mixed media artist amy steinberg

2011-05-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

I do not know how over six months have gone by without posting to my blog. I think that is an all time record. Of course I haven't updated my website either. The good news is that I have new original art work! Some of which is in my Etsy store.

2010-11-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

A new Scrap-zine, issue #6 called "BLOOM".

And if you can believe it we are almost done with issue #7 which is themed around "monarchs". Butterflies, crowns and such.....I'm excited.

Check out Bloom in my Etsy store.

YEAH!!!

2010-10-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long since I posted. I've been busy and now with Halloween a week away it will be full holiday press after that.

Christine and I finished our special edition of {S}crap-zine. It is chock full of wonderful surprises and some really in-depth projects this time. It is a bit more expensive then our normal zines but I think you'll understand why when you see everything that is in.

~~Get yours HERE~~

{S}crap Zine is a collaborative art, scrapbook, mixed media zine from Amy Steinberg (www.amysteinberg.com) and Christina Olsen (www.scraplovers.com)

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Here we are, the beginning of September and a beautiful new zine. It has been a year since we started making our little zine, three months since the eco issue and we continue to love assembling each and every one. Over the summer we took some time to focus on a special one year anniversary edition encompassing our very favorite things. We've been culling our private collections, visiting our favorite stores and assembling this chunky, chunky, chunky zine. Matter of fact this zine is SO chunky it doesn't stay closed and instead insists on popping open and laying splayed out. We assembled lots of stuff but didn't realize exactly how much until we started assembling the pieces together in a re-purposed hard bound book. (Empty it after you've finished the projects, take out the goodies and you have a wonderful book skeleton to embellish.)

This zine includes five projects, near and dear to our hearts. We've included supplies you need to try some of the techniques, done some of the work to get you started on a project and great instructions. Really, this zine has something for the artist, sewer, crafter, bookbinder and paper person.

So, what is really included? Check it out.

* Over 20 pages of special papers including Italian, Japanese, Indian, vintage and new. We tied them lightly with a pretty ribbon in the center of the book so no creases and ready to use in your art.

* Encaustic instructions with a cake of damar resin wax and wooden block (Is encaustic right for you?)

* A pocket full of vintage papers, handmade papers and images for a collage project and challenge

* 11" x 8 1/2" sewn canvas for collage project

* Bookbinding instructions, chipboard - ready to embellish and add your own signatures

* Creating a canvas box instructions and layout

* Bauble bag (nut bag) chock full of stuff. Vintage buttons, jewelry findings, funny little baubles, milk tops plus other stuff...

* Collagraph printmaking and chipboard to make your first plate

* Ribbon card with three Midori satin, silk and wide samples. About a yard each.

* A hardback book structure for re-use

* A few other surprise goodies

We hope you love it as much as we do. The journey we took getting this zine put together was wonderful and we hope yours is too.

Amy & Christina

2010-07-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of months I've been reading a lot of zines. I've become acquainted with the "perzine" and continue my quest to read every art zine I can lay my hands on. I've amassed quite a collection and was thinking today I should share some of my favorites. AND, if I get really industrious maybe I'll write a review or two. I'm not so sure about the review part though. I mean seriously? Who am I to review a zine?

Anyway.....my favorite writer of a perzine to date is definitely Michele Roldan-Shaw. She writes a tasty little morsel of goodness called "Mezcolanza". Before reading her zines I didn't realize there was a zine genre called a perzine so while I had experimented in buying a few non art related zines I'd only found a couple that I really enjoyed.

So, Michele writes Mezcolanza and while I haven't read all of them yet I have purchased every issue she had available on Etsy. I've blown my book budget! Seriously though reading Mezcolanza has been better then buying anything at the book store and the price is better! For years I've lamented how much I hate buying a book that seems like it will be good only to get 20 pages in and feel like I am dying a cold slow death. I just can't read most the stuff on the best sellers list. Irritating, usually not well written and sometimes the minutia will cause me to dry heave. O.k., maybe that is a bit dramatic but only because I love to read and just haven't found anything since Harry Potter. Yes, I like Harry Potter books... well written, imaginative and interesting.

Back to Mezcolanza. My favorite issue so far is definitely the Mezcolanza Number Eight (The Great Fish Taco Escape). Not only did I laugh out loud while reading it in public I also was so engrossed I didn't put it down for two days while I hauled it around in my purse reading in snippets. After finally finishing I spent the next 2 or 3 nights dreaming about people and places in the zine. I'm not giving away anything here because you'll have to buy it yourself. Lets just say Michele is a really good writer and The Great Fish Taco Escape is funny and interesting. At least I think so.

From Michele's description; "56-page zine, B&W with full color foldout cover.
This is the adventure-travel Mezcolanza that started them all. The author sets out for Veracruz, Mexico on a spontaneous hair-brained quest to beat the winter blues by eating fish tacos. Topics include shamans, ticks, ghost tales, tarantula-infested beach huts, horseback riding through the jungle in search of waterfalls, excruciatingly hot chilies, el carnaval, the excesses of Mexican appetite and a very attentive guardian angel. Well-concealed cash accepted."

No, Michele did not pay me to write this nor did anyone else. I'm just enthralled with my little perzine find and reveling in reading.

Now, go buy your own copy..... I highly recommend any of her zines.

2010-06-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

So it seems that it has been awhile since I have been here to my blog. I haven't gone away I am just focused on other things and what I've learned about blogs is they can suck the life out of you.

I have been working on a new zine called "ecoette" and it will be available in my etsy store in a day or two. Just a few tweaks I want to work out.

Here are some pics of the cover and the first page. This first issue is all about the ocean! Yeah! Check my etsy store to read more about it and see more pics.

www.amysteinberg.etsy.com

2010-04-07T21:24:00.001-07:00

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the canvas project 3

Hello!
We are pleased to announce the opening of sign-ups for The Canvas Project 3. This time we are sending three 4x4in canvases and a list of 3 user submitted words for you to visually represent. Experimentation and thinking outside of the box is the name of the game.
The final outcome is to document the project in two ways, including an exhibition at our Brooklyn, NY space and in a book.
We are so excited to do this project again with everyone. It seems like everyone really pushes the limits of their creativity for The Canvas Project, and we can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Click here to check it out and sign up!
Sincerely,
Shane and Steven

Other projects you can participate in

The Sketchbook Project Monthlies: April
Sign up by April 30th!
The Sketchbook Project Monthlies are similar to the big Sketchbook Projects but without all the pressure. Each month there is a theme voted on by the community and then you will have two months to work on your book.
Sign up here.
The Sorry Project
Say your sorry with art!
We all have a lot of emotional baggage that we are looking to get rid of. This is your chance! Create small works of art (doodles, notes, or letters) that help you move on.
Sign up here.
Collecting Objects: Yesterday
Art with non-traditional materials
We want you to go out, collect objects and the create art work using only found, non-traditional materials.
Sign up here.
Around the community

Mail Me Something Book

Preorder your Mail Me Something Book!

posted by: shane

Sketchbook of the month club

A Sketchbook at your door every month!

posted by: shane

Get inspired!

Check out other Art House community members art work to get inspired for your own art work!

posted by: Steven

10 x Coffee

I save the cups from my morning coffee and turn them into people.

posted by: jopole

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2010-04-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

After months of avoiding my blog(s) I thought I should probably write something to tell people that I have not abandoned it. Instead I am taking a breather of sorts. Too much technology makes some of us grumpy and overwhelmed. That would be me.

You can see my occassional post to Twitter under @amysteinberg . Occassionally I'll post something that might be interesting here. Maybe not.

The short of this post is to say that I am still here and will continue with this blog .... someday. Hopefully sooner rather then later.

If you are interested in what I am doing I'd suggest checking out the following video.

2009-12-26T22:01:00.000-08:00

I joined the Art House Co-op, Sketchbook Library a couple of months ago and was given the word "space". I've been stumped.

There is space between us.
There is space in space.
There is space around things.
There is space in that hole in my heart.
There is space between here and there.
There is infinite space.
There is space in constellations.
There is space between teeth.
There is an unlimited expanse of space.
There is conceptual space.
There is empty space.
There is full space.

I got my blank sketchbook and there it sat, empty.

Until today. I took it apart, painted my own pages and will now fill them. Original work. New work. Can't wait. Stay tuned I'll post here when it is done and it is going to have to be done in the next couple of days because its due by the 4th of January.

2009-11-27T15:41:00.000-08:00

It is with glee and happiness that I announce my new ART ZINE. I've been wanting to do an art zine since the first time I saw Teesha Moores zine in a PaperSource about 3 years ago. Now that I am working on a collaborative zine with my friend Christina called {S}crap I was just all that much more inspired to come up with a zine using my original art and a few words.

A couple of weeks ago Chris had a art day at her house and about 15 ladies showed up and we all got to be artsy and crafty together. I pulled out some papers I'd been making and just started to doodle with my water color pencils. From those 16 pages came my zine called "I am tired of pretty". Such a long story.

Last spring I'd submitted a piece of my work to an online gallery and was refused. I was mad. My art just doesn't seem to fit so much of the cute and/or clean art you find in places like Etsy. So I decided to make a blog called I am tired of pretty. I did and I posted like 3 times. It was suppose to be a place to rant about the inequity of not being published or something like that. The graphic on the top of the blog is from an original journal (zine) made in the 1940's. I added the text but I love the graphic and it is soooo opposite of all that cute pretty stuff.

