Yay Books!

Special September Offer
A Draw to WIN two Books!

Purchase a copy of
"Horse On The Loose" by Sara Dudenhoeffer



And be entered to win a copy of
"Saving London" and "Sarah's Promise"
written by Opel Johnson of PumpkinHead Publishing
and illustrated by Sara Dudenhoeffer

All of these books are self-published by the authors. You are not supporting some big faceless publishing company by purchasing these books, you are directly supporting the author and artist involved with the creating of these books.

* * * *

"Saving London" and "Sarah's Promise" are written for ages 9 - 14 (approximately), and are great reads for avid horse lovers. They are the first two books in a series about a young girl named Sarah and her special relationship with a beautiful horse named London's Girl.

"Horse on the Loose" is written for a slightly higher reading level but is enjoyable for all ages. It follows two young teens, Jesse and Danielle who live in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada. It is the first book of a series of books called, The Pinto Mountain Series. This series of books deals with heritage, growing pains, horses, environmental issues, and more.

The great thing about all three of these books is that they have GLOSSARIES in the back where a lot of the farm lingo, horse terms, and "big words" are explained... which is great for those horse lovers out there who are itching to learn more about their favorite animal!

Why am I posting this ad in my blog?
Because I'm the Sara who wrote "Horse on the Loose" and who illustrated "Saving London" and "Sarah's Promise"... please support me and purchase a copy of my book! Thank you :)

* * * *

The draw for the two books will happen October 1st
So, if you're considering purchasing "Horse on the Loose",
now is a great time!!

Go to http://borroweddreams.net/ to order
and please tell your friends!!

One Million Giraffes

http://www.olahelland.net/giraffes/

"My friend, Jørgen, doesn't believe I can collect one million giraffes by 2011. I'm gonna prove him wrong, but I need your help. You can create your giraffe(s) in any way you like, but not on a computer and no store bought objects. You must create your giraffe(s) yourself!

So far I've got 244 294 giraffes, so I need 755 706 more and I have 478 days left.
Let's show Jørgen how amazing the internet is."

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Hello world! Yes, I still exist! No, I haven't forgotten about this blog! (believe it or not)

So, anyhow, as you can tell from what is posted above, this post is about GIRAFFES. I was shown this website a week or so ago where this person was trying to collect one million giraffes before 2011 and being the giraffe fan that I am, I just had to participate! And now, having participated, I've gotten on a serious giraffe kick. So, for this edition of ARTIST SHOUT OUTS, I'm going to post some great GIRAFFE art that I've found kicking around etsy. Feel free to follow that link above and participate in the One Million Giraffes challenge, btw.




enrouge on Etsy
"Listen" by k.k Aron

paintallnightstudios on Etsy

Original Abstract Paintings
by Marie & Robert Bretz

HamjArt on Etsy
"Nigel" by HamJ

"I Can Reach That"
by Arlene Faye





MaiaArt on Etsy
"Giraffe Moment" by Maia

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The art posted on this blog entry (and every blog entry on this

blog, for that matter) is copyrighted to its respective artist.

Please do not save any images of art from this blog.
If you enjoy the art you see, please visit the artist's etsy shop.

Studios on Parade

Hello! Welcome to another "Studios on Parade" entry.

As you probably already know, we are looking at the many different studios and work areas of different artists. So, below are a few more artists who have agreed to share their studios with us. To see the previous studio themed entries you can click on the 'studio' label / tag and that'll bring up all the "Studios on Parade" posts.

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Real Name: Helen Gotlib
Online Alias: (helengotlib)
Location: Ann Arbor, MI.
Website: http://www.helengotlib.com/
Online Shop: http://www.helengotlib.etsy.com/


Brief Bio:
Helen Gotlib was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In college, Gotlib divided her time between printmaking and scientific illustration. Her experience in scientific illustration helped her develop her ability to produce very detailed work. Her interest in printmaking evolved as she studied many different methods including lithography, intaglio, and wood block printmaking with water-based inks. Gotlib has traveled extensively. Her observations of people and customs in Japan, China and Israel have influenced her perception of the human body and how expressive it is. Her life drawings reflect what people can express with isolated parts of their bodies. Gotlib’s work has been exhibited in numerous juried shows across the country.

