I'm going to find this poster.

More good things found floating around on Facebook.  If you know who came up with this in the first place, let me know.  (Update!  I found where this originated.  Now waiting to hear if prints are available...)   I want one!  Many!  Lots!

UPDATE (Jan 28, 2012) :  

CCS is pretty cool in my book.  They just sent me a whole stack of these.   (format is slightly different)

While we're on a roll here

At last, a valid reason for sleeping in!

Baby's Ride and a Sea dragon. Or, why you can't pin me down to one genre.

This afternoon my awesome art photographer Neil stopped by with photos of two 'tricky' pieces.  He's sort of the mad scientist of photographers, and a fabulous story teller.
Both of these paintings (which I've been picking away at for the last two or more years) have subtle and not-so-subtle textures, and Neil is the kind of person mad scientist who will mess around with filters and flares and lights and I don't know what-all (I sort of glaze over, but the enthusiasm is infectious!) to get the right balance of texture and smooth.

So, what do you think?

Baby's Ride (acrylic on canvas 11"x11") ©Sweet Enemy Art 2011

Sea Dragon (Acrylic on matboard) ©Sweet Enemy Art 2011

By the way, "Flying Carriage" was one title suggested for the first piece.  I'm always open for suggestions, as you all come up with far better ones than I!

Obscurum: Call to Artists (of sorts)

Obscurum: Call to Artists (of sorts)

There's a mission that needs you!

It potentially involves glitter.

Get on it.

A little color, a little sweetness. Bright shiny videos for you!

To offset the general feeling of doom and gloom, here are two videos I came across yesterday.

Let's start with one that has been making the rounds on Facebook, and also on George Takei's blog "That blog is so Takei!" It's sweet, it's affirming, it's something I'd love to see come true for everyone who falls in love.

p.s. I get a bit sniffly each time I get to the end, and I've watched it three times already.

And then this one from my mum (found it buried in the "Emails I meant to read" folder) is rather sweet, in a 'hey, maybe we'll get through this' kind of dance-number-ish way.  Oogh, enough of this crappy economic tangle!
Bonus, the lead singer is channeling some sort of happy John Waters vibe.


Enjoy!  And I'll be getting some other things posted before too long.  I've been chastened for not keeping  the blog fresh.  Danggit, I didn't realize people were paying attention!

Avast! Art & Artisans 18th Annual Holiday Market

I feel like I'm spinning plates with eight hands at once!

Well, after looking at actual plate spinners, I'm feeling a little less overwhelmed.

Instant therapy.  Aren't you glad you stopped by?

The reason for the flurry of activity?  Another show, of course!

Come and visit this weekend if you find yourself in Jericho, VT:  

It's the Art & Artisans Holiday Market from 10-5 Saturday Nov. 5th & Sunday Nov. 6th.  

I'm debuting my advent calendar and greeting cards (hurrah!) 

as well as a new batch of paintings and drawings.

The Art & Artisans Market: Free admission & free parking.
Come explore the tasty treats and wonderful items for gifting or pampering!

HORROR! Or: Why I love October

The weather has taken a turn for the wonderful, almost tempting me to sleep out on the deck tonight.  However, after seeing some of our resident spiders this weekend, I think I'll pass.

"Spider Silk" will be at the Art of Horror show in October
©Sweet Enemy Art

Still, occasional wood-smoke on the wind, the trees turning to gold, and oh yes,
the spooky sundries of Halloween.  We don't have any trick-or-treaters up this way, which is sad, but I still get to pull out some of our fun creepy stuff for the heck of it.  In the week leading up to Halloween, Arkonbey often has a lit jack-o-lantern ready to greet me when I arrive home late & tired.  Add to this fresh local cider & cider donuts, and life is generally better.

Now I have another reason to be excited for October:  The Art Of HORROR exhibit is about to start, and this year, three of my pieces have been juried in!  There may be one or two more, depending on what I can accomplish in the next 36 hours (besides sleep & a day job.)

The Art of Horror opens on Friday October 7th at my favorite haunt: The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery; as part of the Burlington First Friday Artwalk.  Opening reception is from 5 to 9 p.m. and includes ghost stories and a chance to have your fortune told.
I'll be there until about 8 p.m. (having a brother's birthday bonfire to attend the same night, at least my double-bookings are interesting!)

The exhibit will display through the following dates, and open hours: October 7th – October 29th, open Thursday – Saturday from 11-4pm

Do you Facebook?  Here's the event page for The Art of Horror.

