Have You Seen These Art Gallery

Kae of Kae1Crafts has ever so kindly included my little Red Coral Zig Zag Fish ACEO in her latest treasury on Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=29867

I'm honored to be included. That's very thoughtful of her. (Click it quick; the treasury expires on January 2.)

Kae has a couple of wonderful Etsy shops; take a minute and shop by:

http://Kae1Crafts.etsy.com/
http://Kae1Supplies.etsy.com/

Get an up-close look at my little fishy here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19090141

Happy New Year Treasury on Etsy

Linda James, aka "flameonglass", was kind enough to include my New Year's Eve ACEO in her recent Etsy treasury*:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=29813

Wasn't that nice of her?

Click it quick; the treasury expires January 2.

Visit Linda's Etsy shop at http://flameonglass.etsy.com for really cool lampwork beads.

Get a closer look at my ACEO here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18014912



*Treasuries are lists of 12 items for sale on Etsy compiled by members of the community. Members can make a treasury based on favorite items, a cool theme, or any other criteria they like. Only a limited number of treasuries are allowed at any one time, and they expire after only a couple days.

Coffee Cups, Updated

I've tried something a little different with the coffee cups. The coffee cups themselves are done with colored pencil on paper. To give them a little more weight, I mounted the paper onto a canvas-covered artist's board called Pannelli Telati. I painted the board with acrylics in colors to complement the cups.

The coffee cups are 4 x 6 inches; the board is 5x7.

I'm much happier with this now. It needed the extra substance from the board.

Wordle Word Cloud

Kathleen Harrington just found a site that turns your web site into a tag cloud. Much as I love words, I couldn't resist trying it out.

Click the image below to see my blog turned into a "word cloud". Clever, huh?





Or go directly here:

http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/410162/LifeNeedsArt

See Kathleen's word cloud on her blog here: http://kathleenharrington.blogspot.com/2008/12/wordle.html

Merry Christmas!

I wish you a joyful and peaceful holiday!

Cleveland Handmade Last Minute Market!

5 to 9 PM
December 20
871 Canterbury, Westlake, Ohio 44145
Get more details on their web site


Cleveland Handmade is enabling, maybe even encouraging, holiday shopping procrastination with a LAST MINUTE handmade market. Many of the sellers presenting will be offering special deals and pricing, just for the show!

Come support your local artists and craftspeople while you enjoy wine, refreshments and a fun, friendly and relaxed atmosphere. There will be something (handmade!) for just about everyone on your list.

Cleveland Handmade members’ shops specialize in a wide range of fine and funky craft, including jewelry, clothing, handbags and other accessories, fiber arts, handmade glass, ceramics, paintings, prints, photography, home decor, bath and body products and repurposed vintage pieces.

Grand Opening of My Etsy Shop!

Etsy Buy Handmade lifeneedsart

Ta Da!! I now have a new online storefront where my artwork is posted for browsing and purchasing: http://lifeneedsart.etsy.com .

Etsy is a place to buy handmade items -- nothing mass produced or commercial. It's a great place to find unique, one-of-a-kind items.

I've opened a shop with snowflake ACEOs*, and will be adding more paintings frequently, both ACEO size and larger. Please stop by and browse around.

Grand Opening Special: Shipping is FREE through 2008!

The Etsy shop is for originals; each item is unique. Once they're gone, they're gone! It's intended to complement my gift shop, which is for printed items such as coffee mugs and t-shirts. I'll keep both shops open and fully stocked.




*Art Cards, Editions, Originals (ACEOs) are small but complete works of art. They have a rich artistic history and are a highly collectible art form.

ACEOs must be 2.5 x 3.5 inches, no more, no less.

They are as individual as the artists who create them. They can be originals or prints, B&W or color, paint, pencil, watercolor, collage, ink, fabric, metal, digital. The list could go on.

I find they're a great way to get the creative juices flowing. The tiny size is challenging. They need to be strong enough to stand as finished artworks, but can sometimes become the inspiration for larger paintings.

2009 Calendar Is Here, With All New Paintings

The 3rd annual Life Needs Art calendar is here! Each month shows a different painting done in the past year -- no repeats from previous years. The months have everything from snowflakes to abstracts to pumpkins, and even a chicken! (Yes, check out September. I love my chicken.)

