Dangerous Mezzo: a blog about art

From the voice of....: Halifax has opera! HSOW applications due...

2011-09-27T13:58:00.000-03:00

Thanks to Elizabeth McDonald, a Canadian soprano and voice teacher, for posting info about the upcoming HSOW auditions:

From the voice of....: Halifax has opera! HSOW applications due...

She writes a great blog, with interesting articles and links of interest to singers, teachers and students. Check it out!

Make a Baker Boy's Cap

2011-06-05T13:54:00.001-03:00

See Cherry Print Newsboy Cap and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

Cover a Top Hat

2011-04-29T00:36:00.002-03:00

See Cover A Top Hat and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

Victorian or Lolita bloomers, adaptation

2011-04-25T11:55:00.000-03:00

Here's my version of Evange's pattern-free Bloomers (video on YouTube), incorporating the suggestions of Rebecca Brooks at her blog Victorian Nonsense.

See Victorian Bloomers and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

Victorian or steampunk pre-tied cravat tutorial

2011-04-20T22:22:00.001-03:00

See Pre Tied Victorian Cravat and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

First project posted on Cut Out And Keep!

2011-04-10T13:55:00.002-03:00

See Burlesque Bustle Skirt and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

WallCandy told to change her name

2011-03-23T18:19:00.003-03:00

People ask you what you want to be when you grow up,” muses the 29-year-old Brooklynite. “I’ve always stood up for the little guy. -- Etsy founder Rob Kalin, in a 2010 interview with Readers Digest USA

Yes, I've noticed how you go to bat for the little people, Rob. People like Temple St Clair, who got tons of free publicity for her mass produced jewelry while trying to whip up a boycott against the use of legal coral by Etsy's own jewelry makers. Or indie musician Toro Y Moi, for whom Etsy sold tote bags packaged with digital download cards of his new album. Or all the very profitable faux vintage and mass-produced resellers you coach every day in ways to appear compliant with Etsy's ever more flexible Terms of Use.

Here's a real David and Goliath story and, as usual, Etsy seems to be siding with Goliath.

It's the story of WallCandy, a wonderful Canadian artist who's been on Etsy under that name since 2007. She's been told by Etsy that she has to change her name because a rich American, non handmade company wants it that way, regardless of jurisdiction, product type or common sense.

I don't know how this will work out, but I just wanted to help get the information out so that Etsy can't do this in secret. I heart you, WallCandy.

WallCandy's blog post today

Thread about this on Unofficial Etsy Forums

Thread related to this on Etsy Forums

Last Day: first step of Steampunk aviator helmet

2011-02-28T15:41:00.001-04:00

It's the last day of Thing-a-day, and my Thing today is my first draft of an aviator helmet:

See the full gallery on posterous

I used the basic three piece coif pattern by Cynthia Virtue at http://www.virtue.to/articles/coif.html and altered it to fit my husband David's head. I made the helmet from some nice soft faux leather I had lying around the place.

It needs to be tweaked a bit, but I'm really happy with it and with the fabric! When I get the basic shape right, I'll add d rings for goggles, some straps and maybe some random brass studs :) More brass = more steampunk!

I'd like to thank the good folks at Thing-a-day for opening up the Thing to so many people this year, and to my friend Doug for telling me about it -- it's been a really wonderful experience doing my own Things and reading about, looking at and listening to the Things of others.

Day Twenty-Seven (27): Props

2011-02-27T18:50:00.001-04:00

I've been going to thrift stores and dollar store, looking for props and costume pieces for Tales of Hoffmann, and today I took a picture of the small pile of small pieces I've amassed:

We've all got stomach flu here, so this will have to do as my thing today :)

Day Twenty-Six (26): Cats!

2011-02-27T12:14:00.001-04:00

We had a couple of people over the other day to mark David's birthday, and the cats got all excited, as they do, when the dining room table is rearranged for a party. I just got the tablecloth on, and a vase of tulips in place, when all four cats trooped up to check it out.

I don't know if other multiple-cat companions notice this phenomenon, but we've noticed a sort of "monkey see, monkey do" rhythem to their curious explorations. Generally one starts by checking out a new thing, then all the others have to follow suit.

I just sat down on a chair and waited.

First up was Ralph, the youngest and biggest. He got on the table, and then lowered his undercarriage and sprawled, expansively, in front of the flower, as is his wont. Then came Edmund, the elder male, who, typically, barely stayed in one place long enough for me to photograph him!

See the full gallery on posterous

Then came little Katie, who struck an elegant pose. The only one who didn't get on the table was Emma, which surprised me. She made up for it, later, by sitting on the coffee table and attempting to hypnotise people into giving her potato chips :)

Day Twenty-Five (25): Scarf gets longer!

2011-02-27T11:58:00.001-04:00

Here's the current state of the scarf I'm knitting for Tales of Hoffmann -- it's about 3.5 feet long at the moment, and I'm heading for 6 feet :)

Day Twenty-Four (24): Scarf for Tales of Hoffmann

2011-02-26T23:29:00.002-04:00

rI've been really busy (and sick) -- and I'm trying to catch up!
A few days ago I started working on a nice long scarf for Hoffmann this summer -- it's knitting up pretty quickly! Sorry no photo at this point ...

Day Twenty-Three: Steampunk Earrings

2011-02-23T21:57:00.001-04:00

I found some great solid brass Italian-made keyhole escutcheons today, and thought they'd make great steampunk earrings! Here they are, combined with brass and glass beads ....

Day Twenty-Two (22): Steampunk brooch

2011-02-23T11:39:00.002-04:00

Okay, I'm totally immersed in steampunk style right now :) Here's a cameo brooch with a dangling dragonfly -- the only thing that makes it remotely steampunk is the fact that it's Victorian style in brass :)

This brooch is now for sale at my Artfire studio.

Day Twenty-One (21): Finished fingerless glove!

2011-02-22T11:05:00.001-04:00

Bob Cratchit, eat your heart out ... Okay, it's a little lumpy, but this is gonna work just fine :)

Day Twenty (20): starting knit wrist warmers

2011-02-20T20:47:00.001-04:00

I'm doing some knitting these days, as I plan out some costume pieces I'll need for this summer's Tales of Hoffmann. To that end, I'm making some trial wrist warmers, a.k.a. fingerless mitts ... The pattern is free online here: http://400squareftliving.blogspot.com/2010/09/knitting-marys-merry-wristers.html

Day Nineteen (19): dangly, sparkly, pretty earrings!

2011-02-19T10:02:00.002-04:00

Here's a pair of earrings I made using amber AB Chinese crystals I picked up in Toronto:

These earrings are now for sale at my Artfire Shop!

Day Eighteen (18): black and copper earrings

2011-02-18T15:07:00.002-04:00

And today I made a pair of earrings to go with my last spiral stitch bracelet!