Also!  This Saturday at 9 a.m. Arkonbey and I launch into our FIFTH year of 24 Hour Comics Day.  Aside from reading lots of webcomics, I've been musing about which medium to use this year.  Other than that, trying to keep my mind open so that I can start with a clean slate.  And a little less caffeine than my first year :)

Poster designed by my own Arkonbey, in-house designer extraordinaire

Well, my goodness.

I've been mentioned in one of my favorite blogs!

Now I have to address the "identifies herself primarily as an illustrator" bit.  Do I?  It seemed the best phrase for my short listing in the Art Hop, but I'm open to suggestions.  Whimsical is a word that fits much of my work, but I'm honestly done with it.  So if you have an idea, shoot it on over!

Upcoming fall events for Sweet Enemy Art

ART HOP!  Located throughout the arts district of Burlington, VT
Friday September 9th, from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.  (parties are known to go much later)
Saturday September 10th, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Click here for a map of where you'll find me and my art waiting to meet you!

Paint anything, on nearly anything... Oil Paintstiks workshop 

Saturday, September 17th 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Artists' Mediums in Williston, VT

$70 per person, materials included.
Register by Wednesday, September 14th for this one-day workshop.  You'll come away with the knowledge and materials to get started painting on just about anything with these luscious paintstiks.

Click here for more information.

24 Hour Comics Day 2011 
Free event, Saturday October 1st through Sunday October 2nd from 9 a.m. to 9 a.m. 

Join us for a marathon comic-creating session!  Each attendee strives to create their own 24-page comic from scratch within 24 hours.  Snacks, moral support in the wee hours of the morning, and quite possibly, the feeling of satisfaction for finally busting through your creator's block!  
Click here for more information.




Art & Artisans Holiday Market at MMU Highschool, Jericho, VT
Free event
Saturday November 5th & Sunday November 6th
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days
An annual event comprising some of the fine handmade creations of the Jericho & Underhill area.  Sauces for people who love good food, woodenware & clay, adornments, and of course some lovely artwork that make lovely gifts year 'round.  I stocked up on some fantastic gifts last year!
Click here for a map.

Paint anything, on EVERYTHING... Oil Paintstiks workshop is coming up!

Hello Art Friends & Fiends! 


I'm teaching a one-day workshop which will introduce you to a very versatile painting medium:  Shiva Artists' Oil Paintstiks.

These look like giant crayons, but are actually fine oil paint in stick form.  Paintstiks are safe to use on fabric (soft, wearable & washable); paper (thin, thick, textured, smooth); and much more. They do not require solvents, but are completely compatible with all oil painting mediums if you so choose. 
As usual, it's another mixed-media friendly product that I get rather excited about!


All materials are provided for participants.  We're going to cover the basics of how to use them, primarily on fabric and paper, but I'll have samples on hand of how Painstiks work on other surfaces as well.  


 (One thing I'm working on with these is painting an old metal filing cabinet.  Not sure if I'll manage to haul it to the store for the event, but I'll try!)

Class is from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (with a break for lunch) on Saturday Sept. 17th at Artists' Mediums. There is only room for eight students, and it's coming up quick!  You can follow the link above for more information.  If you're interested in attending, contact the store directly at:  (802) 879-1236 to sign up.  

Hope to see you there. If you aren't able to make it, please help me spread the word!

Cheers,
Kristin

Super August

So many things going on in the next few weeks!
Let me catch you up:

      The August Art Auction (2011 edition) at The S.P.A.C.E.  Gallery in Burlington has already begun, and runs through August 26th.  This gallery gets a lot of mentions from me here, in part because I think they've done a lot towards making the Burlington art scene more interesting.  I'm also glad to say that it's given me a wonderful platform from which to show my art.  

Click here to see the painting that I've donated towards the cause!

       There are many great pieces in this auction, and these artists who have donated their creations are really good folk.  Did you know you can vote for the "People's Choice" artist when you visit the auction site?  I have made so many great connections, a real network of supportive friends through S.P.A.C.E., and I don't want it to end.  Help keep it going strong.   

Phoenix: our favorite indie bookshop!

       In other news, the final silkscreening class is this week, and I've been having a fine ol' time learning the basic ins and outs.  Some of the fruits of my labor will be available at the upcoming ART HOP weekend September 9th & 10th.  

       Phoenix Books will be showing a few pieces by me, my friend Karen, and a photographer (whom I haven't met yet) starting at the end of this week.  More info on that as we decide on the reception date and so forth.    

