Writer and Artist SarahBeth Purcell Really Needs Our Help

I featured SarahBeth Purcell on my writing blog some time back. She is a young published writer of enormous talent, who deals with heart-rending emotional issues that many of us wouldn't have the courage to tackle. Her books are available at Amazon, and their page alone is so worth reading.


But SarahBeth, like me, also paints. She's going through a rough time right now, and in desperation is offering big discounts on her paintings, in a last ditch effort to raise some cash to save her beloved cat's life. 

It takes humility and guts for her to reach out like this, but she has been coping with huge expense because of her ailing baby, Willow Fern, for months, even selling her car, but she's now run out of funds.  Another book is in the works, but won't bear fruit for ages.  (We all know about that part of the business.) She has nowhere else to turn but to her followers and kindhearted strangers. Now, perhaps you don't know SarahBeth, but I do. She would never ask for help like this unless she was at her wit's end. This lady is normally donating time and money to other animal care agencies.

If you're in a position to help, please go to SarahBeth's art page and check out her paintings. They are usually quite pricey, but she's now offering the largest at $100, and the price goes down relative to size. This is not only a great opportunity to own a piece of highly-collectible art, but to do some real good.

Alternatively, as sensitive, caring people - and don't most artists and writers fit this category? -consider donating a small amount of $5, $10 or $20 to help her through this.  The cost of healing her cat once and for all, using a specialized Radioactive IodineTherapy,  is around $1500.  Seventy-five people donating $20 each would cover this. Anyway, this is my route. $20 is small change these days - coffee and muffins for a very few guys at the office, a paperback, whatever. And if $20 is too much, consider $5 or $10. SarahBeth and Willow Fern will be so grateful.

Like SarahBeth, I have no modesty when it comes to helping animals.  And this animal is part of the family - our collective art and writing family. Please try to help.

You can purchase SarahBeth's art, or donate, paying through PayPal (citing her email address), or arrange an alternative method by emailing SarahBeth here.

I'd like to think that we all could expect support from our fellow blogger friends if we were in a similar situation. This is a reminder that we are all in this together, and should never be shy about reaching out for help when we need it.

Have a good weekend guys. See you next week, when this blog will be exactly one year old.



And this is sweet Willow Fern. Convince me, after looking into her little face, that you aren't able to help.

The Charming Country Folk Art of Claynfaye at Etsy

If you're not yet in the right mood for the season, take a look at these images from the clever hand of Claynfaye at Etsy. Faye involves herself with much more than conventional painting, but I like my choices today because they simply cry out "Fall!" don't they? There are no witches or hobgoblins, no pumpkins in sight, yet I feel the crispness of the air - not too cold, but just right, and I can smell cinnamon and apples, and pastry fresh from the oven. There's apple cider spicily mulling on the stove, cats curled up in front of the fire, and dogs on the chairs.  All this just from looking at these paintings.

I imagine the artist living in a saltbox house similar to the ones she paints, way out in the country, with lots of craft collectibles around, gingham fabrics, pine cones in a bowl. Of course, she could live in a loft in Uptown Manhattan, but the magic would be the same, wouldn't it? Ah, Americana, I love you.

Get into the spirit of this autumnal season and check out Claynfaye at Etsy for more of Faye's wonderful pictures. My mood is lifted just by having this talented artist here today.

Have a spooky and rewarding Halloween! (But stay warm and safe.)

Be extra wary of witches in tandem...double trouble.

Impressionist American West Landscapes from FoustArt at Etsy

As a change from my more whimsical images of recent weeks, I'm presenting a young artist from Missouri, who produces sweeping impressionist vistas of the American West. Foust is also a photographer of some merit, but it's his colorful paintings I'm featuring today.

Dramatic, passionate, confident, colorful, or wonderfully serene, these paintings lend themselves to countless descriptive tags. I think we'll be hearing a lot more from Foust. See his other paintings and his photography at FoustArt at Etsy.

Have a lovely weekend. The blaze of fall color is at its most vivid here, although the wind has been busy blowing a lot of the leaves away. Halloween weather, isn't it? Next week, guys...

The Magical Myxie Sculptures of Caralyn Edwards at Mystic Reflections at Etsy

I featured the weird and wonderful sculpted Myxie creatures by youthful talent, Caralyn Edwards of Mystic Reflections at Etsy, back in June. Caralyn never stops creating, it seems, with many more at her site, and these are just a few of her latest.

The thing that I find so captivating about these little figures is the illusion that they are alive. You almost hear them breathing their little breaths, sighing little sighs, and giggling a lot. Of course, if you asked Caralyn, she'd probably smile mysteriously and look at you blankly. "What illusion?" she might ask.

Go check out these fantastical creatures at Mystic Reflections at Etsy.

Have a wonderful weekend and be careful where you tread - there could be Myxies about... It's that kind of season.

Donna Lacey Derstine - Americana Fine Artist

I don't know how I came across Donna Lacey Derstine's lovely paintings - probably delivered to me via Google. However they arrived, I'm proud to show them here.

If I could wave a magic wand, this is how I would paint. As it is, I can't, and must simply sit and gaze in awe at her evocative images. There aren't many artists producing this kind of work, particularly the Colonial-themed folk art, although her impressionist landscapes are equally delightful. She will be passionately collected, mark my words.










You can see a huge display of her work at Donna Lacey Derstine. Isn't this kind of art perfect for the season? Thank you, Donna.

Have a wonderful fall weekend, everyone. If you're up my way, stay warm.

Roz's Whimsical Fine Art - Drunken Cows at Etsy

Roz is a fine artist with a whimsical view. She paints everything - kids, landscapes, fish, cows, cowboys, roosters, and on and on. I imagine her getting up each morning daydreaming about the subject of the day. How does she decide? I've featured just one here, since my picture loss fiasco, but there are dozens of others to be seen at both her Etsy store and her blog.

Check Roz out - grab a coffee and prepare to spend a bit of time looking - at Drunken Cows at Etsy . Congratulations, Roz. You deserve your success!

Have a lovely fall weekend. I don't mind the rain and chilly winds up here. It's perfect weather for beginning both hybernation and the hockey season. Go Leafs!

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.