What I Bought on Etsy

Remedios Varo

Remedios Varo

Remedios Varo

I thought I'd share the first thing I ever bought on Etsy and some recent purchases.  I am a surrealist at heart being lured into the genre by Magritte and Dali, but staying for Remedios Varo.  I saw her show 3 times in one month when it was in Chicago.  The 3 paintings above were at the show. Google Images is a fun way to explore artists. The middle one made me laugh out loud in the museum. She is leaving the psychiatrist's office and dropping her father's head down the sewer...smugly.   Look up Varo if you would like a surreal ride.  So naturally I was drawn to some of the more surreal Etsy Artists.
 

Nadia Turner 

The above is Nadia Turner's work: "Symbiosis."  Her shop is Wayward Creations on Etsy. She's an Australian artist that was having her illustrations published in a book the last time we communicated.  Clearly she does not try and earn a living through Etsy.  When I visited her shop today it was on holiday. Here's her shop:  http://www.etsy.com/people/WaywardCreations  .

Below are Jesse Draper's 2 shoes, and he makes others.  My former costumer self is drawn to wild shoes.  I have always been a funky shoe girl.  In kindergarten I have told you I wore my red cowgirl boots daily from my Halloween costumer until the hot muggy Chicago summer made it impossible to put my  ever growing feet inside them. I know little of Jesse's training. But what I know is he able to create such memorable images by taking the real to the surreal. Your eye does not ever see the edit from one world to the other. The top is "Doc Rhino" and the bottom is called: "Hedgeclog."  Clever this Jesse is. His shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/jessedraperstudio .  Jesse's wife also has a vintage dress shop on Etsy. Something tells me they are in the costume biz. 

As I clean out my print drawers and prepare for a new body of work. I am paying close attention to what artists print their work on. So far everything I have bought has been on shinny photo paper.  Not the look I want for my work that will be turned into prints and cards.  Oh, the struggle I have gone through to unsuccessfully so far to find one.  I'm getting warmer, though.  :-)   Below is a piece that's watercolor and pencil that's bordering on my surreal side.  I see the painting version of the house running on chicken legs as dark, sepia and black.   I went through a bright color period when I first moved to the sunny state I live in now.  Going to Italy year after year dipped my brush in the colorful inkwell again.

My new lights blew out during my last shoot. The color changed with candle power I was told today. It's all still a mystery to me, my new camera.  But I have the name of a digital photo class...and so of course I am going.   Ceramics tomorrow morning first. 

Every day is a gift, open now.    Thanks for reading, xo  Suz

My Other Shop

More prints are finding their way into my shop.  I continue to add new items daily to ThePolkadotMagpie.   I am thrilled to have them out of the flat file and up in my Etsy shop.

Most of them are Italy inspired from my time at Santa Reperata Art School.   I collaged pieces of paper into these monoprints.  Above "La Lettre."

"Della Robbia"

Thanks for looking!  For some reason the images look washed out on the blog...well you get the idea.

Each day is a gift, open now.

xo,

Suz

Class Picture Day

Yesterday I continued my reshooting of all the items as well as new items in my shops. I now have a Nikon 80 "big girl" camera and some big hot lights.  I had an idea to line the personalized shapes I had up like a class photo we used to take when I was in grade school.   You know how sometimes you think of something, but the execution is another story.

The bunnies and kitties were the tallest, so they went in the back row. Then came the bigger birds, and smaller birds in front.  I stood them up in a scarf box lid with waxy sticky stuff to hold them in place. It was a comedy of errors.  I always turn the lights off between set ups, as they get so hot I am fearful of starting the little photo tent on fire. When I shot the meteorite for ThePolkadotMagpie I couldn't pick up the hearts when I was finished because they were soooo hot.