Day Seventeen (17): black and rose and copper spiral stitch bracelet

2011-02-18T15:05:00.001-04:00

See the full gallery on posterous

I made another spiral stitch bracelet yesterday, this time featuring some very pretty fire polished glass beads, glittering with gold, copper and rose. Copper toggle.

Day Sixteen (16): spiral stitch bracelet

2011-02-16T16:42:00.001-04:00

This afternoon I took a class at my local amazing bead shop, Java Bead, in Bridgewater Nova Scotia, where we learned the spiral stitch or DNA stitch. This bracelet combines bronze firepolished glass beads and two sizes of seed beads, with an antique brass clasp and was SOOOO much fun to make!

See the full gallery on posterous

http://thingaday.com

Day Fifteen (15): Gold and aqua crystal earrings

2011-02-15T17:47:00.002-04:00

See the full gallery on posterous

I spent most of today working on a big thing, a grant proposal for my summer opera workshop :) So I decided to make a small but pretty thing, a pair of earrings, just as contrast ....

I bought these Chinese crystals in Toronto -- they're very changeable with, moving from blue to green to grey. I like them with the gold. I've never made any gold jewellery before, but I got the fancy headpins in T.O., too, and thought I'd combine them with the gold beadcaps and wires I'd bought earlier this year.

Over halfway through!

These are for sale at my Artfire shop now

Day Fourteen (14): peace and friendship

2011-02-15T17:30:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I was running around, getting ready to leave my lovely friends' house and go home to NS, and I noticed this framed piece: I'm not much of one for devotional phrases, but the prayer of St Francis is a pretty good one to have around, and it struck me that the last five days, in spite of their hectic colour, were truly about this at their core:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

Day Thirteen (13): Only connect

2011-02-14T13:41:00.001-04:00

The theme of my long weekend in Ontario is summed up by one of my favourite quotes from one of my favourite authors:

"Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon:"
-- E.M. Forster, Howard's End

Day Twelve: ten words for this day

2011-02-12T23:31:00.001-04:00

exhaustion

pride

wonder

love

art

dedication

friendship

connection

responsibility

hope

Day Eleven (11): costume sketch for Olympia

2011-02-12T22:28:00.001-04:00

Sorry this is late!

This is a doodle I made during auditions yesterday. I'm directing Offenbach's opera Les contes d'Hoffmann this summer, and I've decided on a steampunk look which really fits the opera surprisingly well. Here's a sketch of a Lolita/steampunk Olympia, the mechanical doll :)

Day Ten (10): Auditions

2011-02-10T23:55:00.001-04:00

Today I drove two hours, heard 7 hours of auditions and drove two hours back.

All the wonderful, talented young artists I heard did their own things, of course -- for a performer an audition is a small chunk of distilled stress, opportunity and potential, a brief moment where he exposes himself and his talent in the hopes that the combination will be something that the auditioner will see and value.

At the end of my day of receiving dozens of performances by these young singers, I was left with a pile of their photos, resumes and my notes. I was also left with a profound sense of the beauty of lives dedicated to the struggle for mastery over their craft, the struggle to be seen, the struggle to birth their inner artists and the struggle against the general disinterest shown by the wider world for their work.

Here's the only part of my experience that I could photograph :)

Day Nina (9): crewel wool

2011-02-10T00:55:00.001-04:00

Damn, it's been a long day. I'm now in Toronto, gettting ready to hear about 80 auditions for my summer opera program. I visited a great store in Mississauga, Gitta's, and bought some crazy beautiful crewel yarn colours, so this photo of the yarn will have to do for my thing :)

Day Eight (8): double flat spiral stitch bracelet

2011-02-08T16:55:00.001-04:00

See the full gallery on posterous

I like the flat spiral stitch -- I love it when it's doubled up! Such a great, bold look. I made this bracelet from the cheapest beads I had, to try out the technique: dollar store seed beads and metal beads plus cheap glass pearls :) Still looks pretty good to me, though -- and I love the double toggle clasp (which cost more than all the beads together and is totally worth it -- from my favourite local bead shop, The Java Bead in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia).

Day Seven (7): More crewel stitches

2011-02-07T11:57:00.001-04:00

My weird sampler continues :) Learned soft shading/silk shading/long and short stitch, fly or vandyke stitch and practised many more French knots :) It still sucks, but it's cheerful!

Day Six (6): More crewel stitches

2011-02-06T14:43:00.001-04:00

Three more stitches learned -- laid filling with french knots (in the heart), detatched buttonhole stitch (around edges of carnation) and spider stitch (filling the calyx).

Day Five (5): Crewel work sampler begun

2011-02-05T11:24:00.001-04:00

I've decided to teach myself crewel work (surface embroidery in fine wool), so I've started a sampler. I'm working my way through the twelve stitches taught in Jane Rainbow's Beginner's Guide to Crewel Embroidery: From top to bottom:

different tries at stem stitch
chain stitch
split stitch and satin stitch
buttonhole stitch
french knots
first step of spider's web stitch

I've never done any embroidery before. I learned needlepoint last year -- this is much, much, MUCH harder because there's no guide for the stitch size and there are so many freaking stitches. I can see it's going to take mountains of practice, but that's cool. I do love learning new things, even if I totally suck at them :)

My stem stitch, for instance. I just couldn't learn it from the book I was using -- didn't make any sense to me. Then I went looking for a video, and it made it all clear :) Thanks god for YouTube ...

Anyway, that's my thing for today.

My Pavarotti collage included in new Collection on Artfire

2011-02-04T16:11:00.002-04:00

A Night Out At The Opera

Curated By: itsmythingdes...

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

Day Four (4): Right Angle Weave bracelet

2011-02-04T12:08:00.002-04:00

As I continue working my way through bead weaving stitches, here's the right angle weave (or RAW), in a variation with two side beads and one centre bead. This one uses facetted, flat-sided crystal rondelles in amber and brown, and fluted copper beads. I finished it with a copper toggle.

As usual, I made some earrings at the same time :)

See the full gallery on posterous

This bracelet is now for sale in my Artfire shop.

Day Three (3): 1:12 scale globe refinished

2011-02-03T14:26:00.001-04:00

One of the things I make is 1:12 scale miniatures, which is currently the most popular scale for dolls' houses (although 1:24 is rapidly gaining in popularity :) I'm working on a William and Mary era dolls' house which I'm scratch building, and one of the rooms will be a study / library / workspace for a scientific gentleman circa 1695. I really wanted him to have a nice terrestrial globe (among his other instruments) and decided to refinish a store-bought one to look more 17th century.

Here's the 3 inch high globe and stand I bought -- it's by Euro Minis and it's dirt cheap :) Typical faux-mahogany stand, and a pretty garish globe.
Here's my inspiration -- two 17th century globes and a Mercator projection circa 1665.

(One thing I love about miniatures (particularly working with a specific historical period) is how much I learn as I go along. At the time of this Mercator map they knew where western Australia was, which is something I didn't know.)