Wheeled Rabbit, 8" round ©Sweet Enemy Art

       One of my paintings on Etsy was featured in a treasury list last week!  A fun one if you like bunnies, and how could you not?

       

Art openings this weekend

This Sunday is going to be jam-packed!
First, a quick drop-in with the Maternal family for a lake-side reunion (apparently the beaches have re-appeared, thank goodness.)  A quick family photo shall occur, (with promises that Arkonbey will photoshop himself in afterwards) some lemonade and hearty food shall be consumed, and maybe I'll dip my feet in the water.

Then it's off to Hinesburg!
There, I'll be attending the art opening at NRG Systems.  An awesome company, which has wisely hired the fantastic Sarah Lee  to both create really awesome art installations, and to expand the art collection both of the company and one of the founders.  Artists' Mediums has framed a vast majority of the work in this collection, and Sarah Lee also purchased two of my paintings last year, Front Wheel Fish and a Dragonfly piece, which are either in the co-founders' collection or the company collection (I will probably find out.)  
One of the artists in the collection, Larry Bissonette, is from the movie "Wretches and Jabberers" and he will be giving a presentation, which is probably going to make me cry.  In a good way.

Then, off to Jericho!

Michelle Saffran  

Searchers

a photographic journey

@ the Emil A. Gruppe Gallery 

Jericho, VT

Michelle is a member of my critique group, and a not-too-distant neighbor too!  I've been privileged to see some of her work from the Searchers series as it was developing.  These Doll Collection photos look very intriguing too.  So I'll be swinging by on Sunday to say hello at her opening.  Last time I went to one of her shows she also had a fabulous 50's style outfit, and we are talking cocktail formal.  I loved it!

Doll Collection 2 by Michelle Saffran

Hurrah New York!

A bit behind the times as usual, I just joined Twitter!  Not having a smartphone or anything, I mostly will be reading tweets and following links.  And some good things have certainly surfaced!  For instance, this one just came up, and it's full of "Awwwww."  Thanks to Kinokofry* for sharing:

RaeBeta Rachel Edidin 

 by kinokofry

If no. 12 in particular doesn't make you tear up, I'm not sure we can stay friends. buzzfeed.com/mjs538/portrai… (H/t to @Atomic_Lantern)

4 hours ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

*  And by the way, if you haven't checked out Kinokofry yet, you might find her work amusing.    I've certainly amused myself for many hours, pouring over her multiple projects.  Her sense of humor makes me want to meet up with her for beer and cookies.  If anyone wants to get me over to Melbourne, that is.  

Inking it up with New Duds

Alright, I have been camera-inept of late, so these images are really just me holding stuff in front of the laptop camera and keeping my fingers crossed.

But things are progressing decently in the silkscreening class I'm taking and it's only the second class.   A shout out to Torrey of New Duds, I'm having a blast!

First up:  something from my latest sketchbook (a bit of an homage to James Jean I suppose):

 Followed by the screen I burned at the end of class last night  (bear bus!)

Hopefully this weekend will yield some decent studio time both here in the home studio and at BCA.

A perfect summer day for Therese & James...

Thanks for your patience on this one!  Here is the value study, or at least what was able to fit on the scanner bed (there is actually a little more space on the left-hand side, and a bit below the ferns...)

Girl on the right is feeding something (apple slice?) to the horse.  I also intended for a stream to run along the bottom edge of the piece, so the group will be set back in space a bit more. Also, there would be some leaves for the two big trees.

Let me know what you think!

K

For those of you in the local 802

I just got confirmation that I'll be in my usual spot for the upcoming SEABA Art Hop:

September 9th and 10th, 2011

Studio D-3 is on Howard Street in Burlington, VT,
pretty much in the heart of the BTV arts district!

Smack-dab, as I like to say.

I feel like I should have some sort of birthday treat for visitors, as I'll have turned 35 the day before.  Suggestions?

©Sweet Enemy Art

The trees along the path

Walnut Ink sketch June 20, 2011 ©Sweet Enemy Art

Thanks to Arkonbey and some Indian Roast coffee, I've actually been experiencing some nice mornings out in the garden.  On Monday, when I didn't have to be to work until lunchtime, I took my beloved walnut ink out to the garden area and did this sketch, about 9" x 10".  This is perhaps the first real "plein air" piece I've worked on in years.  

I must say, it's a good idea to work monochromatically when you're faced with a bazillion* little pieces of information.  Especially a monochromatic medium that is easily correctable.  

*bazillion is apparently not a made-up word, or this spell-check is more forgiving than I thought.