Are you a Fulltime/Part time Working Artist?
I work as an artist full time. I’m either making work or traveling around on the art fair circuit showing my work.

How long have you been an artist?
Since I was born with a crayon in my hand! ;)

What types of Media do you work with?
Pen, ink gouache and etchinh/intaglio

What scale do you work at?
Any where from tiny to 52”x30”

Tell us a little bit about your studio:
I work in my little studio in Ann Arbor, MI. My boyfriend and I have a 2 bedroom house and the whole first floor is devoted to our art studios for printmaking, drawing and painting. We always have a bazillion projects going on and not enough space!!! I bought my first etching press about 3 years ago now and I love it! (It’s the main sculptor in our house!) It’s no name brand; I did not have $10,000 to buy anything too fancy. An auto mechanic in Canada built this press.

Is your studio at your home or elsewhere?
at home on the first floor.

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Real Name: Shelli Heinemann

Online Alias: potbellyarts

Location: Chico, California, USA

Website: http://www.potbellyarts.com/

Online Store: http://www.potbellyarts.etsy.com/

Online Art Gallery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/potbellyarts/

Are you a Fulltime/Parttime Working Artist?
Fulltime. Supposedly. I get distracted easily.

How long have you been an artist?
I began thinking of myself as one around 2004/5. I've never had an art class but I've always been a "draw-er."What types of Media do you work with? I earn my wage as a teddy bear artist so I use a lot of mohair and stuffing and fabric and ribbon, for trim. For fun I make canvas-based art and lately favor Prisma markers.

What scale do you work at?
My teddy bears are 12-16" and my "flat" art is usually ATC sized or 4x4. I'm hoping to expand into journals and altered books which are a bit bigger and more complex, and someday, to paint a large canvas.

Tell us a little bit about your studio...

It's my guest room. I like it bright and cheery and colorful in there. It's absolutely stuffed to the gills with awesome art schtuff. My red shelving unit from IKEA makes me giddy. I can't live without my inspiration boards, which I glance at regularly for inspiration. All the yummy art I've received as gifts or in trade, that's extra special, framed, or NOT an ATC (those go in a special album), is hung on the walls of my studio, to inspire me and remind me of my awesome art friends "out there" somewhere in this wide world. My dad painted the huge canvas that hangs over the head of the bed (but there's not a good view of it shown here.) It features one of my bears and is kinda abstract, hence the skeleton hand! My dad ALSO made the awesome ribbon racks to the left of my red shelf. He's a keeper, that dad of mine.

How much time do you spend working in your studio?

Not enough, when it comes to bears. I'm trying to find a way to continue to challenge myself in that area so motivation stays high. I make all my ATCs and 2D art in my studio.Is your studio at your home or elsewhere? At home.

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Are you an artist with an online presence (website, shop, gallery) and have a studio space that you would like to share? Please fill out the following survery/interview and send it to: wolftlou(a)hotmail(dot)com along with 1-3 photos of your studio space well before the end of March. Thanks!

Real Name:

Online Alias: if you have one

Location:

Website: if you have one

Artist Blog: if you have one

Online Store: if you have one

Online Art Gallery: if you have one

Are you a Fulltime/Parttime Working Artist? y/n

How long have you been an artist?

What types of Media do you work with?

What scale do you work at?

Tell us a little bit about your studio

How much time do you spend working in your studio?

Is your studio at your home or elsewhere?

-- don't forget to provide one to three photos of your studio --

MARCH :||: Artist Studios on Parade!!

For the month of March we are taking a look at different artists' studios.


Checking through all the studios of different artists (working artists and creative hobbyists) who create different sizes of art with different types of media can be a great resource for those of you who are working on getting your own studio set up. Or, of course, it can just be for interest sake, to see what the different work spaces of different artists look like... who could resist checking out the places where the magic happens??


