Post Rapture Prize Giveaway!

TIME FOR A GIVEAWAY! Since we've (mostly) survived the end of the world, I'm honoring the (non) event by having a referral contest! Whoever gets the most folks to like my FB page will win a signed, limited edition art print OF THEIR CHOICE from my etsy shop! To win: Leave a post on my Facebook Fan page and have your referrals comment underneath your post after they "like" the page.

Choose a print of "Hysterical Bitch"!

Or choose from many others including, "What Makes Us Different Makes Us Special"!

The peep w/ the most referrals wins! Good luck! 

You have til' next Saturday at 6pm EST to achieve your mission!

How to Feed and Care For Your New Art

So, the blessed day has arrived: You and your family have made the decision to bring home a bouncing bundle of art. But now that you've brought it home, how in the hell do make sure it doesn't crumble to dust? Well, I'm here to ease your fears, dear art fiends. Only artifacts interred in tombs for thousands of years need to live out their crusty old lives in hyperbaric chambers. In my world, trust me, those chambers are typically hyperbolic, not hyperbaric. 

Maintaining an art collection does not have to be intimidating or terrifying in any way. If you hesitate when considering starting an art collection because you're uncertain how to frame or care for your purchase, I challenge you to forge ahead! Spray your walls with 2-d treasures and pepper your pedestals with scintillating sculpture. Here are some helpful hints for when you haul your loot home:

Frame canvases without glass in canvas friendly frames, also (somewhat unfortunately) called "floaters". These can either be custom made or purchased ready to rumble from chain shops such as Aaron Brothers, Michael's or online. If  you've got a mom and pop frame shop in your town, even better! Simply slip the canvas into the frame from the back and secure with canvas clips. I promise you need no knowledge of power tools or hardware to achieve this and you'll save scads of dough.

Works on paper should be first matted and then framed under glass. If the work is a standard size, 5"x7", 9"x12", 8"x10", pre-cut mats can be purchased at most art supply stores. Center the artwork in the mat with the largest border at the bottom of the artwork. Tack the work to the mat with mounting tape (also available at most art and craft stores) and place in a frame of your choosing. The rule of thumb is a more ornate frame for a simple subject and a simple frame for a more complex subject. Try to choose a mat in a neutral tone that doesn't distract you from the artwork. I like to bring paintings with me when I shop for mats and frames so I'm certain of the outcome. Besides, I'm lavished with attention when I tote my work around and it makes me giddy.

Hang artwork out of direct sunlight to protect from fading or bursting into flames (kidding). Sculpture, depending upon the medium can take a tad more sunshine, but generally speaking art prefers a protected environment. For works on paper you can purchase custom frames with UV protective glass, though these types of upgrades can be a bit pricey. It's also best to keep original paintings away from moisture. If you are compelled to keep masterpieces in the "reading room" try to choose sturdy works which are moisture resistant. Mosaics or other outdoor friendly work are a good choice. Though a collection of concrete gnomes perched near the can may wreck your collector cred.

Acrylic and oil paintings can be dusted with a soft, dust attracting cloth as can most sculptures. Don't be afraid to touch the canvas with the cloth, though vigorous rubbing and application of bodily secretions should be avoided. Naturally, the glass in any frame can be cleaned with a cloth sprayed with glass cleaner and the frame can be maintained with furniture polish or a dust cloth. Encaustic ( a.k.a. wax) works can be buffed with a clean, soft cloth to restore their luster.  After all, who doesn't like a good buffing now and then?

One of my Encaustic Sea Dragon Paintings

Finally, if you have any questions regarding how to care for artwork, simply ask the artist you purchased it from. Trust, we want our stuff to stick around and we're happy to help you out with the how-tos. Most of what we do is not so entirely precious or delicate that it can't handle life in an average home. The work we do must first survive life in our studios, which you'll know is sketchy at best if you've ever visited an artist's space while they're in the throes of a creative frenzy.

My studio, not exactly a hermetically sealed environment.

Most importantly, enjoy your collection! Choose what moves you regardless of what's considered "cool" or "sophisticated". Ultimately what matters most is how art makes you feel and feeds your soul each day, not what the glitterati (aka trendouches) think is killer.  Even those abiding in the most humble of abodes have a right to have a daily dose of beauty and with just a little TLC, taking care of your treasures is as easy as falling in love with them in the first place.

The Curse of the Polyartisan

Much like Ado Annie could not deny the advances of any man, I'm just a girl who can't say no to new art mediums. In a marketing driven world of easily recognizable brands, this may seem at best counter-intuitive. Despite the risks associated with art multitasking, I must fuel my creative need for variety lest I lose my damn mind doing the same thing day after day.
I realize too, that I need not share each thing that falls forth from my frighteningly fecund brain. Trust me - I don't. Some ideas, though, are simply too rich to keep buried in the artist's attic. I am willing to risk creating a little confusion in order to share the wealth of rich absurdity I stumble upon during the course of a creative session.
So, despite what the marketing gurus may say, I will continue to make art with every available medium. I will offer the world a rich diversity of goods: paintings, upcycled vintage goods, jewelry, accoutrements. All stamped with the signature of my singular vision. I do this because I'm not an advertiser, I'm an artist.