So recreating the inspirational globes led me to this process:

1. Take the globe apart (this was surprisingly easy and besides it's fun to deconstruct stuff :)

2. Paint the wood of the base a combination of burnt and raw umber to mimic walnut. Paint the legs black to mimic ebony. Give it two coats of satin varnish.

3. Paint the globe's support brass/bronze.

4. Repaint the globe itself, which took a while :) I painted the whole globe a dirty parchment colour, then roughed in the continents using the Mercator projection as a guide with a darker colour. Then I did a more detailed outline of the continents with a black pen, and finally cleaned up the sea/land meeting points and sketched in some "lettering".

5. Reassemble the globe, with axis straight up and down (as in reference images of globes). Since I had to break the original wooden stick that held the globe in place in its support, I used a brass head pin as a replacement and I added a little brass bead just for detail.

And the final photos are of the finished piece!

See the full gallery on posterous

Day Two (2): crystal ball earrings

2011-02-02T18:25:00.002-04:00

I've wanted to learn how to make spheres out of bicone beads ever since I saw an amazing pair of earrings a friend of mine has (Tara, I'm looking at you). I'd bookmarked a video tutorial, but hadn't got around to actually watching it with beads in hand until today. So here is day two's thing:

See the full gallery on posterous

Crappy photos, sorry. I made one sphere out of AB crystal 4 mm bicones, and then made another right away just to prove the first wasn't a fluke :)

Then I hung them on handmade sterling headpins with sterling beads and wires. Earrings.

Here's the video I followed, by the way, in case anyone else wants to get all OCD about bead weaving:

These are now for sale at my Artfire shop

Day One (1) : green flat spiral stich bracelet

2011-02-01T10:44:00.002-04:00

Holy crap. There are over 400 people signed up for this thing. This "Thing" thing. Here I go, adding my bit :)

I took a class in bead weaving a couple of weeks ago, and ever since I've been making these bracelets -- first of all, it's endlessly fun coming up with colour/texture combinations within the technical requirements of the stitch. It's also very meditative to do -- repetitive, soothing, pleasing.

Here's my first for February:

See the full gallery on posterous

The bracelet is 8 inches long, made of Czech glass beads with copper toggle. I had a few beads left over so I made some earrings, too :)

Tomorrow, who knows?

All the best to everyone as they start their Thing-a-day journey :)

This bracelet is now for sale at my Artfire shop.

Getting ready for thing-a-day 2011

2011-01-31T15:30:00.001-04:00

I've signed up with posterous.com so I can participate in the fifth thing-a-day project, where participants commit to create one thing every day in the short month of February.

For more information, see their site: http://thing-a-day.com/

My collage featured in another Artfire Collection, by AnnyMay!

2010-12-10T19:22:00.001-04:00

Aqua and Yellow Bouquet

Curated By: AnnyMay

ArtFire.com

Fine Art Paintings

My collage included in lovely Collection on Artfire!

2010-12-02T22:40:00.002-04:00

A colorful flutter of wings

Curated By: jeliza

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

My ACEO featured in Artfire Collection by SankiCreations :)

2010-11-24T21:20:00.002-04:00

Take Off to the Great White North, Eh?

Curated By: SanikiCreations

ArtFire.com

Fine Art Photography

My collage featured in Artfire Collection by OhFaro :)

2010-11-15T17:02:00.002-04:00

Baroque Pearl Bracelet

2010-11-14T15:19:00.000-04:00

Sometimes we crafty types spend so much time making items to sell or to give to others that it's good to remember that we can also make presents for ourselves :)

I've been collecting these warm-toned, funky pearls for a while and finally got around to making up this bracelet (with matching earrings) to go with an evening gown I have.

It's so not perfect, but it still pleases me.

Queen Anne japanned secretary in miniature

2010-03-28T21:12:00.001-03:00

This is a cross post from my blog on 1:12 scale miniatures, since most of the visual art I'm working on these days is teeny tiny :)

I've been buying and making more pieces for my future dolls' house lately. I mentioned in an earlier post that I had ordered a custom Queen Anne settee from Kris Compas. It arrived yesterday, so I set up a little vignette to photograph, including a red chinoiserie secretary I painted recently.

I'm so pleased with how this secretary turned out. It started as a bog-standard unfinished whitewood piece by Streets Ahead. I primed it, spray painted it red and then used gold and black permanent markers to draw chinoiserie designs on it, looking at a variety of early 18th century japanned antiques for inspiration. You could also japan a piece in black chinoiserie, but I really love red (as anyone who walks into my house knows!

Great embroidery and needlepoint store in Nova Scotia!

2010-02-10T21:14:00.001-04:00

Okay, I'm getting heavily into needlepoint and tapestry work, and I've found out that it's REALLY hard to get tapestry wool any more. I'm working on a big canvas for David's birthday (it's a Spitfire, how cool is that?) and needed quite a lot of tapestry wool.

I ordered some online, but it's so slow!

Then I heard that there was a great store, actually in Bridgewater (which is just down the road from me in Lunenburg) that still sells DMC Tapestry Wool!

It's Dennison's Custom Framing and Needlework, and this is a big shout-out to them, because I was able to walk in and get just about everything I needed :)

Super helpful, and right around the corner. I'm so happy!

www.dennisonscustomframing.com

Opera Spoofa :)

2009-12-09T00:07:00.000-04:00

‘[Opera is when] a tenor and soprano want to make love, but are prevented from doing so by a baritone.’
George Bernard Shaw

http://operaspoofa.wordpress.com/

The Tudor / Medieval Dollhouse Project: Standing desk, lectern, book stand

2009-11-17T14:23:00.001-04:00

The Tudor / Medieval Dollhouse Project: Standing desk, lectern, book stand

I continue to work away at my dolls castle :)

My Medieval 1:12 scale fireplace

2009-10-24T17:54:00.000-03:00

Yesterday I assembled the fireplace, and painted it. I used a base coat of natural titanium (a buff colour) then added layers of greys, finally stippling the surface with umber and black to resemble stone. I applied scrapbook stickers to resemble the tiles of my inspiration photo and installed both fireplace and chimney breast. This morning, this is how it looks:

I am really pleased with the way my miniature medieval fireplace turned out! It looks like stone and has exactly the feel I was hoping for. I love this photo, taken from the left hand door -- it looks perfect to me, and I have a wonderful sense of accomplishment :)

For more about my Dolls House Project, see my other blog:

The Tudor / Medieval Dollhouse Project

Dollhouse miniatures: my latest love!

2009-10-18T01:13:00.000-03:00

Once upon a time four little girls, one little boy, one big girl and one big boy decided to build a dolls house. One of the little girls (Tiddles) wanted it to be a medieval castle. After some discussion, it was decided that the group would build a medieval castle that was now being lived in by a noble, Tudor-age family.