I'll have the Walnut Ink out at the shop on Tuesday July 19th from 4-5:30 if you are in the area and want to stop in and try your hand at it.  Gorgeous stuff. 

A quick wrap-up from Open Studio Weekend!

Well, it's Wednesday, and I finally feel like my batteries are re-charged.  This past weekend was fantastic, despite all my usual cries of "I'm not reaaaaady!!" leading up to it, and the weather being the usual mix of rain and heat.

Lynn Powers and I had easily 65-70 visitors the first day, and a few less on the following.  What a blast to have that many happy art-enthusiastic people filling the house with great energy!  Nice when it's empty afterwards too, of course, and I certainly needed a full two days to recuperate from all the excitement.   As you'll see, I was a little over-the-top with energy.  Yikes!  And look at me with a drink in each hand.  Crazy.

Myself & Lynn, at the tail end of Saturday.  Photo courtesy of Barbara Lang.

The shelf vignette outside my studio.  Photo courtesy of Barbara Lang

Rick on the deck!  Photo courtesy of Barbara Lang

Lynn (on the left) and myself messing about with PhotoBooth

I had so much fun, and yet still didn't get to have as much interactive art-experimenting for our visitors as I would have liked (partly as it was too busy!) So I'm hoping to have another "mini-open-studio" in July or August.  This will also give those a chance who missed the first round to come and see what sorts of trouble they can get themselves into here...  So if you want to be notified, please be sure to sign up on my mailing list!  I'll put a call out here on the blog too, of course.  

Before I sign off, I just want to give a quick thank-you to everyone who was involved, and that includes Lynn, Rick, my family, the Jericho/Underhill OSW group, all our fabulous visitors, and everyone else:  

I couldn't have done it without you!

THANK YOU!

The shop is reloaded!

I had one of those AAAGH! moments this afternoon when I realized that my lovely Etsy shop, the one I had just directed over 90 people on my mailing list to, had gone empty.
(gasp, ack, ack, wheeze.)

Well, it's looking much better now, and in fact I'm quite pleased with the selections.  Here are a few samplings:







 Arkonbey hadn't even seen "Cat helps with the Harvest" yet.  There are always so many little pieces of art around here, it's no wonder I'm slow to inventory everything!  Etsy is actually helping me bring everything into line.  Thank goodness, that means more art for you guys.


Cheers!

Here's a little test card Arkonbey made for me tonight.  Deciding that the original cat-face cards were better, we're going to shelve this design for now, but hopefully use it for something different in the future.

(Phone blotted out, thus the little squiggles under my name.)

Arkobey found the sketch on a scrap of paper drifting about the house

One of the cats from my current business cards

In other news, I scanned in a bunch of new small paintings today, some of which are destined for the Etsy shop, and of course OPEN STUDIO WEEKEND is coming right up.  Ai!

Saturday night Works in Progress

Saturday night Works in Progress, a set on Flickr.

Actually using my camera today. Fantastic having that little thing around, especially when I remember it's here.

A good day overall, with the garage clean-out underway; delicious food consumed, good summer read finished, and wine now in hand.

Hurrah for Saturday!

Via Flickr:
The last few in the set have been in progress for more than a few months, the watercolors are all recent.

©Sweet Enemy Art

Two days after Easter, a haiku:

Photo on 2011-04-26 at 21.23, a photo by Sweet Enemy Art on Flickr.

Thunder and lightning

Almost all the candy gone

Cat is at my feet


I know, I know. I shouldn't have eaten the entire chocolate bunny with the marshmallow center, but it was hard to stop.

Let's just put it out there right now: I'm worse than a kid when it comes to eating candy responsibly. Can I claim that the lightning storm kept me out of the studio, so I had nothing better to do? Still, I managed to think up a haiku, in honor of National Poetry Month!

Taking a tip from a friend

Taking a tip from an astrologically-minded friend, I'm doing my best not to start anything new this week, but rather to make an attempt at finishing works.  So far I've worked on four paintings and a drawing since yesterday, which is just the top of the pile.  

To keep the work happening, I'm staying offline as long as possible.  (Beyond these two short check-ins today.)

This is where I am thankful for unabridged audio books keeping me at the desk, especially as I'm tethered with headphones to keep from disturbing Arkonbey as he tries to sleep downstairs.  First was "Poirot Investigates:  11 Hercule Poirot Mysteries by Agatha Christie", read by the fantastic David Suchet.  And now I'm on disc 2 of Bill Bryson's "At Home."  Disc 2 of 13 total!  I'll be able to ride this one for the whole week!

dress me UP!