So, check out this post and others, through the month of March to see all the different studios! You can also click on the "studio" tag on the right to have all the posts about artist studios come up for you.

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Real Name: Dina Haskins
Online Alias: dina54
Location: Rhode Island, USA
Website: http://www.dina54.blogspot.com/
Online Art Gallery: www.picturetrail/dina54

Are you a Fulltime/Parttime Working Artist? partime - sort of

How long have you been an artist? forever

What types of Media do you work with?
colored pencil mostly for small scale stuff but I also do collage/mixed media and altered art (books mostly)

What scale do you work at?
ATCs to room sized murals and everything in between. My collages run from about 8 X10" to 2 X3 ft. Some of my altered artwork is rather large. Just finished a 3 foot long folk-art wooden fish.

Tell us a little bit about your studio...
It's a TINY (5 ft wide x 12ft long) sliver of space left over after a recent renovation that my husband finished for me. Very bright and cheery! Some day we hope to add another 3 ft to the back of the house which would make it a real room-size!

How much time do you spend working in your studio?

Way too much.

Is your studio at your home or elsewhere?

Home sweet home.

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Real Name: Sal Scheibe
Website: http://www.slscheibe.com/

Are you a Fulltime/Parttime Working Artist?
Full-time graphic design and illustration

How long have you been an artist?
As long as I've been drawing!

What types of Media do you work with?
For work, I'm all digital. You can see my Wacom in the photo. For art other than the job, I love acrylics as well as colored pencils and markers the most.

What scale do you work at?
For work, all sizes digitally. For personal art, I make a lot of ATCs and canvas paintings as time permits.

Tell us a little bit about your studio...
It's more like an office than a studio since I spend most of my time working digitally. I just need room for my Wacom. It fits on my desk... barely. I usually make ATCs sitting at my desk and anything larger than that, I work on in the kitchen where there is a ton of natural light. It makes a mess of my kitchen table.

How much time do you spend working in your studio?
I'm always in here!

Is your studio at your home or elsewhere?
In my home.

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Are you an artist with an online presence (website, shop, gallery) and have a studio space that you would like to share? Please fill out the following survery/interview and send it to: wolftlou(a)hotmail(dot)com along with 1-3 photos of your studio space before the end of March. Thanks!

Real Name:
Online Alias: if you have one
Location:

Website: if you have one
Artist Blog: if you have one
Online Store: if you have one
Online Art Gallery: if you have one
Are you a Fulltime/Parttime Working Artist? y/n
How long have you been an artist?
What types of Media do you work with?
What scale do you work at?
Tell us a little bit about your studio
How much time do you spend working in your studio?
Is your studio at your home or elsewhere?

-- don't forget to provide one to three photos of your studio --

Some Etsy Sellers to Check Out

Since the weather outside is absolutely frightful, today...

thanks to ama.ab.ca for those depressing photos

I figure another post in my good ol' Artist Shout Outs blog should be the thing to hit the spot. Here are a few more Etsy artist picks to keep your pocket books on empty.

Joyart.Etsy.Com

Skillfully painted, joyful summertime oriented... visiting this shop is a great pick-me-up

Joshua Martens - Dripstick.Etsy.com

DripStick is an interesting etsy shop out of Brooklyn, NY that is actually a group of different artists. Joshua Martens' "TTV Fine Art Photography" really caught my eye on this gusting, snowy, windy day. His photographs have some serious nostalgia value and definitely look like framable art. Love the Retro colours and Miami beaches.

SophiasSweetSpot.Etsy.Com

Fantastically Graphic, when I first came across this etsy shop, I thought perhaps the art for sale was digital prints or maybe some form of print making. But it seems as though these paintings are all hand painted in acrylic. Fantastic! I love the Modern meets Retro style and the graphic edge... yes, I know, I'm just throwing words around, now. But I definitely love this style!