We decided to build the castle in 1:12 scale, or 1 inch to 1 foot, as that seemed to be the most popular scale for modern dollhouses.

We looked online for help, but couldn't find a great deal about building dollhouse sized castles :) There was one set of plans here, which were interesting, and there was information about a Tudor dollhouse on this model castle site here, and there's a wonderful castle-like dollhouse kit here, but we wanted to build something a little different.

If you'd like to follow our quest, you can find our new blog at The Tudor Dolls House Project.

Conscious eating -- a start

2009-03-26T19:18:00.002-03:00

I'm trying to eat consciously, having been reading Geneen Roth's book Breaking Free of Emotional Eating.

It's a lot harder to know when I'm hungry than I thought it would be.

I'm sitting here, it's 7:19 pm, and I haven't eaten all day, because I haven't been hungry. Now I'm starting to feel hungry, and I don't know what I want to eat.

It's fascinating.

David and I have been sick for almost a week, and we've been insanely busy, one or the other of us, or both of us, since, well, the last time I updated this blog :)

But now that I have the time, I'm going to look at eating. What it means to me. What it means to be conscious about it.

Wish me well.

CLKcreative -- featured Etsy shop

2009-01-18T21:05:00.003-04:00

I love bracelets -- they're my favourite item of jewellery. I've had this one marked as a fave on Etsy for a few weeks now. It's little dangles of square and round beads added to a lovely, simple length of brass chain, and I think it's gorgeous!

The maker is CLKcreative of Michigan. She says of herself:

I am 37, born and raised in Michigan and currently reside in the metropolitan Detroit area. I have been creating jewelry as a hobby for several years and started selling it online just over a year ago. I enjoy trying new techniques, designs and materials.

I work primarily with wire (sterling, copper and brass) as well as with gemstones (favorites include amazonite, labradorite and tiger eye), wire, and resin. I also enjoy beadwork techniques and will occasionally make a macrame piece.

I love the colours in this Amazonite, copper and Czech glass memory wire bracelet. The copper beadcaps and sections of chain make it sparkle beautifully :)

I encourage you to check out her shops at Etsy and ArtFire, and her blog!

CLKcreative's Etsy shop
CLKcreative's ArtFire Studio
CLKcreative's Blog

New at dangerousmezzo -- PRINTS!

2009-01-08T18:40:00.005-04:00

I'm very happy to announce that I will now be offering prints of my original 5 x 7 inch collages. I've never sold reproductions before, only the originals, so this is a departure for me.

Each print will measure 5 x 7 inches, and will be printed on the highest quality acid free art paper with acid-free inks from the high resolution scans I've taken of my work over the years. I've made a couple of test prints and I can say that I'm thrilled with the depth of colour and the quality of the results.

I'll only be producing ten prints of each collage -- and each one will be numbered and signed by me. When the ten are gone, they'll be gone for good.

This article shows the first two I'm offering for sale. At the top is "wake up", a dreamy mixed media piece which could be happy or sad, depending on the viewer's mood.

This is "Past Perfect". The original was a heaviliy over-painted portrait based on a glamour photo from the 1920s, with found text forming both caption and title. It's very typical of my style and remains one of my favourites.

An older artist friend of mine used to tell me that any work of art looked 35% better once it was framed, and I tend to agree with him :) One of the lovely things about prints is that they're so very easy to frame: much easier than having a piece on stretched canvas framed. Here's a print of Past Perfect slipped into a commercially available photo frame, matted to 5 x 7 and under glass. In North America 5 x 7 is a standard size for easily-available and affordable frames and mats, so it would be easy to prepare a print as a gift or for yourself.

I've got prints of the two collages in this article up for sale in my ArtFire Studio, but I'd be happy to print up any of my previous works. In nearly all cases I have the original scans at high resolution. You can see the 5 x 7 collages I've sold here at Flickr. If you'd like a specific work, please contact me through this blog, or through my shops at ArtFire or Etsy. I can print a work and list it for sale in either of my shops for you.

Pam Dover -- Featured Etsy Artisan

2009-01-07T19:57:00.004-04:00

As a collage artist myself, I love the art form and I vastly admire other collagiste's work. I first saw Pam Dover's work on ArtFire, but she has an Etsy shop, as well. I love her sense of fun, her command of volume and shape and her woman-positive stance.

The piece pictured above is "Red Dress" a print of an original collage artwork. Pam sells her work, which includes a lovely line of stationery items, through her company Inspiration turn Design.

She says of herself:

I am in my mid twenties and trying to take my passion for art and design and create something great from it! I have several areas of interest mixed media collage art, digital design for personalized stationery and invitations, along with "Eco Chic" crafts, and photography.

The work above is Size of a True Woman, a print of a collage that was auctioned off for a V-Day event to support a battered women's shelter. The original was created using vintage dress patterns.

Pam is about much more than collage -- please visit the links below to see more of her work, learn more about her and to purchase her creations!

PamDover Etsy shop
Inspiration turn Design ArtFire Studio
Inspiration turn Design website
Inspiration turn Design blog

Green Mamba -- Featured Etsy Artist!

2008-12-29T22:43:00.004-04:00

Here's my salute to one of the smartest, wisest sellers on the Fora at Etsy: GreenMamba. Her avatar on the site is a big, green eye, and whenever I see that eye, I know I'm going to read a post full of common sense, humour filtered through a humane mind with a commendably even temper.

She and her two daughters also make AMAZING stuff :)

Like the mini top hat, above. It's trimmed with red marabou feathers and red and black checked ribbon and it's simply divine and more than a tad theatrical. Which I like ... I want to plan an entire costume around it!

GM says of the family team, who live in Houston, Texas:

We are drei Frauen: mother and daughters, working a little of our eccentric magic to bring you fun and funky handmade goodness.

Mostly, we work individually on whatever is inspiring us at the moment, though you may see occasional collaborations. Full credit is given in each listing to the designer/creator.

Pssst . . . Wonder who is posting in the fora with that mesmerizing green gaze?
It's always me, GreenMamba, the matriarch of this li'l operation.

This is GM's Lolita mini top hat with pink ribbon and bows. The mother and daughters also make plushies, eye patches, bows and other items with a distinctly Japanese sensibility.

So here's to GreenMamba -- mother and daughters -- intelligence and design with a kick somewhere between goth and kawaii.

GreenMamba's shop at Etsy

Happy Christmas, and thanks to Eclipse!

2008-12-25T19:51:00.006-04:00

A very Happy Christmas (or festive season of your choice) to you all!

I'd just like to thank HeyMichelle at Etsy for organizing a very special round of Front Pages specially chosen by Etsy sellers and I'd like to thank Eclipse for very kindly including me in her wonderful treasury "Friendship".

Thanks so much, Eclipse. I'm tremendously honoured, both by your choice and by the company with which you've put me.