Anyway, now I have an art zine and I decided to call it I am tired of pretty and it is about me. Mostly it is pictures of my art but there are a few words, here and there. You can buy one in my Etsy store!

I am on the zine hook now so look for more to come. The new issue of {S}crap is available in my Etsy store so pop over and grab one of those too!

I stayed up late last night and updated my website too - http://www.amysteinberg.com - a few new pieces and other stuff.

xoxo

2009-11-16T18:53:00.000-08:00

I swore I would write everyday when I moved over to this blog. A month later and I've only posted once. Not for a lack of thought but more about not knowing which one or two things to write about on any given day.

I've also been flumoxed by how to re-design this blog. I want it to reflect my art and where I am right now in the world. I want to show my collaborative work from {S}crap Zine, my very own new art zine about flowers and a bunch of other stuff I'd like to share. So in the short term I am going to share the new {S}crap Zine. Then on another day I'll share other things.

{S}crap Zine

To our surprise and great delight the first issue of the {S}crap Zine was hugely successful and sold out in one week. We honestly didn't have any idea how the zine would be received and were really just doing something we both found fun and rewarding, regardless if it sold. (Don't tell our husbands!) What we have learned so far is that sometimes when you love doing something it can be rewarding in more than one way.

With that said we are excited to say the next zine is in the works and will be shipping November 30, 2009. Volume 2 of {S}crap Zine is all about numbers and is limited to 38 copies.

Counting numbers, sewing numbers, cutting numbers, using numbers as design elements, ways numbers are used in our daily life and numbers as a source of inspiration. Why numbers? Because the new year will be upon us and with a new year comes more wonderful numbers including calendars and dates and oh, just so many things! We also decided on a cool wintery color palette and have added more projects, more bits & pieces, more recipes, more, more, more and more!

Here is a list of contents (not complete as we are still adding/changing things.):

Journal page - Using numbers and design elements in your journal
Coffee journal - inspiration for your daily cup of coffee or tea. Taking 5 minutes during your morning ritual to document your life or whatever inspires you
Collage sheet - vintage and antique calendar elements
Vintage bingo game - reproduction of vintage bingo instructions, cards and game piece with with project using air dry clay to make bingo markers
2010 Calendar - Three months included, access to download additional 9 months
Vintage music sheets + a little about the music & math
Stencil - You'll get easy peasy instructions on how to make pretty stencils plus one stencil ready to cut (How can the number 5 be used as the basis of design to create a flower stencil?)
Acetate #10 envelope
One "almost" house size number to use in your art. Whatever "your" art is.
One sheet of woven raffia'ish type paper/fabric with assorted embellishments (buttons, ribbon, etc.)
Instructions on making a fabric flower project
Instructions for using 2 part epoxy resin to make a cool & fun piece of numbered jewelry (with bezel?)
+ bits & pieces - An assortment of treasures to inspire and be used
One cover with interesting technique on using modeling paste & corrugated cardboard with instructions
One cover of corrugated cardboard and a stenciled number (probably a surprise too)
Three sheets of card stock with a project to make a book signature and bind yourself
One recipe
Some tape
Some more ribbon
Three staples
At least one spelling error, maybe two if we are lucky
One geometry word find

How cool is all that? More projects, more stuff!

We are pre-selling a few copies to get things kick started. We are also hoping this will give everyone a jump on adding the {S}crap Zine to their list of holiday purchases for artsy crafty friends or yourself. And as crazy as this sounds we are already thinking about a February issue. But, that is a surprise and we aren't ready to talk about that yet.

You can purchase your numbered copy in Amy's Etsy store now and your {S}crap Zine will ship on November 30th. AND, if you would like the Zine delivered directly to a friend as a holiday gift just mention in the comments section during checkout and I'll contact you for a mailing address.

Enjoy the creative journey because it is really the journey that counts.

2009-10-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

Today I made my one of my at least twice yearly trek to Berkley. I generally just don't go to the east bay unless there is a burning desire to see or do something. I hate to say it but I just like San Francisco better!

While there I visited the Dick Blick where I bought three Staedtler pens. Black, warm gray and cool gray. They are beautiful pens to hold and sketch with....*swoon*. You can get the specs on the Staedtler site.

I also bought a book. I know I already have like six books sitting on my side table that tend to move to my tote bag en masse, then to the couch and finally back to the side table. But this book is the FIRST book in years that I've felt really artistically inspired and where the author has interviewed other fine artists siting real world examples of how they work. Why they work on the subjects they work on. Just so much good info. Additionally, 1/2 the book is dedicated to art techniques like dimensional substrates and treated surfaces.

I am so, so, so jazzed!

I'm thinking of putting a group together to review this book. Interested?

2009-10-12T16:29:00.001-07:00

2009-10-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

{S}crap Zine is one of my new adventures. This was a collaborative project between my friend Christina and I. It is meant to be part inspiration for the receiver and part stuff to use. So in some ways it doesn't fit the original definition of a Zine... however, that is the beauty of the zine and especially ours....you can take creative license. We took a lot of creative license and consider this a fun art zine with a little spin of inspiration. A zine of a different sort. {S}crap is meant to be taken a part, cut, sewn, painted, drawn and quite literally anything you can think to do.

We started talking about doing our own zine last July but it is finally coming to fruition with this first issue. Our goal has always been to up cycle as much as possible. Re-use, recycle & upcycle. That's what we want you to do with {S}crap, use it for inspiration but also take it apart and use the bits and pieces. It is not meant to be read and then put on a shelf somewhere. It is meant to be used. We hope that's what you do.

{S}crap Zine, Volume 1 October 2009 - limited edition of 25 contains the following goodies;

library pocket
vintage cookbook ephemera
original acrylic art card - amy steinberg
instructions for using a Chartpak for image transfers
large manila tag with Halloween themed transferred image
5 3/4" x 4 3/4" envelope - archival paper
page of picture prompts for journaling, art projects, inspiration
journal page sketch
handmade tape
recycled manila folder with Halloween inspired vintage collage sheet
small round tag
recylced pocket with vintage recipe card
halloween word find with 1 mystery word
sheet of recycled cardstock, primed with gesso
2 pocket 6"x6" pocket made with archival patterend paper
original journal sheet on Fabriano paper - spider & fly
sheet of Halloween stickers
sheet from vintage accounting journal 14"x8"
instructions "make a paper bag book"
paper bag
library card
bag of goodies with ephemera, buttons with surprise bits & pieces (send us a photo of how you've used your pieces and one random person will win a prize)
canvas triangle with vintage button, ric rac & seam binding attached
front & back chipboard covers (ready for re-use!)
single piece of acetate with {S}crap Zine printed on it :-)
2 1" binder rings
at least 1 spelling error
1 prize for the person who gets the purple envelope (if you get it email me so we can send your prize)

Remember this zine is meant to be taken apart and re-used. You can purchase one for your very own use in my Etsy store for $19 plus $5 shipping/handling.

Enjoy the creative journey because it is really the journey that counts.

Cheers ---- Amy

2009-10-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

New things are coming.

With a decision to focus back on my art this blog is becoming my main blog. In other words I will no longer actively post at www.charmingsam.blogspot.com. That doesn't mean Charming Sam has gone away it just means my focus is back to my mixed media art work and less on the jewelry.

You can still see my latest jewelry at Artfully Elegant or at my Etsy store.

In the mean time look for a fancy new make over, new posts and most importantly new art.

See you soon!
Amy

Interesting Artist - Aunia Kahn

2009-06-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

A new week and I've found an interesting if not a little disturbing artist by the name of Aunia Kahn. Beautiful and detailed her work is what you make of it based on your personal perspective.

Personally I really like the art and find it thought provoking.

Visit her Etsy store!

2009-05-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

I love San Francisco!! It is by far one of my favorite cities. I love its quirkiness. Yes, it is beautiful to but it is the quirkiness of the sites and people that I really love. There really are things I swear you only see in San Francisco. Anyway, I've had a thing about the sculpture on the Embarcadero called Cupids Span. It makes me smile so I've finally gotten it in a perspective I like, added the heart because of all the heart sculptures in the city and the colors are there. I just have to finish the details, add some collage pieces I have and somehow I may try to get the labyrinth from Grace Cathedral in there.

I have been working on drawings for this painting for a couple of weeks along with some drawings of NYC and New Orleans. We'll see what actually makes it to canvas but if all goes according to plan I'll finish this painting this week and if I am really lucky I'll start and finish one more before Maker Faire in two weeks. I'll write more about Maker Faire as it gets closer but you gotta come out if you are in the bay area. It is so much fun and you are really supporting the indie community by coming to see all the craziness. Get your tickets early , they are a bit spendy at the gate and last year the lines were an hour long!! Totally worth the price of admission for the whole family.

Sgt. Pepper went to India

2009-05-11T20:15:00.000-07:00

I've gone to college twice. Once when I was right out of high school and once about five or six years later. The first time I went to college I dropped out and moved to Hawaii. We can just say that my grades were not the greatest in the world. It was basically a giant waste of money and time. I didn't take my education seriously and I really wasn't mature enough to take the responsibility given to me.

