Happy Halloween!

Enjoy!

Win An Ornament!

Now until 7:00 pm EST, November 5th, I am holding a contest to win your choice of my porcelain animal art Christmas Ornaments!

UPDATE Nov. 5th
Congratulations Joann Y Wheeler!!
Joann gets to pick ANY ONE ornament from my collection of over 400 Miniature Animal and Fantasy Art Christmas ornaments.

Below are a few of the many little critters in my Art Gift Shop:






Good Luck &
Enjoy!

Artist Turns Techno-Geek!

How it began

When I first started selling my miniature art on eBay eight years ago, I quickly discovered that I could make my auction listing more interesting by using simple HTML (HyperText Markup Language- the predominant markup language for web pages). Thus began my journey into the challenging, sometimes frustrating and totally intriguing world of computer coding! Very slowly I began to get the hang of simple coding which created colorful headlines and interesting backdrops for my art. Eventually I got quite good at it and even created a flexible virtual frame in which I can drop any little painting. You can preview the special HTML frame magic here

I poured over the pages of W3Schools, and to my surprise, continued to find coding fun! How cool it is to type (what looks like gibberish into a format) and have a beautiful page of color and images be the result!



My first website

I soon found the need for my own website as my art business began to grow and chose Earthlink as my web host. Earthlink offered a huge discount on NetObjecst Fusion with their hosting package, so I purchased the web building program. NetObjecst does have a rather enormous learning curve (lots of near tears sessions) but, I eventually learned to design and publish my own website, which I am quite proud of!

I still frequently find myself pulled into the "siren song" of an HTML puzzle. I begin thinking about how I want something to look on the Internet and am challenged by the HTML riddle that I must solve to accomplish my vision. For example, I recently redesigned my entire gift shop into a more streamlined and simple presentation.


The Benefits

Its been very liberating to teach myself HTML coding, because I can create or alter all my websites without waiting for a webmaster. So, if you are (in the slightest way) intrigued by computer coding, I recommend doing some reading at W3Schools and giving HTML a try!


Enjoy!

My Art- Anthropomorphised

What is anthropomorphism? Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to animals or non-living things. ~Wikipedia

One of my all time favorite, and by far the most well known artist who gave charming human qualities to her animal creations, was Beatrix Potter. Who doesn't know and love Peter Rabbit? Helen Beatrix Potter (28 July 1866 – 22 December 1943) was an English author, illustrator, mycologist (the study of Fungi) and conservationist. Beatrix wrote and illustrated 23 small format children's books. Her life's story, charming and fascinating, includes a childhood filled with unusual animal pets such as bunnies, ducks, a newt (a kind of wetland lizard) and even a pet bat! One of the many reasons I admire Miss. Potter is that in addition to being a great lover of animals, an artist and conservationist, she was also a woman way ahead of her time. For example, although her first book was rejected by six publishers, she went on to (very successfully) self publish. The tremendous success of her self published book (and 22 subsequent books) led to her achieving substantial independent income from their sales. She became a wealthy single woman from money she earned as a writer and illustrator, very rare for her time. I still relish the illustrations and stories by Beatrix Potter! Read more about this great lady here on Wikipedia or rent the movie, "Miss Potter" .


Why is giving human characteristics to animals in art so endearing? For many of us, our pets are like family. When a beloved dog looks up with his big brown eyes full of trust, it likely fills us with a deep sense of happiness. I believe we are all much closer to the animal world then we realize and yet being removed just enough that most of us can't communicate easily with the critters. In our imaginations, (especially in our most magical childlike imaginations) we give our animal friends human qualities so we can chat and interact with them as we do each other. I think animals are more aware of what we humans are thinking and feeling than we realize!


Enjoy my collection of anthropomorphised critters









Enjoy!

Being Open to Small Treasures

A "Tweet" I wrote for Twitter that I’m rather proud of:

"Be open to the small treasures in life, stop-gather them up and enjoy!"


The inspiration for my art comes from the small treasures in life

I'm often inspired by the very small things in life, in particular the small treasures in nature. Through my art, I try to bring the viewer to a place out of the ordinary-a place they would only find by really looking into the small world at their feet. For example, imagine you were sitting on a tree stump deep in the woods, maybe resting after a brisk walk, and you look down at the tangle of grass by your feet...suddenly you realize that what you thought was a rock was in fact a tiny mouse! His bright eyes looking forward and the only movement you see is the slight tremble of his fine whiskers.

Below find three examples of being open to the small treasures in my life and the profound effect each has had on me:

Houdini The Tiny Rescue Mouse

ACEO (3.5"x 2.5") India ink, colored pencil and some white acrylic.

The story of Houdini:

Deborah Peters (an art customer of mine) contacted me wishing to share some images of critters. This kind lady (who worked as a veterinarian's aid until her retirement), rescues small creatures and fosters them till they can be released. Houdini was a tiny field mouse she rescued and fostered. What inspires me most about stories such as Houdini's, is that even though we do not have to take the time, love, and energy to save such a tiny (sometimes misunderstood or seemingly insignificant) creature, people like Deborah do! The sense of deep satisfaction that comes with saving a life, no matter how tiny, is indeed sizable.
More about little Houdini here and here Click on the thumbnail (right) to see the amazing pictures of tiny Houdini when he was rescued.

Daisy The Baby Bird

ACEO (3.5"x 2.5") India ink, colored pencil and some white acrylic.

Daisy's story:
A few years ago I had the joy and honor of rescuing a baby Sparrow! Above is a miniature paintings I did in memory of this little bird, and below is a slide show documenting her brief time with me.