Once they were lined up, I started shooting. Getting them all at the same angle so the light lit them was the first buggaboo. Then, they kept falling down because the stickum was melting. It truly was like photographing kindergarteners. A bunny would fall, I'd set it up. Then a bird would go beak down.  This is the best shot I got with them all standing. Not perfect, but you get the idea.  I think I am going to make some holders out of clear lucite like they use to hold rings in jewelry catalogs.  "Necessity is the Mother of Invention."  Oh yeah.

Below is my raven who is perched high in my studio. I like to dress him up.   Who is the kindergartener? :-)

Thanks for reading.

Each day is a gift, open now.

xo,

Suz

What I Bought on Etsy

"Kelley's Cow"  Old School Suz in my new shop: ThePolkadotMagpie

This starts a new feature on my blog.  I was first a shopper, before I had two of my own shops.  I am still a shopper on Etsy.  It is a land of amazing finds. Vintage is a category I could live in all day.  There seems to be some mathematical formula between what item I want to buy and the shipping being as much if not more than the cost of this wanted piece. Be it on the other side of the world, or 500 pounds...usually those are the things I REALLY want.  The art and illustration shops are also amazing.

I worked my ass off this year.  True, I did it in my pajamas half the time.  There is something to be said for working the entire morning in one's sleepwear.  I love it.  As a reward I wanted to buy myself something.  I love the surreal work that is photography based.  So I decided to set myself a budget of $100.00 and went shopping at some of my favorite shops.  The following two pieces are part of my gift to self.  I have them up on an easel in my studio.  I plan to rotate pieces there like the front page of Etsy. However not every hour. :-)  I bought 5 pieces.

Top is "The Wing Collector" by ThisYearsGirl  on Etsy.com

Below it is "Theodore W. Elwood"  by Emporium51 on Etsy.com

One makes me laugh and one makes me cry.  Ahhhh life.

Everyday is a gift, open now.

xo,

Suz

A few of my favorite things

 Once I fix the type...this will be complete.

This year has brought with it lots of "new."  I am learning to use my new Nikon camera.  I have big lights, stands, props, and lots of paper for background. Bob has a new Sony video camera so small it literally fits in the palm of his hand.   We learned that you can't shoot in HD and put it on YouTube.  So yes, it's amazing...but not interfacing. If someone knows how to change a file to regular mode from HD...please email me.   So these old folks are learning new things.  Kinda fun.

Mustache Row

Once I get an instruction manual for my camera that is in English...I will start to take photos for art too. I need to download it and print it out...elsewhere.  Photos are a bit red.  I am adjusting them in iPhoto. But would like to have some prowess with this new machine.  I see photo journalism in my future. Or some close facsimile.  Now to shoot the personalized birds for the website.  A bread and butter photo journalism gig.

Above my new laser cut type...what ?.... It's not about me?


Each day is a gift, open now.

xo,
Suz

What is a Collograph ??

"Spring" from the 4 Seasons Collection

Many of you know only my jewelry on Etsy.  With the opening my new shop, I will be selling original prints as well as cards, and copies of original prints that sold and are popular.  I don't have a good printer where I live for this.  So I am open to names nation wide if you have one.  For years I explored collographs.  Inspired by a local artist and fellow printmaker Tony Abyeta.  Few people knew how to make a line with this method of printmaking.  I was determined I could.  And did.

A collograph can be made may ways. These were made by carving, layering paper, leaves and then gessoing over them.  When it all dries, I coat the plate with acrylic so the ink does not permeate the plate and break it down while printing. The plates get quite thick and I used carpet padding as a blanket when printin.    The 4 Seasons Crosses were multiple plate images.  Each plate holding a different color.  Registration is complex, but doable.  Below are the Winter, Summer, and Fall from this series.

"Winter"

"Summer"

"Fall"

I had the slides converted to digital files.  I am not a photoshop person, so the colors are a bit off. "Summer" is actually a peach with the blue.   One step at a time.

Thanks for reading.

