Here Be Dragons!

Well, okay, one dragon, but he's a biggie! Dragons are legendary for having treasure hoards, and this blue dragon is eyeing up a beautiful piece of glass made by my friend and fellow Etsy artist Chauncey; I talked about her on the other blog here. She makes wonderful glass jewellery, and very kindly sent me a couple of extra pieces with the larger one I talked about on the other blog. One of them just seemed to be perfect for this particular piece, and it finishes it off wonderfully, I think.

I'm entranced by glass, and have always wanted to work with it in my work. And now it's happening... isn't that wonderful! I'll be using other pieces in future works. Right now, though, like a dragon, I'm guarding my hoard against invaders...except for this piece, of course, it's in the artmixter shop right here (it's worth checking it out just for the closeups of the dragon and the glass!)

Hand Of Friendship

has been kicking around here for a while, a small art quilt, but I decided to list it on Etsy today. It was made for a challenge, but didn't get as far as the actual exhibit, I think I was having a bad patch, and when that happens, everything stops.

I've made a number of pieces using hands. For me they are the ultimate symbol of creativity. This particular piece, though, reflects all the different gifts that our friends bring us; sympathy, love, encouragement, care, help, comfort, understanding, joy, enthusiasm and companionship. And that, of course, is just the tip of a very large iceberg.

I am fortunate enough to have a lot of friends; this piece is dedicated to them. All of them. Those I have met, personally, and my virtual friends. All of them, very special people.

When In Doubt...

try something new. I had intended to make greetings cards before now, but never got round to it. But on a bad day, it's always a good thing to try something new, so out came the card blanks and these cards were created. Both feature a fragment of original painting (acrylic on acrylic paper), and each is unique. Sometimes it's impossible to find just the right card, especially for a man; I think these work really well (she said, modest as ever). To be found in my Purely Painting etsy shop. Guid gear, sma' buik, my granny used to say (great things come in small packages, for those of us not conversant with Scots). Hopefully, that's what I've achieved here. And I had some fun into the bargain! What more could you hope for?

Signs Of The Zodiac

is the theme of a challenge that is currently running on Etsy amongst a group of ACEO artists. You can find our conversations here, if you're interested. I'm not sure quite how the conversation turned to star signs, but suddenly a challenge was born.

If you haven't already guessed, I'm a Gemini (talk too much, artistic, excitable, changeable...), and here is the card I made to celebrate that fact! Just about to pop it into Etsy
along with another card, 'Why Don't You Write?'. Simon and Garfunkel fans will recognise a song in there... See what you think!

Need A Little Inspiration?

Meet Millie The Muse! I have been making totem dolls for several years now, but Chauncey, one of my BBEST friends on Etsy, said that she thought they ought to be called muse dolls, because she thought that that was exactly what they were! And everyone who has one, has said that they keep it in their workspace within view, so I thought I would make a Muse Doll or two, just for fun. You can find her for sale here, if you feel you can't live without her!

Tidying Up.

I know, it's not like me, but I feel the need for a little spring cleaning in my shop. So, I've decided that the paintings section is going to close, given that I have another shop, purelypainting, where my paintings are supposed to live! Others, though, I've reduced in price by at least half, like this one here, Winter Dreaming Spring, an encaustic painting. So feel free to drop in here for a look at what's on offer!

Another thing tidied away is my Dawanda shop; I felt that it wasn't for me. But I'm still lurking on etsy and mintd...and having fun!

Two New Totem Dolls....

are appearing in the artmixter shop today. The first is 'Ash', and she represents the stability of trees, despite the fact that they change constantly. A good totem for anyone who feels that change is sweeping them away. The second is 'Dreamer'. She looks as if she is in a world of her own, dressed in floaty, dreamy clothes (silk and satin). Need to take some time out to dream? Dreamer would be your ideal totem. Check them out in more detail here