Undiscovered Gold: What's the Use?

It is getting harder and harder to find something to feature here every week. I guess after writing a few of these things I have become jaded to most of the shops I "pounce" past on etsy. I love it when one of these shops grabs my attention with something truly unique.

I introduce to you ghowiellc by Susie McDonald. Unusual is one way to describe her work. Quirky might be another you would choose. I love it!

Susie has taken the art of mosaic and applied it to your pantry. She transforms dusty old salad bowls into living works of art to be displayed proudly year round. Some of her pieces have hundreds of tiny parts painstakingly glued to them creating a mini diorama.

And the reviews are in. While participating in the Austin Texas Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, feedback was glowing. Children and Men (not generally the target audience of a craft fair) were found admiring her bowls. Susie even heard some kids say they were "cool"; I would have to agree.

The C Word

I am not sure how all of you feel about this, but I hate the "C" word. That would be C for CRAFT. I do not do craft. To me, crafters are those who use patterns or pre-made kits and make pretty things from them. Artists come up with their own ideas and create original work based on those ideas. You can be an artist using any materials: paint, clay, fiber, metal, beads, etc.

This weekend I encountered this stereotype first hand. I interviewed and shared my portfolio with a professional, and for the first time chose to include some of my recent work I have done with knitting. The pieces I chose were designed by me and made from scratch with my own hands.I even included original sketches that I made to show the evolution of the piece. One of the 2 women I was speaking with used the "C" word to describe what she saw in the photograph. The blood drained out of my face. I said that I create sculptural pieces using the material of fiber and technique of knitting. Her partner did defend me saying that Craft has gained more mainstream acceptance as art. MRRRRR.

How do you stand on this? Why are you a crafter? Why are you an artist? Do you care about the definition?

Undiscovered Gold

Corn Syrup

There is definitely a trick to selling your art. First you must create amazing images. Then you must find a way to get your work to the people. That used to require a gallery or other retail location exhibiting your work. Now artists are lucky enough to be able to find their audience online directly.

Vantage Point

What does this have to do with my choice this week? Well, here is an amazing young artist fresh out of school who has already found at least one fan in me.

Elon Sharton Bierig has a great future. He considers himself a surrealist, taking realistic imagery and bringing it into a conceptual space. Of course what caught my eye was his series of hands. Anyone who is familiar with my work will know that is a bit of an obsession of mine, though my hands are nothing like the tangle of fingers he has chosen to portray.

He has priced his work to sell. If you are shopping for dramatic pieces for your home, this is the place to find them. All the work in his shop is oil in various sizes ranging from 9"x12" to 42"x18". He ships from his home in the Bay Area of California to everywhere.

Dexterous Growth

Outside of his etsy shop, you can see his portfolio on his official website. You can find him talking about his art on twitter and facebook as well.

I Love This

Your  Child's Art Coasters by BeachChik

Undiscovered Gold

Bicycle

I wish I took these photographs. That is probably the greatest compliment any artist can give to another, to not just find the beauty in the piece, but to envy that they got to the image first.

Rene Viescas Allen lives in Colorado and travels the countryside to capture abandoned and neglected items scattered through this beautiful landscape. She strives to tell the story of these items in their heyday. A bold and noble task to take on.

Dodge Truck

Rene's shop, Riviescas, is filled with the images from this project. My favorite pieces tend to be the rusted out automobiles, but she also does amazing work capturing flowers and old barn doors. Her colors are so beautifully saturated, you can almost feel the warm sun and the breeze as you look at them.

Retro Fan

You can find her portfolio online and see items not for sale including beautiful portraits, She also lists upcoming exhibits and contact information here. Want to get to know Rene more personally? Check into her blog where she is taking on the overwhelming project of blogging every day for 365 days. If you want to be updated when new images are for sale, be sure to follow her facebook fanpage.

I look forward to seeing this work on the front pages of etsy this fall.

Landscapes/Seascapes/Local Scenes

I entered one of my photographs into a show at The Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury, NJ. I was very excited to find out I was accepted; my first time at that space. It is a very well respected local art organization offering classes and exhibits of its members juried in throughout the year. This exhibit celebrates the beauty of summer with  landscapes, seascapes and local scenes.