Waiting on Spring

Spring is an exciting time of year! The snow melts, the grass greens, leaves start to regrow on the trees, and beautiful flowers and plants start to grow up from beneath the earth. Up here in Canada, we still have another month to go, but I'm itching for spring! So, here are some beautiful "Spring" themed art pieces found on etsy.com - if you like what you see, please visit the artist's etsy shop!

Daffodil
16x11 inches
EleanorD.etsy.com












Cherry Blossoms
4x6 inches
Featherblessing.etsy.com







Pink Showers
8x10 inches
ShadedMemories.etsy.com











Spring Blossom
8.5 x 11 inches
dahliahousestudios.etsy.com












An Exuberance of Tulips
14x20.5 inches
angelafehr.etsy.com












Fenced In
5x7 inches
TrilliumStudios.etsy.com












Green and Yellow Chickadee with Circles
8 x 8 inches
karingrow.etsy.com


















Daffodils
8x10 inches
LGraceOriginals.etsy.com











Swing 3
24 x 30 inches
RozArt.etsy.com

The art posted on this blog entry (and every blog entry on this

blog, for that matter) is copyrighted to its respective artist.

Please do not save any images of art from this blog.
If you enjoy the art you see, please visit the artist's etsy shop.

March is Studio Month!

For the month of March, we will be looking at various studios of various artists.

I will be polling many artists this month to learn about their studio spaces where all the magic happens. I will then be posting some photos of their studios as well as a little bit of background info on the artist and their workspace. If you would like to show off your studio this month, please contact me and I'll try to fit you in!

Here's just a little taste to get us started...

Real Name: Lisa Buchanan
Location: Louisiana, USA

Website: LisaBuchananStudio.com

Art Blog: Lisa's Altered Journey

Online Store: LisaBuchanan.Etsy.com

Are you a Fulltime/Part-time Working Artist? Yes

How long have you been an artist? 10 years professionally

What types of Media do you work with?

Oils, acrylics and mixed media

What scale do you work at?

I am working on a several large paintings at the moment, but love painting/drawing ATC's because they force me to use the mantra "less is best" and instead of taking months to finish, they can take anywhere from 1 hours to 3 days.

Tell us a little bit about your studio:

My husband realized I needed my own space after the guest bedroom I was painting in was being taken over by all my supplies and spilling into the hallway. We added on to our home so I now have my own studio with adjoinging bathroom, a door to the outside, large closet, great track lighting, northern exposure, practically everything an artist needs. Well, except for more square footage - once you start collecting altered art supplies you quickly run out of room!

How much time do you spend working in your studio?

I might as well put a bed and refrigerator in here because I am in here 24/7.

Is your studio at your home or elsewhere?

I used to rent a studio at an artist's colony, but found that was restrictive (for me). I like to paint at 2:30 in the morning in my pj's, so having to get jeans on and travel someone to paint wasn't working for me.

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Real Name: Anne El-Habre
Online Alias: Anonevyl

Location: Savannah, GA

Website: http://elhabreart.blogspot.com/

Online Store: http://annee.etsy.com/

Online Art Gallery: http://elhabreillustration.com/port.asp

Are you a Fulltime/Parttime Working Artist? Occasionally

How long have you been an artist?

Don't know if I am - but I have been making marks on things since I was very little

What types of Media do you work with?

Anything that fits in my studio.

What scale do you work at?

ATC size (3.5 x 2.5 inches) to anything that fits in my studio.

Tell us a little bit about your studio...

It's a 12'x16' shed in the back of the house. It's surrounded by trees and soon, flowers. My wonderful hubby insulated and paneled it and made most of the tables and installed the shelving. He's too good to me. That and he was sick of gesso on the kitchen floor.

How much time do you spend working in your studio?

As much as possible. If there was a bathroom in here and I didn't have familial responsibilities, I would never leave it.

Is your studio at your home or elsewhere?

It's in the backyard.

