art cat a blogue

Dinosaur Fantasy

2011-12-16T12:44:00.000-08:00

As every right-thinking six-year-old will tell you, dinosaurs are awesome. (I'm a big fan of dinosaurs myself, and am especially fascinated by the evidence that has led to the discovery that many therapods were feathered. Definitely cool stuff. Too bad most dinosaur fiction is behind the times on this one, but oh well...) It's certainly no surprise that dinosaurs should feature in many a fantasy or sci fi tale, from The Lost World by Doyle (1912) and The Land That Time Forgot by Burroughs (1918) to Jurassic Park by Crichton (1990). Interacting with dinosaurs is high on any list of geek fantasies. Here are a few dinosaur books we've enjoyed in our family.

The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth - A farm boy discovers a large egg laid by one of his hens, and out hatches a triceratops. How to take care of "Uncle Beazley," how to find him a home at the Smithsonian… and how to deal with politicians getting up to their usual political shenanigans are the challenges faced by our young hero. This is a fun and funny tale, with the feel-good spirit of "Mr Smith Goes to Washington," combined with gentle satire of the foolishness of the powerful, and of course the fun of a giant dinosaur in 1950's New Hampshire.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague - Perhaps this isn't really a fantasy book… but what else would you call it when parents everywhere try to enforce bedtime on children who are full-sized dinosaurs (and a couple other prehistoric reptiles)? The funny rhyming text pairs wonderfully with the bright paintings full of clever details. I knew we'd found a winner when two-and-a-half-year-old T commented that her fussing brother was "sort of like a corythosaurus." (This book spawned an entire series, but I remain loyal to the original.)

Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates by Patrick O'Brien and Kevin O'Malley - This graphic novel is a masterful mash-up of all the cheesy old space adventure tropes with… dinosaurs, of course! Our hero is a space-suited velociraptor, flying his trusty spaceship with his loyal dinosaurian crew. It's an old tale made new and enjoyable, because who could resist Dinosaurs In Space? Definitely not me or my nine-year-old son P!

Dinotopia by James Gurney - Once again, it's the pictures that really make this book. The concept is "Lost World"-ish: shipwreck survivors pitch up on an island where dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures have survived, and developed a society jointly with humans. It takes the form of an explorer's journal, so although there is a certain unfolding of plot, it's really just an excuse to show all kinds of fun possibilities for such a dino-human civilization. We get to see everything from dung collection to the loftiest ceremonial monuments, along with notes on Dinotopian writing, timekeeping, architecture, etc. This book is most enjoyable for browsing. Younger kids won't read it through, but they still love the pictures.

Also worth mentioning are:

Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff - Okay, I never cared all that much for this one, but for a generation or more it was the book that introduced the fantasy of having a dinosaur for a friend.

The Strictest School in the World by Howard Whitehouse - I've mentioned this book before (here) but since it features pterodactyls, I had to include it here.

Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne - Again, not a book that inspires any passion in me (I find the whole series pretty insipid), but it is a good representative of many kids' first book about travelling to the time of the dinosaurs. I do appreciate the attempt to get kids excited about non-fiction topics and about using their imaginations.

I conclude with the traditional Dinotopian farewell: Breathe deep. Seek peace.

[Pictures: Uncle Beazley out for a walk, drawing by Mark Crilley, from The Enormous Egg, 2009;
Tyrannosaurus Rex, painting by Mark Teague, from How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?, 2000;

Captain Raptor, painting by Patrick O'Brien, from Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates, 2007;

Treetown, painting by James Gurney, from Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time, 1992.]

Almost done!

2011-12-16T12:12:00.000-08:00


"Mason" ( see all proofs) © rebecca collins / artpaw.com

Mason is shipping out later today, I enjoyed working on this pretty boy. The above sample is the one my client chose, and I love that colorful wooden background, I created it from an old door I shot in Italy this year. I proofed Mason back on the 6th I think, sometimes folks need a little extra time to choose. I really like the one she picked.

As of today I think I can officially state that everyone that ordered by posted deadlines and approved one of their provided samples will have shipped. Yay! I have 2 clients to provide updates on and that will happen this weekend. I have not really had a day off yet this month, but I will be taking one day off next week to get my own holiday shopping done. I am looking forward to that.

4 more late orders to proof and I will be officially done with creating digital portraits for the month.

Tips For Shopping Art on-line and off

2011-12-13T09:56:00.000-08:00

This year I started my Christmas shopping very early for Dan and started buying on Etsy and also from one of our favorite print makers and painters. So many people are trying harder and harder to avoid Kmart and Target and instead support small business owners and independent artists. With that said, many still wait till the very last minute to get on-line and shop and they also tend to expect factory style big-box service from smaller providers. This year I bought a small assortment of inexpensive stocking stuffers for Dan from Etsy, and if one item is late, I am not really going to loose sleep over it. Actually one gift item is taking forever, and it is totally my dumb... it is shipping from Malaysia after all. It is just a tiny little $4 item so no, I am not going to message the seller in a frenzy and ask for tracking ... it will arrive when it arrives.

Here is my top 7 List For Shopping with Independent Artists:

• #1 Try to find local sales events where you can have the fun of meeting and talking with the artist in person.

• #2 When shopping on-line try to start early.

• #3 Etsy Tip: Check out their left hand menu at the bottom and under ways to shop choose "Shop Local", enter your zip code and buy from folks in your area ... your items will arrive quickly.

• #4 If you are buying just one important gift for your spouse or relative, be sure and buy with enough shipping time factored in ... when in doubt ask if you can purchase overnight or 2-day delivery. Once an item leaves the artist's studio they are not in control as to how fast it gets delivered.

• #5 If you are buying a lot of stuff on-line for people do yourself a favor and in order to stay organized print out an image of each item you buy. Just print the browser window and place it in a file folder. Then if a package does go missing at the very least you can wrap that photo-image up in a comically over-sized box and tell your recipient that their gift is on its way.

• #6 There are tons of talented and organized artists out there that are hustling very hard right now to fill holiday orders for people. Remember that they are usually just one person handling shipping, e-mail, creating the product and so on ... cut them some slack and if they do not reply to an e-mail right away know that it is probably because they are either creating art, shipping art, or trying to collect payment for their art.

• #7 Pat yourself on the back and know that in addition to purchasing an original handmade item you are supporting the arts!

Ok, last blog post from me until Friday when I hope to report that Art Paw's holiday shipping is done. I will not be answering the phone for 48 hours so leave a message. My blinders are on and I am in the home stretch .... going to get November clients shipped and all the late after posted deadline people proofed this week.

Carving Water

2011-12-13T06:37:00.000-08:00

Water is always tricky to portray in art, but at least paints, with their liquid texture, tranparancy, and ability to blend, seem like a natural medium for trying to capture water. But relief block printing? How do you portray something totally liquid and transparent by carving something totally hard and opaque? My two most recent prints, which I finished carving during my last two shows, were (entirely by coincidence) both water scenes. I tried slightly different techniques on each, and it got me

curious to look around for some different examples of water portrayed in block prints. As for mine, I don't think either is entirely successful, although I'm rather taken with the water in the Cormorant block, mostly just because it's a bit different from anything I've done before so it seems more interesting.

So, here's a pretty straightforward depiction of a bay by Louis Moreau in 1910. It's got lines in a wavy pattern, with just a bit more black to indicate dark reflections. It looks watery enough, but it's very stylized.

By contrast, here's a piece with remarkably photorealistic water. Indeed, it's based on a photo of nothing but waves. When the water is all there is in the entire piece, the artist (Vija Celmins) really has to get those details right because the viewer doesn't get any other visual cues. This piece is all about copying those organic shapes exactly from a snapshot of nature.

Here's some very serene water, depicted by… nothing. For the most part the water isn't carved at all (or is carved entirely away, depending how you think about it), but you know it's there because of the scenery. The absence of any wave lines gives the scene a feeling of deep peace.

And here's the opposite: raging water… but once again pretty stylized. I like the few white circles in amongst the lines that make up the waves. This is done by Lynd Ward from one of his graphic novels.

In terms of a really different technique, here's a cool example of one of the few ways in which hard wood comes out with a watery advantage. This artist (Merlyn Chesterman) has used the grain of the wood for the texture of waves. I love it! It must be fun to search for wood with the right sort of grain lines, and then build the scene out of the grain that nature gives you.

Lots of other pieces I've shown in other posts feature water, as do lots more of my own pieces. After all, we do live in a watery world so water is bound to show up in a lot of art. Keep your eyes open for all the different techniques printmakers use in the quest for the wateriest water!

[Pictures: Cormorants at the Old Pier, rubber block print by AEGN, 2011;

A Quiet Place on the Journey, rubber block print by AEGN, 2011;

Nice (Promenade des anglais), woodcut by Louis Moreau, 1910 (image from Pierre Alechinsky);

Ocean Surface Woodcut 1992, woodcut by Vija Celmins, 1992 (image from the National Galleries of Scotland);

Landscape, woodcut by Sigge Bergstrom, 1909;

Illustration from God's Man, woodcut by Lynd Ward, 1929;

Life Rock, Bear Rock, God's Finger, woodcut by Merlyn Chesterman (visit her web site here.);

Piping plover, rubber block print by AEGN, 2008.]

Miscellany

2011-12-12T06:11:00.000-08:00

My mother painted this portrait of me when I was twelve years old. It's the first one she ever painted, before she ever took an art class.

This is the sight that greeted me when I went to get into bed last night.

Molly, dancing on Thanksgiving.

Sarah, on stilts.

Spot, lounging on the deck.

Christmas lights in our neighborhood.

See those "fingers" of blue light on the left side of the tree? They made sparks flying down from the branches, like little fireworks... hard to describe, but it looked cool.

Lost and Found

2011-12-11T16:16:00.000-08:00

On our recent trip to Hawaii, I was wearing my only real (except for my engagement ring) piece of jewelry, a gold chain with a diamond pendant that I have had for years. It looked a lot like the photo, but it was yellow gold and the diamond was smaller.

We had been putting my necklace, along with other things like cell phones and watches, in the room safe. One day when I came back to the room the maid had been there and our room had been cleaned. I went into the bathroom and on the counter, in the soap dish, I found the golden bale (the little part that holds the diamond). It was just the empty bale, no diamond and no chain. I couldn't imagine what had happened to the rest of the necklace.

We called housekeeping to ask the maid how she had found the empty bale. She came to the room and showed us where she found the bale, but had seen no sign of the diamond or the chain. We were stumped; what had happened to the necklace? I began searching every inch of the room, looking under everything and all along the edges of the carpet. Of course there was no sign of the necklace in the safe, where I thought I had left it.

While I was searching, there was a knock on the door. A very professional looking man introduced himself as the security manager. He asked me a lot of questions about where I kept the necklace and when I had last seen it. He wanted to see the box I kept the necklace in, and inspected the remaining contents of the safe. He was writing down everything I said on his notepad. He called the maid to join us in the room. She repeated what she had told us, how she found the empty bale laying on the floor. He had asked her to bring her vacuum and they proceeded to dump the contents out on the bathroom floor (It was a large bathroom). He went through the dust and dirt pretty thoroughly and found nothing unusual. They cleaned it up and left, saying they would be back.

The security officer, the maid, and an assistant manager came to the room next. They said they were going to take the vacuum outside and search the contents more thoroughly outside where the light was better. I stayed in the room and waited, still searching through everything. A while later, there was another knock on the door. It was the security officer. He had the loose diamond in his hand! They had finally found it inside the vacuum cleaner. Amazing! Of course I was relieved and very thankful. We finally decided the necklace had been dropped or had fallen onto the floor and was run over by the vacuum.