Today was the opening reception. I decided to go with my camera to document some of the beautiful things others submitted; all which are for sale. I even got the opportunity to talk to some of the contributing artists, full of great advise and loads of talent. I of course shared with them some of my knowledge on internet marketing your art.

I was quite surprised, not by the quality of the work, but by how many photographs there were! I was also impressed with the diversity of subject matter. While many artists stuck with traditional subject matter such as the beach, as I did, many ventured into abstract expressions and portraits.

These are some of my favorite pieces from the show. All are available for sale at The Guild if you are interested. The show will be up in the main gallery now through July 27th. Stop by and see it in person!

Something Fishy by Buren Gilpin 

wood vase

Old Red Barn by Frank Colaguori 

watercolor

Rain... Sun... Mist by Marilyn M. Baldi 

photograph

By the way, here is my piece on display:

Breakers by Tracey Rediker

photography

If you are interested in purchasing it and cant get over to The Guild, this piece is also available online. 

Handmade Shop of the Week: Stuart Levy Photography

Seeking out special shops to feature on my blog can sometimes be difficult. However, talented artists like Stuart Allen Levy make it very easy to choose. He has been taking photographs for many years and has recently expanded his work from panoramic street scenes to flowers. The web will never do his work complete justice because he likes to print these tiny images in an oversized scale.

Stuart currently works exclusively with digital photography, his trusty high resolution scanner, and prints his own work on a large scale archival photograph printer. He also mounts and frames most of his own work.

Stuart sells his work online as well as in galleries and art shows all around Portland, Oregon where he lives. He has a show coming to the area shortly at a local coffee shop, featuring his latest work with flowers.

I am currently seeking out new shops to feature here. If you are interested, please email me for information.

Ocean County Artist Marketplace 5/8

So many exciting things about this event. First, it was my first official "juried" show. i had to send them images of my work to be accepted into the show. You and I know that I have some great stuff, but to have the acceptance of and actual art institution feels pretty good.

Second, it was my first time using my new tent, and the first time I was showing my art exclusively. I have always brought along some of my knit items because i did not have the confidence to depend on my art covering my costs. I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only did I sell prints of my work, I sold one of my original drawings!

A lovely gentleman with an adorable little girl approached me about taking my picture for an article he was writing on the show. Fortunately, he came by before the wind picked up and my tent blew over! I was able to get a small spot inside the building for the last 2 hours of the show and have since called the company for replacement parts.

You can see the whole article online here. Now on to the next show in East Brunswick!

Handmade Shop of the Week: Mootsie

Audrey Angrisani, of Mootsie, considers her work to be mixed media art, though most of it ends up as wearable Jewelry. She opened her eclectic shop in 2007 as a way to reach her customers without working the craft fair circuit.

Why did you decide to open your handmade shop?
I used to do shows, I found them to be exhausting , was looking for some other way to sell my art that made sense.

Has your inventory changed much since you first opened?
Yes

Who are the majority of your customers? How did they find you?
Mostly Women who appreciate unique handcrafted jewelry, I find alot of customers on Twitter.

What inspires you to create?
Mostly vintage supplies like buttons, ribbons, broken jewels, I lay them out and just play, sometimes I have a sketch, Nature also is a huge inspiration.

What is your favorite item in your shop currently? Your most popular item?
My Nest Pendants are my Favorite, I can't stop making them, and they are probably the most popular next to my Alice in Wonderland items.

What has been your greatest resource to make your shop successful?
Etsy Forums, Twitter and I belong to a group of artists called CAKE, we have a BNR on etsy and promote each other on the forums and on twitter.

Any changes coming to your shop in the future?
try to add more items daily

LETS DO A GIVEAWAY!

Mootsie loves nest pendants and she would love to share one with you.

here's how to enter: one entry for each action, giveaway ends May 2nd, 2010
1) visit Mootsie and comment here on your favorite item in her shop
2) make mootsie one of your favorite shops and heart your favorite item
3) follow her on twitter and be sure to tweet about this giveaway
4) write a blog article about Mootsie and her giveaway
5) make a purchase in her shop!

