Amin Saffar - progressive metal guitarist, and Debra, from Monnie Bean Folk Art

I've never featured a musician before. No doubt the following will come as somewhat of a surprise, but I found young rock guitarist, Amin Saffar, at Putiton.com, which is a new art site.

If you're always looking for yet another online venue for your art, INCLUDING music, film and fashion, register with them. It's free, very polished, and full of talent. Art is art, whatever the form, and I'm proud to find Amin so early in his career.

Amin loves 'progressive metal' according to his bio, but this particular track, 'Glasgow Kiss', has a distinctly jazz feel to me, and I love the 'bagpipe' riffs at the end. I've certainly never been a metal fan, but I guess you can always open your mind to new things. Amin is hot, and his bassist (his brother, Armin - yep, almost the same name) and drummer are no slouches either.

Check this new group out at Amin Saffar at PutItOn. Leave comments on his page. He'd love that. Let your hair down. It's Friday.


My Etsy artist today is Debra from Monnie Bean Folk Art who produces these amazing folk pieces. Think early primitive - the sort of art that's usually only seen in museums - when you check out Debra's work. She's clever, hugely imaginative, and has retained the outlook of a child, which brings freshness and humor to everything she makes. Along with her art work, she has a very funny way with words, which you'll see in her descriptions. You'll find paintings at her site, but I especially love her funky dolls.

Oh, I so like having this kind of art on my blog.










Well, it's fall again. Another week or so and we'll be tightly closing those windows at night, pulling out the heavy-duty comforters. With the first sniff of chill in the air, something strange happened to me this week. I suddenly have this huge urge to knit a sweater. I haven't knitted in years, although I'm very good at it, but that craft was swamped by a need to crochet for a couple of years, and then I went back to my painting. Knitting just fell by the wayside. Now, out of the blue, I'm actively looking for just the right yarn and pattern. I know exactly what I want. I'm itching to start. I'll keep you posted. It's another form of art, isn't it? I might even show it here as a work-in-progress...

Have a good one. Dry out Georgia.

Subversive Stitchers and Studio Arts Quilt Associates

The following works of art are one foot square quilts, brilliant fabric collages by individual artists. I found them being auctioned at Studio Arts Quilt Associates and you can find many more there. Most are sold, but the SAQA will undoubtedly lead you to a particular artist, if you're interested in a similar piece.

I worked in fabric for some years, producing impressive hangings which I still have, as not one sold. The problem was, of course, that they took hours and hours to make, and the price I placed on my time was out of reach for most people. But they are heirlooms of the future, for my family to do with as they wish one day. Perhaps they'll have huge value. Anyone looking at the stunning work below can understand how that might happen.













I found details of this auction originally at Subversive Stitchers, which is a charming quilters' blog, with lots of lovely links if you're a fabric maven.

Have a great weekend. See you next week.

Postalguarelas at Etsy

Paulo J. Mendes is a charming Portuguese watercolorist at Etsy. The delicate colors and amazing detail in these small paintings reveal an artist who loves where he lives and the people and animals that he meets every day. I had a hard time deciding which ones to feature because he has so many to choose from. I hope you like my choices.












I feel as if I've been to this wonderful part of the world after looking at these. It's warm here, of course, and the food is wonderful. The people are welcoming and friendly. You probably stay up a bit later than you do at home, sitting outside, talking, sipping Quinta do Noval. It's all in these paintings, isn't it?

See many more at Postalguarelas at Etsy.

Alex Clark's English Whimsy

Those of you who have been following my posts know that I usually feature artists who might benefit from a little more publicity, even from as modest a source as my blog. A lot of these clever people over the last year were found at Etsy, but occasionally at other art sites. Our economy is such that things can be awfully slow for creative endeavors, and I simply like to do my bit for those struggling to find recognition.

But when I found Alex Clark's wonderful prints as I browsed yet another English gift shop during my vacation, I knew I had to share her with you. Self-taught, she struggled and made it. We all need that kind of inspiration. I fell in love with her mood with this particular greeting card range. Alex is a loving, warm, funny human being, who thinks she chooses her subjects. However, it's obvious that they chose her to represent their antics, and that she had little say in it, other than to cleverly wield her brushes and pens.

England (as if you didn't know) loves nostalgia, things evocative of hearth and home. Their much-loved classic TV commercials for Bisto Gravy, Hovis Bread, Ovaltine, and Birds Eye custard, along with others, genuinely create a sense of coziness, security and well-being. These ads are downright schmaltzy, but they've been working for years. You can't wait to get home on a winter's eve.

Alex Clark must have grown up with this advertising genre. Me too. And so I present this charming artist in anticipation of fall, with its snuggling-at-home, apple-pie-in-the-oven, hot-chocolate-around-the-kitchen-table yumminess. Alex produces serious classical art too, but these are the images that really appeal to me, especially at this time of the year. Looking at them, I just want to get home.

I'm sorry I can't reproduce these in a larger size, but you can zoom, right?












Her website is undergoing construction, but should be available in a couple of weeks. I'll let you know when. Along with her huge variety of prints in various sizes, I believe there are one or two originals still available, and I can't wait to find out more about those.

Have a lovely long weekend making your wistful farewells to summer. Almost time to break out the crocheted throw for the back of the sofa.