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Real Name: Amber Marie Oxford
Online Alias: Amber Marie or Farfalla Dea (in assorted ways)
Location: Portland, OR

Website: ambermariestudios.com
Online Store: ambermariestudios.etsy.com
Online Art Gallery: farfalla-dea.deviantart.com

Are you a Fulltime/Parttime Working Artist?

Well, I work rather part time at it. I do have a part time day job.

How long have you been an artist?

As long as I can remember. That is to say, I can't think of a time I wasn't painting, drawing or creating in some way.

What types of Media do you work with?

Colored pencil, pencil, oil pastels, charcoal, marker, yarn, wood, acrylic, oils, beads, thread. I often try new things.

What scale do you work at?

From ATC size to much bigger. I think the biggest piece is still my wall mural, which is about 6 foot by 8 foot. One of my favorite sizes though is 22 x 30 because that's the size my favorite paper comes in.

Tell us a little bit about your studio

Its my second actual dedicated studio space but the first to have so much room (my first one was basically a shed). Its also the first place I've ever been able to make my own and I feel free and creative in it. Each space has its own function, I even have meditation spot. I call it my happy spot because it has all positive things in it about me or my life.

How much time do you spend working in your studio?

Depends on what I have going on! I do spend about 6-8 hours a day and then often 2-4 hours at night when I have to work my part time day job.

Is your studio at your home or elsewhere?

Its in our home, in our basement. I never knew how loud my cats could walk till I started working down here.

Artist Feature :: Erika Schulz

Real Name: Erika Schulz
Online Alias: Tempest Studios
Location: Red Deer, AB, Canada
Website: www.tempeststudios.net

Online Store: tempeststudios.etsy.com
Online Art Gallery: tempesterika.deviantart.com

To start off, please tell us a little bit about yourself and where you are from.

I was born in Burnaby B.C., and moved to Red Deer when I was 4. Right now I co-own and manage a Fine Art Gallery in Red Deer called Gallery IS. I am a professional artist in that I work on my art every day and sell it to the public. I also like movies, fantasy books, history, anime, moonlit nights, scarves, the changing seasons, poutine, nachos, and playing card games.

What inspired you to be an artist? And are you schooled in any way?

My inspirations have always been the same. I am pretty consistent when it comes to the things I like. I was, is, always will be inspired by history and mythology. I read Fantasy exclusively and I was always really interested in ancient things. I also find the study of different cultures to be really inspirational, especially Japan and Egypt, although now my interest encompasses pretty much every culture. Being an artist is just who I am. Its just at the core of my being.

I always took art in school. In high school I even managed to take two art classes at the same time. Those semesters were pretty swell. After I graduated I took the fine art program at Red Deer College. I did this 2 year program part time, over 4 years, working and paying for it myself. It was the best thing for me to do because it afforded me the extra time I like to take when learning new things. Learning a new technique and actually having the time to experiment with it was important to me. During those years I majored in Printmaking and Drawing.

Are you a working artist or a hobbyist? How long?

My family would say I have been an artist for my whole life, but as a kid it was always a hobby and something I enjoyed doing. I was pretty proud of being able to colour in the lines when all my friends could not. My aspirations were always more towards the sciences. Growing up is always an eye opener, and when I discovered the amount of work it would take to pursue a career in science I guess you could say I took the easy way out and focused more on my art. I say it was easy because for me it wasn't a stretch to imagine doing this for the rest of my life since I had already been doing it my whole life.

I have been a professional artist for the last 9 years. I have been creating a body of work every year and selling it to the public. I really became serious in 2004 when I quit my part time job and devoted all of my energy towards earning a living through my artwork. The Gallery became a part of my life in 2006. I can honestly say that I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if it wasn't for my family. They are extremely supportive.

What types of media do you most regularly work with to create your art?

I work in many two dimensional media, but most frequently acrylics, ink, and mixed media.

You have a unique and special style with your paintings that makes them stand out as being pieces done by you. When and How did you discover this artistic niche?

