Lynn and John, Wonderful Store at Etsy

The husband and wife team, Lynn and John, live on an island in Lake Ontario, not too far from me here in Brighton. They are both hugely creative (writer John is also offering his fiction at a linked Etsy site) and have an amazing array of goods available at their Wonderful Store at Etsy, but it's Lynn's artwork that I'm featuring today. Lynn works in both pastels, and watercolors, and her land and lake studies around Lake Ontario are moving in their realism. It's refreshing for me to find an artist who so lovingly produces images of the area where I live - unending sky country.










There are many, many items available at Wonderful Store, apart from Lynn's paintings - everything from vintage collectibles to Lynn's hand-made accessories and clothing. It's certainly too much for me to describe here. This couple is worth reading about, so take the time to look at their profile. I'm honored to show Lynn's work today.

Shellie Mitchell Art at Etsy

Shellie Mitchell is an Etsy artist with a totally new take on folk art. It's this kind of innovation that calls to me as I research, and I swoop in, caught up by the vibrant colors, and the movement and exuberance in each piece.

Shellie's process is just a little different. She cuts out wonderful pieces of fabric (art forms in themselves) and adheres them to wood panels, embellishing them with acrylics, gel pens, oil pencils - whatever she thinks necessary at the time. Each piece is then given several coats of sealant. The resulting art is truly delightful.

The images below are originals, but Shellie produces high-quality prints as well, so that these are affordable for everyone.










Check out Shellie's Etsy store, and be very impressed. How clever is she? Thank you, Shellie. You certainly livened up my morning.

Mary's Granddaughter at Etsy - Embroidered Wall Art

Mary's Granddaughter at Etsy is an artist who loves to embroider. All of these sweet wall hangings (and the old-fashioned doll) are drawn and painted on simple cotton fabric, then painstakingly embroidered. One of the nice things about this kind of work is that it's so tactile, and much more than a simple image. I did a lot of this myself some years ago, and they take such a long time to produce. In fact, after I'd completed a particularly complicated piece, I decided to go back to painting, so I truly admire this artist's patience and dedication to the craft.









Go to Mary's Granddaughter at Etsy to see more of her work. Stitchery crafts are becoming rarer these days, especially in the world of art. Let this clever artist know that you appreciate her.

Have a lovely weekend.

Katie's Studio at Etsy

Katie Bonschoten of Katie's Studio at Etsy loves to work with vibrant acrylics, using bold strokes, producing a variety of subjects. She occasionally does gentle water colors, as well, although I haven't featured those here. The textures of these images are dramatic, to say the least, and her brushwork is energetic and uninhibited. I particularly enjoy her unexpected color choices.










This last picture is part of that set just above it. Can't you sense that cat salivating?

There's something for everyone here. See all of her artwork at Katie's Etsy

FunArt4U at EBay - Crazy, Colorful Outsider Art

Sandi from Funart4u  is perfect for Whimsy Friday. This artist is quite, quite nuts, and I absolutely love it. These images are all 9 by 12 inches, watercolor and ink on paper, and they blew my socks off this morning when I found them. Where does this artist get this kind of in-your-face energy? I liken these pictures to my own "Shoe Sale", which I so enjoyed doing, but took a lot of time, because of the detail. Sandi's work is the same, painstakingly drawn and hued. They would be dynamite in modern frames, and would tell the world you get her kind of humor. Yet these paintings are affordable. She'll even decorate the envelope if you want to send one as a gift.

Go check Sandi out at Funart4u at Ebay. As an aside, this gal has nine kids. What can I say? She says she painted to keep sane. I understand that, Sandi. Um, did it work?

With Sandi's lovely salute to Friday, go have a wonderful, sunny and joyful weekend.

Lulu Sandbar at Etsy

In a somewhat strange and rebellious mood this morning, I spotted some strange and somewhat rebellious images at Etsy. Lulu Sandbar is an artist who likes to think outside the box, so to speak. I imagine she'd be rather fun at dinner. The following are just a small selection of her work, from mixed media collage assemblage, to (non-toy) decorative dolls, to her beloved button cards - tiny pieces of vintage art, with a special emphasis on brides. She is currently inspired by the graphics, advertising and color of the 60s and 70s.

You have to admit that these are pretty impressive. Forget those bland, everyone-has-one landscape prints, and consider one or two of these in your living room. Go take a look at ALL her art - and there's a lot there - at Lulu Sandbar at Etsy. Check out her profile, too, where she refers to that word "sandbar". Lulu is a bit of a poet, I think.

Electra (who snuck over from my writing blog) won the strawberry gateau painting "On Borrowed Time" which I offered last week.

I've also donated another little picture to Jenny at the Alley Cat Rescue site. (Go visit her art blog. She loves visitors.)


Finally, I've spent the last couple of days re-doing my own website. You all take me so much for granted, looking at all the other clever artists I feature on my blog, that perhaps you don't quite remember that I also paint and have the occasional silly notion of selling my own art, too. Please take a quick look and let me know what you think.

Linda Monfort at Etsy - Modern Abstract Expressionism

Dramatic and vibrant, these modern expressionist paintings by Linda Monfort really wake you up. She is a bold, confident artist, using color adventurously and spontaneously. They are very large paintings, mostly over 24 x 24 inches, and you can well imagine what a statement they'd make on your wall. In fact, minimalism in your decor is probably the best backdrop for Linda's work. I have always longed for this sort of freedom with paint. She seems to shout out her enthusiasm with each brush stroke.

Linda has many, many examples of her work at Linda Monfort at Etsy. With this kind of energy, I wondered if she was a coffee drinker. Something's certainly working for her.

Speaking of coffee, is no one going to claim the strawberry gateau picture I've offered as a freebee? What's wrong with you all? I mean, if I can't give them away, what's that telling me? You can email me in my Profile link, if you like.

Free Folk Painting Today! "On Borrowed Time"

I haven't painted anything new for some months. Some of you will know that's because I'm currently back in writing mode, trying to find an agent for my first book, and working on my second. No doubt the painting bug will re-emerge, but not for a while, I think.

However, I'm tired of so many of my paintings cluttering up the place. My storage space is limited, and I keep tripping over boxes of unsold pieces. In this economy, it's particularly difficult for artists to sell - they almost need to offer their work at the cost of a print, not of an original. Rather than sell my pictures at rock bottom prices at the various sites I use, or have a stall at the upcoming local spring fair (I really dislike standing behind a stall...), I've come up with something that pleases me.

Over the coming weeks, starting today, I'm giving away one of my paintings to the first person to comment and ASK for it. It sounds strange, but I can't think of anything nicer than to know that my little pictures are in the hands of folks who've been following this blog.

Here is today's freebee, entitled "On Borrowed Time." It's small at 6 inches by 6, painted in acrylic on a little stretched canvas, signed front and back, and the image wraps around the sides, so no frame is needed. There's a fair amount of texture in the cream and strawberries. This painting made me very, very hungry when I first did it.

I'll pay for the postage today. It's my little gift to you for being such a nice blogger taking advantage of this offer the first time. Who knows, perhaps you'll enjoy my work so much you'll be eager to snap one up when I DO start painting again.