When we came home I had to have the diamond reset in the bale and buy a new chain. I am still amazed how they found the diamond in the vacuum cleaner. Wow. I was pretty lucky, I guess.

I adore Post It notes!

2011-12-11T10:48:00.000-08:00

Later today I plan to get out and catch some art sales. Right now I am working on project updates .... and it just dawned on me how much I love post it notes. When an order comes in I place it on the calendar and place a post it note with a date on it and then with a magnet I place it on the metal project board. If it ends up needing changes ... it gets another post it note... if it is pending payment ... another post it note.

For awhile Whitman had a bad habit of pilfering them off my desk and chewing them up.... so I went to the kitchen and grabbed a little coffee mug to store them in. I really like the hot pinks ones best.

Below is a fun video on other less productive, yet more creative uses for post its.

Maybe it DOES Work!

2011-12-10T08:08:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I sent a $100 donation to Salvation Army. I thought about it for a while, not sure whether or not I could afford it. Then I sent it, and I felt good about it.

Yesterday, we were consigning some chairs that we could no longer use. After the consignment store took their cut, we would have netted only a small amount for them. As we were carrying them in, another couple was just coming in the door. They looked at our chairs and asked if we would be interested in selling them directly to them instead of consigning them. Their daughter just bought a new table and they wanted to give them to her for Christmas, as they would go perfectly with her new table. They gave us $100 for the chairs! So, in a way, it came back to me.

2011-12-09T18:32:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year when the cats of CatmaSutra come out to play!Bright, quirky, and capable of levitation, the seventh installation of catmaSuta cat art exhibition is once again back at Utterly Art.

The seven year itch has only served to cook up more mischief as the catmaSutra cat takes you to that sweet spot of whimsical bliss and light-heartedness.

"If we stop and observe how life flows, we'll notice how the universe is made up of individual moments which when appreciated fully, gains a shape akin to a smile from the heart - a personal heaven."

Paul's paintings take his audience through these moments using the cat as the perfect allegory to create a personal space that tugs at the heartstrings!

Come check out some of the available catmaSutra collectibles and smile-getters (2012 catmaSutra calendar cards, tile coasters and keepsake boxes), the purr-fect gifts this festive season.

catmaSutra 7 cat art exhibition

CATMASUTRA: 7TH HEAVEN

Opening Reception:
Wed 14th Dec 2011 from 7pm

Exhibition runs from
14 to 24 Dec 2011
@ Utterly Art
229A South Bridge Road
2nd Level

Opening hours:
12 noon to 8pm,
Mon to Sat.
12 noon to 5.30pm, Sun

Or contact Keng Hock
for appointments:
Tel: + 65 6226 2605
Cell: 94872006

utterlyart@pacific.net.sg

The Morality of "World of Warcraft"

2011-12-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

I am a rather unlikely player of the massive multi-player on-line role-playing game "World of Warcraft." For those not familiar with the phenomenon, World of Warcraft is a computer game on which you create a character which you then run around in the virtual world completing quests in order to gain experience and loot. Millions of people have characters, so some of the characters in the world (such as quest-givers and shop-keepers and random villagers) are controlled by the computer, but all the other "heroes" with whom you can interact are being controlled by other real people all over the world. Why do I play? Simple: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." My husband D loves his computer games of all sorts, and more than five years ago I decided that if I wanted an activity we could take part in together in the evenings, it would have to be a computer game. So I signed up. I am now the proud(?) alter ego of a level 85 night elf moonkin druid as well as several lower-level characters.

There are things I really like about this game, even besides the fact that I play it with my beloved husband. It's a fantasy world, and I love the beautiful scenery and cool creatures. I love the silly extras, like the fact that each kind of character can dance and tell jokes. I love that you can collect pets that will run along behind your character just for fun. Many of the "boss fights" are interesting tactical puzzles that
must be solved, giving a satisfying feeling of mastery when your group finally succeeds. I'm in awe of the size and complexity of the world. But there are also things about World of Warcraft that I really dislike. One that's been much improved since I started playing is just how much time you have to devote to the dumb thing if you want to get through an entire chapter at a time. They've now made lots more bite-sized pieces, thank goodness. And of course I could get into the typical player complaints about how I hate the most recent changes to my favorite spells or the mechanics of some talent, etc etc… But the number one thing I dislike about World of Warcraft is its morality.

With a name like "World of Warcraft," you can imagine that this is a game about fighting, but it isn't the explicit violence that bothers me. Injury and slaughter are not depicted particularly graphically in this game, so even someone as squeamish and tender-hearted as I am doesn't get too disturbed by what they see and hear. What does disturb me, however, is the assumptions implicit in the laws of the universe as written into the code of the game. Quite simply, every problem can be solved with violence and only violence. Many quests, of course, are to go off and fight the enemy in circumstances that "Just War" advocates would find acceptable. But if a quest asks you to negotiate, chances are you'll get to the target and the only option the game gives you is to attack. Then after you beat up the target enough, he'll "agree" to your "negotiating." This is the way the laws of the World of Warcraft universe operate. But is it the way our universe operates? Or if the quest asks you to recover a stolen item, you're sent to a village and expected to kill every person or creature in the village until you find the stolen object on one of the corpses. The universe of the game presents this as perfectly straightforward and reasonable, but I find it insanely horrifying. Can you imagine applying this logic in our world?

Of course, World of Warcraft doesn't ask you to kill real people or commit real violence. You're just having your pixels do things to other pixels. Your average person can differentiate perfectly clearly between pixels and people. Besides, often you have to cooperate with other real people so that all your pixels can work together. That's a good thing, surely. The debate over whether violent video games cause real violence is certainly a valid and interesting topic of discussion that I think all parents need to consider very seriously when deciding what games their children should play and at what age and for how long. And responsible adults should be considering how they themselves are affected, too. I wouldn't class World of Warcraft among the really violent games: the first-person shooter games, the games with horribly graphic depictions of blood and carnage, the games in which the violence is portrayed in real-world settings where the victims look like real-world people. I think any normal, healthy human seeing World of Warcraft is perfectly able to draw the line between fantasy and reality when looking at the scenery, the characters, the magical spells being cast… At the same time, however, I do wonder how insidiously the myth of redemptive violence sneaks in. Unlike the beautiful fantasy setting and characters, the inner workings of the universe's morality are never explicitly stated to the player - and therefore never explicitly evaluated for their realism.

But this insidious sub-text is not confined to video games. The central message of the "Justice League" cartoon series aimed at children is that the solution to all problems is to hit someone. And if hitting doesn't work at first, hitting again, harder, will make things turn out right for sure. The central message of Pullman's popular "His Dark Materials" series of books is that any means are justified for even the most arbitrarily defined ends. The central message of any number of books, movies, television shows, and government policies is that violence never fails, and if it ever seems to be failing, it's only because it's just not violent enough. Perhaps the time has come for us to take this message out of the unnoticed, undiscussed realm of invisible assumptions, and treat it as the fiction it is, as fantastical as any other system of magic. Perhaps it's time we noticed that this is one of the elements of fantasy that doesn't translate well to the real world.

[Pictures: This huge, slovenly, mixed-up beast is my moonkin character;

Scenery in Zangarmarsh, with my moonkin character in night elf form;
Scenery in Nagrand;

Guild group by the bones of Marrowgar;

all screen shots from World of Warcraft game.]

Deck the Halls with Pet Portraits!!

2011-12-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

Wow, it is only the 8th and so far this month I have proofed many many clients. Tomorrow I have 2 more clients to proof and I will end this week having proofed every client that placed their holiday portrait order by my posted deadline of 11/30. In reading back through last year's December posts it looks like I am at about the same exact same place in terms of production and proofing.

Once I get everyone handled that ordered early I will be able to look at the newer projects that are slipping in through the shopping cart. All orders that are placed after this weekend will be proofing only holiday projects with actual prints shipping after Christmas time. It is actually a lot of fun to let your recipient pick their favorite proof. Many people are not aware when they order just how many proofs I will provide them with, I promise 10 samples and often I go beyond that.

• Below is sample proofing page and what you will be able to show your loved one if you let them pick their favorite proof for a delivery in January. One client told me that since he can't choose he will be printing out his proofing page from his browser window and he will place it in a greeting card.

Local Dallas Clients, that do not require shipping have until next Monday to nail down there late orders with me. Art Paw Gift Certificates are also a great option, and then you don't have to hustle to find that perfect snapshot to submit!

Do Nice Girls Finish Last?

2011-12-08T05:31:00.000-08:00

This post is rather personal. It's about finding my voice.

I was raised to be a "nice girl". Don't make waves. Don't be demanding. Don't be pushy. Be polite. Be deferential. I don't think my parents did me a favor by raising me this way. It may have worked back in the 1950s but it sure doesn't work now.

In the world of work, the people who get ahead are the ones who "blow their own horns". It seems the one who speaks the loudest is the one to whom people listen. I have a tendency to think about my answer when someone asks me a question. That doesn't work. People don't wait for an answer; they move on to someone more glib. I am often interrupted, I think because I speak quietly.

My father was stern and authoritarian. My mom taught me how she dealt with him. "Just listen to what he says and nod your head, then go and do what you want." No wonder I became passive-aggressive. I was never encouraged to "find my own voice". Rather than speak my piece I keep quiet. That leads to anger. I either hold the anger in or I take it as long as I can then overreact. There have been times when others are surprised at my sudden outburst. Other times, good friends have looked at me and cheered, saying something like "you go, girl" or "it's about time!". Not surprisingly, I cherish these friends. They encourage me to come out of my shell and express my feelings.

When I lived in Philadelphia I attended a Bible study class. Discussions were often dominated by those who were louder and more assertive. There were times when I was trying to make a point and was talked over. One particular friend supported me. He would rap on the table to get everyone's attention and announce "Judy has something to say". I loved that friend for doing that. Now I need to learn to do that for myself.

Engravings by George Cruikshank

2011-12-06T08:44:00.000-08:00

George Cruikshank (1792-1878) was an artist and engraver who came to fame first as a satirical cartoonist, then later as an illustrator. He learned painting, caricature, and engraving as his father's apprentice, but he quickly outstripped his father. He was considered the "Hogarth" of his era for his social and political caricatures. His popularity

and influence are indicated by the fact that he was given a royal bribe not to "caricature His Majesty in any immoral situation" (in 1820). One of the causes he embraced later in his life was abstinence, and he eventually shifted from illustration to produce several series of engravings portraying the evils of alcohol.

But Cruikshank isn't here on "Black and White" just as an engraver. It's his work as an illustrator - and an illustrator of fantasy - that earns him a post here. Cruikshank illustrated some of Dickens's work, notably Oliver Twist (for which he claimed credit for much of the plot, to Dickens's irritation), but I'm most interested in his illustrations of fairy tales. I believe his first were for German Popular Stories,
the first English translation of the Grimm Brothers' tales. He also did a number of other fairy tales which he edited himself as a vehicle for his illustrations.

Many of Cruikshank's fantasy illustrations maintain his satirical style with rather caricatured depictions of noblemen and villains. He's been credited with being one of the first to put humor in illustrations for children. There's a more gentle humor in the look on Cinderella's face at the appearance of her fairy godmother - a bit taken aback, a bit surprised, maybe a bit dubious about this strange little old woman.