I moved to Hawaii and quickly took an interest in world religions. I grew up with very little knowledge about other cultures and religions and moving to Hawaii was a culture shock. Moving back to the mainland was a culture shock in reverse but that is another story. When I went back to college I took several world religion and cultural anthropology courses and became fascinated with religious iconography but because I was not an artist yet I didn't feel I had any way to express some of these thoughts.

When I began my series of paintings, Passage to India part of my exploration of the culture was between the Lotus and the Ohm symbols. The question is really, "what came first?" Ohm or Lotus? The next question I had was "what was it like for people traveling the Silk Road through India 500 years ago?" And last, "what was it George Harrison and subsequently the Beatles went to India to find?"

Yes, I realize these are disparate thoughts or seemingly. But honestly they are not. I think the people of the 14th century traveling on the Silk Road were looking for answers to their questions just as the Beatles were looking when they went to India in the 60's. So, what came first? Ohm or Lotus? What gave birth to the other? Did Lotus come down from the sky and open to Ohm? And how was this all related to Shri? That symbol you see in the painting is Shri, see my previous post for more info.

These are the things I ponder and my painting Sgt. Pepper was really a way of exploring my modern life in relation to these questions. I still don't have the answer or answers to this but I will continue to explore these concepts through my art and have fun naming my paintings.

Passage to India

2009-05-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

After my daughter was born my husband and I sort of went crazy, sold our house and moved clear across the country. It took us less than two years to realize we made a mistake so we moved back to California and bought our old house back from the people we'd sold it to. No kidding.

During the time we did not live in California I did four series of paintings, one of which was called Passage to India. The series originally had 14 paintings and all were at least 30"x40" in size. I sold many of the pieces to a gallery and some to collectors. I do however have two of the series still in my possession that I'd sort of forgotten about. Not because I don 't love them, they both were hanging in my house but because I'd just gotten use to seeing them.

A few days ago a couple who purchased one of the paintings from this series contacted me to see if I had any pieces left and after running around the house I realized I had two. The one here is called "Eve Never Sinned" and was the second in the series. I painted this when my daughter was about six months old. There is a lot of symbolism in this piece for me personally.

The form of the woman's body is shown as the tail on Lotus with Shri in the center. I realized after my daughter was born that women are really the center of being and thus if you are Christian then my commentary would be that "Eve Never Sinned". Of course as part of a series about India this brings in the Shri and a walled city at the end of the Silk Road. I could spend a lot of time talking about this concept and I'm sure I haven't given the concept justice in this post. Hopefully you get the idea.

The Shri shown in the center of the lotus and then stamped randomly on the canvas is from a wooden stamp a friend brought back from India for me. Actually, the funny thing is he didn't bring it back but had is mom hand carry a shopping bag full of wooden blocks from India to California for me. Many blessings to his mother!

So, in short that is the story of Eve Never Sinned. One of my favorite paintings.

Inspiration & Zines

2009-04-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

Every day I find other artists who inspire me. All types of artists, some famous and some not so famous. Art is subjective and everyone has their own thing they are attracted to. Unfortunately I am attracted to so, so, so, much!

The thing that has been on my mind this last week is Zines. From Wikipedia - A zine (an abbreviation of the word fanzine, or magazine; pronounced [ziːn], "zeen") is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier on a variety of colored paper stock.

I actually think this definition is a bit out dated as zines have really evolved to be ANYTHING the author or artist want them to be.

So, I am thinking about zines. Travel zines, art zines and jewelry zines. I am thinking......

One of my favorite places to see some artists books and zines is Rowan Morrison - http://www.rowanmorrison.com/store_zines.html

Interesting Sites to Explore

2009-02-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

I've learned of some new sites I think are interesting and wanted to share.

http://www.trendhunter.com/

29 Heart-Shaped Innovations for Valentine's Day from Tendhunter Magazine can be found HERE

http://www.ponoko.com/ A quick to market resource for your goods. Design your own product, buy a product plan or get a FREE product plan to make. Use their software to create a product and they will produce the product in "your" factory. Could be an interesting site if you have an idea to create something but don't have the technology resources to produce it. Worth exploring that's for sure.

http://www.spoonflower.com/ - Design your own fabric and get it printed for $18 a yard. You can buy it or you can let others buy it.

Don't forget to check out the new documentry Handmade Nation.

AllTop - Craft

2009-02-02T22:56:00.000-08:00

All the top Crafts news - A very interesting aggregator for hourly up to the minute info on your favorite topic. In this case I've chosen CRAFT.

http://crafts.alltop.com/

Craftster

2009-01-24T23:49:00.000-08:00

Today at CHA I heard the founder of Craftster.org talk about her website. How come I haven't spent any time exploring this site?

You should take some time to check it out. They have organized craft swaps AND they have crafty info for your area - go here

Off to another day of crafty classes tomorrow and hanging out on the vendor floor getting cool samples and meeting people! Yeah!!!!

2009-01-18T00:22:00.000-08:00

Collage can come in so many forms and in the DIY culture you can take every day items and make fun collages to hang on your wall, cover a small box or make a pretty greeting card.

Here is a quickie guide to different types of glues widely available and tips on the best substrates to use and why some glues are better than others depending on what you are doing. I've tried all of these glues myself, in different environments and tested on a lot of different substrates.

1) Elmers Glue Stick - You should be able to find this anywhere from the grocery store to a craft store. These are great to travel with and they dry clear and are perfect to use for greeting cards or small collages. Once dry this glue holds up well but isn't archival if you are working in fine art. This glue stick is also best used on magazine, newspaper or copy paper weight paper. If you get some curling just take a piece of freezer paper, slick side against the glue side and press under a couple of books. I've tried several generic brands of glue stick and honestly never found one worth using.

2) Mod-Podge - This is a great glue on stretched canvas AND it seals well. However, because it is a wetter glue using it on a paper substrate (even heavy weight papers) you are going to have a hard time getting it to dry completely flat. Again, you should employ the freezer paper trick from number one above. If you want to use mod-podge as a sealant it works great but you really need a heavier substrate than paper so as not to get curling of your piece. I highly recommend wood, canvas or a 1/2" foam core board as your substrate.

3) Yes! Glue Paste - This is a very thick paste and works best using a hog bristle paint brush or palette knife and doesn't work well with a sponge or brush with soft bristles. A great all around glue for any substrate and as you work it the paste will become warm and easier to spread. Very sticky and dries pretty quickly. If you are covering a large area such as a canvas you'll need a scraper/palette knife to manipulate. Once you place your paper on this glue you have to be quick if you need to reposition it.

4) Golden Gel Medium(s) - Most artists I've spoken to prefer the gel mediums to attach everything from paper to buttons and all kinds of objects on to a substrate. There are 10 different gel mediums from Golden but I personally prefer the Heavy Gel Matte. I use this as my "go to" glue for most everything I do. I use it on canvas, wood, stone and most recently I've become a fan of Strathmore Illustration Board. The gel is heavy enough to glue coins, buttons, small bottles and other small objects on to vertical surfaces.

There are many other types of glues and adhesives available for more specialized surfaces and usages such as jewelry, metal arts, altered art and mixed media. I'll cover some more kinds of glazes, resins and industrial adhesives.

2008-12-21T23:57:00.000-08:00

I just wrote this great post, pushed the #8 button and BAM... everything is gone. With that said I am not re-writing it.

Instead I am going to send you over to look at Art-e-Zine for some fun art and tons of artsy resources. If you are an artist and have never been to this site please schedule some time to spend perusing, viewing, reading and learning.

On a side note I've posted a few more new pieces of art on my site (examples of my work are in this post, London & Venice). I have over 50 pieces to post and will get them up this week. A sneak peak here of one of my favorites. Travel Art. I'll be talking more and more about Travel Art in the weeks and months to come.

Happy Holidays!

LoudLife

2008-12-19T20:31:00.000-08:00

Hi my name is Amy and I am a junkie for someone else's PlayList.

http://view.playlist.com/4346056971/standalone

Traci Bautista

2008-12-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago while attending Art & Soul in Portland I took a class from Traci Bautista. She was so easy going and the class was overwhelming. Honestly, if you saw what I made in the class you'd wonder. I think Traci wondered too but she was to nice to say anything. LOL!

This last week I was making some paper canvases that I learned how to make in her class and also in her book Collage Unleashed and decided to take a couple of photos of what I'm working on for an upcoming show.

I have an art show in San Francisco on the 14th of December, KPFA Arts & Crafts Fair. Come visit me I'll have ALL new work plus a few limited edition jewelry pieces in mixed media gift boxes.

The Art of Happiness

2008-11-17T23:22:00.000-08:00

While trying to steal (yes I said steal) keywords (www.keywordspy.com) from other similar jewelry sites I was cruising Alexa and somehow found this artist, Karen Hatzigeorgiou. I'm smitten.

First you have to check out her altered book, http://karenswhimsy.com/altered-books/happiness/.

I got on her blog and found this post about the Olema Cemetery. I live near this cemetery. Not like it is next door or anything but a hop skip and a jump is all it would take. I'm there. Sculpey in hand to make castings. Check out Karen's finds here.... http://artful-journey.com/ scroll down...you'll find it. I promise it is worth it.

Favorite Etsy Artists

2008-11-05T18:01:00.000-08:00

The honest truth is that I have so many favorite Etsy artists I could never just pick a couple. But here are some that have caught my eye recently.

