Birthday Cards for Far Away Friends

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In January I signed up for a Birthday Card Swap on the Milliande’s Art Community for Women site. There are about 20 artists taking part from all over the globe. India, the UK, Australia, Ireland, Canada and the USA. It was awesome receiving birthday cards (January) from these super talented women. Now each month I get to have fun creating cards for them!

If you are an artist, check out the website. There is a gallery where you can post your work and get feed back, and there are many great groups you can join. Or if you are just looking for some inspiration, there is a lot of amazing art to view and great video’s too. Take a look at Milliande’s blog!  If you are a creative, and feeling stuck… she will get you unstuck! But plan to spend some time, there is so much to see, and your creative pistons will start pumping BIG TIME!

I did these for the June birthday girls. I actually started them awhile back, and honestly, I was prepared to paint over them and start again. My hand lettering skills need some practice, and that is part of the reason I wanted to be a part of this group. Practice, practice, practice. It’s not the destination, but the journey.

With each card I also like to include an ATC (artist trading card) and a bookmark. I forgot to scan the bookmarks, and the “Blooming” card was chopped a bit in the scanner, not sure what happened there. I was a bit crookedy, but my “G” was on the page, really. These cards are on their way to El Cerrito, CA, Australia and England.

It's your Birthday!

It’s your Birthday!

Wish You Were Here 12 : A.I.R Gallery’s Postcard Show

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Earlier this week I donated a piece of art to help raise funds for the A.I.R Gallery. The Artists in Residents Gallery is celebrating 40 years of advocating for women in the visual arts. They are a Not-for-Profit Organization.

A.I.R. Mission Statement: In 1972, a group of women artists founded A.I.R. (Artists in Residence) Gallery, the first artists-run gallery for women in the United States. A.I.R.’s goal is to provide a professional and permanent exhibition space for women artists to present work of quality and diversity. A.I.R. is an artist directed and maintained gallery, providing a sense of community for women and serving as a model for other alternative galleries and organizations. Through lectures, symposia and a Fellowship Program for emerging women artists, A.I.R. Gallery sustains a political awareness and voice, and brings new understanding to old attitudes about women in the arts.  (From the A.I.R. website)

Submission requests were for a single 4 x 6 postcard. Each will be sold for $45 and proceeds will  help to fund Gallery programs. The annual show will run from June 27th – July 21, at  111 Front street in Brooklyn, New York. This is my first piece shown in a gallery, and I am honored that it might help to benefit others.

For more information on exhibits or artist opportunities visit the A.I.R. website.

A.I.R. Postcard submission 2013, Acrylic on 140 lb. cold press.

Summers Greetings. Acrylic on 140 lb. cold press.

 

Lost Leapers

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A very wise person once said, “It’s not easy being green.” OK, so it was a Muppet. But Muppets are people too. This week Spoonflower assigned a frog theme. Right off the bat, I decided I did not want to do green.

Now I love green. Celadon, apple, lime, sea green, teal, and of course, emerald. I prefer green apples, lime jello, limeade and green gummy life savers.  I love green vegetables, including Brussels sprouts. In my dream house, there will be shades of green on the walls, in the linens and of course, in the garden. Frogs are green and lily pads are green.

I thought it would be more of a challenge to take green out of the equation.

I painted a few small swatches, to try to help me decide what color family to use. I planned to paint some intricate designs like those I have seen on real frogs. I scanned the swatches to see how the colors looked, and just for fun I tried one on the frog silhouette I had. BAM! WHOA! COOL!

So that was that. I liked it. The splotchy messy colors looked like the camouflage a frog has. I did not have an end use in mind when I worked the design. The colors make me think of New Mexico. Bright skirts and warm woolly blankets. Turquoise and chili peppers. And everyone who knows me, knows I love GREEN chili.

Voting started today, and ends on Tuesday. The prize for the weekly challenges is $100 Spoonflower dollars. This can be used to buy fabric, or to order swatches of your designs. Before any fabric can be put up for sale, a swatch must be printed. Thanks to all who take the time to vote!

Original design

Original design

Leapers product mock-ups

Leapers product mock-ups