Hey, did you know you can sample the "Dress Me Up" show online, whenever you fancy?  And oh, you certainly may have to get fancy with this, because there are so many deliciously silly possibilities.

Arkonbey pulled all our gifs together into one big happy Flash interactive, and here it is!

Speaking of "here it is"  HERE at last, in full, are the two costumes I designed for the event.  And it looks like I'll have loan of them for Open Studio Weekend as well.  (Thanks Christy!)

Fox and Rabbit Dress  (Responsible fur!) 

Aquarium Dress

Another action-packed week, and April is up and running.

Father loves good ale... from Granfa Grig by Wallace Tripp, image from http://simchafisher.files.wordpress.com

KW and I made it to the Wallace Tripp exhibit at Lyndon State College on Monday, despite the sleet storm that we followed all the way there.  After a brown-bag lunch in the student lounge, we tried finding a.) the bathrooms and b.) the gallery.

If you saw the same two women going up and down the hall past your office, oh, I don't know... maybe eight times?  That was us.

But we did find the gallery.  However, it was dark & locked up!  Ahh, college galleries.  Fortunately one of the staff happened by as he was touching up paint, and kindly let us in.  The look of panic on our faces when he asked if we'd be "about ten minutes?" probably tipped him off that he'd best give us a good deal longer.

Wallace Tripp's Wurst Seller; image from http://characterdesignnotes.blogspot.com

It's in a very small room, with only some pieces titled and few dates if any, but we could easily have stayed for an hour or two.  Of course I left my camera behind.  But to give you a refresher on his work, don't forget this blog.  Some of the pieces were from books, some from his greeting card company "PawPrints Press" and some were personal works.  All were wonderful.  It was hard to choose just one favorite, I would have gladly brought them all home, had they been for sale (and had I the money!)


Since our visit had to be quick, we went to the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, just 20 minutes away, which I highly recommend.  KW had been before and seen the art exhibit, but alas, when we arrived the Athenaeum where the exhibit is housed was closed for renovations.  The library itself was certainly worth the trip, however, and the sweetest most earnest docent in the world gave us every ounce of information she could muster regarding the collection, and the renovation, and more and more.  KW said she learned more in this visit than in her previous three!  Take a digital tour here, but try to get up there this Fall!

Today I spent mostly soaking up more art marketing information, at the VT Crafts Council Open Studio Weekend Seminar.  whew.  And another seminar next week.  Ai!  Now it's time to get back to that drawing I started last night...

Wallace Tripp Gallery Show at Lyndon State College in Vermont!

When I saw this show announcement last night, I experienced true fangirl glee.  

One of my prized possessions is a slightly worn copy of "A Great Big Ugly Man Came Up and Tied His Horse to Me," which certainly laid the foundation for my sense of humor and my love of line.

Unfortunately I won't be able to get up to the opening (it's 2 hours East of us, and I work that evening) but I plan on going up next week.  If Lyndon State College is at all accessible to you, GO.

Especially if you can get there Friday night!

"Wally will attend the opening on Friday, March 18 at 6pm. "

Runs March 21 through April 11, 2011 at the Quimby Gallery in the Harvey Academic Center. Gallery Hours: 8-4, Monday-Friday.

Intrigued?  If you'd like to read a beautifully illustrated mini-bio
of Mr. Tripp, be sure to check this link out.

Welcome to the Salon...

Hi there!  

Q:  What's the last thing that goes through a bug's mind 

when it hits the windshield?

A:  The butt.

Nothing like a little third-grade humor to get the post off to a good start.

I thought I'd share a few of the many pieces that I'll have on display at SPACE 

for the new show:  Christy's:  Salon Art Event

I'm one of eleven local artists to be displayed, and it's going to be a wonderful mix.  

"As curator to The SPACE, Christy Mitchell has come to know and love the work of many of the artists who have shown in the gallery since opening it’s doors in August of 2009.  You’ll see vignettes featuring new and older work by:

Beth Robinson, Christy Mitchell, Jme Wheeler, John Brickels, Jonathan Ward, Justin Atherton, Kristen L’Esperance, Kristin Richland, Sage Tucker-Ketcham, Wendy James, & Wylie Sofia Garcia"

I hope you can make it!  

If you aren't able to see it in person, Arkonbey has promised to take pictures while we're at the opening.

If you can't make it to the opening but want to see the show, the exhibit will run through the month of March, open every Thursday-Saturday from 11-4 p.m.  

www.spacegalleryvt.com

Until next time...