For the ten days that "Daisy" was with me, my whole family made minor adjustments to accommodate this little angel. Feeding a baby bird requires unlimited patience and dedication as they eat every 45 minute from dawn to dusk. Then, its crucial that the bird learns to fly, take dust baths, and eat seed rather than formula fed by hand. All of this I actually found to be a labor of love and our children helped whenever they could. In my painting, I wanted to convey the feeling I experienced in "rehabilitating" this little creature. She was so small when I found her, dirty, helpless and frightened in the dust of the barn floor. The miracle that she survived the first night was moving in itself! The dramatic changes that evolved in just a few days and the way that she actually looked me in the eye with trust and understanding will leave a lasting memory. I hope I can always remember the sensation of those tiny feet wrapped around my finger with just the most delicate of pressure as she learned to balance herself and then to fly. I hope that someday Daisy will come back to visit me, but if not, the memory of sharing ten days with her will always be sweet.

More about Daisy here

Also, find a great tip for "What to do when a bird hits your window!"

Ivan The Feral Cat

ACEO (3.5"x 2.5") India ink, colored pencil and some white acrylic.

About Ivan:
Ivan is a beautiful jet black feral (wild) cat who lives behind a shed at our local town dump. Its my job to bring him food, fresh water, and a loving glance into his beautiful eyes every day. Ivan has lived at the dump for over seven years now, here is his story:

For years my friend (Leslie Smallridge whom we lost to pancreatic cancer on Christmas day 2008 at only 56 years old) cared for our group of local dump kitties, rarely missing a day of bringing them food and water. After Leslie's passing, I looked into my heart and decided I would take care of the stray cats and help Berkshire Animal Dreams as my way of remembering Leslie. Now I am the main caregiver for the feral cats and there seems to be just one beautiful black cat left who I’ve named Ivan. Even on the days of bitter ice and cold, when I need chip through Ivan’s frozen water to make room for fresh, I never miss a day because I know I will be greeted by those golden eyes that become more trusting every week. I also believe Leslie is looking down on us and is happy to see her feral cats are cared for.
Read more about Leslie and Ivan here.

Remember to stay open, listen carefully, slow down and allow yourself to find life's tiny treasure that enrich us all!

Behind The Childrens Book

This week I finished the cover illustration for Duncan's Magical Garden (our upcoming children’s book). The illustration process has spanned six months and involved over a dozen creative endeavors...

• The story:
  Duncan's Magical Garden, written by Julia Wilkinson and Stephen Guida, is about a beautiful black bunny named Duncan who discovers he has magical powers. Duncan learns that he can transform his environment into a magical garden beyond any bunny's wildest dreams! There are broccoli trees, carrots that tower over his bunny head and every kind of yummy greens a rabbit could ever want. Of course, Duncan does run into some troubles along the way..."
  
  
• How the illustration project began:
  When I was selling my miniature paintings (ACEOs) from eBay, and enjoying an enthusiastic - loyal following, I met Julia Wilkinson. Julia purchased one of my miniatures, and later requested a portrait of her beloved bunny. Thus began a long and rewarding friendship which was also the catalyst for many little rabbit paintings.
  
  A few tiny portraits of Julia's cute bunnies:
  
  
  "Alyce-Michele Elise" 3.5" x 2.5" (ACEO) India ink and colored pencil
  
  
  "Ashley Elizabeth" 3.5" x 2.5" (ACEO) India ink and colored pencil
  
  
  "Nigel Sebastian" 3.5" x 2.5" (ACEO) India ink and colored pencil
  
  Julia writes about her beloved bunnies: “We adopted this little family four years from Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue in Phoenix. We call (the bunnies) The Fabbitz (Fabulous + Rabbits) They are: Ashleigh Elizabeth, the mother rabbit, and her three children, Nigel Sebastian, Alyce-Michele Elise and Duncan Alexander. It has been wonderful sharing our lives with them and watching them grow and interact as a family.”
  
  Each year the "Fabbitz" enjoy a big birthday bash. To help celebrate with the Fab Four, I painted a Triptych (a set of three paintings that when placed side by side will create one larger composition) of the four rabbits in their birthday hats!
  
  
  "The Fabbitz Birthday Bash" Three ACEOs each 3.5" x 2.5", India ink and colored pencil
  
  I liked how Duncan looked in his cute party hat so much that I also created a few art gifts with his portrait:
  
  
  
  
• The Illustration Process
  Inspired by her beloved Fabbitz, Julia (and Stephen) set out to write a children’s story about a family of bunnies who embark on great adventure and she asked me to illustrate it. Once Julia, Steve and I decided to collaborate on the book and agreed on details, I began work on the illustrations. Painting black fur is challenging, so I chose to paint a few trial pieces in order to practice capturing an ebony coat. Also, since I usually work in a small format of only a few inches square, I needed to create several larger works:
  
  
  "Fall Duncan" 4" x 6" India ink, colored pencil and acrylic
  
  
  "Bunnies And Lace" 4" x 6" India ink, watercolor and colored pencil
  
  My plan for the interior illustrations of Duncan's Magical Garden is to have each page surrounded by an ornate border. I will create several borders that can be interchanged with the story’s bunny characters. Below is a closeup of the first border and the page complete with Duncan peeking out.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I also used the border separately to frame my other miniatures paintings.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I love the way Duncan's cover illustration turned out so much that I also created a bunny birthday card from the painting!

The process has been so much fun, and although it has spanned a bit more time than we initially intended, we are well on our way to completing Duncan's Magical Garden.

A slide show showing the step by step process of the illustration.

Enjoy!