My earrings are being given away at Fairy Filigree!

I wanted everyone to know that a pair of my vintage hand painted art nouveau earrings are part of a fun give away by my friend, Marika at her blog, Fairy Filigree! Stop over and enter for a chance to win!

Fairy Filigree's blog

Happy blogging!
Diane

Art Journaling Reflections

I love to journal. I keep several art journals to sketch, paint or doodle in at one time. Each book has a different feel to it and I reach for a particular book as my mood changes.

I thought I would share with you a few pages of each.

They say that an art journal can tell alot about a person. I'm not sure what mine say exactly, but they are a true refection of where I was at any given time, I suppose.

What do you think this says about me?

click on the image to open a larger view

I would love to hear your thoughts,
Diane

I have been featured on the blog Fairy Filigree!

I have been featured on the blog Fairy Filigree! This lovely blogger is a patron of the arts and is kind enough to feature different artists on her blog.

Please stop over at Fairy Filgree's blog and read her interview with me and learn more about my art background and the artwork I create, particularly my painted handbags.

There may even be a bit of a surprise coming up soon at the Fairy Filigree, so you won't want to miss checing out this wonderful blog!

'til we meet again,
Diane

How Green is Your Studio?

I have to admit, our family doesn’t live as green as we could. It is difficult to break our long-time, wasteful habits first developed when we set up house in 1990.

I am painfully aware that we should to be more conscientious about separating out our garbage for recycling. I know there is much more we can do to decrease our effect on the natural world.

As a homeowner, not to mention as just a human being sharing this earth, it is our responsibility to take those additional steps to keep this planet running at its best.

So this got me thinking…

Even though I create most of my artwork with recycled, gently used and/or vintage materials found on my various thrifting and online adventures, am I as an artist, doing what I can to reduce my own personal carbon foortbrint?

I decided to do a bit of online research on the topic and this is what I found:

I found an article in Artists's Magazine that gave some simple tips to create a more eco-friendly studio:

~ use eco-friendly fluorescent lights capable of recreating daylight conditions.
~ paint your walls with a high-gloss white that will reflect both natural and artificial light, decreasing the need for additional spotlighting, thereby reducing additional energy costs.
There are many art supply manufacturers that now offer alternative, eco-friendly art supplies in place of the traditional materials we have been using for years:

Strathmore has introduced a new line of artist recycled papers. The company’s newest paper, designed for use with charcoal, contains tree-friendly fibers, cotton and hemp.

Wyland Ecological Art Studio, courtesy of Martin/F. Weber, now offers a line of ecological acrylic paints, brushes, painting kits, brush cleaner and DVDs by the host of the TV series Wyland’s Art Studio. Wyland is a known conservation artist, famous for his murals of whales and dolphins. Wyland himself has hand-selected these 14 solvents-free acrylic colors to use in his own paintings, which educate us on the plight of the sea creatures in our polluted waters.

But as an artists, it is sometimes difficult to limit ourselves to using only eco-friendly products. An artists needs to create what he/she must at any given moment with the supplies on hand, so where does that leave us? Do we stoip creating as we have always done, with mindless abandon with potentially harmful products?

No, we learn to use what we have always used, but with a new-found knowledge of their potential hazards and use and dispose of them properly.

This article A Look at Toxicity in Visual Arts Materials ©Greg Patch  helps to shed some light on the hazards of art supplies, particularly with the chemicals that go into making paint mediums. But there is some good news. Not ALL paints are not as toxic as others. There is also the alternative of making your own paint pigments from nature. A daunting task, to be sure, but if it is bothering you that you are exposing yourself and others to a potential hazard everytime you open a paint tube, this may be you answer.

As an artist, it may be worth your while to take the time to research what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint within your own creative studio.

Green Guide for Artists

'til next time,
Diane

tHE pLATFORM sHOE pROJECT

Check these babies out!

I picked them up for a song at the Goodwill. I doubt they have ever been worn more than one or two times.

They are my size, a 10, but I won't be wearing them myself. They are my newest wearable art project. I will be seling them in my Etsy shop once they are complete. They will still be wearable, yet they definitley won't be for the faint of heart, LOL!

