Renee's Funky Country at Etsy

I chose Renee to feature today because it's rather gray outside, not raining, not doing anything much weatherwise, and her pretty artworks cheer me up, as if the sun just came out. They are joyful offerings, almost childlike in their exuberance, but with much imaginative detail and clever use of color. She must bounce out of bed singing! (I need to have my coffee first.)











These pretty folk paintings certainly made my day seem brighter. Thanks, Renee.

Check out her Etsy store at Renee's Funky Country where she has dozens of examples of her surprising imagination. Renee loves custom work, as you'll have realized. What a great personalized gift one of her paintings would make for some lucky girl - of any age!

MuseU2 at Etsy - Bas-Relief Sculptures

Well, it's Whimsy Friday again, and I found a creative guy who loves old-fashioned trains, so that's a first for this blog.

MuseU2 is a rarity these days. He is an artist who specializes in Bas-Relief. He sculpts these delightful images, then makes molds of them, and from these he casts the final piece in Gypsum, lovingly paints them in bright, happy colors, and then frames them. Bas-Relief is one of the world's most ancient arts, examples surviving in great cathedrals and temples around the world, and proudly displayed in Museums everywhere.

Although they would look great in a kid's room, MuseU2's fun Reliefs would look great chugging along a hallway or gracing the walls of a den. They are quirky, colorful, and you won't find another quite like them anywhere. These are unique creations but are all very affordable. I only wish my pictures revealed the amount of depth in each one.

You'll find these unusual pieces at MuseU2 at Etsy.

I bet If you were to ask nicely, he might consider a commission - you could have your whole family represented on one of his little trains!

Ishy Creations at Etsy

Ishy is an offbeat artist at Etsy who produces all kinds of things for her eclectic store - from modern colorful abstract paintings, to bags, clothing, earrings, and polymer clay creations.

I'm not going to attempt to interpret her unusual paintings, but Ishy tells me that is meant to be blood coming from under one of the red doors below. Hmm, perhaps a good illustration for the cover of a thriller?

Along with her paintings, I've featured some of her earrings today, because they're cool and unique. You'll recognize that most of them are made from guitar picks. Now, they're conversation pieces!








Mmm, peanut butter and jelly - my favorite!

With an artist like Ishy, you can't help but wonder what she might come up with next...

Check out all her offerings at Ishy Creations at Etsy.

Linda Powell at Etsy

Etsy's Linda Powell is a self taught artist and works in acrylics, gouache, watercolors, mixed media, charcoal, pastel, oil, photography and pencil drawings, contemporary modern abstracts, landscapes and still lifes. Her art reflects her passion for life with a vibrant use of color. Linda has been drawing all of her life but only recently picked up a brush and began painting.

I'm very happy she did. These abstracts are wonderful pieces - just a small sample of the art she has available at her store.

You'll find a whole array of her work at Linda Powell at Etsy. You'll be impressed by the variety of her subjects. The abstracts I'm featuring here would make a wonderful splash of color in your home.

Florencia Del Giudice at Etsy

Florencia lives in Argentina, and belongs to the Etsy in Spanish team. I would have practiced some Spanish on her, contacting her, but it's been a long time, and I probably would have messed it up terribly. These delicate art works require no words,  are in pen and ink, and water colors.  I particularly like the delicacy of these images and wanted to show them to you. Still studying art, Florencia is impressive.

I love the softness of the colors and there's no questioning the artist's clever choice of subjects.

You'll find her at Floradelgiudice at Etsy.

HamJ Art at Etsy - Expressionist Oils

Helen Ann Marie Jones - or HamJ - now lives in warm Mediterranean climes, so she produces landscapes and cityscapes that are bursting with color. Because the light in hotter zones is more intense, painters naturally paint vivid scenes. This talented expressionist painter works in oils with a palette knife, producing dramatic, vibrant paintings that are obviously deeply felt. That quirky giraffe is to show you the variety in her work. You'll find other animals at her site, some in water colors. I love that she's still experimenting and keeping her mind open to new ideas.










Her bold use of color and the energy Helen has for her painting is impressive. I'll be keeping an eye out for new work by this inventive artist. Check out her store at HamjArt at Etsy.

Glorious Spring and Folk Art From The Heart at Etsy

The sculptor at Etsy who operates Folk Art From The Heart is another whacky, lampooning type, and as it's Friday - Whimsy Day - I had to feature these wonderful polymer clay pieces. Despite my serious writings (especially on my writing blog), I am more than a little offbeat and non-conformist. I mostly avoid the conventional, be it beliefs, ideas, or art, and someone like this reinforces my philosophy that we must learn to not take ourselves too seriously, that to laugh at our foibles is a good thing. I try to reflect that in my own paintings and today's artist certainly feels the same way. You can see the absolute glee in the work and the smile that must be there all the way through the process. Look at these faces!

Spring arrived today with bright, glorious sunshine. We, in the North, have been through yet another long winter, and now emerge totally rejuvenated. That silly bunny below reflects just how nutty I'm feeling this morning.









These sculptures are fairly large - 8 to 10 inches high - and would make a wonderful conversation piece on your coffee table, or even your dining table!

Go check out this crazy artist's store at Folk Art From The Heart at Etsy. While you're there, check out her profile for an interesting description of her work, and link to her website and blog. Just click - and you're not in Kansas anymore.

ZC Fleming at Etsy

Well, here's something completely different for you this mornng. ZC Fleming is a painter at Etsy. I define her work as illustration, because it might perfectly adorn the pages of a Medieval volume, or a contemporary upscale magazine. I like to paint women too, probably because I'm not that good at painting men. But ZC paints women because she's exploring the influence of the generations of women in her own family, and she has a unique take on how she paints them, with much detail and an "illumination" quality to them, with her gold embellishment. I like the brushwork in her art, particularly as she allows the texture of her canvas to add to the mood of her paintings.







Although she hasn't a huge array of work at her store, I'm sure she would love to talk to you about possible commissions. You'll find her at ZCFleming at Etsy.

I'm delighted to have found her lovely paintings. I just hope I can resist buying one from her. You know what a pushover I am for the artists I feature here, but (sorry, ZC) I'm going to attempt to resist it - at least for a little while. I need a new computer...I need a new computer...I need a new computer...

Brittany Bellows at Etsy

I'm bringing you some water colors today, because they are in contrast to the bright acrylics often featured here, and are light and spring-like. Brittany Bellows once painted with acrylics, but switched to water colors because she believes this is where she's meant to be right now. Her subjects are varied and interesting, and she's certainly in command of her technique with realism.

I especially love the Golden Gate Bridge, and not only because I've been right there, just behind the old building at the water's edge and enjoyed San Francisco so much. Of course, her country scenes are very familiar to me in this neck of the wood, right down to the old abandoned car. We're an imaginative bunch, we painters, finding beauty in the most unusual places. Who would have thought that a tobacco storage shed could be a striking image? But it is. (It's that third picture down.)








You can check Brittany out at Brittany Bellows at Etsy. Along with many originals, she sells prints and other reproductions of her art.