Printable Velutinous Gift Tags are new in my Etsy shop, & as a special thanks to all you good folks I’m offering a super coupon code:
CATURDAY1 will take $2.50 off the already low price of $3.00– yes, you can print as many copies as you like for 50 cents! Good through 1 January 2019.
Happy Year of the Monkey! In honor of the 2016 Chinese New Year, Shakespeare, the infinite monkey theorem, & antique typewriters, here’s the Infinite Monkey himself, complete with a background text from Henry IV Part 2: “Ah, you sweet little rogue, you. Alas, poor ape, how thou sweatest!” (Yes, I know the theorem usually refers to Hamlet, but who could resist that line?)
I happen to have been born in a year of the monkey (never mind which), & even though I don’t put much stock in horoscopes, I can’t help but find it delightful that nearly every description of the monkey personality includes the word “curious!”
This particular monkey is available in my Etsy shop, & also makes a fitting companion to last year’s Counting Sheep!
By the way, the typewriter in this painting was modeled on one that came with our house (which was built in 1927.) One of the many reasons I knew it was the right house for us!
Do you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder? I do, & at this time of year, though I love the colorful turning leaves & the crisp weather, I always begin to feel anxious & guarded, knowing the gray days & long nights are coming.
This painting was inspired by a song that perfectly evokes that feeling, “Rake” by Optiganally Yours. (I’ve just added archival prints to my Etsy shop.)
I love the wildly twisted Arabesque shapes & subtle muted colors of dead leaves, even though they make me sad. The text in the background comes from a vintage Russian algebra book. Not sure why this seemed right for the subject, but it did!
By the way, I’ve experimented with several methods to help stave off the SAD. The most effective seems to be a daily walk outdoors, no matter the weather, no matter how short. If I miss a day or two the gloom comes rolling in.
More denizens of my painting-in-progress! This section is about 2.5 inches square.
I’m excited about this piece because it’s the first of a series I have in mind that will center on words & creatures. Next in line is the word “Explore”– do you have any favorite words that you would love to see invaded by odd beings?
I’ve recently added a new section to my Etsy shop, called Tinctures, where I offer digitally recolored versions of some of my most popular prints. I know not everyone shares my rabid enthusiasm for highly saturated colors, & to be honest, sometimes I’m in the mood for something a little more subtle myself! I do the recoloring in Photoshop, & I try to create a pleasantly muted effect without completely losing the color variations of the original– keeping just a breath of the original hues.
My word-loving friends may be curious why I call this series “Tinctures.” Though most commonly used today to describe a medicinal alcohol extract, “tincture” can also mean a tint or color. In fact it originated in Middle English, from Latin tinctura act of dyeing, from tinctus, past participle of tingere to tinge.
I like to think of these as coffee-flavored versions of my work! (Yes, I’m a java junkie.) What does that make the originals, I wonder? Fruit salad, perhaps?
My husband always teases me when I’m packaging up art for my Etsy shop by calling me “The Fulfillment Department.” I have to admit, I spend a lot of time on packaging. It’s partly an offshoot of my lifelong fondness for gift wrapping, but it’s also very important to me that your art arrives in perfect condition. It’s heartwarming to see how many of my Etsy reviews mention the quality of the packaging!
Do you want voracious bookworms in all your books? Of course you do! My latest Etsy addition is a downloadable digital bookmark based on my library painting, Voracious. The image features one of my very favorite Fleam finds, Cecil’s Book of Insects, 1872.
A new landmark for my sister yesterday: she was able to move her left leg for the first time since her stroke! Go Sarah! :-)