Turandot Jade Bracelet

2008-12-23T13:05:00.004-04:00

At the beginning of the summer, before I got crazy busy with opera (which is how I spend my summers -- well, opera and sailing) I made many, many pieces of jewellery which were sold on consignment in a wonderful shop in nearby Chester, Nova Scotia, the Warp and Woof. A big shout-out to Gwen -- thanks so much!

I kept some of the pieces back, though, and this is one of them. I wasn't sure at first I could part with it, but I've listed it now on ArtFire.

It's all jade, all the way, wirewrapped with copper and oxidized and sealed. I LOVE wirewrapping, especially for bracelets, because it makes them insanely durable as well as being a design element. It's also damned fun to do when I'm sick of knitting.

I named it after Turandot, the eponymous princess of Puccini's last opera (the debate about pronouncing or not pronouncing the final "t" seems to have been settled: don't pronounce it, because Puccini didn't and the text setting backs him up. This sucks because when I was becoming an opera gal the fashion was FOR pronouncing it. Now I have to learn a whole new way to be cool -- in opera, that ain't easy, believe me).

So Turandot gets a bracelet and loses a t, and I get to blog about it :)

99 things meme

2008-12-23T05:51:00.003-04:00

Things I’ve done in bold.
Things I haven’t done but would like to do in italics.
Things I haven’t done and never, ever want to do in plain text.

Started your own blog. (Ironic question)
Slept under the stars.
Played in a band — or musical. (I was a trumpet player in high school)
Visited Hawaii.
Watched a meteor shower.
Given more than you can afford to charity.
Been to Disneyland. (No, please, God, no. I can think of few things I'd hate more)
Climbed a mountain.
Held a praying mantis.
Sang a solo. (Every day, baby, every day)
Bungee jumped.
Visited Paris.
Watched a lightning storm at sea.
Taught yourself an art from scratch.
Adopted a child.
Had food poisoning. (Oy.)
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.(I don't even want to walk around the base of the Statue of Liberty :)
Grown your own vegetables. (The potatoes rocked. The brussels sprouts -- not so much.)
Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
Slept on an overnight train. (Toronto to Montréal - so much fun!)
Had a pillow fight. (Won.)
Hitchhiked. (I know ...)
Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
Built a snow fort. (There used to be more snow when I was a kid ...)
Held a lamb. (chop?)
Gone skinny dipping.
Run a Marathon.
Ridden a Gondola in Venice.
Seen a total eclipse.
Watched a sunrise or sunset.
Hit a home run. (hysterical laughter)
Been on a cruise.
Seen Niagara Falls in person.
Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
Seen an Amish community.
Taught yourself a new language.
Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
Gone rock climbing.
Seen Michelangelo’s David.
Sung karaoke. (I am very, very bad at it, as most opera chicks are when they try to sing "Heard it through the Grapevine after a couple of Daquiris)
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt. (obligatory family car trip -- I though Rotarua was much more interesting :)
Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
Visited Africa.
Walked on a beach by moonlight.
Been transported in an ambulance. (Several times, actually)
Had your portrait painted.
Gone deep sea fishing. (I've been deep sea drinking, does that count? :)
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. (The Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty -- what's with the climbing? I get vertigo, already)
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
Kissed in the rain.
Played in the mud.
Gone to a drive-in theater.
Been in a movie. (I've been on televison, does that count? :)
Visited the Great Wall of China.
Started a business.
Taken a martial arts class.
Visited Russia.
Served at a soup kitchen.
Sold Girl Scout Cookies.
Gone whale watching.
Gotten flowers for no reason.
Donated blood, platelets or plasma. (They won't let me :()
Gone sky diving.
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
Bounced a check. (several times, sadly)
Flown in a helicopter.
Saved a favorite childhood toy.
Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
Eaten Caviar.
Pieced a quilt.
Stood in Times Square.
Toured the Everglades.
Been fired from a job.
Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
Broken a bone. (That damned horse ...)
Been on a speeding motorcycle.
Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
Published a book.
Visited the Vatican.
Bought a brand new car.
Walked in Jerusalem.
Had your picture in the newspaper.
Read the entire Bible.
Visited the White House.
Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
Had chickenpox.
Saved someone’s life.
Sat on a jury.
Met someone famous.
Joined a book club.
Lost a loved one.
Had a baby.
Seen the Alamo in person. (The WHAT? :)
Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
Been involved in a law suit.
Owned a cell phone.
Been stung by a bee.

This is a pretty US-centric, vanilla list, actually. I think I'll come up with a slightly edgier one, although that might turn out to be a bit too much like the old Purity Test :)

Wonderful love -- a new collage

2008-12-22T04:37:00.000-04:00

Here's one of my most recent collages -- a 5 x 7 overpainted portrait of an unknown woman, circa 1924. The background colours are very warm earth tones, which contrast nicely with the cooler face and body of the figure.

I always paint in layers, because even though I'm treating the surface as a decorative plane, layers of colour (some thin, some thick) give the piece greater depth. I love the effect of colours on top of one another. It just fascinates me.

This piece is on stretched canvas, but I need to get out my guillotine and chop up some illustration board for some less expensive pieces, including some new ACEOs. I feel very inspired to paint, lately -- it's partly starting up at ArtFire that's given me a bit of an energy boost.

On this Winter Solstice -- some thoughts about Christmas

2008-12-21T11:51:00.004-04:00

A very happy Yule to all who observe the Winter Solstice.

We're having a very toned-down Christmas this year. We're not buying a tree for the first time in my life. I'm not going to decorate. We're also giving almost no gifts this year, because the crazed consumerism around the Yuletide season makes me sad and anxious. I just want to unplug from that and curl up in my own little world of warmth and friendship.

Lately, I've been questioning the very ethics of buying ANYTHING that we don't really need. It's been preying on my mind that last couple of months, that buying handmade is just as wasteful and feeds our addiction to mindless consumption just as handily as buying anything else. I hasten to note that I am as addicted to consumption as the next North American (and I'm a natural-born entrepreneur) ... but it increasingly bothers me.

I am going to church on Christmas Eve, to sing "O Holy Night". I have had my issues with my particular church for a while, too (great, eh, consumerism and religion -- just don't get me started on politics :) so I'm cautiously optimistic. Or cheerfully apprehensive. or something. I dislike sentimentality and cant -- it's too easy and too cheap, especially at this time of year. I'm afraid I'm going to get both, in spade, but I'll try to stay positive.

We are going to have a nice big meal, with family and friends: turkey and everything that I think should go with turkey. A friend is bringing a trifle. My mum'll be there. My guy'll be there. We've got two great cats and we're going to adopt two more kittens. I think that's about all I need, really.

Who knows, maybe after decades of spiritual searching, I'm really a pagan after all?

Favourite Etsy Artists -- Immortal Longings

2008-12-17T21:29:00.003-04:00

I think this artist's work is extraordinary. Award-winning English designer Elizabeth E. Schüch's Shakespeare-inspired illustrations are featured at Shakespeare's Globe Shop, The Royal National Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare and Shakespeare festivals in US/Canada. She says of her own art:

Blending character and architecture (or nature posing as architecture) to illustrate Shakespeare's stories, the series was inspired by the posters of Alfons Mucha. My original drawings were produced in ink and watercolour.