Interested in being featured? Email me for information!

Chris Burkholder; friend and artist

I love the work of Chris Burkholder. He can paint a plank of wood like no one else. He takes photorealism to a whole new level. He also has the honor of being my uncle's best friend. He recently decided to give his art to the world via the internet and opened his first online store. Check out the recent work for sale here.

Chris Burkholder was born in Ohio in 1952 and grew up in Houston, TX. He attended Angelina College in Lufkin, TX on a basketball scholarship, but is primarily self-taught as an artist. He left college to work in the studio of Ancel Nunn in Palestine, TX and in 1972 set up a studio and residence in Pennington, a small east Texas community in the midst of Davy Crockett National Forest, where he still maintains a studio. He lives in The Woodlands, TX with his wife Janice and their two daughters.

Evidence of his concentration on his art is the fact that since college his art has also been his livelihood. Early in his career he won numerous awards in open shows throughout Texas and Louisiana, and in 1977 was honored with a one-man show at the Masur Museum of Art in Monroe, LA. In September 1990 he had his seventh one-man show at Harris Gallery in Houston, TX where he has been represented since 1978. he is also represented by Still-Zinsel Contemporary Fine Art in New Orleans, LA; Novus Gallery in Atlanta; JoAnne Chappel Gallery in San Francisco; Markel Sears in New York, NY & Perry Nicole Fine Art in Memphis, TN
bio taken from perry nicole fine art

Perfect Beach Day

I don't know what made me think that today would be a great day to go take pictures on the beach, but that is exactly where I went. What an amazing time I had. The sand was covered in snow, as was everything else. It was quite treacherous getting down to the beach on the slippery steps! The sky was blue and clear; the sand was an in contrast to the white powder of the snow. Seagulls and other locals were enjoying the cool breeze on their walks by the water.

Jersey Made

Everything I make is Jersey Made; and everything in this store is Jersey Made too!

Jersey Made, located in Mount Holly, NJ was a fantastic find for me. At an art show in Keansburg, NJ, Jeweler Dori of Face of Contentment told me about Holly and her great little shop. Holly is an artist herself and created a place that supports her fellow local artists and brings creativity to the masses with classes in a variety of crafts.

This is the best part: Jersey Made will be selling Tracey Knits! Now you can go in and see my handmade knit items live and in person anytime.You can, as always, buy my work online if you choose, but I know there are people who prefer brick and mortor so here it is! Be sure to stop in and check it out.

Appropriation

ap·pro·pri·ate
Pronunciation: \ə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt\
1 : to take exclusive possession of 2 : to set apart for or assign to a particular purpose or use 3 : to take or make use of without authority or right


I have had such fear of being seen as unoriginal that I have shied away from things that I have a genuine interest in documenting visually. My idea was this week to show some of my favorite artists doing just the thing that I fear to do.



The first and best example of appropriation has to be Roy Lichtenstein. He is the king of comic book art as fine art. The reason I chose this image is because I have done many pieces with Converse sneakers (one of my many obsessions) and have never seen this painting before. It just goes to show, you can be derivative without even realizing it.

Keith Haring has been a favorite of mine for a long time. His work is very minimal and also quite derivative of comic book art. He started out as a graffiti artist which makes this piece interesting to me. It definitely borrows themes from ancient Egypt, some of the original graffiti artists. Those guys really knew how to decorate a wall!

Lastly, I had to talk about Pablo Picasso. Definitely the most famous of the three artists I am discussing. Partially because he has done the most work, but also because he has the oldest work. The picture on the left shows a painting based on the famous story of Don Quixote. Like many artists he has taken a story and brought it to life with his images.

