shop's open!

I've finally opened up one of two planned shops on etsy! Click above to head over to the shop I set up for the sale of my artwork. So far it's just prints...I'll post some originals soon: I'm not sure if I'll post every original I have, or just ones that are not destined for shows etc.

I'm still working on re-building my stock for the sincerely handmade shop, so that's fallen a little behind my original schedule, but it'll get there. If you're visiting here because you're out of notecards or giftcards and are desperate for more- just shoot me an email (my address is on my profile page). I don't want to leave ya' hanging!

To be honest, I think I'm sort of balking at having too many deadlines and obligations on the art front...I'm trying to figure out how to balance a desire to really get sincerely handmade off the ground, with an equally strong need to slow down and let new non-deadline related paintings develop ( I have a new one done- I'll post on Monday). Add to that prints that need to get down to a shop in Illinois and a potential for teaching a class and an application to fill out for an art fair in January- I'm pulling a bit of the ol' procrastination and denial approach that was so helpful in school when I'd taken on too many classes.

In addition to my 'artist-me' my family-me' is going full-bore as we head toward my eldest's 8th birthday, Halloween and a visit from my grandmother. I also, quite frankly, am in a bit of a home-improvement mood so much of the last week was dedicated to re-covering a chair. Then today I began re-painting the living room, only to find that I'd grabbed the wrong shade of white...so while I'm embracing the project-mode, I'm clearly a little scattered because of how much I'm trying to do at once!

So: it's a beautiful fall Friday, I have plenty of time to re-re-paint that living room and I trust that you'll make it through the weekend without access to a sincerely handmade shop. I'm heading out now to take a few pictures of my latest painting, and to drop a bunch of invites to an upcoming bowling birthday party in the mail. Then I'll take some deep breaths of this clear autumn air, and come back in to find the right bucket of white paint.

lovely weekend show

The show I was in this weekend was a little different than expected- much more low key than the super-busy, very crowded art shows with row after row of artist booths...but in a lot of ways, that meant it was a perfect first taste of the whole art show world for me. People trickled into our space steadily all day as they toured artist studios througout the town. Because there was never a huge crush of people, I actually managed to have several really lovely chats with those that stopped at my booth. It was wonderful to have so many positive reactions to my work and the mix of familiar friends with new visitors was perfect.

My booth space was so fun- my amazing husband constructed these four wall panels to hinge together and fold like a folding screen- they made a really nice little space for my hanging work:

The other edge of my space was defined by a table set up with sincerely handmade products:

This marked the official launch of the line, and it was a huge, huge success. I was so thrilled that people responded to the things I'd put together- it's such fun when I see someone crack a smile over a quirky little notecard that I wasn't sure would appeal to others as much as it appealed to me!

I'll be opening an actual etsy shop for sincerely handmade in the coming week or so...I've got a little 'administrative' work to take care of before it's ready- but I promise, you'll be the first to know when it's up and running.

Thanks so much to everyone that came out this weekend- it was so nice to visit with you, and your support of my work means the world to me. 

found art thursday?

I look forward all month to posting something new in reaction to the theme Cathy Nichols picks out for her Found Art Friday challenge. It's just a great no-pressure goal to create and post something over on her site on the last Friday of the month. I find that it's a helpful motivator to have that little deadline, and it's a great chance to connect with people that stop by her blog regularly, but maybe haven't 'met' me yet.

So, this month, I was feeling pretty proud that I felt I had a piece that responded nicely to her September theme of "Change", and was just holding off on posting it here until it was time for FAF.

Well, hello...tomorrow's Friday- but it's also October! So I totally missed the last Friday of September! Check out the response Cathy had to FAF- for sure. In the meantime- I'm posting my own piece today under the sheepish heading of Found Art Thursday:

harvest days

remember these?

I am so excited...the above are images you may recognize- they're are all pieces I did over the past year.  And though (lucky, lucky, lucky me) they all sold in my summer show, I'm able to post them again because I've ventured into the confusing world of having high-end prints made! So yep- the above are prints- which I'll be selling framed and unframed versions of at that Cedarburg Arts Weekend I keep going on and on about. They really turned out so nicely- check out the detail: (I think my camera's a little out of focus- but really, the scan and the print picked up so much detail- all of the layers and textures look so real!)

And now for something new, sort of:  Here's the final version of one of the images I posted in progress a few weeks ago...I love it, it feels friendly and sweet and easy to be around:

full circle

I'll be back with another one on Friday - my submission to Cathy Nichols' Found Art Friday. Imagine that- I'll have put up 5 posts in September then- whew!

shameless self promotion

Just taking a moment to do a little admin work:

I'll be taking part in my first ever weekend art fair in a few weeks. I'm participating in the Cedarburg Arts Weekend, by exhibiting at a booth at the Cedarburg Cultural Center. I'll have a wide range of original pieces, new archival quality prints and a selection of Sincerely Handmade products. Many area artists will be opening up shop for studio tours that run all weekend, so it's definitely worth a trip. Maps to participating studios are available at the Cultural Center, so if you're in the area- come on up, say hi, and then grab a map and go tour!

my not-favorite

Most nights, at dinner, we all take turns sharing our "Favorites" of the day. I love how this gets conversation going and lets us in on what's important to 5 and 7-year old boys these days. (It also gives such boys a subtle lesson in the fact that the grown-ups have exciting things going on during the day beyond searching for legos, packing school lunches and cleaning blue toothpaste off the sink, counter and sometimes bathroom door.) Sometimes, the Favorties discussion segues into the Not-Favorites discussion. Not-Favorites are also very important to be able to express and sympathize over.

Sewing is my Not-Favorite. It just is. I don't like the specific-ness of it, and it makes me crabby. I also snipped my index finger with the scissors while trimming all the annoying, dangling ends of thread this morning. So many people sew so well, and take such joy from it- I think I'll just leave it to them from here on out.

Because of this, I believe the above celebration buntings are what is now a very limited-edition of six from sincerely handmade. They will be test-marketed at Tuesday's Child in Wauwatosa on Saturday the 25th, and any that do not sell will be with me at the Cedarburg Arts Weekend, October 8-10. After that- the etsy shop I'm planning to launch on October 11th. They are about 10 feet long, and are very nicely (one might be tempted to say tediously- but I'm not sure that's good marketing) made. They are multi-colored on one side for any and all occasions worth celebrating, all reds and pinks on the reverse for a ready-made Valentine decoration.

And now, I'm going to get back to my Favorites- which are pretty much everything except sewing.

nothing final

Hi there! Just a quick post to show you a few in-progress pieces. I'm working hard to make the days productive now that both boys are in school 'all day'. That said, it's time to go pick 'em up and change roles back to being mommy! I hope you're enjoying the change of seasons...I find my pallette shifting to warmer hues- darker, earthier colors. Interesting.