I stared doing the technique in 2004, after a major mental block forced me to throw caution to the wind and try new and experimental things. I developed my drawings with paint after studying the work of a favorite artist who did something similar at the turn of the 19th century with string and gesso. It became a niche totally by accident, which is how I think it happens 99 percent of the time. If you are doing something unique it happens naturally, and it just so happens that not only do you like doing it, but people also like looking at it.



Can you remember the first time you publicly displayed a piece of art? Tell us about the experience.

I cant remember exactly. I have been showing my art to the public for a long time. I was always in art classes in school and my teachers were great at getting their students exposed to this next part of being artistic. The Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery also has a great relationship with the school board and hosts a couple of shows specifically to showcase art by jr high and high school students. I'm pretty sure the first time I exhibited was in jr high at the museum. I was pretty proud at that moment seeing my work in a professional environment, framed. It really gave me incentive to try hard to get those kind of credits.




Where do you get the majority of your inspiration for your art?

My inspiration is pretty varied. I am inspired by nature, other artists, things I read, dreams, and history. I would have to say the biggest is History and Mythology. I love stories, especially fantastical ones. I am a big big fan of sci-fi and fantasy, and I have always been. Colour and textures are also a big influences. I could be sent off with just a look at a piece of Japanese patterned paper.




What type of studio space do you work in? Do you just paint wherever you are, or do you have an artist studio space somewhere that you work in?

I cant work out doors. I need a controlled environment with all my stuff readily at hand. If my space is chaotic so are my thoughts and when that happens I don't get much work done. My studio is at home, which works the best because I am also a night owl. I just work until my eyes close and then fall into bed.



Tell us about one of your pieces that you especially love and why?

That's a hard question to answer. I am about the process of making the art and not so much about the finished product. I rarely will finish a piece and stand back and go "im a genius!", but it does happen and those are the pieces I like the most. I also work a lot in series, and I find I am more proud of a series of work than an individual piece. I think the works I am still the most proud of have to be my Red Lantern drawings. I look back on those and cant believe I did them. Its hard to remember all the struggles now, and all the time I spent. Mainly that's what I remember about a piece of artwork, but with those drawings I don't dwell on the stuff I hate, or the stuff that was hard, I just appreciate the accomplishment.


Aside from creating art, what do you do?

If you mean hobbies, I am a dvd addict. I love movies. I also make jewellery and knit, although I don't get to do that as often as I would like, since if I have the time to knit that usually means I have the time to paint or draw, and those things come first. I also own an Art Gallery, called Gallery IS. Its my base of operations.



What influences have helped you get to this point in your artistic career?

My mom is a small business owner and she has had a huge influence on the way I look at my art as a career. Its not all fun with finger paints you know, there is a lot of hard work to make it a day job. I am a big study of fellow artists, past and present, too. I try to glean what I can from the lives of artists I admire to see what I can learn from them and apply to my own life.





What are your goals as an artist, long term and short term?

Really, my only goals are to keep moving forward and to keep getting better and more successful. There is always room for improvement, but at the same time I would be very happy just selling enough art to pay all my bills. I always have lots of plans and projects so the future for me is just getting those things done.



Do you have any advice for artists who are trying to turn their desire to create into something that 'brings home the bacon' ?

-Learn as much as you can from as many people as you can.
-Don't get too attached to your art. Once the creating is done you have to let it go out into the world. Related to that is not taking things to personally. Many artists feel like they are attached at the hip to their art. If you cant take some criticism and compliments you wont last very long.
-Remember that art is also a business. If you want to achieve financial success, you need to learn about all that stuff too. Agents are a thing of the past. Now a days artists have to do all the work themselves.
-Don't be afraid to think out of the box. Most of the time you have to come at success sideways.
-Trial and error are your new favorite words.


Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?

Don't stop. Momentum is really important. Always create, and you have to keep at it. If its a passion for you, don't let people tell you its not important, or that it doesn't matter compared to farming, or plumbing, or doctoring, or politics. Art is just as important as those things. Its what defines humans as humans, our ability to imagine and create. Opposable thumbs aside, its the reason we are at the top of the food chain.

www.tempeststudios.net