Colorado Art Studio

I started these 2 fabric ACEOs last week and just got around to finishing them this week. I like to work on a lot of projects at once, so that I can bounce around as time and energy permit.

I haven’t offered anything for sale for almost 1 month now and decided to give Etsy, an online craft market, another try. I probably didn’t pick the most convenient time to do this since Etsy just upgraded their site and the bugs are still being worked out. But, I feel better about this decision since I can ask a set price and it doesn’t hurt that the fees are lower than EBay.

I posted a notice on my Ebay About Me page yesterday, directing all my previous customers to Etsy. I wonder if there’s any cross-over or not? While I love bargain hunting as well as anyone else out there, I have to place a higher value on the work that I make, and this includes not allowing my work to be given away. I might not sell as much, but I will be happy to keep some of my items in the event that they do not sell.

I received some really great feedback yesterday from my previous post. Paula Manning-Lewis told a story of how she had a goal one year of collecting 100 rejection letters from art galleries she submitted work to. While initially, that might sound defeating, it really isn’t. She went on to say that she never made it to 100, because, guess what? She received some yes answers to her queries, mixed in with the no’s. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I was telling my SIL, who used to be in sales, the story and she told me that the average is 1 yes for every 10 no’s when approaching businesses. Interesting.

In regards to motivation, another blogger, Anulla wrote about a writing seminar she attended with writer/artist Lynda Barry who advised the attendees to write and doodle without regards to an ulterior motive. Here’s an exerpt, “Finally, Lynda said something like, When kids play, they don’t say “Why am I coloring this picture? I can’t sell it. Why am I telling my dog a story? It’ll never be published. Why are we playing hide & seek? There’s no money in it.’ Kids don’t look for a purpose in playing; you can’t even stop them from playing. Stop thinking about drawing & writing as work and start thinking of them as play. Have fun with it. Don’t look for a purpose. Don’t worry about whether or how to use it. Just do it to do it because it makes you happy.”

Finally, I visited Jessica Torrent’s blog this morning who wrote about art and visualization. Again, I am left with some great ideas to mull over. Is it possible to visualize a path and make it happen?

This is really good stuff…Thanks so much! Meanwhile, my daughter and I are off to see the movie Flushed Away, which ought to be real inspiring too, teehee. Always a sucker for potty humor.

These 2 ACEO are available for sale in my Etsy shop.

Several weeks ago, I recieved an email query from the editor of a new magazine devoted to the art and craft of ACEOs (Art Cards Editions and Originals). She asked if I would like to have my Mini Art Quilted ACEOs included in the premiere Winter issue of ACEO Cards Magazine which will hit newstands in December. Absolutely! Of course I would like some free publicity!

She saw my work on Wet Canvas, an online artist’s forum. The funny thing is that I haven’t posted regularly on WC in awhile, even less so in the ACEO/ATC forum. So, I was pleasantly surprised to have received an invite. I mailed her several images, and am not sure which one/s will be included yet. The editor had posted a call for submissions on WC in the ACEO/ATC forum. So, for other artists who make ACEOs there are submissions guidelines posted on the website for future editions of the magazine if you would like to have your work included.

I finally feel like the time I spend online is starting to pay off. I would be interested if anyone else has had a similar experience.

I ignored my new blog template for the past couple of weeks, but then was forced to sit down and figure it out today after I received an email from a fellow Etsy seller who mentioned that the webring had been broken by me. I promised to fix it or revert back to my old template. I’m proud to say, that I have figured it out. Truth be told, I really like the new Beta Blogger!

Beta Blogger is really EASY to use. I like it a lot better than the old version, but it has taken me some time to figure out. It’s very intuitive to use and is much easier for novice HTML authors, like myself. I know just enough to make it work, but not enough to know why! After some tinkering this morning, I have been able to restore many of my old third party links and have decided to edit others.

In order to get a better grasp on HTML, I found and registered for a FREE online HTML 101 class at Web Tech University. It is a review for me in some respects, but now, I feel like I’m learning the hows and the whys! Next on my agenda is to get a better grip on Adobe Photoshop and my digital camera so that I can make the most out of my tools to support my art business.

These 3 tombstones were made courtesy of my daughter, husband and father-in-law. My FIL purchased a piece of plywood last week and used a jigsaw to cut out the tombstone shapes. The trio then spray painted the shapes gray and used a Sharpie to write their resprective inscriptions. Left to right, my daughter’s, husband’s and FIL’s. These are so much better than last years tombstones which were made out of cardboard and promptly wilted with the weather! If you would like a more titillating information and photographs of tombstones, check out Jafabrit’s Wed. Oct. 18th posting.

You may be wondering what ACEO stands for. It’s an acronym for Art Cards Editions and Originals also known as ATCs or Artist Trading Cards. There really are not too many restrictions other than size. Each card can not be larger than 2.5 x 3.5 inches or the size of a playing card. When I first began seeing them, I wondered why? What does one do with them? Some people trade them, sell them, buy them, keep them in special albums, hang them up, etc.

I decided to make some of these little small format art pieces last June and making them has become really addicting. I have purchased some too, though I tend to mat and frame them in the traditional manner of displaying art. I like to make them because I can complete one fairly fast as compared to a larger project and they’re portable. I bring my supplies with me when I know I’ll be sitting around somewhere for any period of time.

When people see my quilted pieces, the most frequent statement and question is “I love them! But, what do people do with them?” Honestly, I don’t know what becomes of them once they leave my studio. Some people buy more than one and I imagine they display them in a grouping. Or, maybe they’re hanging in someone’s car on the review mirror as car art along with their graduation tassle, who knows?

These are the last 2 that I will be working on until November. I am working on a larger art quilt piece for a juried exhibition that I am entering and I’m in a crunch for time now. My news on my quilted ACEOs is going to have to wait just a little bit longer. I have been waiting for confirmation…that’s all I can say right now!