You don't have to visit Shakepeare's Globe to buy her work, either :) You can purchase pieces based on her graphic work (from bookmarks to journals to calendars to prints) through her Etsy Shop.

My love has eyes -- a new collage

2008-12-16T21:39:00.003-04:00

This piece is based on a vintage photo of actress Susan Hayward, overpainted and combined with text from a vintage novel.

It's a bigger format than I usually work in for collage (it's 8" x 10") but I've been feeling the urge to spread out a bit :)

I love working with early examples of glamour photography -- reworking them, simplifying them to their essence. A strong image can be reduced almost infinitely, and I enjoy playing with different parts of an image -- making one part flatter, one part more defined.

This work is currently for sale at my ArtFire store.

New Art Fire Blog

2008-12-16T00:27:00.003-04:00

Art Fire is one of the most exciting new websites I've come across, and true to my compulsive nature I've just started a blog to feature Art Fire Studio artisans and their work. Art Fired Up will feature several of my favourite artisans each week, with photos of their work and some information about them. Over time I hope it will give a picture of some of the most interesting studios at AF and the people who run them.

New Collage -- a beautiful poetic gesture

2008-12-15T19:38:00.002-04:00

Here's my newest collage, "a beautiful poetic gesture". I was attracted by the strength of this vintage photo, and kept things very simple. Her face is just haunting: beautiful, almost sad, but with such a direct gaze.

Atlantic Provinces Street Team up to 46 members!

2008-12-14T11:17:00.003-04:00

I love these guys. We're a group of Etsy sellers from all across Atlantic Canada (and Newfoundland and Labrador), who showcase a wide range of fabulous arts and crafts and some good old East Coast friendliness on our Team Blog.

Go, Team!

New collage ACEO -- Beginnings

2008-12-10T19:16:00.003-04:00

Appropriately enough, this new work, a tiny collage entitled "Beginnings" is the first piece I've posted to my new Artfire store that has not first been featured at Etsy. :)

It feels good to make art again.

I've opened a new store -- on Artfire.com!

2008-12-08T00:32:00.002-04:00

Well, after a busy summer and autumn, the time has come for me to transition from Etsy to a new sales venue.

This has been coming for a while, but I had an "aha" experience lately, and realize the effort I've put into being an Etsy-booster isn't being met by a reciprocal effort from them. In spite of all the recent changes, most particularly in staff, things seem to be getting worse, not better.

So I've started up a new shop at a new website: artfire.com

My first experiences with it have been entirely positive. Joining is very easy and listing items is so simple and intuitive (all on one page, all images uploaded at the same time) that it made my head spin. (I understand some people have been having problems with IE, but I'm a Firefox user on a Mac, and had no troubles at all).

It'll take me a while to move things from Etsy over there, but I'm really looking forward to the fresh start!

Check it out!

Thanks again to JewelryObsession!

2008-06-04T20:41:00.003-03:00

Almost two months ago I ordered a wonderful necklace from JewelryObsession at Etsy.

I was really happy with it when it arrived -- it's even more beautiful than its photos.

Here's my update -- my darling David took some photos of me in my Carmen costume (I'm singing Carmen down the South Shore of Nova Scotia this month (Maritime Concert Opera website) and I'm modelling that gorgeous necklace!

Thanks again, JO!

I hate being sick.

2008-05-23T21:46:00.004-03:00

I've got a cold. A stupid, boring cold. I'm a singer, so I get absurdly neurotic about anything going on in my upper respiratory system, but this is the real thing.

I had an abortive voice lesson yesterday, and my wonderful teacher, after ten minutes of trying to clear the crap from my vocal cords, said, "That's it! Stop singing!" She very kindly led me to a health food store where, under her guidance I purchased a Neti Pot.

Do you know what a Neti Pot is? Have you made its acquaintance? It's a tool for "nasal irrigation" and it's the source of one of the most peculiar sensations I have ever experienced.

The idea is that you run warm saline solution from one nostril through the other, as demonstrated by the charming (if somewhat apprehensive-looking) young woman in the photo above.

It feels damned odd, let me tell you. And if your nose is very blocked (as mine is right now) nothing happens at all except a kind of dam effect where the water backs up and ... well, never mind.

But I shall persevere. I may even consider buying a Neti pot from this Etsy seller, who describes it, somewhat prosaically, as a "snot pot" :)

Incredibly delicious body scrub from Pegasus Soaps!

2008-05-19T09:43:00.003-03:00

Okay, I'm clean and showered, and here to tell you that Pegasus Soap's Sea Salt Body Polisher is divine. I bought some from this great Etsy seller at the beginning of this month, and I've used it almost every day -- mmmm. Just the right amount of gentle abrasion and it leaves my skin, honestly, feeling incredibly soft and smooth. Love it. It makes me feel damned touchable, which is devoutly to be wished.

Thank you, Pegasus Soap, for making me feel so good!

New collages!

2008-05-01T23:49:00.004-03:00

It's been a very, very long time since I created any art. I've been pretty busy with one thing and another, but tonight I sat down and made pretty little bird collages while watching (wait for it) Dexter (on dvd). Damn, it felt good.

(They don't seem particularly serial-killer-inspired, but there you go :)

The Atlantic Provinces Street Team has hit 33 members!

2008-04-17T13:14:00.004-03:00

Our Etsy Street Team for the East Coast of Canada, the Atlantic Provinces Street Team, has just chalked up its 33rd member, and I'm so excited!

If you'd like to check this vibrant, talented group of artists and craftspeople out, you can find our group blog at http://etsyatlantic.blogspot.com. Are you a seller on Etsy and live in the Maritimes of Canada? Want to join us? Just drop me a line!

The gorgeous work pictured above is by new APST member Jane Rovers, of Halifax.

Great Etsy Seller -- JewelryObsesssion!

2008-04-08T16:31:00.004-03:00

Okay, I make a lot of jewellery, so the pieces I actually buy have to be really special and feature techniques that I just don't have. Here's an example. I just bought the above necklace, Nightshade, from Etsy seller JewelryObession, who's inspired by the jewellery of times past but recreates it using a mixture of techniques, including chain maille. I think her work is just stunning -- evocative, detailed and romantic.

I can't wait to get this lovely necklace and to wear it for a concert! Thanks again, JewelryObsession!

Please visit her store: JewelryObession at Etsy.

Want to get a bargain?

2008-04-06T21:51:00.003-03:00

Of course, we all do. Well an enterprising Etsy seller, Dragon In Knots, has started the Etsy Secrets blog, which is nothing but coupons from Etsy sellers. How great is that? Some offers include discounts, buy one get one half price offers and free shipping. (I, myself, am offering a buy one, get one at half price offer on my earrings :)

For example, this adorable clock is just a sample of the pieces that you can buy from AllAboutTheButtons at 15% off! Check out the EtsySecrets blog today for details on how to claim these coupons!