But I particularly like Cruikshank's backgrounds, especially the interiors. In his illustration for The Golden Bird, Cruikshank puts a wonderful castle in the background (and I like the whimsey of the young man riding the fox's tail.) The illustration for Jorinde and Joringel
captures perfectly the strange, brooding atmosphere of the story with its dark castle hung with hundreds of bird cages. I love the intricate vaulting.

(You can see more Cruikshank illustrations - and tons more fairy tale illustrations by dozens of other illustrators - at the great site SurLaLune. Check it out.)

[Pictures: A Splendid Spread, engraving by George Cruikshank from The Comic Almanack, 1850;

Fagin in the condemned Cell, copperplate engraving by Cruikshank from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, 1838 (first two images from Wikimedia Commons);

Frontspiece for Cinderella and the Glass Slipper, engraving by Cruikshank from Fairy Library edited by Cruikshank, 1854;

The Golden Bird, copperplate engraving by Cruikshank from German Popular Stories by Grimm, 1823 (image from Rosenbach Museum & Library);

Jorinde and Joringel, copperplate engraving by Cruikshank from German Popular Stories by Grimm, 1823.]

Pairs

2011-12-06T05:33:00.000-08:00

Feral Cats - "Little Black Kitty" Division

2011-12-05T05:25:00.000-08:00

We have a family of little black cats living outside our house. One of them seemed to especially like us so we adopted her and named her "Munchkin" because she appeared to be the "runt" of the litter. The following photos are her littermates, who preferred to live outdoors.

They shelter in igloos:

they climb trees:

they peek in our windows.

They even line up to pose!

Tiger and Tinkerbell

2011-12-04T17:19:00.000-08:00

This is my cat Tiger. I call him my "zen" cat. He is a deep thinker.

Tiger with his sister Tinkerbell. They were little feral kittens when they came into our back yard and adopted us.

Cat Monologue

2011-12-02T21:44:00.000-08:00

Went down to buy coffee. Was trying to hear myself amidst the noise, listening to voices inside as I stroll through a thin mist of rain. There are two voices talking, one is from my heart. I always hear that first, and then a second voice which is not entirely mine but seems cocksure and as usual, pretty loud. But if you hear deeply enough, it is loud because it is insecure and doesn't want to lose out in any way. Insecurity and fear - they are best friends, almost inseparable. I bought the coffee and saw the cat that I knew; he has been sleeping next to my bike the last few evenings. He was now asleep on a chair tucked underneath the safety of a kopitiam table. I pulled a chair next to him, made eye contact and started patting him. he's a good natured cat and began to flip for me. I pat him on the head, his chin, rubbed his face and letting him rest his head on my palm while he purred away blissfully. The heart seemed settled and quiet - pure and simple. This voice became loud and clear. And when I turned to walk away, the cat sat up wondering where I'm going. Half way across the road I looked back and he was still looking at me.

I went back later and took a photograph of him. He had changed seats but still sleeping tightly seemingly without a care in the world...

catmaSutra 7 cat art exhibition

CATMASUTRA:
7TH HEAVEN

Opening Reception:
Thurs 14th Dec 2011 from 7pm

Exhibition runs from
14 to 27 Dec 2011
@ Utterly Art
229A South Bridge Road
2nd Level

Opening hours:
12 noon to 8pm,
Mon to Sat.
12 noon to 5.30pm, Sun

Or contact Keng Hock
for appointments:
Tel: + 65 6226 2605
Cell: 94872006

utterlyart@pacific.net.sg

Oscar on the wall

2011-12-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

If you think you don't possibly have room for an Art Paw custom pet portrait, think again .... I just love this in-home shot an old client sent me today of her German Shepherd Oscar. This is a gal after my own heart. We tend to stack our art from floor to ceiling at home and Lisa is just as creative here with an above the door placement. Who says art has to go over the mantle anyway?

A Farmful of Block Prints

2011-12-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

Today's theme is block prints of farm animals. Why? Since P and T were four years old we've created a tradition in our family of buying them farm animals for the holidays. We've bought the family rabbits, llamas, honeybees, more rabbits, guinea pigs, sheep, ducklings, chicks, more rabbits, a water buffalo, and one year I even bought myself a camel. This December we'll be getting our children a couple of goats. This would be quite messy and noisy, not to mention illegal in our suburban yard, except that we aren't the ones who keep the animals. They get sent all around the world to help families in need.

Heifer International is one of my favorite organizations because their help solves so many problems at once - hunger, lack of education, degradation of the environment, oppression of girls and women, community divisions, injustice… By giving families farm animals and teaching them how to care for their animals in an environmentally sustainable way, those families are able not only to feed themselves, but to send their children to school. Both woman and men are able to prove their competence at earning and controlling property, and at teaching others the skills they've learned. Because recipients must pass on the gift of livestock and skills to others in their communities, not only do the physical gifts get spread, but so do the respect, generosity, sense of community, and
bridging of barriers. Please visit Heifer's web site and read all about what they do.

So every year around Thanksgiving or Christmas we buy our children farm animals that aren't for them. We do also give the kids a token gift that they can keep, usually a small stuffed animal or figurine to remind them of their chosen animal. One can argue about the philosophy of expecting to receive gifts for oneself when giving to others, but for children we've found that the little toys they receive help them to remember what we've done and why. Every time they get tucked into bed with their stuffed rabbits they might just

remember how important it is that we try to make the whole world a better place as best we can. Every November when P and T get to look through Heifer International's gift catalogue to see what animal they'd like to share this year, they are reminded of how important it is that every person in the world get a chance to work hard, care for their families, and share with others in turn.
In the past couple of years we've started giving Heifer animals to our parents, our brothers and sisters-in-law, and our nephews, too. It's so much fun trying to match up what animal would be most pleasing to everyone, and P and T sometimes help with that, too.

If you don't do so already, please consider enriching your holiday gift-giving this year with "alternative gifts." It doesn't have to be farm animals. You can give gifts that help the environment to those who love wildlife and the outdoors, gifts to foster the arts to those who love music and art, gifts to soup kitchens for cooks, gifts to urban gardening initiatives for gardeners, gifts that foster education for teachers… Let your imagination widen out until it embraces the entire Earth, and then show your family and friends how much you really care - about our whole beautiful world.

[Pictures: Two Cows - South Dakota, rubber block print by AEGN, 1997;

Family Portrait, rubber block print by AEGN, 2001;

Jewelweed, rubber block print by AEGN, 2006;

Three Rabbits, rubber block print by AEGN, 2009;
Hen & Chicks, rubber block print by AEGN, 2009;

One Hump or Two?, rubber block print by AEGN, 1998;

Home, rubber block print by AEGN, 2008.]

Holiday Deadline is Today!

2011-11-30T10:06:00.000-08:00

I am going over my list and I am checking it twice. I know that most of my four legged clients have probably been both "naughty and nice" this last year .... anyway my own dogs have been. I am eager to get everyone that has ordered proofed as quickly as possible, while still maintaining a close attention to detail.

You have until midnight tonight to fill out an order form on-line and place your holiday pet portrait order. Once you fill out your form just e-mail your pet photos to artpaw.com@gmail.com.

If you sent us pics last month sometime and never filled out a form and finalized your project order, I will be sorting through all those pending projects on Friday and I will be e-mailing everyone letting them know what we need to do on our end to get them placed on the project board. Lisa and Mike, you guys are both repeat clients so don't worry, you are totally on the board and I will invoice you later.

If you want to see where you are at on the proofing calendar just click here.
Allow me 24 hours to manually update the calendar once your order is placed.

Always Missing Someone

2011-11-30T06:55:00.000-08:00

Philadelphia. We moved there in 1989. It was a career move for my husband. I got a job there, made friends there, and grew to love it. We lived there for sixteen years. Then we decided to move back to the Midwest to be closer to our families. Of course I had mixed feelings. I still have mixed feelings. In many ways it was the right thing to do. I have seen my nieces grow from little girls to teens and tweens. Before we moved we saw them only on holidays when we came to visit. I sent their birthday presents through the mail. Not too long ago my youngest niece, Molly said to me, "Aunt Judy, we didn't know you very well before you moved here". We were able to be at the hospital for the last days of my husband's mother's life. We have been here for my 87-year old mom.

Now we are visitors when we go back to Philadelphia. Instead of having our home to stay in, we stay in a hotel or at friends' homes. I still miss the home we had there. The first time we went back I started crying as we took our old exit off the turnpike. I still miss our neighbors and friends. If we moved back there, I would miss my family here. It seems I will always be missing someone. I envy those who have everyone they love in one place. I guess that's less common these days, with modern life what it is.

Words of the Month - Unmentionables

2011-11-29T08:48:00.000-08:00

Cultures around the world invest their languages with taboos so that some words are considered "bad." Most commonly, "bad words" are those that refer to bodily functions, sex, and religious subjects too holy or too evil to be spoken of. There's nothing surprising about this - culture is all about defining acceptable behavior. And as a good little girl with Prude Pride I don't use "bad words" in my own speech, believing that use of lots of cusswords is not only potentially obnoxious, but also betrays a certain laziness and lack of creativity. However, while I don't find "bad words" themselves particularly interesting, there is a linguistic phenomenon that I do find fascinating: when speakers are so anxious not to be vulgar that they start to avoid or modify perfectly "good" words that happen to sound just a little too similar to something unacceptable.

The Victorians, according to the legend, were so shy of referring to people's legs that they couldn't refer to the legs of tables or chairs, either. I don't know whether this is true, but it isn't implausible. Languages adopt silly conventions like this all the time.

Take the example of the word cock.

It begins all the way back in Old English as the male of the domestic fowl. By the end of the fifteenth century it was being used to mean a pipe and valve for liquids (as well as referring to a number of other more specialized or uncommon items). So far so good. By the mid eighteenth century, however, it had also come to be a vulgar term for penis (possibly by extension from the water spout definition…) Well, as soon as that sort of slang gained currency, how could any respectable person mention domestic fowl in polite company? A decent substitute is rooster, which gained currency (chiefly in the US) in the early nineteenth century, around the time we were going all Victorian. And if you're going to be truly polite you have to start using the word faucet, too. Less likely to be misconstrued, you know. It was around 1840 that B.D. Walsh noted: "Cock-roaches in the United States… are always called 'roaches' by the fair sex, for the sake of euphony." (He didn't mean euphony, of course. He meant euphemism.) The mere sound cock apparently couldn't pass the lips of a lady no matter what its actual meaning.

But don't think this sort of behavior was confined to those uptight Victorians. Do you say the name of one of our fair planets cautiously so as to avoid the sound of "your anus?" It's my hypothesis that the pronunciation of Uranus was shifted some time in the 1970's or 80's by people every bit as over-genteel as the Victorians. I admit that I have little evidence to confirm this hypothesis, however, because information about historical pronunciation is not easy to come by. It would be interesting to study newsreels and television through time for evidence of if and when a shift took place.

I suspect that the pronunciation of harassment in the US has also shifted due to squeamishness about the syllable ass. The pronunciation harris-ment has been the British version right from the start, but in the US har-ass-ment was standard until about the time of the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill controversy in 1991, when newscasters found themselves having to say the uncomfortable word with unwonted frequency. But just use the British version and - hey presto - you're completely inoffensive. (Really annoying, perhaps, but inoffensive.)

One of the coolest things about the human capacity for language is that we're never just saying what we're saying. With every word we're communicating a vast wealth of information about ourselves and our relationships with the society around us. When I speak (or write) I'm happy to be perceived as genteel, polite, and inoffensive… but really, let's just let the poor rooster be a cock!