Basically, the point of this was to convince myself that it is OK to use what you know. Not everything can be 100% original, in fact it is impossible to not have the things around you inspire the art on the page.

doodling brings inspiration

since I have been busy with my FIL's death, the holidays, and my first craft fair, I have not been creating new art for a few weeks now. I can tell you, sometimes it is hard to get back into it. but I have found the answer; doodling!

while doodling last night, I started to draw an eye. The eye itself was very cool so i scanned it. Then I went on to draw other things. That eye was still at the top of the page begging me to add a little something. Since it was already scanned, I had no fear of ruining it and started to play with it. More lashes, makeup, etc. and the final result was the Eye of Horus.

I am most proud of the things that come from my imagination, whether they be translations of life drawing or totally from my head. I just hope I am able to keep up the pace and create some more great doodles to share. I know that I am going to be painting again soon, so this is great preparation. Can't wait to see what comes out of that!

Festivals are coming!

Just in case you live in New Jersey, be sure to write these dates on your calendar:

Saturday, September 26, 2009 10am-4pm, Joe Palaia Park, Ocean Township, NJ
5th Annual Fall Fest
Craft Vendors, Apple Pie and Chili competitions, Classic Car Show, and a parent/child tennis tournament.

Saturday, October 4, 2009 9am-3pm, Jackson Township Fire Co. no.1, station 55, Jackson, NJ
Fall Craft & Vendor Fair
Holiday Fair & Fundraiser
Arts, Craft, and holiday merchandise for sale. All proceeds go to the Jackson Fire Department.

I will be selling my hand-colored illustrations at both these events, as well as my greeting cards. Stop by and check out my work in person!

finally at peace

Only an artist can understand what it must have been like for me last week. I was forced to rest my arm due to tendinitis, as I discussed on my blog, so I could not paint, draw or knit. I only allowed myself on the computer in a well supported position. I was bored out of my mind!

The good news is that yesterday I was back to work. I felt totally myself again, at peace if you will, and ended up with this drawing. It is particularly good timing because I am having a sale on all prints. I am planning on doing several of these hand drawings with different signs; possibly "live long and prosper" and "devils horns", we will see.

Beach Inspiration

I have been going to the beach, obviously. I decided to bring the painting supplies with me. It was quite a site, me in front of my portable easel, brush in hand, grooving to my ipod while trying to capture the beauty and serenity of the surf. Several people stopped by to ask me about what I was doing and the lifeguards came over just to compliment my work.

Painting can be quite an isolating activity so I always happy to engage onlookers. I am looking forward to being outside while the weather is nice. It will also be nice in the fall when I begin selling some of these pieces at craft fairs to have work that reminds them of the summer months.

GIVEAWAY!

In celebration of July's photography promotion, I have decided to do a giveaway!!!

You could win a print of YOUR CHOICE from my shop, Red Linc Art. A print will be dropped shipped to your door directly from the printer, a $25 value! Entries must be in by Monday, July 20th, 2009.

How to enter:

each action will give you one entry in the giveaway

1. visit my shop and post a comment on my blog. Make sure to let me know your favorite item!

2. share this giveaway with your facebook/twitter/myspace/blog friends and let me know

3. list your favorite in a treasury on etsy

4. come up with something creative to let others know about this giveaway and make sure to let me know what you have done.

Cant wait to hear from all of you!

Tracey Knits is Online!

As promised, I have begun to separate the two diverging sections of my shop, knits and fine art. This little guy here, can be found at my new shop; Tracey Knits. He is made from durable acrylic yarn in the miami dolphins football team colors. I am only creating one at a time, but if you are looking for a set of 3 with numbers I would be happy to make them for you.

If you are craftier then the average bear, make them yourself! The pattern for both the golf club cover and the add-on football helmet are her, on my blog. The ones for sale at my shop are a slight variation on this pattern, but look almost identical.

Fabulous July Promotion

I am so excited to be offering FREE SHIPPING on all photography purchases through the month of July!

Many of my images were taken at the beach near my home on the Jersey Shore. A perfect way to have a beach holiday year round.

You can also find lots of other fun summertime items like my very popular golf club covers. These, by the way, if you are in the neighborhood, will be for sale at the Deal Sidewalk sale July 22-24. Stop by and check out the full range of covers in person, place custom orders or just chat. I will be located in front of Yarn-it on Norwood Avenue.