Original Artwork & Prints by Kellie Schneider

Jessie Lawson

2008-11-03T01:32:00.000-08:00

A new ACEO framed in a pretty shadow box. The image really doesn't do it justice but if you are interested in more of my original works please visit http://www.charmingsam.com/aceo.html

Happy Voting!

Up Once, Twice Late

2008-10-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

So, I have a fancy new web banner and I've updated my main site (www.charmingsam.com) for what I hope is a decent holiday season.

The image here is new and called "Up Once, Twice Late". I have no idea why I named it that but it seemed to fit. It is a mixed media collage with everything from acrylics, marker, oil pastels, water color and some other stuff I can't remember now. I'm happy with how it turned out and have a bunch more in process. It's suppose to start raining tomorrow so I'm hoping to get some more art done this weeknd. I like to paint in the rain.

Soul Collage

2008-10-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

Another weekend exploring my creative self. This time at a Soul Collage class. If you haven't heard of Soul Collage I encourage you to take a look at the website http://www.soulcollage.com/home/index.php .

In short it is a wonderful get together of creative minds who want to explore their inner self through art. My instructor had an ENORMOUS amount of images from magazines, books, periodicals, etc., etc. for us to choose from. We were all so excited just to pull images freely that we loved and create our own little stacks. The mission was to find images that spoke to us. Don't question why or what just go with it. I seemed to be drawn to birds. I actually have been drawn to birds for the last year or two but really don't want to include them in my art work. It just doesn't feel like my 'thing'. But for this exercise I was free to choose whatever I found.

Once we got our images cut, torn and clipped out we were instructed to create as many cards as we wanted in the time allotted. Again, don't worry about if what you were creating was a masterpiece but focus on how you felt about the images and put together images you felt went together. Again, don't ask why...just go with it. So that is what I did. I ended up with 4 cards at the end of the day and I am so attracted to each card and find them very interesting. Two cards have white stallion horses and two cards have birds. Go figure.

After this we all did a reading of our individual cards. Here is where you'll have to experience this deeply moving class yourself. I can only say it was wonderful, emotional and relaxing and tiring all rolled in to one big blob. LOL!

I've included a photo of my first card I created. This is my birds. The "I want to fly" card. My deep want for my art to reach a broader audience and to "fly".

If you aren't in an area where you can take a class I'd encourage you to get the book and maybe get some friends together to clip and paste.

Cheers!

Inspired

2008-10-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

A week ago today I was holed up in a conference room at the Embassy Suites in Portland Oregon. The floors were covered in plastic and there were about a dozen other kindred artists hanging on the every word and demonstration from our instructor and artist extraordinaire, Tracy Bautista. If you are a mixed media or collage artist or even someone who just loves papers than get yourself to the local book store and pick up Traci's book OR if you can find one of her classes near you I highly recommend attending. You may look at her style and think, "not for me". Not true. Her techniques can be applied to your unique style and what you'll find is a wonderful new sense of experimentation in your work.

As part of my new found experimentation I am also reflecting on my own work and things I gravitate to again and again in my work. Travel, flowers, written words, maps, buttons, texture, etc. This got me to thinking about brainstorming some words that may or may not be used in future work. Basically the following list is what came out....uncensored. I just wrote whatever came to my mind.

Paris

Sam

Twisted Straight

I'm Tired of Pretty

Sworn Secrecy

Change Something, Change Anything

Embrace the mistakes

Feel Forward

I'm not afraid of the dark

Figuratively Speaking

Dance Once

Dance Along

First try only

Up from Down

Old Soul

Happiness Kicks

She doesn't get it

Over the top

Moon to Cassiopeia

bon fete'

Then I had to stop because it was time to put Sam to sleep. Interesting list. I hope some psychiatrist doesn't read it and come up with the conclusion I am crazy. Although I've heard on many occasions that you have to be a bit crazy to be an artist. Not sure if that is true or not.

I encourage you to brainstorm like this. You might find some interesting inspiration.

Cheers!

Amy

PS - Inspirational books worth checking out

Christine Mason Miller - Learn & Buy HERE

Kelly Rae Roberts - Learn & Buy HERE

2008-08-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

I've just spent the last 3 days at the ZNE ConvenZioNE in Pleasanton. More about that later...in the mean time look at this little gem of a shop. Castle in the Air in Berkley, CA. Um, you have to read the class descriptions. I've got to sign up for at least ten between now and the end of the year. How did I ever miss this place before? The website is beautiful!!

I love a good art store. Don't you?

2008-08-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

Hmmm....a new book is out called Altered Art Projects by Jill Haglund. Looks interesting. I guess I'm going to have to hit the book store to check it out.

Tag Art

2008-08-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

My mom was visiting a couple of months ago and brought these wonderful little tags to Sam and I. She made them herself is an amazing artist and has a wonderful eye for all things beautiful. Anyway, she brought these and I am just now getting them photographed and up here to share. Aren't they fun! I need to figure out how to frame and put them up somewhere instead of hording in my studio.

Which brings me to the cleaning of my studio. I've been working on lots of art projects and can't find ANYTHING. So I have a friend coming over Monday night to file and organize for me and in the interim I am tossing stuff. Why do I have some of this stuff and what is with all those things I can't bare to throw a way because I "might" need it for something some day. For instance, I found a glassine bag I picked up at a restaurant that the silverware came in. ahhhh! Anyway, I'm off to paint.

Happy Weekend!

Beautys Lot

2008-07-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

Here is one of about 40 (forty), yes you read that right. Forty ATC's that I am working on right now. This one is called Beautys Lot and the original image has a small caption in French. I'll be releasing a new collage sheet in the next month and this image will be available on it.

Originally this image was published in England between 1760 and 1810 and is considered a satire of French hairstyles of the times. Any way I've added it to this little ATC along with some flowers and other such things.

Cheers!

Things I need time for...

2008-07-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

I love magazines. Actually I love books AND magazines. Someday I'll talk about books but today I am trying to get through my ever revolving pile of magazines. I have a system that requires each magazine be perused from cover to cover, read interesting articles and then set aside to research ads, topics and other things I want to learn more about. Unfortunately this system isn't the most expedious so I have a stack of Somerset Magazines that I need to go through and tag for follow up. So, here we are. Follows is my list of web sites and other stuff I need to research, look at, drool over, etc., etc.....of course this is when I have time. At least now I can take the stack of magazines and file away on the bookshelf and quit hauling them around with me.

www.lisakaus.com
Mixed Media Shrines
www.ornamental.typepad.com
Postscript - Advertising?
http://www.stampington.com/html/wanna_get_published.html
http://www.artandsoulretreat.com/affiliate-links.php
www.artunraveled.com
www.adventuresinitaly.net
www.artchixstudio.com
www.finchleypaperarts.com
Mail Art & Artist Stamps
www.tuscanrose.com
www.hannahgey.com
www.kaleidosoul.com/ebook.html
Julie Bergmann
Where Women Create
www.donkey-dreams.blogspot.com
Fain Hancock
Artists Kits?
www.onehundredwishes.com
"Sam, what happened to the icing on this cupcake?" "The fly ate it, throw it away." www.barijonline.com
www.wendyaddison.net
www.gildingthelilyvintage.com
www.lisaguerin-artblog.blogspot.com
www.stampfrancisco.com
www.freearts.org
www.dibonadesigns.com
www.arcangeloproductions.com
www.paperforest.com.au
www.artitudezine.com

O.k., I made it through 3 magazines....six to go. They will have to wait for another day.

Recent Inspiration

2008-07-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

Last week was a week to re-group and sleep. I don't have any shows for a couple of weeks so I am taking time to meditate on art and sleeping. My DH has been kind enough to let me sleep A LOT over the weekend.

But, between the sleep I've been looking at some inspiration art work thanks to my favorite blog Cherry Coloured . Recently she turned me on to Balint Zsako collages. I love the idea of taking an existing painting and altering it. I've been thinking in this vein for almost a year but I'd been thinking of taking an old photograph and adding to it. I have a print in my store of the Church of the Nativity that I've always wanted to add some sort of scene to.

I'll use it as soon as I get it on the list.

My Kitty

2008-06-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

On Friday I had to put my kitty of sixteen years to sleep. Over the last year or two he had been getting skinnier and skinnier until a couple of months ago he was down to 5 1/2 pounds. He was 11 pounds most of his life so he was just bones and fur. We took him to the vet in early April and after many vet visits determined that no one knew what was wrong and he would need exploratory surgery but probably wouldn't live through it.

He gained a pound or so and then about a month ago started loosing weight again. A week ago he was down to 3 1/2 pounds and Thursday of last week the vet said he was wasting away, his organs were starting to shut down and he was going blind. My husband brought my kitty home and we spent the night feeding him chicken, taking him outside and cuddling him. Thursday morning at 10:45am PST I held him while the vet administered euthanasia. He was gone in an instant. Here and then gone. Life is fleeting.

I will miss my kitty. My Takela (pronounced Tequila). Cat face. Bad cat. My baby kitty that I have had since he was 4 weeks old and so sick the vets didn't think he would live. He greeted me at the door, slept with me at night and sat in my studio with me during the day.