[Picture: Chanticleer, rubber block print by AEGN, 2009.]

New Pet Portrait Mickey and Pal

2011-11-29T08:33:00.000-08:00


"Mickey" ( see all Proofs) © rebecca collins/ artpaw.com

"Mickey" ( see all Proofs)
© rebecca collins/ artpaw.com

Is Mickey cute or what? I love his little bear pal. I gave the bear an eyeball and with his empty headed grin and doll-stare he seems to make Mickey look even more alive. Look at that possessive paw holding on to bear! I love it.

Have not been blogging much lately. We are starting to get really swamped with pet portrait orders. Our cut off date for new orders with a holiday delivery is tomorrow at midnight. I will still take just a few orders in December however we can not 100% promise a holiday delivery when clients order past the posted deadlines. I can promise proofing, but not delivery when your order is placed after 11/30. Every year I kill myself working right up to December 23rd, and this year I am just going to have to be strict about my posted deadlines.

Holiday Deadlines are very important because:
• If the post office drops the ball we have time to reprint and reship.
• If our e-mail messages end up in your spam folder we have time to track you down by phone to get your proof approval.
• If clients need a minor color change I have time to go back in and make that change.
• When clients send low resolution pics that will not work they have time to search for higher resolution more workable photographs to submit.
• Ultimately holiday deadlines are important because Art Paw has one artist in charge and one very talented shipping and stretching expert. E-mail alone can eat up half of my day.

Please just go easy on us and place your pet portrait order by 11/30/11.

This is Where I Want to Live!

2011-11-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

Waimea (also known as Kamuela) is in the North Kohala district of the Big Island.

This is the main street through town (I think it has two traffic lights).

These pastures are just outside of town:

Snow on Mauna Kea:

This is where we went for coffee and breakfast:

The Waimea Coffee Company.

This is where I decided for sure I want to live here. A group of women came in for coffee after their exercise class. Everyone was chatting and laughing. I could tell it was a true community, not just a tourist place.

Everyone seemed happy and relaxed. There was a laid back feeling. I think I would be happy here. I could wear my flip-flops every day!

Hawaii Photos from My IPhone

2011-11-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to downloading these from my phone. Now I want to go back!

First stop, LAX. We have a bite to eat and get ready for our next flight.

After five more hours; we have arrived!

Sunset that night:

The colors are perfect; fleeting, but perfect while they last.

First morning breakfast:

Outside our room, the beautiful surroundings. We were here last year, too; it's so good to be back. It smells the same, like the sea, the sand, the trees and the foliage. It smells like Hawaii. The air feels the same; it's soft and it caresses you. I find just breathing here almost intoxicating.

I am SO happy! This is my "Hawaii face".

What I Did On "Black Friday"

2011-11-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

I went over to my sister's house, where they were putting up the Christmas tree. That's Aubrey holding the angel. How do you place the angel on top of a nine foot tree?

It helps to have a gymnast in the family. That's Sarah in the pink shirt; she's an award winning gymnast.

Sarah climbs up:

Just a little higher:

a little more...

She almost on the ceiling!

Mission accomplished!

Molly: "Where should we put this one?"

Sammy in the back yard:

Down the road:

I guess the Christmas season has begun!

The Biggest Block

2011-11-25T12:03:00.000-08:00

While we're on the topic of big things, how about the biggest wood block print in the world? According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the longest woodblock print in the world was 281 feet and 9 inches long. Entitled "Type A," it was made in 2007 by Christopher Brady, an art graduate student. I'd love to show you a picture of the full print so we could see what the piece looks like independent of its world-record-holding status, but alas, I couldn't find a straight-up picture of the piece anywhere. (There may not even be one. Apparently it ripped during measuring, and has since been divided up and sold in smaller segments.) My info, such as it is, comes from an article on the University of Mississippi web site. The article implies that the piece is not printed from a single 282 foot long block. When you think about it, that's
pretty obvious - after all, wood blocks just don't come that big. But what I wish I knew was whether the separate blocks were fastened together in some way to be inked and printed all at once, or whether the parts of the woodcut were each printed separately.

Here's another oversized wood block print: in this case the block is a floor (the floor of a theater orchestra pit). It amuses me that it's referred to as a "floorcut." This is attributed to Thomas Kilpper, although of course it took a whole crew of people to accomplish the project. You can find a lot more details at the blog Printeresting, where I ran into it.

And finally, another fun thing that the world of the oversized block prints embraces is printing with road rollers. When you're dealing with a block larger than even the big presses then of course backs of wooden spoons aren't really feasible, either. A road roller really makes an excellent press, and I can see how it would be a lot of fun getting together a whole bunch of artists and fooling around with the technique. If you google "road roller printing" or something along those lines you'll end up with a number of videos of people printing big blocks this way. Here are a couple of photos of a 24 foot long print from a road roller printing event in London in 2010.

So, with all this inspiration, who's going to aim for the next world record? A round 300 feet perhaps? I look forward to seeing it!

[Pictures: Christopher Brady with Type A, wood block print by Brady, 2007;

block of Cómo puede superarse el estado de negligencia?, wood block print by Thomas Kilpper, 2011;

The London Fields, linoleum block print by about 20 artists, 2010;
and the rolling of the block (photos by Teresa Eng).]

Black Friday

2011-11-25T05:57:00.000-08:00

Not me... not ever!

The Biggest Bird

2011-11-22T14:16:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year when people in the US are turning their thoughts to big birds. The turkey, as you may know, was almost our national bird, with Ben Franklin as its advocate. But this being a blog about fantasy, I'm not talking turkey. If you want a big bird, nothing less than a roc will do.

Mythologies around the world have stories of monster-sized birds, and it's not hard to see why. From the power of actual giant raptors such as condors and eagles, to fossilized eggs of extinct birds that were even bigger, to the idea that such birds as ostriches might be the chicks of even huger birds, it's easy to imagine that a truly enormous bird was eminently plausible. The roc, or rukh, originated in the Middle East and India, apparently amalgamating various bits and pieces of mythology, as these things do. But here's what we know about the roc now.

Marco Polo reported in the 1290's that the roc is "for all the world like an eagle, but one indeed of enormous size; so big in fact that its quills were twelve paces long

and thick in proportion. And it is so strong that it will seize an elephant in its talons and carry him high into the air and drop him so that he is smashed to pieces; having so killed him, the bird swoops down on him and eats him at leisure." Rocs can also destroy entire ships by dropping boulders on them - at least, they could destroy wooden sailing ships that way. I assume they have a harder time with modern steel ships, although I haven't heard any reports of recent roc attacks. Perhaps that's because the rocs build their nests in more inaccessible places now, so that humans are no longer found destroying roc eggs.
The roc's range is the China Seas, along the coasts and islands from Korea to Malaysia, though clearly those for whom elephants are a major portion of their diet must be concentrated at the southern end of that range. However, Madagascar is also a hot spot for rocs. Those, presumably, eat African elephants. I don't know whether the Madagascar roc is a separate subspecies, or whether the range is continuous. The roc is generally described as being white, although that would seem to make it harder for unscrupulous traders to pass off green or brown rafia palm fronds as roc feathers, as they have been known to do.

Whether you procure your roc in Madagascar or Korea, I recommend the following recipe this holiday season:

Dig a pit large and deep enough to hold the cleaned roc. Line the pit with large, fire-heated stones and cover them with about ten bushels of greens and a couple sacks of sweet potatoes. Rub the roc well with oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Get the roc into the pit somehow. A tow truck or backhoe might be useful, or you can do it the old fashioned way by gathering all your friends and family to help roll it. This can get messy, so don't wear your party clothes at this stage. Cover the roc with more greens, douse with a couple buckets of water (or barbecue sauce, if you prefer), spread a layer of very large cabbage leaves to protect the food, and then cover the entire thing with a layer of earth or sand. Let roast until done. You'd better start right away if you want it to be finished in time for Thanksgiving dinner. Bon appetit!

[Pictures: Detail from Ferdinand Magellan sailing through the straits, copper engraving by Andrianus Collaert from a drawing by Johannes Stradanus from Americae Retectio, c 1585;

Sindbad carried off by the Roc, illustration by H.J. Hunt, from The Arabian Nights Entertainments ed. by Andrew Lang, 1898;

Anonymous roc - I found this picture on the web uncredited, and I'd love to track down the artist because I just love it. If anyone recognizes this one, please let me know!]

Some Things Never Change

2011-11-22T05:59:00.000-08:00

About 25 years ago I bought this Rookwood vase at an antique show. I loved the delicate colors and the ethereal vibe they evoke.

Well, here are the same delicate colors I saw in the Hawaiian sky just last week.

Looking Back

2011-11-21T18:10:00.000-08:00

Wow, looking back at last year's pet portraits in November and we did 41 projects. We are a bit behind that marker this year with only around 30 projects slated for this month so far. I always like to compete against myself, but you know I am more than happy with the work we have in-house right now. We have some great pets lined up and I am very excited about them all. We even have 2 kitty projects in the works and that beats last November's feline numbers.... yay for the kitties! Meow baby.

Odds and Ends about Hawaii

2011-11-21T06:18:00.000-08:00

The entrance to our hotel. I like the chairs; I like the rugs; I like the whole Hawaiian vibe.
The front is open to the air and the back is open to the beach and the ocean. I love being half outdoors even when I'm indoors!

The hallway to our room; I walked this hallway many times, always happy, always smiling, just to be where I was:

This is the door to our room; the hallway is outdoors. I love that!

and out the back door you can walk to the beach and the ocean!

I love the sunsets:

but I also love the blue in the sky just after sunset:

The kitties we fed outside our room:

Halloween in Hawaii:

"Strength, resilience, and longevity of this place and its people; spinner dolphins, whales, sea turtles and the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal." So much to love about this place.

If you drive to the end of a road,

you come to a spectacular view:

Remember how much I loved photographing the foam that comes in with the surf?

Well, I found a blouse with trim that reminds me of that:

See the resemblence? Every time I wear it, I will think of the surf.

ALOHA!

"The 250"

2011-11-19T14:15:00.000-08:00

This was our third visit to the Big Island of Hawaii. Each time we go, we discover more. This time, Natalie asked me if we drove the 250. We did indeed drive the 250, also called the Kohala Mountain Road, from Waimea to Hawi. The drive was beautiful. We started at Waimea at about 2500 feet elevation and climbed to about 4000, with spectacular vistas to our left and pastures to our right. On the map you can see Waimea at the bottom of 250 and Hawi up at the top.

We started out at the lower elevation, where the sky was clear blue. As we got higher, the sky got cloudier and the air got cooler. I was snapping pictures as quickly as I could; I kept telling my husband to slow down so I wouldn't miss anything. I missed a few good shots, but I got what I could.

It's a beautiful place on a beautiful island. I can see why Natalie is homesick for it. I would love to go back myself.

Surf

2011-11-19T09:14:00.000-08:00

My husband thinks I'm crazy because I can just stand on the beach and keep snapping photos of the surf.

I just love to see all the different patterns it makes, and the foam it creates, and the lines that are left in the sand. I tried to take some photos of the lines after the water recedes, but he kept walking in front of me making shadows, so the second to last one is all I could take. Also, I found the "flower branch" in the sand on our last day... I felt like it was a gift to me from Hawaii saying "come back".

Hawaii Moments

2011-11-18T20:07:00.000-08:00

Good morning!

