and still greatly overwhelmed to the point where I'm even shutting down my Etsy on-line store for awhile to get back on my feet. Assuming that brighter days are ahead, I will reapply next year. This gives me an entire year to paint and to explore what direction I want to take this work. Working in watercolors and acrylics should be possible too with so much time ahead of me assuming I can get most of my graphic work, greeting cards and music done during the day time. 

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed reading about my journey so far...

MY WEBSITE  

       

Two Doves Trinket Box

Two Doves Trinket Box

© 2011

hand painted

available HERE

may also be available HERE

If you haven't been reading along, this box is part of a series I made in the winter of 2011 (I call it my "paint everything in sight" period after acquiring a studio with running water and a big work table). The rest of the series is HERE. I am just starting to list them for sale now, in 2012.

Of all of the painted boxes (so far), this is probably my least favorite (I like the butterfly boxes the most). I did take great pains to paint stars on the inside of the box for this one. 

Last night when I was busy painting an ACEO (a mini original painting that has to be 2.5" x 3.5"), I realized that the top of this box was not much bigger (2.5" x 4.5"). Hmmmm, so that's why I was always using my liner brushes!

Back to painting!

WEBSITE

MY ETSY ON-LINE STORE

MY ARTFIRE ON-LINE STORE

Devotion to Birds

"Devotion to Birds"

original india ink ACEO

size: 2.5" x 3.5"

sold 

(if interested, other works somewhat like this one may be available through this link)

If you haven't the slightest idea of what an ACEO is, go HERE to read about it.

This is part of a series of Celtic-style Tree of Life images I have been making for several years. This one is the first in India ink. 

If you have been following along on this blog since my last post HERE, then you'll know that I have not made any art since I became ill (on May 22). I tend to produce ACEOs when I want to experiment with a new style or when I'm unsure about a direction I want to pursue or when I'm lacking in energy (i.e. not feeling well enough to tackle a big project!).

WEBSITE

MY ETSY ON-LINE SHOP 

MY ARTFIRE ON-LINE SHOP