Calendars are available for $16.99 in my gift shop through my web site or directly at this address:

http://www.cafepress.com/life_needs_art.327864360

Kaleidoscope at Summit Artspace

Meet the Artists Opening Reception
November 21
6-8 PM


Nov 22-Jan 3
Gallery open Thurs-Sat, noon-5pm during exhibitions
Free admission & parking


Summit Artspace
140 E. Market St.
Akron, OH 44308
www.summitartspace.org

Over the River Winter Exhibit

The Log Cabin Gallery
1671 Main Street
(in back up North Canal)
Peninsula, OH 44264
330-657-2670
www.thelogcabingallery.com

November 28 thru December 21
Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays
Including Monday thru Thursday, December 15, 16, 17, 18
11 am until 5 pm


EXHIBITING ARTISTS

Pat Bakos, Gemstone Trees

Sarrah Becker, Glass Designs

Susan Begin, Mixed Media

Gabriele Bryant, Stained Glass

Sofia Calderwood, Jewelry

Don Carroll, Jr., Wood Works

Lorna D’Atri, Purses, Hand-Knit Scarves & Hats

Barbara Franzreb, Decorative Painting

Tamara Gunnels, Tree Charms & Art Glass

Joyce Harrington, Mixed Media

Marti Higgins, Paintings

Wendy A. Houlahan, Pottery

Roseanne Klimo, Stone Jewelry

Dawn-Lyn Kovalchick, Decorative Art

Patrick Livengood, Hand Forged Iron Work

Russ O’Brien, Art Glass

Diane Seskes, Photography

Lucille Seskes, Traditional Quilting & Piecing

Paula Singleton, Hats & Vintage Button Jewelry

Jim Spencer, Wood Bowls & Carvings

Diane Taninecz, Handcrafted Jewelry

Gwen Waight, Mixed Media

Audrey Winkler, Handcrafted Jewelry

David Zeager, Fine Woodworking

Coffee Cups

I was playing around with my colored pencils last night and came up with this. It's layers and layers of red, blue, green, yellow, rose, and even some light blue on paper. The paper has a laid (woven) texture, which holds the pencil on top of the pattern -- it doesn't fill in. I rather like it that way.

I'm not entirely sure this is finished, so I'll have to look at it for a few days to make up my mind.

This is 4 x 6 inches.

Holiday Ornaments

Thinking about your holiday shopping? Here are some perfect gift ideas: ceramic ornaments printed with my original designs -- snowflakes, flowers, abstracts -- all bright and colorful. Very popular for office gifts or hostess gifts.

See them all here:

http://www.cafepress.com/life_needs_art/2075171

The Freakishly Short Animation Festival

Thursday, October 23, 2008
7 PM
Akron Art Museum
Admission is free

It’s seventy minutes of short, mostly Halloween-themed animated films from around the world; check out the trailer at www.akronfilmfestival.com.

www.akronfilmfestival.com
www.akronartmuseum.org

Artist Reception for Dino Massaroni

The public is invited to an

Akron Life & Leisure Meet The Artist Reception

to celebrate the art of

Dino Massaroni

and view his work

October 16 from 6-8 P.M.

at

Mocha Maiden Gallery

Akron, Ohio

On Maiden Lane (behind the Everett Building corner of N. Main & E. Market) or also an entrance on North High Street.

Parking available in the city deck across from the art museum on South High Street

The artwork will be on display through November 1.

International Artist Day: October 25

October 25 has been selected as International Artist Day. It's purpose is:

This worldwide tribute to artists will honor and bring recognition to the contributions they have made to civilization.

The official web site has lots of suggestions for supporting the arts that day:

http://www.internationalartistday.com/page/suggestions

Stay tuned for how I'll be celebrating and suggestions on how you can join in.

White Pumpkins

Ran across this cool site called "Different Strokes from Different Folks". The idea is that the creator, Karin Jurick, posts a photo once a week and then asks that folks try doing an interpretation of the photo. The idea is not to copy the photo exactly, but to use it as a starting point for an artwork. She will post the results. So far, this week's entry has drawn dozens results.

Check out the original photo of the pumpkins and everyone's artworks here:

http://differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com/

My interpretation is this purple version, done in colored pencils on a 4x6 inch paper.

Arts and Culture, Akron

Just a few of the arts events happening soon:

24th Annual Northeast Ohio Regional Juried Painting Exhibition
Cuyahoga Valley Art Center
330-928-8092
October 6-30, 2008
www.cvartcenter.org

Fresh & Spooky
Meet-the-Artists Opening, Friday, October 3rd, 5-7pm
Summit Artspace
330-376-8480
October 3 - November 8
www.summitartspace.org

Ohio Collage Society 2nd Annual Exhibit

The Ohio Collage Society, local affiliate of the National Collage Society
marks its 1st anniversary by sponsoring the 2nd annual Member's Show at
Mansfield Art Center in Mansfield , Ohio. Opening ceremonies will take place on Sunday September 21 at 2 PM. The exhibit runs through October 26.

The Ohio Collage Society is a new organization that is currently growing
its membership. Members exhibited work at Peninsula Art Academy in 2007.

Rebecca Langley, curator of the Pearl Conrad Gallery at the Ohio State
Extension Campus, will be the awards judge for this invitational exhibition.