Down to the beach (my favorite place):

These kids were having so much fun, screaming and laughing with every wave:

A yoga class:

A wedding:

Waterfalls:

Tropical plants:

A pool down there:

A pool over here:

Gorgeous sunsets:

Luaus:

Goodnight!

Organizing all day!

2011-11-18T16:43:00.000-08:00

Wow, spent the entire day organizing some new portrait projects and many pending projects. It looks like my sbcglobal e-mail is on the fritz again .... arrrrg, so I am back to using artpaw.com@gmail.com.

When it comes to commissioning a pet portrait lots of folks like to just shoot me quick pics to get the ball rolling on a portrait project and that is cool, but do keep in mind I love to have a real order form filled out ( it keeps me organized, and sane) and that can easily be done by following this link: http://www.artpaw.com/painterly_order.html
When you go through the shopping cart process you don't even have to pay at the end, you can choose pay later by phone as an option. I will call you to take your payment details by phone. I will need at least a 50% deposit to get started if you are a new Art Paw client.

This weekend I will be working on a few commissions at once, getting many pups and kitties started. Next week I will spend more time with each project giving each the time it needs. Tonight however I get to play and go to a poetry reading and I am excited about that. My husband has a whole different set of pals than I do because of his work with the Writers Garrett here in Dallas. I really enjoy going to their events.


Kitty Sneak Peek I see you

If you have sent me pics and are waiting for a proofing e-mail please do know that I need your full order details to get started. If you have been sent a proofing date then relax, you are on the board. If you are a repeat client, don't worry we will figure things out and we can work loosely with you by e-mail, but first time clients need to give me their shipping and billing details.

Julius Griffith's Lino-cuts

2011-11-18T11:57:00.000-08:00

Julius Griffith (1912-1997) was a Canadian artist, who also spent a chunk of his life in England. He has a very distinctive style in his linoleum block prints where all his lines are wiggly, which he did by rocking the blade as he cut. I have no idea of the reasons behind this unusual method, and I think in some of his pieces it's more effective than others. But sometimes it's really quite amazing how well it works in situations where I would never think to try that sort of line.

Here's an example where you can see just how homogenous Griffith's cuts are. There are just a few thin, non-wiggly lines, as in the edges of some of the tree's branches and the supports of the front porch roof, so you know he can do straight lines when he wants to. And yet for many other places where I'd expect a straight line, like the bottom edges of the roofs or the right side of the tree trunk, he's chosen to use dashed gouges. I like the way it looks on the side of the middle house and the very edge of the left house, but I don't like that I can't quite tell what's going on with the broom(?) and something(?) on the porch of the middle house. I feel like my eyes aren't quite in focus!

This one I think is a lot of fun. I love the way the wiggly lines work on the stripes of the boy's shirt and the pages of music. I think it even works well on the piano teacher's arm that supports her on the bench - I love how the gaps in the wiggles mark her elbow so well. I've used the technique of rocking my cutter to get wiggly lines in some of my blocks when I specifically wanted a zig-zaggy texture, but I've certainly never used it as a method of shading, or simply filling in a large area that's smooth in real life. It's so much fun to see how differently different people conceive things.

One final example. I think the rough gouges work very well on this cathedral, lending it a real feel of monumental stone. I especially like the black, shadowed walls and the places where edges are defined by a wider space between white wiggles. I'd like the piece even better without the small, indistinct people at the bottom, but that's probably just me.

Griffith is an artist whose work I had not encountered before I saw an example in George A. Walker's Woodcut Artist's Handbook. I'm so pleased to have discovered these unique, interesting examples of block printing. (I notice that the earliest example here was done when Griffith was already 70 years old. I don't have any examples of his earlier work, but I'd be curious to see some!)

[Pictures: Three Houses, lino-cut by Julius Griffith, 1993;

Piano Lesson, lino-cut by Griffith, 1993;

St. James [Cathedral, Toronto], lino-cut by Griffith, 1982.

(Images from D&E Lake Ltd.)]

Tick Tock Baby!

2011-11-17T12:45:00.000-08:00

I just posted my Holiday deadlines on the website ... it is going to be the end of the month 11/30. I will take pet portrait orders until the end of November with a promise of a holiday delivery. After that time I will do what I can with all of the late orders that trickle in, however prepaid orders that were made by posted deadlines will have top priority treatment. Click Here To Place your Order Today!

We do a lot of projects for spouses, but consider buying for the kiddo's bedrooms too!

Cat Pictures

2011-11-17T08:09:00.000-08:00

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CAT PİCTURES
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Photos of Cat

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Hawaii Through My Lens

2011-11-17T07:25:00.000-08:00

We just came home from Hawaii last night. While we were there I took hundreds of photos. These are just a few of them. I really love it there.

The Sorcerer's Song

2011-11-15T08:18:00.000-08:00

One of the most popular Victorian poets, though not always considered in that light, is W.S. Gilbert, the librettist half of Gilbert and Sullivan. I'm a huge fan of some Gilbert and Sullivan operas, though not such a fanatic as to love them all. While in college I had a blast as a cellist in the pit orchestra of the Yale Gilbert & Sullivan Society, where my favorite productions were definitely The Pirates of Penzance and Ruddigore. Ruddigore could probably fall into the category of fantasy, or at least Gothic horror, what with its Bad Baronet and his haunted portrait gallery. But another Gilbert and Sullivan production that contains elements of fantasy is The Sorcerer. The Sorcerer, which opened in 1877, is not one of the more popular of the duo's operas. Indeed, I've never even seen it - my library system doesn't have any sort of recording of it available. But I have seen the lyrics of its patter song reprinted as a poem about magic. It's not the greatest poem, painfully forced in places. The patter songs from Pirates ("The Very Model of a Modern Major General") and Ruddigore ("My Eyes Are Fully Open") are definitely cleverer as well as being better poetry. Still, they aren't fantasy, so I'm happy to share with you here a fantasy poem of a very different tone than those I usually cite.

The Sorcerer's Song

Oh, my name is John Wellington Wells.

I'm a dealer in magic and spells,

In blessings and curses,

And ever-filled purses,

In prophecies, witches, and knells.

If you want a proud foe to "make tracks,"

If you'd melt a rich uncle in wax,

You've but to look in on our resident Djinn

Number seventy, Simmery Axe.

We've a first-class assortment of magic

And for raising a posthumous shade,

With effects that are comic or tragic,

There's no cheaper house in the trade.

Love-philtre, we've quantities of it,

And for knowledge if any one burns

We keep an extremely small prophet, a prophet

Who brings us unbounded returns.

For he can prophesy with a wink of his eye,

Peep with security into futurity,

Sum up your history, clear up a mystery,

Humor proclivity for a nativity.

He has answers oracular, bogies spectacular,

Tetrapods tragical, mirrors so magical,

Facts astronomical, solemn or comical,

And, if you want it, he

Makes a reduction on taking a quantity.

Oh, if any one anything lacks

He'll find it all ready in stacks

If he'll only look in on the resident Djinn

Number seventy, Simmery Axe

He can raise you hosts of ghosts,

And that without reflectors,

And creepy things with wings,

And gaunt and grisly spectres.

He can fill you crowds of shrouds,

And horrify you vastly.

He can rack your brains with chains,

And gibberings grim and ghastly.

Then, if you plan it, he changes organity

With an urbanity full of Satanity,

Vexing humanity with an inanity

Fatal to vanity,

Driving your foes to the verge of insanity.

But in tautology on demonology,

'Lectro biology, mystic nosology,

Spirit philology, high class astrology,

Such is his knowledge, he

Isn't the man to require an apology.

Oh, my name is John Wellington Wells.

I'm a dealer in magic and spells,

In blessings and curses,

And ever-filled purses,

In prophecies, witches, and knells.

If any one anything lacks

He'll find it all ready in stacks

If he'll only look in on the resident Djinn

Number seventy, Simmery Axe.

Now, are you ready to experience how this piece was intended? Not as a poem sitting somberly on the page, but as a patter song, a showpiece of virtuosic silliness. There are various versions on-line, but I've chosen to link you to this one to start off because it's got the lyrics as subtitles. Thom King in the title role of High Desert Opera's The Sorcerer. Enjoy!

[Pictures: poster for the 1884 revival of The Sorcerer, artist unknown;

detail from a poster for three G&S operas, H.A. Thomas Lithograph Studio, 1879.

(from Wikimedia Commons.)]

Mosaic Monday/ Field Trip

2011-11-14T11:22:00.000-08:00

Sunday I went out to Rockwall to visit Barbara Dybala and check out her large scale mosaic mural project. They say everything is bigger in Texas and this gal really has a Texan "can do attitude". She is covering her 3 story studio in tile and smalti. If you want to be a part of the fun know that Barb is offering free classes on large scale mosaics. At first when I heard about it I thought what a clever way to get your "fence painted Huck Finn". After just 20 minutes of listening to her orientation I realize she has an amazing wealth of info and she is as generous as she can possibly be with her knowledge. I learned so much about efficiency and production when tackling something on this scale. Barbara studied under Isaiah Zagar and uses many of his techniques.

There is still time to get in on the fun and it really is fun. The space she is creating is magical. Check out her website for more info. This is the last week of open classes so don't miss out!

Small side building behind the workshop.

New Background Patterns/ Photoshop

2011-11-11T14:31:00.000-08:00

When I travel I take pictures of textures and patterns because I know I may have the chance later to incorporate them into a piece of digital art. I created a few new Background patterns this week with some pics I took in Italy. Check out Fluffy's artwork below and then check out my photographs that I used for the background design.


"Fluffy" ( see all proofs) © rebecca collins /artpaw.com The wooden texture above was taken from the door image below

Italy Door
© rebecca collins


"Fluffy" ( see all proofs) © rebecca collins /artpaw.com

I knew when I saw this iron work in Italy that it had to be used in an Art Paw background pattern. When you shoot photographs to use as texture and pattern in your artwork you do not always need to use the entire photo, you never know what tiny bit of texture is going to be just what you need to give your digital art a real world patina. Digital art can often tend to have a plastic or overly smooth texture, by using real world images in my art I feel like I am giving my work a gritty realness.

The Sun and the North Wind: an Allegory of Power

2011-11-11T08:49:00.000-08:00

Do you know the fable of the Sun and the North Wind?

The Sun and the North Wind were having an argument over which of them was stronger. When they saw below them a traveller, they devised a competition to settle their argument: whichever one could force the traveller to remove his cloak would be judged the stronger. The North Wind went first and blew as hard as it could. It was certainly very powerful, but the stronger it blew the more tightly the traveller clutched his cloak around him. When it was the Sun's turn, the Sun simply shone bright and warm, and very soon the traveller was taking off his heavy cloak of his own will.

In my single brief brush with the world of "real" artists, a summer class for art educators at MassArt, one of the visiting lecturers was an artist who conceived of his work as powerfully political. He had done a lot of pieces depicting the violence in Central America, including images of executed bodies, tortured prostitutes, and leering politicians and soldiers. Goodness knows this was an area in which the world could stand to be made an awful lot better, and goodness knows I admire anyone who sees a problem and tries to do something about it. This artist's images were certainly powerful, and yet they were images that made me pull my coat more tightly around myself.