May 11, 1992 - June 27, 2008

2008-06-20T01:21:00.000-07:00

I've been working on some new ideas over the last month and this is the first piece. I would be interested in comments - good or bad. :-)A few years ago I did a series of paintings called "Alice in Paris". I did eight paintings all of which included HRH la Lapin Agile and he was some how incorporated in to each one. He is the hare painted on the outside of the pub named after him in Montmartre. He is also the cousin of the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland and has a wonderful life living in Paris in the early 20th century. He goes to all the best parties, dances with the ladies of the Moulin Rouge, stays up way to late almost every night and is the talk of the society pages. He also drinks to much, eats to much and is very dashing! Alice visits him in Paris and they have quite a time of it and alas is late returning to Wonderland.

The travel case shown in these pictures is la Lapin Agile's home. La Lapin Agile can be seen dancing a top a stage of mirrors in his cooking pot and carrying his ever present bottle of wine. As you can see it is a bit of a mess but includes all the wonderful things a hare like he needs. Mementos of his late nights and mornings toasting the sun as it rises over Montmartre. Walls are covered in the architectural drawings from the Halle's Centrales de Paris constructed for the World's Fair of 1918 plus a few photo's of his favorite ladies. He's collected so many wonderful things including the balloon from his ride with Gaby Deslys, fleur de lys, watch pieces, music compositions, metal flowers from the cemeterie, scrabble tiles, bits of string and an oversized "H" in silver glitter that stands for "Hare". Also included are early 20th Century photographs picked up at the Paris Flea Market, a deed of ownership to property in Paris from 1734 and a Carte Michelin map of Paris.

2008-05-28T22:36:00.000-07:00

Oh, my - my - my!!! For those of you who love little bitty beautiful things that just sit around until you find the perfect use for them....well, you are going to LOVE these.

2"x 2" weathered golden crowns from Sadie Olive. There is an art project in my future that really needs one of these....

Isabel Ferreira

2008-05-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

While cruising around Etsy today I came across this loveley artist, Isabel Ferreira. Looks like she is in Lisbon, Portugal and her work is just lovely. She has original paintings in addition to her photogaphs and mixed media collages.

Scoutie Girl

2008-05-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge fan of Scoutie Girl aka Daisy Janie and Jan is having a fun contest you gotta check out. I have a pair of swirl earrings in the give-a-way but there are so many wonderful things to win.

Hop over and get all the deets!

2008-05-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

I'm back from a great weekend with the folks at Make Magazine and Bizaar Bazaar. Here are a couple of pics I took of my booth and if you want to see the life size Mouse Trap go here and if you want to see the guy who played the drums and knitted at the same time go here. Thank you Willo for the great pictures!

And a special thank you to the ladies who came to see me and introduced themselves after reading my blog. Yeah!

A Place to Bark

2008-01-15T10:28:00.000-08:00

Another way to help A Place to Bark!

From Chel @ ZNEArt - Many thanks to both Barbe Saint John and Claudine Hellmuth for reminding me to post this:

Bernie at A Place to Bark has entered a contest to win funding for her animal rescue foundation. For every $10.00 donated through the badge below, she gets closer to the prize. Right now she is now #5 in the top ten badgesBUT she needs to be in the top 4 badges to win the grant -From Claudine Hellmuth:"We can do it, we are SO close, thanks to all your help! To those of you posting the badges to your blogs and spreading the word -- thank you! thank you!!! Each $10 donation is important and helps her get that much closer to winning!But we need more help to get A Place to Bark to win this grant! Let's make Bernie the number 1 badge!!! We only have until Jan 31st so we have to work quickly! I know we can do this."

As a thank you for donating your $10 to A Place to Bark, Tim Holtz is giving away one of his artworks to a lucky donor and Claudine Hellmuth is giving away her incredible original artwork as shown above - a 16x20 framed artwork that was featured in Claudine's book Collage Discovery Workshop:Beyond the Unexpected.. In addition - ZNE will give away one Lifetime Membership!How to win:Everyone who donates just $10 before Jan 31st, will be entered into a chance to win. (PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION WHEN YOU DONATE, SO WE CAN CONTACT YOU, ABOUT YOUR GIFT:)

To make it even more exciting, Claudine will give away 5 signed copies of her book Collage Discovery Workshop: Beyond the Unexpected - to another 5 lucky donors!If you have already donated you are already entered. To increase your chances of winning have your friends and family donate and put your name in the dedication line when you check out.

A reminder: we need the most amount of donors to help A Place to Bark win this grant, not the most amount of money. Each person who donates $10 will be counted only once on the badge, so get your friends and family to donate too, if you can.How to Donate:here's the badge to donate from:

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP!

To donate visit:

Network for Good - A Place to Bark>

little willow

2007-12-27T23:04:00.000-08:00

Cute, cute, cute! I was lucky enough to meet the voice behind little Willow at Bizaar Bazaar a couple of weeks ago. Very cute blog and she has wonderful taste! Love it!

Door51

2007-11-28T22:52:00.000-08:00

I've been lucky enough to have a woman in my life who not only makes my life easier but also cares for my daughter as if she were family.

Here is a beautiful photo of Nicole that her wonderfully talented husband took. A beautiful photograph .... literally takes your breathe away. You can see more at http://www.door51.com/ and their blog at http://www.door51.blogspot.com/ . Well worth the time so grab a cup of tea.

Lisa Lamoreaux

2007-11-23T07:56:00.000-08:00

Lisa Lamoreaux - Simply beautiful art.

Cutting your own stencils

2007-10-23T06:01:00.000-07:00

Patty over at Tuscan Rose was kind enough to tell me where she gets stencils that she uses in some of her art work. She makes them herself! If you have time to cruise through her blog you'll see the beautiful art work she creates with them too.

Anyway, I thought that since I have to learn to cut my own stencils now I'd share. Here goes my first official tutorial. :-)

Creating Stencils from Scratch for Mixed Media Art

Things you'll need to assemble

1) Acetate sheets

2) Sharp x-acto or craft knife

3) Cutting board or piece of cardboard

4) Tape - I like to use painters tape in my studio because it is easy to move around and doesn't rip up paint when removed. I get mine at the local Home Depot and it comes in various widths and is a bright blue. I especially covet black paper tape from United Mfrs. Supplies but have found it is hard to come by.

5) Design. Your going to have to find a design you want your stencil in. The lady graphic on this page is an easy one to start with and because it belongs to me you can use it.

Now all you need to do is place your acetate over the pattern and use a few pieces of tape to secure them together. You may also want to tape down to what ever you are cutting it on. Start cutting.

That is it. You've done it. You have a stencil that was easy to cut and now you can use it wherever you like.

Christine Mason Miller

2007-10-16T03:48:00.000-07:00

I know, I know....I've talked about Christine before but her work has evolved over the last year and I thought it was time for a visit. I loved Christine's work as "Swirly Girl" but I love her new work a thousand times more...if that is possible.

You can buy beautiful prints in her Etsy store or visit her lovely website. Oh, and did I mention how wonderfully sweet she is too?????

Art-o-Mat

2007-10-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite, favorite, favorite art "things" is Art-o-Mat.

There is no simple way to describe it except to say I am proud that I have been a contributing artist for about five years (off & on). My last Art-o-Mat work was African themed but I'm thinking something new is in order for the 50 wood blocks I just got in the mail. ???????

Support your local Art-o-Mat and learn more here.

2007-10-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

I got more art-o-mat blocks yesterday... I am thinking they are going to be silhouttes instead of Africa this time (I've sold over 100 of the last design! woo-hoo!). What is Art-o-Mat? Gotta check 'em out as they are one of the coolest things for buying original art EVER. I'll share my design when I am done. :-)

In the mean time I did this tiny 3" x 3" and have been carrying it around in my bag. I like the little words and scribbles that outline the flower. Plus the scribbles around the edge are this really cool black sparkly stuff. I'm grooving on sparkly in art.

The giant Fleur de lys is finally coming along. Background is done, yellow needs work and then I need to add in the details.... but it is progress. I'll share pics soon.

Art Cards - ACEO

2007-10-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

ACEO = Art Cards Editions & Originals. These miniture works of art are fantastic and there are books and online communities dedicated to this tiny art. The wonderful thing about collecting ACEO's is they are affordable. You can generally buy them for as little as $1.00 but it seems $5.00 and $10.00 is kind of the norm but it all depends on whether the card is an original or a print.

A great site with lots of info on ACEO's is http://www.art-cards.org/

If you use this link you can view all kinds of ACEO's on eBay http://buy.ebay.com/aceo

And of course the ever popular Etsy - http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=tag_title&search_query=aceo

The ACEO shown here is from artist Sarahkat in Berkeley, CA. I think it is very pretty. Visit her Etsy store here.

Cindy Kane

2007-09-28T00:21:00.000-07:00

The feeling of bliss when finding an artist that you really admire and love their work. Today I've found that moment of bliss in the work of artist Cindy Kane. Look at how beautiful this image is. The delicate flowers perfectly suspending the little bird in an aura of light. Then to make this painting even more interesting she's used a magazine cover as the canvas. I'm guessing the magazine cover is mounted on some sort of board but it really doesn't matter. This painting is just beautiful.

She has others available that are really cool too including one called Daunting. At first glance it looks like a bunch of old pieces of notebook paper glued on a canvas. Then you realize she has painted them on. Perfection.

Be sure to check out her work and other great artists at Cheryl Pelavin Gallery.

