Fur In The Paint

So it is Sunday and I’m trying to get myself in my “happy place.” You know the location where my desire to start a new painting and the actuality of doing something about it finally meet.

I spent the morning playing Lego Star Wars on the Playstation and had a blast. I haven’t cranked up the PS for … well since things got all topsy turvey for me.

Then I came into the gallery and goofed off … But then, then I settled in to looking through like a gazillion giraffe photos. Okay more like 3000-5000 but it still took a couple of hours.

What I got in my head (and whether I can get it out of my head and onto suede board is yet to be determined) is a panoramic of several (5-13) giraffes at varying distances with a plain background.

Kinda like a cross between my Skyscrapers giraffe painting and the Birds of A Feather flamingo piece. Maybe they went out on a date and got a little tipsy and this thing I’m planning is their love child. Okay maybe not. But it’s a close description.

As soon as I have anything on paper I’ll take a pic and post it.

I got a request for a horse portrait and the woman agreed to my many and lengthy list of demands soooo … I really need to get back into painting and I certainly don’t want to start with a commission job.

So I’m sucking it up and just doing it.

Here goes . . . . nothing . . . . and everything

Fleece On Earth - Starry Night Sheep Coffee Mug by WildFacesGallery
Browse Sheep Mugs

So okay I’ll try not to inundate you guys every time I make something new but I gotta tell ya it’s a lot of fun seeing everything with my art on it. (like a narcissist’s dream come true) Here’s a batch of mugs hot off the presses. The Fleece On Earth Mug has the same image on both left and right side of the mug. But you can customize it however you want. In fact when you click through the page will show you all sorts of mug options not just the one listed here.

Coming Home - Purple Cows by WildFacesGallery
Browse more Cow Mugs

I love being able to do a wrap around image on the mugs with my panoramic works. Especially since they are kinda useless as is for all the other rather rectangular item templates.

Mixed Company - Baby Rabbits Coffee Mug by WildFacesGallery
Browse Rabbits Mugs

You can click through any item here to visit my store which is still woefully small. But unlike so many zazzlers who take one picture and put it on 200 different items I’m starting off slow. Maybe someday I’ll do that but for now I plan to avoid looking desperate … even though that I am … just kidding…sort of.

Birds Of A Feather - Flamingo Coffee Mug by WildFacesGallery
View more Flamingo Mugs

All of these images come with the star link meaning that you click through and I get a bigger cut than if you just went to my store. I think it’s Zazzle’s way of rewarding those who market themselves. Good plan. I like it.

Kindred Spirits - Horse Herd Coffee Mug by WildFacesGallery
Make Travel mugs online with Zazzle

So I am totally loving Zazzle and even people have been telling me for years I needed to do it … but I ignored them because … well … I am kinda stubborn mule headed self absorbed busy sometimes. But ya’ll were right … and thank you.

My question is do any of you Zazzle? If so tell me all.

It was a long day of drymounting photos and Budda was right in there with me helping.

That thing he’s laying on is a drymount press which heats up to 200 degrees. The surface is quite warm (though not dangerously so) and the perfect place for a fat cat to warm in tender parts.

Problem is I keep making him move every 15 minutes or so to replace the photo being mounted. Somehow he managed to nap in between though.

Tuckered Our Mousepad by WildFacesGallery
See more Horse Mousepads

A Tuckered Out mousepad.

Yeah okay not exactly mind blowing (do people other than myself even use mouse pads any more?) but this took me most of a day. Loads of reading tutorials which is akin to the Chinese water torture with the steady drip, drip drip of technical information that my non-technical brain needed to process and do something with.

But the flood gates are opened now so let’s see what other magic I can create.

Any suggestions? Is there anything you wanted to see my art on … and no I don’t expect you to buy it, I just need a direction. There’s a real good chance I’ll also use some of my more wonderful reference photos at some point as well.

UPDATED: Just added a Liberty Art Tile. You can check it out at zazzle.com/WildFacesGallery* The great thing about Zazzle is let’s say you like the liberty image but don’t want a tile … let’s say you want in on a jewelry box or a blank sketch journal YOU can customize this image to be on whatever the heck you want.

How cool is that?

UPDATED - UPDATED:
I sold 2 right away. I know where one wnet but not the other.Thanks whoever ordered it. You’all made my day.

Some days I wake up and pop right out of bed because I know I have a laundry list of things that must get done before I fall back into bed that evening. You know … because if I don’t get them all done the universe will implode and destroy us all.

That’s right …it’s just me keeping the planets in their orbits, and the world spinning and everything as it should be.