(I'm a) Westward Ho!

So, tomorrow I leave for the land of deep dish pizza to participate in Femme 2008: The Architecture of Femme. I will be discussing my big gay art and how being a big gay artist pours forth upon the canvas. I will also be displaying a mini-retrospective of self portraits culled from the last 20 or so years.

Needless to say, I need a depends.

I finished a 2'x3' self portrait I'd been flagellating in the windmills of my mind for several months which I'd wanted to include at the conference as the mode du jour of c'est moi. It's called "Queen of the Dragonflies". Here it is.

MQoQ The Interview...

Sometimes Mondays can be happy! I am the featured artist today at Blogasaurus! Click the link to read the interview and afterward be sure to check out the Blogasaurus shop afterward. Andreanna makes outrageously cute jewelry that you WILL covet! I absolutely love this Bambi necklace...
WANT!



AND the Varvara necklace! WANT! WANT!

*whew*

The square One art show was fantastic. I am so proud to be a part of their efforts. It's like riding on a great big cloud of puppies and excellent pizza. Or something. It's the closest I've come to a religious experience in a while. No, they don't let me out of my cage much, so shut the fuck up. :D
Here are some pics:

Gary Randall, creator and co-organizer of GO! and yours truly.




Treza Bettencourt, Maida Millan and Moi.


Elisabeth duLac and I being exceptionally serious.


A new painting. "What Makes Us Different Makes Us Special". First panel in a triptych.

Busy Existential Beaver.

Oy it's Monday.
Aside from that I've been an exceptionally busy beaver. On April 26th I'll be selling my wares at the Islands Fest on Davis Islands in Tampa. There will be a lot of etsy FEST people there and other fantastic Florida artists as well. Yay! Fun! I plan on bringing lots of crafty swag, sea dragon stuff and tropical themed jewelry. I've listed a bunch of this new stuff at my etsy shop if you'd like to caress it with your eyeballs ...like I said, I'm a busy beaver.
I've also finally updated my Cafe Press store after oh, about a year. I'm really happy about the new stuff I have available there. I especially love the Death Clock. If you're so inclined please sign up for my Cafe Press newsletter mailing list over yonder in the right hand column. You'll also find a link to the shop there.

Aside from the non-stop go-go action of art-making I've been engaged in, I've been immersed in deep thought. Much of it regards formulating new strategies for success as an artist. Formulating those strategies seems to have triggered a pinch of oppositional defiance disorder. As I craft my master plan I start to wonder, when did being an artist mean becoming a grade A ass kisser in order to further your career? I mean, I know Blotto had a song in the 80's entitled "No one ever called Pablo Picasso an Asshole" but they hadn't met me apparently because I have.
The point is, Pablo Picasso was an asshole and still his work is legendary. Now, I neither seek to be legendary or an asshole but I'd be quite gratified with the happy compromise of entirely subsiting on my work without having to be my own personal PR firm. The reason I'm ready to let my little light of misanthropy shine is because all the schmoozing is getting in the way of the volume of work I need to complete.
The work is becoming voluminous because of the self-promotion, therein lies the paradox. I feel like that old commercial about cocaine abuse; "I work hard so I can do more art (cocaine) so I can work harder so I can do more art." Oy. Aren't there any old school art patrons in the house who'd like to bestow a little wiggle room upon a the hardest working woman in art business?
That's an entreaty to the universe dear reader, not you personally. Unless you're outrageously wealthy and want to be my patron of course.

Mega-Craft-Zilla

Living in Florida makes me fortunate enough to be inundated daily by surrealism and absurdity. From soup to nuts, nature to the man-made, things here are consistently out of the ordinairy. Naturally, this extends to settings for art shows and their participants. A couple of weeks ago I joined the Florida Etsy Street Team (FEST for short). I knew I had to be a member when I read on their call to artists on Craigs List for an art and craft show at Florida's famed Dinosaur World attraction. So dedicated was I to the concept of hocking my art at a kitschy old Florida roadside homage to all things prehistoric that I hauled my ass out of bed pre-dawn on a Sunday! I was not disappointed. The day was fair as were my fellow Etsians. So much delightful swag to be had! So many violent, fiberglass dinosaur sculptures to ponder! Below are some pictures from the event. Many more can be seen here.


My Swag at the Fest:


















More Swag:




The facts of life are not spared at Dino-World:


The rarely seen "Hip-Hop-osaurus":