Art Stuff

2007-09-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

I talk about art all the time and I have talked about artists but I've never really gone out to find blogs about art. That was my goal today to find some good resources for artists and people who love art. I sort of had a hard time...although if you go to Delightfulblogs.com there are a lot of options and I need more time.

Here are two other sites I found that I also need more time for....

1) ARTrepreneur - I think my favorite resource is The Pauper which is a giant listing of artists and their art. Filmmakers, sculptors, poets, painters, mixed media artists and the list goes on. They also have lots of articles for starving artists about helping to promote yourself, your business and stuff.

2) ArtSpan - Artspan is home to over 1800 artist, artisan and art photographer member art sites. There is honestly so much here that it is over whelming. I did however happen upon "The One Million Masterpiece".

As defined by the site "The One Million Masterpiece is a global arts project. As a community we are creating a piece of artwork that will provide a unique snapshot of modern society through the eyes of one million people scattered across the world. To do this we are asking artists and non-artists alike to complete one small square of a giant digital canvas. The project is supported by the largest online arts communities, is an official world record holder and aims to raise $5 million for charitable causes. "

Sometimes I feel like I live under a rock. I'm definitely joining! Why not? Sounds fun huh?

Learn more about artist J. West who created the painting shown above.

Amy Steinberg

2007-09-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, a little shameless self promotion today. I just uploaded a bunch of beads and such to my Etsy store. I'm cleaning out and getting ready for the new launch of my website. Yes, that is right...a new store, a new site, new colors AND bunches and bunches of new jewelry and art.

It gets better though! I am merging my Charming Sam and Amy Steinberg sites in to one and adding a new category called Ephemera. That's right! I have beautiful Paris collage sheets, vintage magic poster sheets, childrens book stuff and tons more. The engineers tell me my site will be done the 1st week of October. I should have everything up and ready by the end of October.

Here is a screen shot of the new site as a sneak preview! Oh, and don't forget my Etsy store for a bunch of new beads and jewerly type stuff.

Alice Young

2007-09-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

I am continuing with the calligraphy theme. Yesterday I received an interesting comment from a calligraphy artist by the name of Alice Young. Peeked my interest and after following her comment back to her blog and then her website I am absolutely thrilled to share her work here.

Once again I am amazed with the talent people have and unlimited ways they express themselves through art. I am being educated because my little world only contained a limited view of calligraphy as something my mom tried during one of her artistic hippie phases. She was good but I never really thought about people doing it for a living. Yes, yes I know ... "typography".

Anyway, Alice has incorporated her calligraphy in to beautiful paintings. I love this piece in particular. Called Transcend it is just so beautiful. And I'll be the first to say that working in only black and white is really, really hard not to mention the amazing calligraphy elements.

Enjoy Alice's work. Maybe I'll spend the whole week on calligraphy...

Islamic Calligraphy

2007-09-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

Today I had the fortune of meeting a gentleman of Afghani background by way of Tokyo and the United States. Besides being very passionate about life he shared with me some photos of his art...Islamic Calligraphy. While I have seen this type of art in the past I never really thought about the "real" art of it. I think maybe I just assumed it wasn't as much an art as just a way of writing. Naive, yes I am.

Then I was shown some photographs of the most beautiful ART I think I have ever seen. It brought tears to my eyes. Honestly it did. For the rest of the day all I could think about was how truly beautiful his art work is. I am going to ask him to do some Islamic calligraphy and do two things;

1) Get something tattooed on my lower middle back.

2) Incorporate in to as many paintings as I possibly can.

Oh and the third thing.... I'm going to paint it on the wall of my living room.

I've always had a thing about Islamic art but now a whole new world has opened up. I wonder how hard it is to learn arabic?

Anyway, the picture shown here I found on the Internet and is from the 1300's, Damascus.

Jill Dryer Art

2007-09-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

I love Etsy. Why, besides the obvious? Because Etsy allows artists to open a webstore for $0.00. I think if Etsy would have been around five years ago I would have opened an Etsy store long before I sunk money in to an ecommerce site.

Anyway, today I saw an ad for artist Jill Dryer and was immediately directed to her Etsy store. She does very pretty art and I had a hard time picking between the butterfly art or the bird art as my favorite. Stop by her store, buy something and say hello!

2007-09-01T00:59:00.001-07:00

I've been busy moving my studio the last couple of weeks which includes my entire house. This last week I've been more productive then I have been in several months but I am still so far behind I'm not sure I'll ever catch up.

I have however finished my first "successful" encaustic painting. It is actually a combination of acrylic and encaustic and the original is 10"x10". I love the texture and can't wait to do more.

I finished two other small Om pieces too.

Stay tuned....I have lots of other pieces in the works plus a new website coming!

Frances Benjamin Johnston

2007-08-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

While surfing the other day I ran across a portrait of "Frannie" Benjamin. I'd never heard of her before but the photograph grabbed my attention, especially the caption. "Frances Benjamin Johnston, full-length portrait, seated in front of fireplace, facing left, holding cigarette in one hand and a beer stein in the other, in her Washington, D.C. studio, 1896."

Uhhhhh....???? 1896? Beer stein? Cigarette? Did they say 1896 or 1996?

I am also intrigued by the statue or whatever that thing is to the right of the photograph on the table. What is it? Check out all the photographs of men on her mantle? Yes, she was one of the earliest female photo journalist and it seems she was pretty spunky too. Learn more about her on Wikipedia.

I learn something new every day!

Ann Baldwin

2007-08-16T01:16:00.000-07:00

Encaustic painting is one of my very, very favorite art forms and artist Ann Baldwin is a master encaustic painter. The painting shown here is an 8"x10" encaustic called "Gill Sans". This is just so beautiful with the multiple layers and complimentary colors.

Ann has many more encaustics you can see here and several galleries of mixed media work here. She has has instructional DVD's, tips & techniques, and other stuff to learn and be inspired from.

Wishing for Phaidon Color Library Series

2007-08-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

Phaidon Color Library Series: This is a really cool set of art books for any library. While the $398 for the whole set is a bit spendy for the starving artist you do have the option of buying them one at a time at Amazon or any of the big booksellers. I might just have to pop on down to my local book store to check them out.

The whole set is available at Auto which also has all kinds of wonderful bedding, bath, jewelry, etc.

2007-08-07T14:49:00.000-07:00

New painting I've been working on called "No Fear of Birds". The quote on the painting is "People living deeply have no fear of death" ~Anais Nin

I think the colors turned out really nice. I'd still like to add some details but it is 98% of what I envisioned so I'm pretty happy. Assuming it doesn't sell in the next few weeks I'll come back to it in September. I love the size too at 24"x72".

Suzanne Stryk

2007-08-03T02:40:00.000-07:00

An amazing artist I found exhibiting in Asheville, NC is Suzanne Stryk. I'm not sure that the web pictures really do her work justice and if you ever get the chance you should really get to an exhibit of hers.

Her website can be visited here and if you can enlarge the pieces and look at the detail in the backgrounds and within the objects. Truly beautiful. She is an inspiration for those of us who wish to have this type of technical grace and beauty in our work.

Ippolita

2007-08-02T02:24:00.000-07:00

Hmmmmm? I am sort of transfixed by the idea of this bento box as art. This is from artist and designer Ippolita who also has a fine jewelry line and pieces for the home.

But a bento box as art? Bento box with found objects? Bento box with a different little piece of art work from a different artist in each compartment....could be interesting!

Anais Nin

2007-07-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

"People living deeply have no fear of death."

-- Anais Nin

Palette Generator

2007-07-25T08:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my trusty mom we've found a cool new web tool. I'm not 100% sure of what to do with it yet but I like it.

Take any picture, upload and SHAZAM!!! You get this cool color pallet based on your photograph with all the associated color codes for the web. The photo I uploaded is on the left and then the pallet I got back is shown on the right.

Here is the official description; "Choose or upload a photo and a palette of colors based on the colors in the photo will be generated automatically. Use it to help with art projects, website design, or even with decorating your home."

2007-07-24T02:24:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh.........such a nice place to visit. Cherry Coloured is a wonderful blog full of art in its many, many lovely forms. There are wonderful lists of books to read, music to listen to and artists to see. Honestly worth taking the time to check out. I've just spent almost the entire last hour reading, watching and listening to stuff.

Thank you for this wonderful find from singer Siobhan Donaghy. Worth watching and worth checking out more of her songs at http://www.myspace.com/siobhandonaghyparlophone

Laura Normandin

2007-07-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

Today it's all about artist Laura Normandin. I love her art work and I especially love her site. The Ten Plagues of Egypt is beautiful and haunting. There are just too many wonderful things on her site.

This wonderful book to the left is called "Book of Common Sparrows" and is a handbound book of only 10.

Grab a cup of tea, take a seat and get comfortable. You will be inspired, I promise.

Anahata Katkin

2007-07-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

I love this blog! I love this artist! Anahata Katkin uses wonderful imagery in her work and she has everything from journal pages to tshirts . Be sure to visit her store and her concepts page is especially interesting.

Oh and the most wonderful of all is PaPaYa. Anahata has teamed up with her mother to create even more wonderful art work. This card and envelope is so beautiful I can hardly stand it!

Enjoy Anahata's work and her mother's. It's well worth the time to explore her various sites.