You’re welcome.

But some days … days like today. When it’s cold and dark and I just want to stay bundled under the covers and pretend that I’m not a super hero keeping the world on track with my daily task completion charts and bar graphs … some days I indulge myself in a little fantasy.

I’m sure you’re thinking all sort of varied and seductive things … shame on you.

And you’d be right.

My fantasy goes a little something like this.
I spend the day in bed … with a beautifully muscled French man who adores me.

No no no … that’s not right.

I spend the day in bed… in my fleecey yoga pants … and no bra (It feels oh so good and pulls the wrinkles out of your face) … with the tv on (I know right … the horror.) I’d watch mind numbingly bad tv and eat junk food like nacho chips and ice cream. (Mmm … sweet and salty and fake cheesy goodness) I’d only get up for the pizza/broasted chicken delivery guy.

I have my trusty 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke and another chilling in a trash can filled with ice. As the day wore on and I run out of junk food I’d pick the miscellaneous crumbs from my clothes, hair and blankets.

And knowing me at some point I’d spill the soda … I’d swear loudly… then think “ah screw it” and pull the blankets over the wet spot and continue watching tv.

If the phones rings I’d answer it. (Surprised you there huh?)

And when asked what I was up to I’d say “Oh you know, working hard.” Then I’d promptly make some excuse and hang up quick, turn the volume back up and fall back into a stupor.

Because of everything i didn’t do Christmas this year. I sent no cards but I sincerely appreciate all of you who sent me cards. I feel a bit bad about not reciprocating but know that I just couldn’t do it. I bought myself no gift and treated it just as I would any other day.

But I am feeling better. I am even “thinking” of starting a painting. Well …perhaps starting some sketches. I wouldn’t want to jinx myself.

So perhaps my belated gift is this … a day of nothingness. No work … no phone… no stress. If I could package this up I would gift all of you a guilt free day as well. But then again perhaps it is something you can give yourself.

At any rate … Expect to see some art some time in the future (I couldn’t be any more vague and still be stress free.)

And thanks for sticking with me.

2011 Was A Hard Year… A Very Hard Year.
So tonight we say farewell to 2011 and wake in the morning to 2012 (aka year of the apocalypse.)

I won’t miss much about 2011. As most of you know and many have guessed my husband asked for a divorce several months back. Though perhaps not totally unexpected it did totally rock my world.

I threw myself a rather big pity party … you know the usual, feeling betrayed and thrown away. If it weren’t for all of the support I got from my family and friends I’m sure I would have suffered much more than I did. I won’t dwell on this … it just represents much of a lost year for me.

It has been 8 months since I’ve created any art (unless you count my doodles) and for awhile I feared I might not get back to it. I’ve always considered myself a furiously happy person and that too was snuffed out for awhile. I still laughed easily but the actual joy part was missing. Again I feared I actually lost part of myself. And I think for awhile I did.

But I think … I think … I’m back. I don’t doubt there’ll be more tears but I am more at peace with things now. More accepting. More ready to move forward and face the future. I’m not 100% yet but 2012 is not looking bleak.

I plan to march into it with open arms and offer myself to whatever comes. Because I’m a warrior ninja princess (yeah that’s right) and I can do this!

So in light of this philosophy this year I am once again setting some goals for myself. I didn’t last year and just look what happened! (Oh the horror!) But I’m keepin’ it simple. You know kinda easing myself back into the land of the living.

2012 Goals
* Do at least one horse painting for Apples n’ Oats. I know right? (keepin’ the bar attainable guys) That is if my beloved editor hasn’t completely given up on me.

* Seriously Look Into Zazzle and/or Cafe Press I opened a Zazzle account today and will play just as soon as I can figure how to get logged in.

* Create more than just the one horse painting … thought I better stick that in.

* Make 100 new squidoo pages This is my reaching goal. I’ve been on squidoo for many years and haven’t made even 200 pages yet. But in the last year I’ve made about 75 so doable with effort. My squidoo payout for Feb should be over $600. My plan keep building pages until I get a substantial return on them that relieves any money worries. It’ll take more than another 100 pages but just keep plugging along.

* Enjoy my life again. Play more with my critters. Spend more time outdoors

So that’s about it. Not any earthshaking moves but I’ve had enough of earth shaking for awhile.

So how about you all? Any New Years goals … artistic or otherwise?

Fa La La La La … La La la la.

Merry Christmas Ya’ll from the Boodster and me.

Coming Home (purple Cows)
10×22 image
Oil Pastel On Watercolor Paper

I guess since I’m not creating new work at least I can make prints of some older works. It comes in two sizes. One full size to the original and one smaller matter to fit 10×17.