The show will include 2 and 3-dimensional work using a variety of collage
techniques.

The Mansfield Art Center is open Tuesday - Saturday from 11-5 and Sunday
12-5. For more information on the exhibit call the Mansfield Art Center at
419 756 1700 or visit http://www.mansfieldartcenter.org.

For information on the Ohio Collage Society email rgrace44223@yahoo.com or gretchen5262@windstream.net

Summit Artspace Workshop

Summit Artspace Workshop

Watercolor Demo with Sally Heston
&
Oil Demo with Linda Misja

Saturday, September 13
1:00-3:00 pm

Free Workshop
No registration necessary


Summit Artspace
Akron Area Arts Alliance
140 E. Market St.
Akron, Ohio 44308
330-376-8480
akronareaarts@sbcglobal.net
www.summitartspace.org

Akron Arts & Culture Highlights Sept. 8-14

This is just a sampling of the many events happening in the area. Visit www.AkronAreaArts.org for more events and details.

Hudson History Days
Saturday, Sept. 13, 8am-8pm
Re-enactments, music, demos, food
Actors Summit Theatre, 330-342-0800
www.actorssummit.org

Family Friendly Day
Saturday, Sept. 13, 10am-6pm
Historical portrayal tours
Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, 330-836-5533
www.stanhywet.org

Downtown @ Dusk
Thursday, Sept. 11, 6:30pm, FREE
Art-making for children, art talks, music
Akron Art Museum, 330-376-9185
www.akronartmuseum.org

Watercolor & Oil Demos
Saturday, Sept. 13, 1:00pm, FREE
Women's Art League of Akron
Summit Artspace, 330-376-8480
www.summitartspace.org

Guitar Virtuoso Ernie Hawkins
Saturday, Sept. 13, GAR Hall in Peninsula
Workshop 3:30pm, Concert 7:30pm
Peninsula Art Academy, 330-657-2248
www.peninsulaartacademy.com

Pat Boas Art Lecture & Reception
Thursday, Sept. 11, 6:00pm, FREE
Folk Hall, Myers School of Art
The University of Akron, 330-972-6030
www.uakron.edu/art

New Options for Journals

Journals are now available in 4 paper styles: blank, lined, dot grid, and task journal.

Pick your favorite cover and your favorite paper style, and your fantastic journal will be on your doorstep in a matter of days!

Select a journal and look for the "paper" drop down.

Visit http://www.lifeneedsart.com/ and click the "Gift Shop" link, or go straight to the journals.

Stargazer, 4 x 6

Acrylics and black and brown pen on paper, 4 x 6 inches. Started as a pen doodle, but needed some color. And I liked those vertical strips on either side. They added a nice break from the swirling energy.

Work in Progress: Spring Collage, Continued

The spring collage is going in a whole new direction. After looking at that clematis flower for weeks and loving it, I've decided to superimpose it on this collage. The flower will be transparent so that parts of the background show through.

The collage has a lot of floral elements -- those are stargazer lilies in the upper right quadrant (that vertical block) and a field of tulips in the lower right. That dark band through the center left is a horizon line with trees.

So I'm working through the color scheme to make the clematis colors mesh with the background. But it should be very interesting when done.

At this point, it's about 50% complete.

View previous posts:

http://lifeneedsart.blogspot.com/2008/06/work-in-progress-spring-collage.html

http://lifeneedsart.blogspot.com/2008/03/work-in-progress-spring-collage.html

Technology in the Arts National Conference

Technology in the Arts is a national conference held in Pittsburgh, PA on October 9-11, 2008. The conference gives participants the opportunity to discuss best practices as well as lessons learned, provide hands-on training, and examine new potential uses for technology in the arts.

For more information visit www.TechnologyintheArts.org

Work in Progress: Small Mandala, Continued

The small mandala turned up again. It definitely has a mind of its own and periodically goes missing. I set it down exactly where it should be, and next time I go looking for it, it's not there. Can't figure that one out.

At any rate, I'm making progress. Added some paint layers and collage elements. Compare to the first post:

http://lifeneedsart.blogspot.com/2008/02/work-in-progress-small-mandala.html

I estimate it's about 70% complete.

Clematis on the Lampost

So this isn't exactly IN my studio -- it's OUTSIDE my studio. And I've been working on it, but not as an art project. It's been my gardening project. But let's not split hairs. Let's just enjoy it.

I planted this clematis last year, and it looked pathetic all summer. Over the winter it turned into a scrawny bare stick. It was a goner for sure.

Well, this spring it greened up and started growing. And grow it did -- right up the trellis and up the lamp post and all over the place.

This bloom was the first to open. It's a full 6 inches across, at least. Here's hoping for more like it.