Julie Baker Fine Art Gallery

2007-07-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

There are too many wonderful artists to post about at Julie Baker Fine Art in Nevada City, CA. So, I'm only going to focus on Waddy Armstrong right now and then sometime in the future come back to this wonderful contemporary art gallery.

Waddy Armstrongs work is so feminine and beautiful the only word I can think of is breathtaking. There were also too many pieces to pick from that were simply wonderful but I finally settled on the one to the left. This beautiful piece of art work is cut out photo collage on paper on plexiglass. How amazing is that! It is so hard to tell what a piece really looks like on the web but I love the work this artist is doing.

Be sure to check out the other great artists at Julie Baker Fine Art.

Hadley Hutton Art

2007-07-12T02:55:00.000-07:00

I know little birds really became popular about two years ago in jewelry and art work. I'm just now kind of getting in the groove though. I found Hadley Hutton who has beautiful originals and prints for sale AND she uses encaustic wax in her art work. Not an easy thing to do...encaustic is much harder then it appears.

Hadley's website is very cool and she has all types of beautiful birds for sale and other stuff too.

I also think the name "Hadley Hutton" sounds cool. I wonder if its her real name???

Enjoy!

2007-07-05T11:30:00.001-07:00

This week I've finished one commission, two ACEO's and almost done with three other paintings and started one 72"x24".

I've decided to make prints of my ACEO's and sell in my Etsy store. You can see and or buy ACEO prints here. I think my new favorite is this piece to the on top of the page.

I'm doing a series on Ozma of Oz the book from 1907. Each of the ACEO's is drawn or painted on a page from the book.

The second photo is in my studio and as you can see these two paintings are partially done. The one on the left is almost done and the other canvas has barely been started. Both will be available at Santana Row when I am done. Hopefully the Paris one will be done for this weekend and then I'll work on the other one while I am at Santana Row.

The Sartorialist

2007-07-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

An interesting blog, The Sartorialist. The photos are exceedingly interesting on this blog and really worth looking at and noticing the details

Notice all the shoes....lots and lots of greecian flats on the ladies. These are real people who wear designer clothing. I'm guessing many of them are in the fashion industry....but Anne Piaggi is in one of the photos with a man in red socks. She is quite flashy I must say.

A fun blog, enjoy!

Lisa Solomon Artist

2007-07-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting artist, Lisa Solomon. Over the last few years Polaroid pictures have made a come back but in the art scene. There are now artists who specialize in taking pictures with Polaroid cameras and Lisa is one of those artists. Her polaroids look very interesting but I am most intrigued by her little girl dress sculptures.

For years my mom hung a dress of mine on the wall from when I was about two and Lisa's dresses remind me of that. Lisa has dipped hers in beeswax though, which is very cool. Check out Lisa's full site for sculpture, fabric drawings and other lovely pieces of art.

Jen Garrido - Painter

2007-07-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

Yikes! It's almost been a week since I posted. I didn't mean to take that much time off but well...that's just what happens. But I am back with more wonderful art and artists.

Starting the week off with Jen Garrido who has recently added her work to the new Anthropologie site across the top of the frame. Her artwork is interesting, contemporary and beautiful all rolled in to one. I especially like the painting I've shown here called "Grey Ant" which can be viewed in her Recent Paintings. Visit her site and enjoy!

Ink Vanilla

2007-06-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

Cool name, cool blog....great art! More and more this blog is becoming a place to gather artists and today I found Ink Vanilla. June Parrish Cookson is a lovely name for an artist. I think her art work is beautiful, feminine and interesting but her typography is amazing!

Take a few minutes and visit her blog. Also, take some time to visit her different portfolios too.

Art & Soul

2007-06-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

My mom was kind enough to share the info for Art & Soul Retreats the other day so I thought I'd pass it along. "Art & Soul is a paper, fabric, jewelry and fiber arts retreat taught by internationally recognized instructors." The only retreat date left for this year is in the Fall in Portland. However the 2008 dates are listed around the country.

The website also has a great list of recommended books for collage, paper arts, mixed media and just about any other thing you can think of.

I did a quick Google of some of the instructors so here are a few to look at.

http://www.sascolby.com/index.html

http://www.collageartist.com/

http://www.meandpete.com/

Cathy Nichols

2007-06-20T01:52:00.000-07:00

Beautiful artwork from Cathy Nichols. This original piece is called Poem and available on Cathy's site under new paintings for a pittance.

Also visit her Blog which is really cute and she has an Etsy store where reprints of most of her work is also available.

Happy art shopping!

Loup Scarves

2007-06-19T01:41:00.000-07:00

I got a sweet email from Yulia over at Loup Scarves and just had to share with you. Yeah, I know...it is June but honestly you need to keep this website bookmarked for holiday gift giving. Or if you are getting ready to leave for Antartica, Australia or South Africa these scarves are the perfect addition to your suitcase.

They are so pretty and snuggly looking! I love the little buttons and honestly her website is cute and the models are so "personable".

You can buy direct in her Etsy shop here.

Jen Shifflet

2007-06-18T01:30:00.000-07:00

Lookie what I found! A wonderful artist by the name of Jen Shifflet. She does extroidinary color work in oils and they are just beautiful. Check out her website, gaze at her beautiful work and dream about far away places. Image from her website, http://www.jenshifflet.com/

Happy Monday! I've got lots of painters and artists coming this week so stop bye again.

More on Abigail A. Percy

2007-06-15T01:06:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure I've talked about Abigail on here before but today I found she has a blog. Oh, man! I love, love, love her jewelry and her art.

This is a photo from her sketchbook. Um, that is sketching? I'd frame that and hang it on my wall. I'm afraid to show my sketchbook now. Doesn't look like that!

Her jewelry is my favorite and while I know I can't recreate what she has I've been working on a lotus flower design of my own. I'm using a lot of lotus flowers in my paintings lately because of a commission and other stuff and I've been thinking for months about what I wanted to cut out of my sterling silver sheet I bought. I've actually been working on a new line for fall so will somehow incorporate this in.

Be sure to visit Abigail's blog and her Etsy shop. Her studio is in Glasgow but she has stockists in the USA and will ship too.

Happy Friday!

2007-06-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

Technorati Profile

2007-06-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

"She Said I Was Late"

Mixed Media & Collage on Mat Board

8"x10"

*Detail*

Anna Maria Horner - Blog

2007-06-14T00:30:00.000-07:00

I found another beautiful blog from designer Anna Maria Horner and her lovely website. She designs some really beautiful fabrics you can find on her site. I especially love the "kicky new table linens".

And this is a great photograph of her (she looks like she is about 16) and I almost choked on my cup of coffee this morning when I read she is the mother of FIVE. Wow! I'm really impressed.

Now on her blog she has some DIY projects posted. Where does she get all the time? Of course the first one is the Owl Ornament which is cool. Sam has been wanting to make another felt one for the last week and I've been too lazy to come up with a pattern. Now we have a project to do together! Yeah!

Oh My Cavalier

2007-06-13T00:29:00.000-07:00

Julianna Swaney has the most beautiful website at Oh My Cavalier. She has these wonderful drawings with just a teeny edginess to some of them. I especially like "Not Who It Thought It Was" because it is quirky in a very feminine way.

But seriously her art is something you might find in a hand drawn book from the 17th century or something. I'm sure in a past life she must have used her idle femine hands to draw the most amazing things for all her friends when they came to dine. Or maybe she was a swash buckling explorer who kept wonderful journals about all the amazing new plants, flowers and wildlife she found as she traversed the "new world"?

Stop by Oh My Cavalier and take a look at her lovely work. And of course you can buy some limited edition prints and other stuff here.

2007-06-11T16:39:00.001-07:00

Commissions - The Process

Commissions are generally very special pieces for the person or family requesting I do a piece for them. Because of the nature of the type of art I do by collaging in family photos, maps and other items related to a specific topic it can also be an emotional process for everyone involved.

Generally I like to work closely with the client to make sure they are 200% happy. This can also be hard sometimes as an artist to make changes they request but you feel are important to the piece.

I do wish I could guarantee that a piece is going to turn out just as they imagine it. Luckily for me I've been fortunate that my clients usually tell me the piece turned out "beyond their expectations".

The process I take to work on a commission for a client is as follows.

1) We come to an agreement on the size, orientation and basic theme of the piece. Generally I do my work on 1 3/8" Gallery Wrap Canvas. I like to work on gallery wrap canvas because it lends itself to the contemporary nature of my work and it does not require framing. Framing can add a lot of expense to any piece of artwork and in some cases framing a piece is important. But unless a client really insists this is the type of canvas I use.

2) We come to an agreement on the price. Size is a factor in the price of a piece but so is the time needed to actually work on the painting. If a client comes to me with a specific subject matter where they have done the bulk of the research on the theme that will cut the price down a bit. The more time I have to spend researching a theme the more that results in the price of the piece.

*Please note the photo to the left is not a high resolution image.

As an example I did the piece to the left for a client several years ago about his family. It was to be a surprise for his mother and he only had a couple of photos and some really general information about his family history. He couldn't ask his mom for some of the details so I spent a lot of time researching his family history myself. In the end the painting turned out beautifully AND everyone in his family learned new things about their family they didn't know before. I found photos on the Internet of family members and was able to add these to the painting.