Don't they just cry out "Paint me! Embellish me! Turn me into a work of art!"?

'til next time,
Diane

Finally, a handbag of my own!

I think the reason I fell hard for the Boho style is that it embraces the freedom to be an individual, to fearlessly step out into the world being and looking exactly how you feel inside without the need for explanations.

It is bold. It embraces mixing red and purple, stripes with polka dots, and pairing vintage and trendy. No rules and no doubts.

That love is what drove me to hand paint clothes jewelry and handbags. Nothing says, “this is me and what I am all about” than a one-of-a-kind accessory to spice up your already unique fashion sense. I paint what comes naturally to me on any particular day. I just wing it and hope it works out!

I just painted a handbag just for myself  for the first time!  Even my mom carries one of my hand painted handbags and has one of my brooches, but I have never worn or carried my own work. So very un-bohemian of me, dontcha think?

 

I have always been rather shy about my creative side and have a hard time tooting my own horn. I’ll go out wearing anyone else’s fabulous and unique creation, but never my own…until now.

In the spirit of the bohemians, I now have a bag of my own and I am going to wear it proudly and answer the question “Where did you get that bag?” with a confident, smiling “I painted it myself.”

‘til next time,

Diane

It's Christmas Over at ETSY!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Yes, you heard correctly. Right now Etsy.com is having their annual Christmas In July Sale!!

I am a member of The Vintage Market Team on Etsy and we are participating with our own keep cool in the heat Christmas In July Sale that begins today, July 10th and runs through July 17th.

The VMTeam have hundreds of Christmas related items on sale at great prices, as well as other items, such as clothes, jewelry and decor that just have that cool holiday spirit!

Stop over and see if you can grab yourself a fantastic bargain while the sale lasts!

Here are some of the great things you'll find:

 

Red Patent Shoes from Photographicamy

Apron by Three Martini Lunch

24K Plated Earrings from

Costanza Vintage Craft & Treasure

 

Rhinestone Brooch from World Vintage

Bracelet from Tootsys Treasures

Happy Vintage Shopping!
Diane

Check out my new blog header. I created this as a first step toward branding my artwork.

I think it reflects where I want to take my work rather well: bold, colorful, fearless, unique and strong.

More to come on this subject of branding in future posts.

'til next time,
Diane

Look What I Made!

Just some wearable art brooches to add some fun to your wardrobe!

I painted these little pin-up portraits on wood disks mounted them on scraps of tooled, red leather and then embellished them with fabric selvage, which I just love! Sometimes I love the scraps from fabric more than the fabric itself!

Have a beautiful week!
Diane

Happy Birthday U.S.A.!

A Look Back at the Fae of My Past

As I continue to work through my growth as an artist through the years, I have been looking through some old sketchbooks and watercolor pads and have come across several paintings and illustrations from my "Mystical Fae Phase".

I have to chuckle at how amatuerish they appear to me now, after the last few years of intense study of the human figure. But they ARE mystical folk afterall, and who is to say whether their depictions are correct or not?

So I am sharing them with you, these simple renderings from my past, as just another step toward my artistic journey, revealing everything whether good or bad, holding nothing back.

I think I will drop them into my Etsy Shop. Hey, you never know who might prefer them over my newer "more sophisticated" work, LOL!

 Thanks for visiting!

'til next time,

Diane

a great mag or book and a cuppa coffee

My favorite thing to do on a lazy morning (such as today) is to sit in my big
comfy chair with a sweet cup of freshly brewed coffee and leaf through one
of my favorite magazines or art books.

I take all that inspiration, allowing it to fire up my creative muse.

Today my inspiration comes from all of you as I browse blogland.
That reminds me, I need to refill my coffee cup...

There are a few special books that get me revved up every time.

One would be Robin at Magnolia Pearl's book:

Talk about eye candy for the lover of color and texture...Yum!

If you haven't checked it out yet, I highly recommend it.

I often peruse the pages of Flights of Fancy Boutique's fabulous handbag how-to:

Add to that list, Romantic Country Magazine and Romantic Homes, Boho Magazine

 

There is nothing like great design to get you inspired!

I think I'll go paint now...

'til next time,

Diane