So without further ado… Coming Home. It comes in two sizes. One full size to the original and one smaller matter to fit 10×17.

You can check it out in its various incarnations at Coming Home Purple Cows)

I shared a hotel room a few events back with a very dear artist friend of mine who said that she loved watching The Big Bang Theory. Having only DirectTV with no local channels I hadn’t heard of this show until it became syndicated. Now Connie’s work ethic makes me look like a lay-about so if she says she stops and leaves her studio to go watch this show … well I was intrigued.

It took me a couple of times of watching to get into to it but now I can pretty much watch show after show and giggle like a school girl. Yeah I know I’m like a decade behind everyone else but I get there eventually.

An Actual Art Related Show
So now that my Project Runway has ended there is that creative void where a television show should be. I have started watching the new season of A Work Of Art (last year I did a show by show commentary on the series) but this year I really can’t get into it too much. I tend to have it and another show (Umm …. Big Band Theory) running at the same time and surf back and forth between them during BBT commercials.

They are just too far off my artistic world for me to not just shake my head at their antics. Basically it’s like if you can BS your way through the critique you may win. The show seems to drag out the most base, obvious and stereotypical thoughts of what artists are.

So anywho a recent episode did catch my attention … the “artists” were to create artwork to sell on the street and whoever made the most money could not be eliminated. The lack of creativity was astounding … several made t-shirts that they spray painted stencils on, one made construction paper feather crowns (you know like in grade school), one sold nude photos of herself with her secrets written on it (guess how well she did selling her work - men couldn’t throw the money at her fast enough) and lastly one woman (who is the one I’m hoping to win since she seems like a real artist and not just a poser) did several delicate illustrative (and yes some had sexual content) watercolors pieces. And when she sold out she did on the spot portraits.

I am gratified and relieved to say she made the most money and won that day’s competition even over naked girl. Not by much mind you, but still … true artistic expression can win out in the end.

So Anybody watching this seasons A Work Of Art?

In case your not familiar with BBT (I feel like I had to be the only one) Sheldon is such a nerdy straight man that when he makes a joke he’s so straight no one knows when he’s making it. So he says Bazinga to let people know. He also uses it for other things and I just love the way it sounds. I can be quite the child sometimes.

SO here’s my booth at Thieves and yes it does pretty much look like last years and the year before that because I am blessed enough to get the same location every year since I’ve been doing the event since the dawn of time for like 10 years. This event is held in a lovely historic building which has all sorts of hallways and antichambers which they stick artists into. The event is small enough that most people see every single vendor but when you are in an off shoot room you and then walk into the main room there is a real patron density difference.

I paid my dues to get to the main room as I have been in the off rooms when I started, then during restoration and flooding I still did the event even when it was held in a mall downtown and then got to return to the Union Memorial. Frankly every time I think of NOT doing the event I fear giving up my primo booth spot as it is in the main room and one of the few corner locations.

But this year it was worth my trip. The weather was good. And by good I mean it didn’t blizzard and cover the world in 6 inches of frozen ice. It did however rain while unloading but all things considered I can live with that.

Sales were okay. Frankly the way the last few events went my expectations were way down so it was nice to be pleasantly surprised with actual sales that gave me a little pocket money when all was said and done.

What I Like About Thieves Market.
* With 100 artists it is large enough to draw a crowd but small enough that you don’t have a lot of competition in your genre.

* Indoor (Whoohoo!)

* Iowa City usually has a nice crowd for both of the art events I do there.

* Parking ramp next door for close artist parking.

* Iowa House Hotel offers discounted rates and so you can stay right in the same building as the event. The rooms are pretty much dorms so expect no luxury but most artists think a bed and a toilet is luxury enough.

What I Don’t Like
* The past two years there’s been no friday setup so you got to be there by 5-6am in order to get setup in time.

* Artist Parking for loading and unloading is extremely (shockingly, horrifyingly, stupendously) limited. And the cops hangout just waiting to give out the tickets. Yes I got one a few years ago and I know several artists who have garnered one or more parking tickets from trying to unload.

* Load in and out are horrendous. There is one ramp which you can cart your stuff for a fairly long distance or you tote it all up and down some stairs. I know a few artists that refuse to do this event just because the loading is such a bear.

* No food perks though this is not something I really care about. Most event offer coffee and doughnuts but there is nothing here. However there is a cafe and a snack shop within feet of the event so you won’t go hungry.

A big hug to everybody who stopped by and said Hi!