My Isolde Earrings Featured Here!

2008-04-03T14:09:00.003-03:00

Thanks to Warmth in the North for her mention of my earrings on her blog. Bless you, my dear!

http://warmthinthenorth.typepad.com/warmth_in_the_north/2008/03/id-put-the-swea.html

Etsy's Alchemy is Back

2008-03-20T21:42:00.004-03:00

Alchemy was a feature of the first version of Etsy.com, where buyers who wanted a custom-made "whatever" could make requests, and sellers could bid on those requests -- a bit like submitting a tender for handcrafted goods.

Well, it's back.

Unfortunately, although it's a great idea, its current incarnation is anything but great.

There are no categories in Alchemy, so all the requests are lumped in together, making it darned hard for potential bidders to find items they can bid on.

Quite a few people are attempting to use Alchemy for trading, or for requesting non-handmade goods. There aren't enough Etsy admins assigned to policing Alchemy, so it's a bit of a mess. There's also no built in way for people to easily flag items that may be breaking the Alchemy Terms of Service -- strange for a website that depends almost entirely on its members policing other members (in the fora, for listings, etc.)

A huge ideological problem is that Alchemy, as it stands now, seems designed for bargain hunters. There are so many sellers on Etsy now (listing and relisting of items FAR outweighs sales) that there are invariably many who will make almost anything for almost nothing. This has encouraged potential buyers to list risible "ideal prices" for everything from sterling silver jewellery to logo design.

A lot of sellers are not happy about this.

As is the case with nearly every feature roll out since I joined last May, Etsy has apparently not thought the darned thing out before it foisted the feature on its community. They've had a LOT of time to work on this one -- it's just not good enough to release a half-assed version of what could be a great feature, and then just leave the community without answers.

The only update they've bothered to publish in their PR magazine is a list of all the good press they've received about the relaunch of Alchemy, noting that some online reviewer dubbed the feature "Genius".

Sorry, guys, it's not genius yet.

How cool is this?

2008-03-07T00:07:00.006-04:00

I am so honoured!

One of my favourite jewellery designers, AncaNY, has not only dedicated a stunning necklace to me, but she's named it after me! I am practically speechless with delight and stunned by the compliment she's paid me.

Please, visit her Etsy store and check this amazing necklace out (as well as the rest of her gorgeous work!)

Great Etsy Seller -- verybigjen and her incredible pincushions!

2008-02-28T19:06:00.003-04:00

After longing for one of these cute but creepy pincushions for ages, I finally bought one for myself yesterday. These tiny masterpieces are made by Etsy seller verybigjen. They are just under two inches tall and are customizable with regards to flesh colour and iris colour. How creepy is that? But definitely cool ...

Jen also makes a huge array of pincushions in other styles. Check out this large pincushion with a Japanese cherry blossom patttern appliqued onto it. Gorgeous!

Please visit her Etsy shop at verybigjen.etsy.com!

Front page of Trunkt.org, again

2008-02-11T11:18:00.000-04:00

My Showcase, "Chocolate" made the front page of Trunkt.org today! There are so many amazing artists on Trunkt that curating a collection like this is such a pleasure ... Thanks for choosing my showcase, Trunkt!

Custom collage artwork

2008-02-05T22:12:00.001-04:00

Wow -- I've been MIA from my blog for a whole month! Yikes! It's that darned opera stuff, folks -- totally takes over my life from time to time. Ah well, it is my principal profession ... :)

Here's a piece I just completed today, for a darling patron of mine who has now commissioned two pieces from me. I really, really like the text she chose for this one! And we both agreed on turtle doves ...

I love creating custom art and am always happy to discuss any ideas folks have for pieces.

Great Etsy Seller -- ancaNY and her fabulous jewellery!

2008-01-05T13:41:00.001-04:00

"I make jewelry because I love it and because I am nothing if I can't create. I love both new and old materials, I love unusual techniques and combinations, I love color and the way jewelry adorns a body."

Here's a little ode to one of my very favourite Etsy jewellers, AncaNY. This Romanian-born, New York-dwelling artisan jeweller creates stunning works of almost poetic beauty. (Above is a photo of her "La Reine" necklace, below is "Indian Summer".)

Not only is her jewellery divine, but she packages everything in the most sumptuous way. Receiving a parcel from her is a real experience!

I have a few of her pieces, and look forward to acquiring more, more more. Thank you so much for your wonderful work, Anca!

Please visit AncaNY's Etsy store for more beauty ...

Valse - ACEO original collage

2008-01-05T00:29:00.001-04:00

Here's a little piece I made recently. I love assembling collages on acid-free illustration board -- it's so stable and smooth that it's great both for painting and pasting. It's also very easy to mail, which makes it a great support for pieces that are going to be popped in the post!

An array of earrings!

2008-01-03T15:43:00.000-04:00

Above: Chloe Earrings: beautiful stained and polished wooden beads topped with intricate brass bead caps and hung from brass kidney wires. These measure almost 2.5 inches from the tops of the wires.

Above: Viola Earrings: five substantial links of antiqued copper chain, with faceted firepolished crystal beads, finished with handmade copper earwires and headpins. These measure 1.75 inches from the bottom of the earwires.

Above: Charmaine Earrings: delicious caramel and brown handmade glass squares drizzled with pale blue and topped and tailed with brown glass cubes, all on brass findings. 1 inch tall from bottom of the french ear wires.

Above: Nirena Earrings -- brass filigree beads suspended from brass kidney wires. These measure 2 inches from the top of the ear wires.

Above: Antonia Earrings -- faceted peach aventurine beads with brass beadcaps, headpins and kidney wires.

Above: Miranda Earrings: 12 mm sponge coral beads with brass beadcaps, headpins and kidney wires.

Above: Juno Earrings: five substantial links of antiqued copper chain, with faceted peach aventurine rondelles, finished with handmade copper earwires and headpins. These measure 1.75 inches from the bottom of the earwires.

Above: Octavia Earrings: little faceted rondelles of green aventurine combined with brass bead caps, headpins and kidney wires.

Finally, some new art!

2007-12-29T10:30:00.001-04:00

Well, Christmas is well and truly over, and it's time to get back to making art. I hung out with my man last night, watching I Claudius and making collages. Here's one of them. I splurged on some fabulous Japanese papers earlier in the month when I was Christmas shopping, and that forms the principal background. The is the first time I've worked with this paper and I adore it -- just stunning stuff.

Front page of Trunkt.org

2007-12-28T12:29:00.000-04:00

My third Trunkt Showcase made the front page of Trunkt.org yesterday -- Blue and Gold. Thanks, Trunkt, for picking this collection and thanks to all the wonderful, wonderful artisans on Trunkt who make such delicious things!