Each day is a gift...open now.

xo,

Suz

2011 Helll-llooo

First I want to say Happy New Year to you all.  We were so fortunate to spend New Year's Eve with both my kids and grandson.  Our son's fiance Carm and their friend Hilary also  helped ring in our new year.  For New Years Eve dinner we had crab legs, turkey tetrazzini, snow pudding with home baked Christmas cookies and Hilary's killer brownies.

Silly glasses and silly faces !!

  

A family gathering would not be complete without games. "Apples to Apples" was great for all ages. "Quiddler, 5 Crowns" and a 5 hour poker game with Ethan, Grandma and Grandpa.  Grandpa took all Grandma's money, and some of E's.

Christmas Tree bottom slices of years ago with family history written on them.

Close up of this year's tree bottom.

Bob took us to the shooting range on New Years Day.  Kelley, Ethan and Grandma...now named "G-Dog" shot at zombie targets.  E had taken the NRA's safety class with his Colorado Grandpa this summer.  Bob was like a camp counselor with us all. Safety, safety, safety.  If anyone would have told me 20 years ago that I would be shooting a sniper rifle at a range...I would have laughed out loud.  But I did and loved it. Who knew? The line from Thelma and Louise kept going through my head. Louise asks Thelma: "Where'd you learn to shoot like that?"  Thelma answers: "On TV!" 

Kell reloading !!

"G-Dog" knockin' out those zombies

Bob is getting ready for the Tactical Invitational Show in Las Vegas.  He's made some awesome knives for this special show.  I used my new Nikon "big girl camera" to photograph some of them.  That was my anniversary gift.  And I in turn, got Bob a video camera to document all his knife making techniques for all those who can't get enough.  He made a killer video of knives in progress. However, he is still having difficulty with uploading them to YouTube.  I will let him work that out.  :-)

Starfighter with M3 Bolsters + ebony handles

Eagle Rock with superconductor bolsters and lightning strike carbon fiber handles

My second Etsy shop is live.  THE Polkadot Magpie.  I moved all the non personal jewelry to this shop. I will have my artwork, items for the home as well as vintage items.  This has been a huge undertaking. But I'm about half way there.  Reshooting every item in both shops is lots of work. The original shop Polkadot Magpie will have only personalized items.   I have had many dies made this year of the birds, bunnies, leaves, cats and will have more that I can punch out of recycled metals.  I have also found a laser cutter who is local and good.  Kenji and I are working on laser cutting items for the home.  So soon there will be art, cards, clocks, kitchen and bath items, leather, wood and bamboo accessories  ALL   THE Polkadot Magpie brand.  Textiles will be later. 

Big girl camera photos

More big girl camera photos (acrylic resin and real lace)

my latest find...I call her "Athena"  she models 24/7

My plans to travel this year are shaping up.  I will make a quick visit to Chicago before the East Coast Show and then head to Germany: Berlin and Stuttgart to see friends.  Trying to squeeze Prague in there too.  We'll see.  Then if I can,  Roma for at least a month this summer.  This means dialing back on the garden.  There are many of you I want to see.  Please come and stay, you are always welcome.

Bob and I also decided that since we like to make things, we'd take a ceramics class together and later this spring glassblowing.  We had our first class last Saturday.  Each of us threw 3 pots.  I had not thrown a pot since high school and Bob since he was at NYU.  You do the math!  It came right back to both of us. So he is making feeding bowls for Buddy. I am making serving pieces: covered casseroles,
creamer/sugar set.   We had such a good time together! Our teacher is such a lovely woman.  She was a bit surprised that these "new" students were so productive.  It's also very good physical therapy for my weaker left side after the TIA.

That's all for now.  I promise to be more vigilant in writing this blog.  Not daily, but at least 3 times weekly.   I have met some wonderful women on Etsy through Project Embrace.  Etsy has a Team Discovery which I am now a proud member.  We find new shops for Etsy and make treasuries with them.  Thanks for reading...I'm still amazed that you do.

Sunset from my studio New Years Day 2011

Life is a gift. Open now.
xo,
Suz