Artists have a power that should not be abused. We create. We put into the world things that were not there before. We give people new images, new stories. G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown explains how he solves murders, "I don't try to get outside the man. I try to get inside the murderer… I am inside a man. I am always inside a man, moving his arms and legs; but I wait till I know I am inside a murderer, thinking his thoughts, wrestling with his passions; till I have bent myself into his posture of hunched and peering hatred; till I see the world with his bloodshot and squinting eyes, looking between the blinkers of his half-witted concentration; looking up the short and sharp perspective of a straight road to a pool of blood. Till I am really a murderer." I believe this is what writing is all about - inhabiting each character, or finding each character within myself, feeling how any character might be me or I them but for the factors of chance and choice. But if I truly have that murderer in me, how do I use that power?

Or another analogy: I carve my blocks with sharp-edged tools. The same tools, with their cutting blades, can be used to create beautiful works of art or could be used to destroy, to mutilate, to cause pain. It's the same tool either way. The tool is neither good nor bad. The question is how the tool is used.

I think it's important to be mindful of what we're adding to the world. If I paint a scene of rape, am I giving the world a message that rape is horrible, or am I merely giving the world one more rape to look at? If I describe the horrors of war, am I defying our culture's glorification of war, or am I merely dwelling amidst the horrors - and worse yet, forcing my audience to dwell there, too? Am I sounding a wake-up call, or am I riding the shock value?

I don't know the answers, and of course there is more than one way to try to make the world a better place… But I do believe that depictions of violence must be handled as carefully as if they were real - that is, as if by painting murder we might really commit it. We must always be cautious that we add to the world only what has the potential to improve it, and beware that we don't slip into degradation.

[Pictures: The Sun & the North Wind, rubber block print by AEGN, 1998;

The Sun and the Wind, wood engraving by Thomas Bewick, from Bewick's Select Fables of Aesop and Others, 1871 (first edition 1818).]
(Quotation from The Secret of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton, 1927.)

Busy With Pet Portrait Orders

2011-11-09T12:19:00.000-08:00

We are rocking and rolling here, creating art every day. Life is good, Lola is working 3 days a week now, and the e-mail issues have been resolved. I am ready for the pet portrait orders to start flowing in more and more each week. Will post some new artwork soon.

Keep in Mind When Ordering A Portrait:
Best time to order a pet portrait for Christmas is NOW.
We need 2 main things to start on your project
• a high quality photo ( 500kb or larger)
• payment

Call me if you have any questions ... it is toll free: 888-225-427. I would love to talk to you.

Me & Lola (Sept.)


Lola and her baby Zitna

My Boy Whitman

2011-11-08T13:14:00.000-08:00

1.
Frank took the bus with the last of his money. The two small thick coins were new and polished and when he moved his hand they caught the light and looked beautiful. In contrast the large coin was almost black with a strip of bronze showing hard around the Queen’s face. The brass woman looked stern and angry and Frank wondered for a second if she looked angry on all the coins of lesser value. He wondered this because he was very tired and his thoughts had started to become spontaneous, as if he hadn’t thought them himself at all. It took Frank twelve minutes to walk to the bus stop, he walked medium- fast, with his head down and his blue and green rucksack cutting red and white into his shoulder. During his walk he saw several dogs, a poodle that crapped on the floor near the brick supermarket. A man with brown shoes leant down to pick up the mess. He was old and as he bent over with the poop bag he fell to his knees and his left hand broke the soft seal of the shit, smearing it up the pavement. The poodle licked itself and the old man was perfectly still, apart from the shaking of his arms and legs, which quivered from the effort it was taking to support his frame. Frank stood for a minute in the shadow of an enormous skip, piled high with slats of wood and orange bags with skulls on. He thought about helping the man. He thought ‘that man is lying in shit.’ He wondered if he should help the old man up but then, ‘why would a man lie in shit? What kind of a man would do that?’ Frank looked at his shoes, the leather around the tongue had cracked and was constantly bent, curling upwards, even when he took them off. Ashamed of his hesitation he began to kick at the side of the skip in frustration. He felt the end of his toes burn with pain and bit his forefinger, it tasted of grease and oil. He was skipping, dancing, swapping feet to kick until the old man was gone and he was sure that his toes were bleeding. Then he carried on walking up the high-street with the key cold and dead in his pocket.

Sci Fi Comes to Open Studios

2011-11-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

This weekend was another Open Studios show and for me it was the biggest sales weekend in years. Yay! A portion of those sales were made possible by a little bit of science fiction that has just reached the world of art shows. Of the 18 or so artists showing in the large auditorium where I had my display, at least four of us were using The Square for the first time this weekend. The Square apparently first came out in a very limited way about a year ago, but it's obviously hitting its stride now. What is it? A small square plastic thingy that plugs into the top of an i-phone and allows you to swipe credit cards. After you swipe, the transaction works about like ordering something on-line: the card is authorized, the money is transferred directly into my bank account, and a receipt is e-mailed or texted to the purchaser if they want. A record of the transaction is also e-mailed to me. If you want you can take a photo of the piece that was sold and attach that to the e-mails. And the part everyone gets a kick out of is when the buyer signs the i-phone screen with their finger!

I don't actually have an i-phone, but D does and he very generously allowed me to take it with me to my show this weekend. (I treasure this as a symbol of True Love, because sometimes it can be hard to tell which he loves more: me, or his technologies!) Over the weekend I had eight people request to pay with credit card. A small aside here: when I first started selling at Open Studios shows seven years ago everyone assumed that the artists wouldn't be able to accept credit. If people were expecting to buy something they brought their checkbooks or wads of cash. If they hadn't expected to buy anything they might run out to the nearest ATM and return with cash later. But as more and more artists began to get portable card swipers of various sorts, more and more buyers began to expect it. In the past couple of years I've begun to lose the occasional sale, although I will say that when people really want something they usually find a way! How many of the eight sales that used credit this weekend would have been lost completely if I had not had the Square I don't know, but I think it's safe to say that I would have lost at least a few sales. And I think it's also true that as more and more artists get the ability to accept credit, the number of buyers who are prepared to pay by check or cash will shrink ever faster.

So, my over-all review of the Square? Highly Recommended. The little device itself is free and there are no up-front costs or monthly fees. If you get one and never use it, you're out nothing. It's tailor-made for those of us whose use is likely to be seasonal or sporadic rather than constant. Having an account with a monthly fee doesn't make much sense when I won't be doing any sales at all seven months out of the year, so I like that I pay for it only when I actually use it.

One of the four of us using Square this weekend said she had trouble getting hers - it didn't arrive in time for one sale, and then in the ensuing muddle she ended up with two. She pointed out that they have no customer service to speak of and it's hard to talk to someone in case of a glitch. The other three of us, however, all received our Squares in the mail within 2-5 days of signing up, just as advertised. Once you have it, it's easy to set up the (also free) app on the i-phone, and once you start a transaction the app walks you through each step clearly and easily. Some people seemed to have trouble with the swipe - you have to pull the card very quickly and firmly and it might take a little while to get the hang of it. I didn't find it too hard, though. Also, a couple of times the phone required multiple attempts to authorize the card because it was having trouble connecting to the internet. You'll definitely want to be sure of a good solid connection in your location or there could be much frustration. The artist next to me had printed out some information about the Square in case customers were wary of it - but no one balked at all. In fact, they all seemed rather tickled by the novelty of it. (There was one woman who asked for a receipt, and when I touched the button for it her e-mail address auto-filled in. She'd just purchased something from an artist on the other side of the room and the magical ether had remembered the e-mail that went with the credit card. We both agreed that this was very cool but a little creepy!)

As for the cost, Square keeps for itself 2.75% of each transaction for which it's used. I had a couple of people kindly ask me whether I preferred that they pay with check or credit and I chose check because obviously I'd just as soon not pay that 2.75% when I can avoid it. However it really is not a bad percentage - especially when you compare it with the 45% per transaction offered by the gallery owner who came through the show recruiting!

I haven't yet seen my bank statement with all the money safely deposited, so I suppose there could still prove to be some problem, but as far as I can tell, the Square worked beautifully and I give it a definite thumbs-up.

[Pictures: Square plugged into an i-phone,

The blocks I was carving this weekend,

photos by AEGN, 2011.]

E-mail problems

2011-11-05T17:21:00.000-07:00

Attention Clients and potential clients: please use the e-mail
artpaw.com@gmail.com
if you are trying to reach me this next week. My Yahoo mail account is acting weird. Bad timing. Hope to get it resolved very soon.

The Problem With November

2011-11-05T05:42:00.000-07:00

Every year, I hate turning the clock back. Yes, I get an extra hour of sleep; that part's not bad. The problem is, it gets dark so early in the day. When I was working, it was already dark when I came home, which made me feel like the day was already gone and I had missed it all.

Also, the month of November seems to usher in the true beginning of winter weather (at least where I live). At the beginning of November, things look like this:

By the end of November, it's beginning to look more like this:

I wouldn't mind if winter lasted a couple of months. You know, change of seasons and all that. But, around here, it just lasts too long. We have Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then three more long months of winter.

That's why my dream would be to live in Hawaii one day. It always looks like this:

People often say to me, "but wouldn't you miss the change of seasons?". No, no that much!

Holiday Pet Portrait Deadline

2011-11-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

Order by November 21st

To get my best unhurried creative work

Well it is that time of year again and the holidays are here. Each November I get nervous and excited about all of the holiday orders that will come in. I always post a holiday deadline and people usually ignore it and keep ordering anyway. Keep in mind that when you order from Art Paw I will be the one creating your custom artwork and there is only one of me. Lola is totally amazing this time of year and she will be optimizing photos by cleaning the backgrounds and she will be shipping and stretching all of the portraits.

Early next week I will be posting my official cut off dates for the holidays. Right now it looks like November 21st will be the soft deadline, that will go on the calendar. If you have been thinking about ordering now is the time.

We will be proofing with password protected gallery pages starting today in order to avoid ruining any holiday surprises.

Monsters in Hats

2011-11-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a little late for Hallowe'en, but this seems as good a time as any to share a theme D, my brother, and I were bandying about a while ago. We were observing that werewolves seem to look quite natural and appropriate wearing top hats, and I had this idea that every sort of iconic monster must have its own favorite style of headgear. Some of the matchings that pleased us the most were

zombies wear boaters

skeletons wear long nightcaps

space aliens wear granny bonnets

velociraptors wear backwards baseball caps

I thought that twelve of these pairings, depicted in a campy vintage poster style, would make an amusing and enjoyable calendar. (If anyone wants to put such a thing together, you're
welcome to my genius idea. Just be sure to send me a copy!) But I'm far too lazy to do that myself, so I've decided to make this post an interactive activity to get you started in the rich topic of monster millinery.

1. Print out the following lists and draw lines to connect them according to your own sense of what's appropriate.

2. Add more monsters and more headgear as desired.

3. Imagine how much more pleasantly and knowledgeably you'll be able to converse with the next well-dressed monster you meet.

4. Have fun!

bigfoot balaclava

blob baseball cap

chupacabra beret

ghost bishop mitre

giant squid boater

mermaid bonnet

minotaur coonskin cap

mummy cowboy hat

Nessie deerstalker

skeleton fez

space alien lamp shade

swamp monster pith helmet

Tyrannosaurus rex propeller beanie

vampire Robin Hood cap

werewolf sombrero

yeti swim cap with plastic flowers

zombie top hat

[Pictures: Vampire in a Mae West hat, photoshop adaptation from movie posters;

Giant squid in a mitre, photoshop adaptation from an illustration by Alphonse de Neuville, wood engraving by Hildibrand, for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, 1871 ;

Ghost in a sombrero, photoshop adaptation from an illustration by Richard Westall, copperplate engraving by E. Scriven, from Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, 1802;

Monsters in hats and assorted spare hats, pen sketch on paper by AEGN and TPGrundy (TPG did the spare hats and the skull, I did the ghost, alien, and mummy, and we both think we did the velociraptor!), 2011.]