UPDATE, SATURDAY, JUNE 14: It's a goner. The bunnies chewed through the stalk about an inch above the ground, so the vine is dying. Very sad. I'll replace it with another one, but will put chicken wire or something around it to keep out the bunnies.

Work in Progress: Spring Collage, continued

I've made some progress on Spring Collage lately. I'd estimate that this is about 40% done. Here's the original post:

http://lifeneedsart.blogspot.com/2008/03/work-in-progress-spring-collage.html

The colors are a bit off, but probably better than the first post. Why I wait till after dark to take photos and then struggle with flash glare and color problems, I'll never know. :)

As for the other works in progress: I have not done much with the large mandala. And the small mandala has wandered off and gone missing. I'm sure it will turn up eventually.

See the original posts here: http://lifeneedsart.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html

Drawing Day - June 7

Saturday, June 7 is Drawing Day, an informal event asking everyone to draw and post the results online. The goal is to create 1 million drawing that day.

Anyone can participate. All that's required is an interest in drawing. There are no rules other than that -- spend some time drawing, create one or as many as you like, in any medium, and then post the results online.

It sounds like fun. Saturday will be a busy day, but I'm planning to do some drawing myself. Join in!

Visit the web site for details: http://www.drawingday.org

Collage Doodle

OK, I'm into doodling lately. This is a collage doodle made of small bits of images from a magazine. It's postcard-sized: 6 x 4 inches.

I'm not entirely sure that it's finished. I might use it as a background for something else. It's a little too bright, too representational right now.

Postcard Doodle

I'm branching out from my usual ACEO size to postcard size: 6 x 4 inches. Finally! I must be in some kind of spiral mood; even the ACEOs have been full of spirals.

This is Sakura Identi-Pen on paper. I love these pens. Two tips (fine and thick), they hold up really well, and don't dry out easily.

I have stacks of these things going. Not sure what I'll do with them. Might they be coming to a mailbox near you?

Work in Progress: Spring Collage

This painting is 18 x 24, on canvas. It’s going to be a spring garden scene done in acrylics and paper.

I’ve taken a photo from a calendar, coated it with lots of clear acrylic medium, let that dry, and soaked the thing until the paper peeled off. The image stuck to the acrylic, becoming transparent and flexible. I tore it into several pieces, which you can see throughout the painting – it was a spring scene in a garden with tulips and fountains.

I’ve added some scraps of handmade paper that has these great little leaves embedded in it.

This one is maybe 30% done. I have several ideas for continuing it and need to pick one and pursue it.

Work in Progress - Large Mandala

I've made some progress on the first mandala and plan to have an updated photo soon.

Here is a second mandala: 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas. This one is about 20-25% along.

The blue outline around the circle is painter’s tape -- the stuff you use when painting around the moulding in the living room. I’ll remove the tape when the mandala is finished.

I’m struggling with the image inside the circle. My understanding of mandalas is that they should be Significant and Important; after all, they have spiritual and psychological connections. You just can’t treat those things lightly, right?

Those thoughts are making me afraid to touch it.

I’m not feeling all that spiritual about it, just fond. It’s never a good thing for me to get too fond of a partially finished painting. I become afraid of messing it up, so I either never finish it or continue too timidly and mess it up.

I love the colors and shapes inside the circle so far. It has a nice three-dimensional feel so far, and I like those blue fingers that reach into the center. I like it too much and am afraid to ruin it.

The interior of the circle is painted with an "interference" color -- the color changes based on the angle at which you view it. This paint appears white in some directions and blue in others.

Just had an idea for it. Hang in there. It may look very different next time you see it.

Work in Progress - Small Mandala

I’ve been waiting to post until I’ve had something Momentous to say – something of Significance that has enough Weight to be broadcast to the whole world. After all, if I’m going to blog about something, it has to be Serious and Worthy.

Yeah right. You can see how well that worked out.

So, until something like that comes along, I’ll post smaller things. I have 3 new works in progress. I’m not sure what they’ll end up looking like or even what the next steps are, but I’m pretty sure that none is more than 50% complete.

One of these new paintings is a little mandala, 7x5 inches, canvas on panel, in acrylics.

The circle is gold paint. To keep that crisp edge around it, I masked it off with blue painter’s tape: the kind of stuff you’d use around a window if you were painting the living room. I wanted to be able to paint freely in the mandala without ruining the crisp circular edge. (I removed the tape for this photo.)

This one is probably the most complete: I’d estimate 40-50% done.

Keep an eye out for progress on this one. And watch for postings of the other 2 works items. If you don’t see any progress, bug me.

Also, I’m formulating an idea for a greeting card project. I’m mulling over different ideas, trying to come up with a workable project. Once I know the details, you will know. I’m guessing it will start in March.

To learn more about mandals, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandala or http://www.mandalaproject.org/What/Index.html . I’m interested in how Carl Jung used mandalas, but can’t find much info.