Another client had asked me to basically replicate a painting I'd already done but in a smaller size. This can actually be hard as an artist because part of the art for me is stretching the concept behind the piece to the next level. Thus doing the exact same piece again is virtually impossible for me. I always want to take it to one more level. I'm more then happy to do same colors and similar layout but maybe add new elements or explore something new to add to the painting.

3.) I have a small contract that is executed by both parties. Generally it is an agreement on the size, theme, price and general colors. Additionally it outlines the time line for completion including two reviews by the client. 1/2 of the agreed upon price is due at this time with the remaining 1/2 due at delivery of the completed painting. In some instances if the client asks for more reviews then we may split the payment in to 1/3rds, etc.

Prior to the 1st review I like to talk with the client again about their expectations and get more details on what they want. After this I will sketch a layout for client review and email a photograph to the client for sign off. They can approve as is or ask for adjustments to layout. If they request changes to the layout then I'll make those changes for final approval. At this point only a minor change in layout can be made that doesn't require a new sketch. Once that is completed and the client signs off on the final sketch then I go off to paint.

At about 1/2 through the painting process I'll email another photo to the client to make sure we are still in sync and they are happy with the colors etc. If I've done my job properly then there should only be minor changes if any at this phase. The client then signs off on this phase and I complete the painting.

4) I am happy to deliver the painting to your home (if you are local) or the painting can be shipped pretty much anywhere in the world. Paintings are shipped in custom made wooden crates so you'll need a screwdriver when they arrive.

I hope this helps you decide whether or not your are interested in exploring a custom piece of art work for your home. No piece is too small or too big. I love to learn about new people and places and look forward to your email questions. Please email me at asteinberg(at)amysteinberg(dot)com.

Thanks!

Amy

2007-06-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

I am about 2/3rds done with this painting. I sent an email to the client this morning to see what they think and assuming they are happy then I'll finish it this week.

2007-06-09T22:46:00.001-07:00

Working on commissions these days.

Love it!

Here are some sketches I thought I'd share.

These first to photos are of some sketches I did for a client. Then the photo of the Ohm Painting in red/pink is the first part of the underpainting. I've progressed further then these pics but you'll have to wait a few days to see the final piece. I worked on it a lot today and if all goes well tomorrow it'll almost be done!

Lauran Normandin

2007-06-04T01:57:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting with bated breathe for days to put this lovely artists work up and yack about how wonderful it is. Her name is Lauran Normandin and her website is very cool. BUT you have to check out "Anthology of Internal Exploits and External Joys". Beautiful handbound books with paintings, drawings and other tidbits to make up one amazing piece of art. The "Cassock" is also really interesting and for some reason I keep going back to her "Book of Common Sparrows". So, so, so pretty!

Did I mention her Hair Embroidery? If you aren't familiar with the use of hair in art then this is one way to start. There is a whole long history of hair jewelry, hair in paintings and now these lovely embroideries.

Stop bye and spend some time with Lauran, you'll love her work I'm sure.

Happy Monday!

Amy

Jose Lampreia

2007-05-30T01:35:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of beautiful photography. I found Jose Lampreia on Etsy and really love these photographs. Look carefully at the photograph to the left, there are images within images. View or buy this photograph here. He also has wonderful paintings you can view at www.joselampreia.com.

Visit Jose's beautiful store on Etsy. Inspirational in so many ways!

Photography - Andrew Thomas

2007-05-29T01:30:00.000-07:00

I guess it is time I took a serious look at the art of photography. I've always enjoyed photography and my cousin Bethany's work has given me countless hours of inspiration for many paintings. So this week I am going to show a different photographic artist everyday.

First this week is Andrew Thomas Photography of Billings, Montana. Where is Billings? Um, I think it is north western Montana and while I would have only imagined there were trees and rocks to photograph I was obviously wrong as you can see from his amazing photographs. I've always been partial to black and white photography and flowers. I love to draw flowers and paint flowers and draw more flowers and now I am trying to create some flower pendants out of silver for my jewelry. (More on that some other time.) This flower is really amazing though and I highly recommend visiting his site for some beautiful color works of art too!

Happy Monday & Enjoy!

2007-05-23T23:08:00.000-07:00

A very interesting blog I found today.

My Marrakesh

doodads....

2007-05-23T01:22:00.000-07:00

Once again I got off on a tangent surfing the Internet. Boy, there are a lot of creative people out there. Today I found this fun artist by the name of Mo Jackson and she creates doodads.

What is a doodad? It is sort of like wallpaper for your computer but really it is more like art for your art. Scrapbook page templates. I think.

Mo makes these lovely collages that she calls doodads and then sells them at downright cheap prices. I can't begin to imagine the work that goes in to just one of these little lovely graphics.

This is a completed doodad from her gallery. Visit to see all her lovely things and buy something. Everyone needs a doodad!

The Dreamy Giraffe

2007-05-22T00:38:00.000-07:00

Oooooo, how I love to find new and wonderful artists! Last week Kathy Jeffords the artist behind The Dreamy Giraffe was kind enough to leave a comment about some food she saw on this blog. And of course because I love to get comments I had to see who she was and where she was from and was pleasantly surprised that she is a very talented artist. Yeah!

Allow me to introduce Kathy and her wonderful art. Whimsical is probably not the word I personally would use to describe her art because I think there is a feeling of depth and maybe just a little darkness to some of her pieces. Of course there are some pieces that make me smile and really deserve to be in my little collection. One in particular is shown here called, "Original Acrylic Painting - Peanut Butter Girl and Her Faithful Sidekick Jellybean". I love this piece because it is funny and makes me smile.

She has a huge portfolio and lots of wonderful things for sale and if you are really looking to brighten your day you've got to add her blog to your list of favorites. Kathy's blog is fun and adventuress and just pure funny sometimes. I liked the poem to Muffin.

Stop bye Kathy's world, The Dreamy Giraffe. Get acquainted and buy something. I'm sure she'll be ever so grateful and you'll have a cool piece of artwork to add to your collection.

Cheers!

Amy

The Family Next Door

2007-05-21T01:06:00.000-07:00

I love the Addams Family. Yes, I am talking about the 1960's era tv show that starred some ghoulish but pretty darn funny characters. I only found out recently that the tv show was based off a comic strip often printed in the New York Times and created by Charles Addams. Ever since the first Addams Family movie came out about 10 years ago I'm like a toddler watching The Wiggles. Enraptured!

So today while getting ready to log on to my Etsy account I happened to spot this art from "Dance Sippy Dance" called "the family next door". It reminded me of the Addams Family and someday when my mom stops reading this blog I'll tell you about her neighbors that she fondly refers to as "THE" Addams Family. Ha!

In the meantime it's taking all I've got not to buy this but I can only imagine what my husband is going to say to me.

Happy Monday!

Too many choices...

2007-05-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

When looking for ways to promote my art and jewelry business I'm always looking for things that are free but also reach a lot of people. Sometimes these marketing endeavors are fruitless in that you attract clicks to your site but they aren't targeted and thus I could be getting Bubba on my site and I'll be the first to tell you that Bubba isn't my target audience.

Marketing on the web has become more of a science then anything and it can be incredibly complex and expensive if you aren't careful. Lately I've been reading as much as I can about Search Engine Optimization, Online Merchandising, Email Marketing and well just so many other types of Internet related marketing that I am honestly overwhelmed.

Anyway, one way to market a product website these days is by trying to use Social Shopping/Bookmarking websites. I thought I'd share a list of the one's I've tried and/or have recently found and haven't had time to try. While you may not be trying to market your products, website or whatever you may have fun surfing these sites to see what is out there. But look out it is a time suck! Happy Surfing.

StyleFeeder
StumbleUpon
http://del.icio.us/
Wists
Flickr
digg
Simpy
Furl
Spurl
Livemark
Linkfilter
Frassle
Feed Me Links
BlogMarks
lov.li
reddit
RawSugar
Squidoo
ma.gnolia
Kaboodle
ThisNext
StyleHive

ArtCYCLOPEDIA

2007-05-10T01:16:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the sheer talent and focus other artists have for their work. Which got me to thinking about contemporary women artists and led me to a site called ArtCYCLOPEDIA and a subset of pages dedicated to Contemporary Women Artists.

I could spend days and days looking, reading, discovering and then being inspired by this site but I did manage to hone in on an artist or two worth spending some quality time on. First is Elizabeth Blackadder and her painting Flowers on an Indian Cloth; Flowers on Cloth - 1965. I love this painting and am already dreaming of paintings I'd like to do in this genre.

The other interesting artist I found was Margot Lovejoy and in exploring her website I ended up at TURNS (What event changed your life?). I don't know how to describe this site except to copy their description. "TURNS is a new type of social collaboration based on the idea of revealing and then discovering one's major turning point life experience in relation to those of others." That is the first sentence of a long description.

Intriguing huh? Visit the site and really spend some time reading the stories and looking at the lifemaps. It is so interesting.

Live, love, explore....

Come visit me...

2007-05-09T00:59:00.000-07:00

If you live in the Bay area and are looking for a weekend activity come visit me at Santana Row. Now through the end of October I am showing my art and jewelry directly in front of the Vintage Wine Bar on the weekends.

Saturdays from 10:00am to 10:00pm and Sundays 10:00am to 7:00pm. I have a bunch of paintings for sale and of course all my jewelry. I'm hoping to get a new line of silver pieces done this week and bring along with my easel to do some plen air painting.

Stop by, visit and say hello!