The Fairy Tale Wedding

2011-11-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

I don't buy into the whole "fairy tale wedding" thing. Latest case in point: Kim Kardashian. I never thought I would mention her in my blog because I think that whole family has been way over exposed already. But it does give me a perfect example of the wedding becoming more important than the marriage. Yes, she got her "fairy tale wedding". Was that the whole point? To show off in a pretty dress and throw a big expensive party? Fine, but what does that have to do with marriage?

Marriage is serious business. Marriage is for adults. Fairy tales are for children. Excuse me, but I think that by the time a woman is ready to get married she should be finished with fairy tales. So why is the fairy tale wedding so popular these days? Here are just a few examples:

Do you notice a pattern there? Right, it's Disney. Maybe I have a chip on my shoulder when it comes to Disney. I grew up watching Disney movies that were scary and sad. Bambi's mother died. Dumbo's mother was chained and locked up. Old Yeller got rabies and had to be shot. To me, Disney was a real downer and I don't think I'm over it yet. These days Disney encourages little girls to be "princesses". I'm not crazy about that either. I don't think a princess is a good role model for a little girl. The real world just wasn't made for princesses. I don't see the point in growing up expecting to be catered to. I don't think it's a good mindset with which to begin a marriage, either. You get married to be a wife, not a princess.

Will readers think I am being too harsh? I wonder. I have never had a little girl of my own, so I'm not sure how I would handle it. Where does the line get drawn between being a little girl and becoming a grown woman? It just seems to me that the line is being confused with the trend to "fairy tale weddings".

Kirchner's "Father Müller"

2011-11-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938) is not, on the whole, an artist whose work I admire. As one of the founding members of "Die Brücke" group attempting to break away from the traditional academic style of painting, I think his work tries way too hard to be harsh and shocking just for the sake of being different. But I do have to give him and his fellow proto-Expressionists credit for helping to revive and elevate the woodcut as a legitimate artistic medium. And they weren't just using it to reproduce black line drawings as it was generally being used at the time. They experimented with what the medium could do: simplifying, using large areas of black, creating rough-hewn textures, and experimenting with bold patterns.

One thing I dislike about Kirchner's work is that his people all look so sour and mean. But I found a couple of exceptions, which I like very much. The first is "Father Müller," who was a Swiss farmer in the area where Kirchner was staying while he tried to recover from the trauma of World War I. I love the stark dignity of this portrait. He looks as if he has a bit of a twinkle in his eye despite being weary. Kirchner printed only a few copies of this block, two in color and the rest in black. I actually like the color version better, even though the black version shows the carving more clearly.

I also like this portrait of "Ludwig Schames." Schames was an art dealer, which explains the nude in the background. Apparently Kirchner made the portrait from memory. I love his beard!

[Pictures: Father Müller, wood block print by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1918,

(color version from Moma collection,
black and white from Yale Art Gallery);

Portrait of Ludwig Schames, wood block print by Kirchner, 1918, (image from Yale Art Gallery).]

Halloween

2011-10-31T17:44:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treat on my street:

We had a dramatic sunset sky. There were little ghosts in the trees.

Lights on houses and little bonfires in fire pits.

Here come the kids.

A crescent moon above.

Mosaic Monday/ We Love Mary Engel

2011-10-31T10:04:00.000-07:00

Phil, 23 x 14 x 8 in.
by Mary Engel

by Mary Engel

Inspired by Southern memory jars, Mary Engels's mosaic work is wonderfully encrusted with all kinds of objects. On her website she states; " For me, the animal image symbolizes a bridge between the rational world of humans and the instinctual world of nature." She also creates bronze sculptures that are cast from her original mosaic work. She has a well designed easy to navigate site so check her out and add her to your list of favorites: http://www.maryengel.net.

October 31st

2011-10-31T05:54:00.000-07:00

Words of the Month - Borrowed Fantasy

2011-10-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about the English language is how we don't just borrow words from other languages - we adopt them. We bring them into our family, embrace them, and love them as our own until we don't even remember where they came from. No doubt I'll be doing more posts on borrowings over time, because it's such a rich topic, but today I'll share the exotic origins of a sampling of words that the fantasy genre just couldn't do without.

Let's start with words that might be found in Dungeons & Dragons, where many an older fantasy geek was first immersed in the world of magic…

magic, bronze - Avestan (Middle East)

ceremony - Etruscan (Europe)

shaman - Evenki (Asia)

bard - Gaelic (Europe)

rogue - Sinhalese (South Asia)

horde - Polish (Europe)

Do you like high medieval fantasy?

saga - Icelandic (Europe)

chivalry - Norman French (Europe)

saber - Hungarian (Europe)

crusade, pilgrim - Provençal (Europe)

ebony, ivory - Egyptian (Africa)

How about Star Trek and sci fi?

trek - Afrikaans (Europe/Africa)

robot - Czech (Europe)

technology - Greek (Europe)

orbit - Latin (Europe)

Angels and demons and assorted monsters and beasts?

cherub - Akkadian (Middle East)

paradise - Avestan (Middle East)

abyss - Sumerian (Middle East)

Dracula - Romanian (Europe)

vampire - Serbian (Europe)

zombie - Kongo (Africa)

yeti - Tibetan (Asia)

sasquatch - Salish (North America)

jaguar - Guarani (South America)

shark - Maya (Mesoamerica)

anaconda - Tamil (South Asia)

piranha - Tupi (South America)

A few more words, perhaps for horror or urban fantasy…

geek - Dutch (Europe)

tattoo - Tahitian (Pacific)

bizarre - Basque (Europe)

taboo - Tongan (Pacific)

cannibal - Carib (South America)

bludgeon - Cornish (Europe)

fog, kidnap - Danish (Europe)

voodoo - Ewe (Africa)

juju - Hausa (Africa)

ninja - Japanese (Asia)

berserk - Norse (Europe)

And finally, what would fantasy be without

purple - Phoenician (Middle East)

map - Punic (Middle East/Africa)

chocolate - Nahuatl (Mesoamerica)
How else will you recover from an encounter with Dementors?

Did you know where English got all those wonderful fantasy words? Forty languages from all around the world are represented here. Some of the words come from languages that are long extinct, living on only in their words that have passed into other languages. Some words are recent enough borrowings that most people still recognize their foreign origin. I hope this list gives you a new appreciation for the wonderful diversity of the English language - and for the human tendency to embrace fantasy wherever we find it.

[Pictures: Magical Symbol, rubber block print by AEGN, 2008 (commissioned for a not-yet-published fantasy novel by a friend of mine)
Ninja, "Kuni Ghika wood block print," (not sure what that means!) 19th century (Image from Live Auctioneers.)]

Book Review / I'm Not The biggest Bitch in this Relationship

2011-10-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Back in September I was sent a copy of a terrific book to review by the publicist for "I'm not the biggest Bitch in this Relationship: Hilarious, Heartwarming Tales About Man's Best Friend from America's Favorite Humorists. Edited by Wade Rouse, this collection of 21 original short essay is just hysterical. I read it coming home from Italy on the plane and have been telling everyone I know about it. When I got home I started reading a few of the essays out loud to Dan at night while he cooks dinner. I will probably be buying a few extra copies to hand out to my dog loving pals at Christmas. Keep in mind that 50% of the royalties will be donated to the Humane Society of the US. If you ever feel like you are just a wee bit obsessed or crazy about your 4 legged family members these writers will make you realize that you are not alone.

Feather and Shard

2011-10-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

Just got in from a late dog walk. I picked up a stunning jet black feather and a black pottery shard on my walk. In college we always had some sort of design or sculpture class where the assignment would be to incorporate "found objects" into an art project. I always enjoyed those assignments. After school I started working long hours in retail to pay my bills and I had 2 cats so I sort of retired into myself and into my apartment for a decade or longer. When I was not working I was home or playing with friends, I did not make much art in my 20's. When I married Danny in my mid 30's I became a bit of a dog person, started walking the pups and so here I am again, out in the world and picking stuff up off the street.

I dunno if these will go into an art project, but they are so lovely. What have you found on your dog walks lately?

Out and About

2011-10-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

I don't always take my camera with me everywhere I go. But I do always have my iphone with me. So here are some photos I have taken along the way recently.

Last week I had a fun outing with my sister and my youngest niece, Molly. We were shopping for her tenth birthday gift from my mom. For each of her grandchildren's tenth birthday she gives them a special gift. Molly wanted a piece of jewelry with her birthstone, a ruby. We had gone to several jewelry stores and found out that it's hard to find a natural ruby these days; many of them are "created" rubies. My sister wanted to find a natural ruby.

We finally found the perfect necklace that Molly loved, with a natural ruby. Here is Molly wearing her new necklace:

A closer look:

Afterward, we had lunch at a local tea shop:

They encourage guests to wear hats:

Molly didn't wear one, though:

Last weekend, my husband and I went to dinner then to the Cincinnati Playhouse. We tried a restaurant for the first time that some of our friends had recommended:

It was excellent! I had scallops with a delicious risotto. We shared a bottle of Chardonnay (he let me choose the wine).

Then on to the Playhouse in the Park, on a hill in Cincinnati:

We saw "Red", and intriguing play about Mark Rothko. The actors were great. They discussed art and philosophy as they stretched canvases, mixed and applied paint. I thoroughly enjoyed it, as did the whole audience. We were there on opening night and it was well received.

I took these photos before the seats were all filled. They don't allow photos after the play starts.

Yesterday, I just ran some errands. But I took some photos along the way. I saw some gorgeous fall color near the Target store, so I got out of my car and took these:

Then, my final stop of the day:

Around These Parts...

2011-10-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

Down country roads...

Old places...

Friendly locals...

Wheels...

I live in a suburb full of new homes and shiny cars. But just down the road is an old-fashioned town with the feeling of a different era.

Handbook by George A. Walker

2011-10-25T06:45:00.000-07:00

For anyone who's interested in block printing, I highly recommend The Woodcut Artist's Handbook, by George A. Walker. It's got loads of great illustrations, many by Walker, but also by a whole variety of other artists from Albrecht Dürer to Ralph Steadman, who inks up scraps of old, used wood. Although the title says "woodcut," this book also covers linoleum block printing and wood engraving, and makes an effort to include a wide variety of styles.

The chapters cover "Selecting Materials for the Block" through signing and numbering "The Edition," and address the basics as well as more advanced materials and techniques. In addition to the illustrations of block prints there are also lots of illustrations and diagrams of step-by-step processes, how to hold tools, the different types of cuts made by different tools, how presses work, etc.

I confess that I didn't read every word of all the chapters. I skipped the details of how to assemble your own engraving block, or how to repair Resingrave, for example. But it looks like in everything Walker does a good job of covering both the basics for those who don't know much about block printing, and the advanced details for those who are already pretty immersed in the craft.

The bottom line, though, is that I enjoyed the illustrations. Walker's selection included lots of contemporary artists I wasn't familiar with and whose work I'll be keeping an eye out for. He has a particular emphasis on Canadian artists, since those are the people he works with and knows. Again, that meant it was a selection I wasn't so familiar with. And Walker's own work is quite diverse, though he appears to have a special interest in political, urban, and slightly darker interpretations of things. Here are some of his pieces . On the whale above I like the contrast between the scratchiness of the whale and the controlled swirls of the water. As for the caterpillar, I'm sure everyone recognizes it as Alice's acquaintance in Wonderland. I like its scruffiness.