Trunkt.org

My pinback buttons arrived today!

2007-12-27T20:39:00.003-04:00

I ordered 50 pinback buttons from Etsy seller warhorse earlier this month, and they arrived today! I love them! I chose five of my overpainted portrait collages and I'm really happy with them, and with warhorse's work.

On the front page!

2007-12-27T11:43:00.000-04:00

A beautiful Treasury by brookemarton made the front page of Etsy this morning, and one of my pieces is on it! I'm so happy -- thank you, brooke and Etsy!

By the way, if you use Firefox do get the Screen Grab addon -- it lets you take a instant screen shot (or, rather, browser shot) without opening another application. You can find it at the Mozilla website: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1146

Dangerous Mezzo featured on Indie/Pretty/Perfect

2007-12-20T11:03:00.000-04:00

I'm so honoured! An artist interview with me has been posted by pepperinapress on her great blog Indie/Pretty/Perfect. http://indieprettyperfect.blogspot.com/2007/12/dangerous-mezzo-nova-scotia-canada.html

Thanks, pepperina, for featuring me! I really enjoyed doing the interview -- the act of describing one's artistic journey and goals is certainly a catalyst for reevaluation and reflection.

And don't forget to check out pepperinapress's Etsy store.

New earrings

2007-12-18T11:43:00.001-04:00

I made these the other day. These little beaded assemblies dangle at the end of brass kidney wires. The focal, antiqued pinky beads were a gift with another purchase at Etsy, and I really, really like them!

Front page of Trunkt.org

2007-12-13T18:07:00.001-04:00

My second showcase, "White", has made the front page of Trunkt.org, and I'm thrilled. These artisans are incredibly talented and their work is just stunning. I can't believe the incredible artists and craftspeople I've found on this site, and I am so proud to have been included in their number!

Great Designer -- Paraphernalia

2007-12-13T01:08:00.000-04:00

Red Heart Necklace

Here's a brilliant piece by English jewellry designer Paraphernalia: the Red Heart Necklace. I covet any number of pieces by this artist, who has a portfolio on Trunkt.org and who sells through Etsy.com. Paraphernalia's Etsy Store

Daily Art ... day 20

2007-12-11T11:18:00.000-04:00

I started this one last night -- and it was just a mess. Boring beyond belief, in spite of some cute handmade paper. I started overpainting it, and it got worse! This morning I looked at it and threw on some more scraps of paper and a raw umber glaze -- suddenly, it's okay. Who knew?

I love collage.

Daily Art ... day 19

2007-12-10T00:31:00.000-04:00

I've wanted to do some larger collages for some time now -- I've done nothing but miniatures (ACEOs) and 5 x 7 pieces for months now, and I was feeling a little stale. So last night I started this piece.

It went through a few iterations. One of the nice things about collage is its flexibility -- if one incarnation doesn't work, well, one can just keep pasting things on until something emerges.

In its first incarnation, the overpainted photo of Maria Callas (my muse, in many different ways) was surrounded by some very pretty modern papers interspersed with vintage text.

It was ... pretty. And boring.

I showed it to my guy, David, who spotted the problem right away. "The edges need more intensity", he said, wisely.

So. back to the worktable I went. In my quest for darker and more intense border material, I started tearing up some reproductions of great artworks: landscapes to begin with, but then I tore up my first Madonna and Child, and it all came together.

The background was originally red -- after using the art snippets for the border, I overpainted the red with umbers, burnt and raw.

Maria Callas is a Madonna without Child. She created herself (there's a little snippet in the lower left hand corner from a painting of a woman painting ...) in her own image.

In fact, she's an icon.

Which is the title of the piece.

More jewellery supplies!

2007-12-09T11:55:00.000-04:00

I was in Toronto last week, and picked up tons of great supplies for jewellery making, including strings and strings of semi precious stones. Man, they weigh a ton! (As one saleswoman said of my heavy package, "Well, after all, it's just a bag of rocks!")

Pretty rocks, though ...

These little earrings are made of very nice wooden beads, also bought in Toronto on my last trip. I love the combination of warm wood with shiny silver ... just looks so yummy to me!

Daily Art ... day 18, sort of!

2007-12-08T11:10:00.000-04:00

Another miniature artwork which started with one of my Moo cards ...

My showcase made it to the front page of Trunkt.org!

2007-12-07T16:44:00.001-04:00

Members of Trunkt can curate "Showcases": collections of other people's work, usually unified by a theme. My first Showcase "Circular" just got picked for the front page of Trunkt -- and I'm thrilled!

Daily Art ... day 17

2007-11-29T11:20:00.000-04:00

This collage on stretched canvas began with a photo of dancer and movie star Eleanor Powell -- I love the directness of her gaze.

Bonus Eleanor Powell quote: “What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.”

I've been accepted for Trunkt!

2007-11-27T23:09:00.000-04:00

What is Trunkt, you may ask?

"Trunkt is a curated buyer's guide to the best of independent art and design.

We support independent artists and designers by giving them portfolio space to present their work. We celebrate their talent in multimedia features.

trunkt.org brings the best of independent art and design to a global audience hungry for fresh creative talent. Trunkt now features the amazing portfolios of over 1000 talented entrepreneurs from around the world."

And I'm now one of those entrepreneurs!

I applied on a whim last night and heard that I was accepted about an hour ago. It actually made me teary-eyed -- this means so much to me, I'm at a loss for words to express how I feel.

Here's my portfolio. And thank you, Trunkt. Thank you so much!

Daily Art ... day 17

2007-11-27T10:46:00.000-04:00

I was overpainting a photo of gorgeous film star Hedy Lamarr last night, when I had an epiphany of sort. Or a personal "Eureka" moment, rather. You see, I really hated the bodice of the dress Miss Lamarr was wearing in the photo -- kind of fussy and patterned and not really to my taste. So I started pasting bits of torn up paper over it, and, gosh darn it, it looks okay! In fact, I really like the contrast between the more three dimensional treatment of her face and the frankly two dimensional, decorative treatment of her clothes.

Now, of course I know this isn't exactly new, but it opened up a little door for me, personally. Woo hoo!

Bonus Hedy Lamarr quote: “Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.”

Ahem ...

2007-11-26T12:26:00.000-04:00

Apparently the reading level for understanding this blog is "Genius". I was, of course, hoping for "SUPAH GENIUS", but there you go ... :)

Click on the brain to test your own blog ...

Daily Art ... day 16

2007-11-26T10:42:00.001-04:00

So I'm looking at my Moo cards and suddenly I think, "Hey, I'm a collagiste! If it's paper, I can cut it up and glue it to something" So I whip out my scissors and work one of my own images (from the Moo card) into an ACEO for today's artwork.

Daily Art ... day 15

2007-11-25T22:57:00.001-04:00

Lightly overpainted paper with music, bird and found text.