I was definitely glad to have found this book to look through. Check it out.

[Pictures: Whale, wood (or Resingrave?) engraving by George A. Walker, 2004;

Advice from a Caterpillar, wood engraving by Walker, c. 1985.]

Walker, George A., The Woodcut Artist's Handbook: Techniques and Tools for Relief Printmaking, Firefly Books Ltd., 2010.
Walker's Web Site

Mosaic Monday/ Happy Endings

2011-10-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I am really missing Italy. When I arrived home a week ago I discovered that some things were missing from my luggage, the entire suit case looked like mockingbirds had been pecking through it, things were very much in disarray. A few jewelry trinkets that I had purchased as gifts were gone, but more important than that was my sketch book. The sketchbook can not be replaced as there were some original simple drawings that I had done of pups that are gone from our lives.

So my luggage had been rifled through at the airport. Hmmm, well I figured it was a lesson learned, end of story, life goes on. This morning I got a wonderful e-mail from a very kind lady that tracked me down via Orsoni where we had taken classes and she had my agenda and certificate of course completion she said. I knew that I had the certificate and book together in one location so I quickly e-mailed her back and asked her if there had been a sketch book with the paperwork. Sure enough she did have the sketch book and she will be mailing these things back to me. Her luggage had been rifled through too and I guess when they were putting things back in cases they just threw things here and there. I am really touched that this wonderful person took the time to track me down. This happy ending is making me miss Italy so very much and the warmth of the people there.

So today I will post a few more random Italy snapshots and end with a digital scan of one of the doggy sketches that will be coming home to me soon.

This sketch is just a simple line drawing but it really captured my boys big ears and the curve of his big ol' head. The glow ball reference is about a specific glow in the dark ball toy he had received that Christmas. Loosing this drawing even temporarily has reminded me how much I need to get back into the habit of drawing each day.

Life is full of surprises and wonderful people will show up for you when you least expect it. I am a very fortunate woman in so many ways. Italy was a great experience and I can not wait to go again.

What I've Been Doing While Not Blogging

2011-10-24T05:52:00.000-07:00

Wow! I haven't posted for a week, have I? Well, it has been uneventful here. We are getting ready to go back to my favorite place in the world... Hawaii. I have been doing what I call my "pre-packing". I search my closet for things I think I should take and hang them all around the room. I try on tops and bottoms together to see if they go. Then I launder, iron, fix hems, or anything else that needs to be done. If something needs to be added, I go shopping. Then I start weeding out the choices. I always try to pack only what fits in my moderate-sized carry-on. Despite my efforts, I always find that I wish I had brought something that didn't make the cut.

I also take some time to worry about my cats. I worry about who will care for them. I worry about having enough food on hand. I buy bigger dishes because I don't want them to run out of food during the day. I have four indoor cats, plus we feed at least eight feral cats every day. Making sure the feral cats have food every day is important because the raccoons come every night and eat any food that remains. The weather could turn wintry while we away, so I prepare the shelters for the feral cats on my deck. Yesterday, we took down the tomato plants and pots to make room for the kitty shelters.

So, not much to blog about, but there it is!

Fantasy Hallowe'en Costumes

2011-10-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Let me just say right up front that I have always loved dressing up, but that I have always believed that half the fun of costumes is making them. I've got no problem with buying an accessory or a special hat or something, but grabbing a complete pre-made costume off the shelf really defeats the purpose. I always made my own costumes as a child (with some help from my mother) and I've always made P and T's costumes… until this year, when I've put them in charge of assembling their own. I hate seeing so many kids coming to our door in boring, generic outfits, and I'm always delighted to see anyone displaying a bit of creativity.

Naturally my taste in Hallowe'en costumes has tended toward fantasy. The Wizard of Oz kept me in costume ideas for several years in elementary school: I particularly recall the Cowardly Lion, Ozma of Oz, and the Wicked Witch of the West. Another year I was Artemis. Freshman year in college a whole group of my friends and I went as characters from Alice in Wonderland. (As the one with long blonde hair I was inevitably Alice.)

P and T have been even more fantastical. At age three they were dragons, and I was very happy that they could still fit in the same costumes when they wanted to be dragons again the following year. (Those were a lot of work!) At age five they were griffins (lion-headed griffins, to be specific). At age seven P was a dragon again (necessitating the creation of a whole new dragon costume) and T was a fairy. And last year P was a phoenix and T a "Hogwart's-style witch."

Of course there are plenty of non-fantasy costumes I've made and admired over the years. (One of the best ever was when T and P were salt and pepper shakers as toddlers.) One could argue that any costume at all is a form of fantasy, since costumes allow you to pretend to be something completely different, for good or ill. (There's also the "fantasy" aspect of the fact that so many female costumes
involve improbable quantities of cleavage, thigh, and shoe heel. But that's a rant I won't go into today.) Suffice it to say that Hallowe'en is a holiday with many pros and cons, but perhaps its most positive attribute is when it serves to empower children (or any age) to imagine something, create the costume representing their vision, and get out and show it off without embarrassment. When it's child-directed and involves actual creativity, not just the wielding of a credit card, Hallowe'en is a fun, empowering, imaginative, wonderful holiday. So let your creativity run wild!

And now it's time to get busy for this year's costumes. One of our jobs for the weekend will be helping P and T get to work on their costumes. I hope you have fun with yours!

[Pictures: T as a green dragon, 2005;

T and P as lion-headed griffins, 2007;

P as a phoenix, 2010, photos by AEGN.]

Why Do We Love Bulldogs So much?

2011-10-21T10:29:00.000-07:00


"Franklin" ( see all proofs) © rebecca collins / artpaw.com

Why oh why do we all adore Bulldogs so much? Clients tell me they drool, snore, fart and have to be grown like delicate hot house orchids with high vet bills and a host of breed specific health issues .... but still, who can resist their smushed faces and personalities that are as varied as the day is long. I will have a bulldog puppy some day, I don't know when, but I know that I will be owned by this breed eventually. They are one of the few non-terrier breeds that I really do covet.

Franklin looks like a young pup to me in this photo. He is such a handsome guy. This photo was a real joy to play with. The glow eye was minor and easy to fix. The coat detail and lighting on this shot was perfect. I always enjoy working with informal shots of pups with bones or toys.

Valentino The Mastiff

2011-10-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

This handsome boy was proofed yesterday and we already have an approval so he is shipping out today. When approvals come in quickly the final artwork usually ships fast too.

About The Art:
In the original photograph this boy's ears were not overly perky. The client had sent several pics and so I was able to snag some ears from a different photo and warp them on to this shot. I really adored Valentino's pose in this shot as it really shows off how noble he is ... the ear fix was rather simple since I have done this type of alteration many times. The other tweak that I think really helped this image was adding a white highlight to the eyeball to the left, in the original photo that eye was really hiding. I hope to do more Mastiffs in the future, they are really stunning animals, and Mr. Valentino has stolen my heart.

Painting Eyes For Hank

2011-10-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

Today I worked on enhancing and painting in some sparkle on Hank's eyes. This adorable pup is no longer with his humans and so I am working with grainy cell phone images that we have access to. I always crab when I have to work with lower quality images, but the reality is that I sort of like the challenge and especially when it is an important memorial project. Over the years I have gotten pretty good at working with what I have and painting in missing detail when needed. Below is a sneak peek of Hank in progress, I have lots more work to do before I will be able to proof my client. Hank reminds me so much of my best friend's pup Bella. She lost her Bella last year.


( above) Hank's eyes after some work on the wacom tablet

( above) Hank's original eye detail

(above) Original photo

An Owl and a Pussy-Cat

2011-10-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend was an Open Studios show and that means I sat and carved all weekend. On Saturday I carved Cat Art. This one was fun and different for me because it's actually a portrait of Talia, our new kitten. (We've had her for about three months now, and she's about nine months old. She doesn't look kittenish any more.) Our former cat of happy memory, Nightshade, served as the model for much previous Cat Art, but the cat images she inspired were all rather generalized. Nightshade's blotchy mulch-colored fur didn't translate well into bold black and white, so all my cats ended up being solid black or white, or wholly fictional tabby-stripes. Talia, however, is a true classic tabby, mostly black with narrow ticked whorls. I thought I'd try actually reproducing her pattern in this piece, and it turned out better than I had feared at the point of carving. I especially love the white rim around her eyes while she snoozes!

On Sunday I carved an owl, based on a screech owl, though without any claims of Audubon-worthy accuracy. Instead of being about reproducing an accurate portrait of a creature, this piece is more about pattern and texture. (T is quite excited about it, since two of her favorite people have owl companions: Harry Potter and Athena.) I saw a program about owls once from which I learned that owls are actually pretty stupid birds, which makes their use as a symbol of wisdom delightfully ironic. But even if keen intelligence isn't their specialty, owls are still wonderful, amazing creatures.

Of course my two days of carving were interrupted for sales (if never as many as I'd like!) And actually the carving was interrupted for quite a few very nice conversations, as well. I'm thinking of three in particular that were especially gratifying. Two of these were people who had bought books last year as gifts for children (a daughter with Hey, Diddle Diddle! and a grandson with Amazing, Beguiling, Curious, to be specific.) They reported back to me how much the children loved the books, and I really appreciate this feedback. I pour a lot of love and care into those books and art. They come from deep in my own imagination and my own visions of the world, they are personal and precious to me, and then I throw them out into the world and they disappear. I never hear back from most readers of my books, or from recipients of my art, so when I do find out that someone out there is sharing my enjoyment and treasuring the connection I've made with them, that really means a lot to me. The third example was a four-year-old boy who came in with his parents. Last year they'd bought a vintage car for his bedroom, and this year they came back to choose a second car to go with the first. He also tried his hand at carving the rubber and was excited to learn the process of how the car prints were made. He was preparing to redecorate to a "big boy" room, and he wanted my cars to be part of it. I am honored and pleased that something I created is a part of that boy's life!

[Pictures: Curled Up with a Good Book, rubber block print by AEGN, 2011;

Screech Owl, rubber block print by AEGN, 2011.]

These are stories in the rain

2011-10-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

“When it's raining like this," said Naoko, "it feels as if we're the only ones in the world.

catmasutra cat art

“Thanks to the long days of rain,
the blades of grass glowed with a deep-green luster, and
they gave off the smell of wildness unique to things
that sink their roots into the earth.”

Haruki Murakami

A play on Jamie Beck “cinemagraphs:… totoro and halo in the rain..

“There are a hundred things she has tried to chase away the things she won't remember and that she can't even let herself think about because that's when the birds scream and the worms crawl and somewhere in her mind it's always raining a slow and endless drizzle.

You will hear that she has left the country, that there was a gift she wanted you to have, but it is lost before it reaches you. Late one night the telephone will sign, and a voice that might be hers will say something that you cannot interpret before the connection crackles and is broken.

Several years later, from a taxi, you will see someone in a doorway who looks like her, but she will be gone by the time you persuade the driver to stop. You will never see her again.

Whenever it rains you will think of her. ”
~ Neil Gaiman

catmasutra cat art: In-between Love

“You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintery light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen...”

~ Ernest Hemingway

“People always think that happiness is a faraway thing,
something complicated and hard to get.
Yet, what little things can make it up; a place of shelter
when it rains - a cup of strong hot coffee
when you're blue; for a man,
a cigarette for contentment;
a book to read when you're alone -
just to be with someone you love.
Those things make happiness.”

~ Betty Smith