Two shows this month ~ November 2015

Right in the heart of Jericho VT, the Jericho Artisan Market is a sweet and intimate event.
I love that it's back at the Community Center, and all vendors are local to the area.
ADVENT CALENDARS WILL DEBUT IN PERSON HERE!

My second year doing this awesome show! Come see over 80 vendors (all women-owned businesses!)

Early sketches from my 2015 Advent Calendar

Taking these in-progress shots with my phone

On the left is what I had last week. Below is a little sneak-peek of what I started with this morning.
Between getting the design nailed down, correcting the perspective and tweaking the drawing style of the reindeer to match the rabbits, this has been a loooooong slow process. Spent most of the day designing the border and background, and then painting it all in. Whew! Last week I got all of the inside images drawn and colored.

Next up: scanning it all and making it work with Photoshop, Then printing, cutting all the doors (24x3 per calendar!), carefully gluing together and packing them up. And posting them on Etsy! That's how we do it, kids. 

 

Phew! Can't believe I made it this far in one day!

ART HOP SPECIALS

Happy Friday, friends!

I'm wrapping up a few things before I head to my sweet little studio at S.P.A.C.E. in Burlington. Site 41-C in the Soda Plant building and we'll be there Friday, Saturday and even Sunday. Check here for more art listings. It's the biggest art party in the state. Join us!

Society6 Free shipping good thru 9/13/15!

So before I go, here's item number 1: 
Society6 just offered a free shipping promotion for most of my items, it's good through Sunday September 13th at midnight. Click the link to get the promotion!
https://society6.com/kristinrichland?promo=VG3GX4X7MQYG   

Cards and prints!

Secondly, I'm offering 20% off in my ETSYshop to celebrate Art Hop and all of you who support me in this endeavor. Use the code ARTHOP202015 when you make a purchase in my Etsy shop. Lots of cards and prints available right now, and I'll add more listings in the next week or so. Wondering if a painting is available as a print? Contact me and I might be able to make a special listing just for you.
(ARTHOP202015 coupon: min. purchase $25, expires September 30th 2015.)

Hanging the show...many, many ghost rabbits

Thank you so much for all the orders and support, my cat Bernie (almost as talkative as our favorite Senator) is grateful whenever I spend time in the (home) studio. Here I am setting up the studio in Burlington. Bernie is putting up with a short absence if it means I'll be back later to paint!

Bernie and friends.

Art Hop 2015

Polanshek of the Hills (left) and Sweet Enemy Art (right) Art Hop 2014

Wow...look at that, another year has zipped by and it's time for the Art Hop once again!
Jess and myself are teaming up for our third year in our usual spot, right in the heart of Burlington's Arts district.

A roving photographer took this shot right over our shoulders last year, during one of the quieter moments. Expect our walls to be just as full this year, both of us have new things to show. I'm working on several larger pieces, some of which are continuing the Ghost Rabbits series! You'll also get to see original art from the two stories I've been illustrating (an interesting stretch for me.)

If you visited me during Open Studio, you may have seen my (lovely) new printer. It's helping me get stocked up for the Art Hop crowd so I'll have lots of great price points. Many new designs will make an appearance, ranging in size from 5x7 to 11x14 inches.
There will be other fun things, but you'll just have to wait and see!

Three of the "smaller" Ghost Rabbit
painting series I'm currently working on

ART HOP -- SEPTEMBER 2015

WHEN:
September 11 (5:00-10:00)

September 12 (10:00-10:00)

September 13 (10:00-3:00)

WHERE:

The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery (Soda Plant Building)

266 Pine St, Suite 105, Burlington, VT 05401

Entrance is located on the corner of Kilburne and Pine (look for the Spaceman mural by the door.)

Here's how the Poppies looked in May.
There have been some changes since!

Sweet Enemy Art is here and there, or: Here are some new venues

There are now THREE VT venues where you'll find my work. All three are women-run, awesome places. Alright, I work for the last one but still, it's a valid comment.

The Miller's Thumb
Greensboro, VT

I just took my first trek up to Greensboro today, and oh what a gorgeous area it is. Definitely worth a drive, especially for those who might want to do some brewery touring (Hill Farm Stead and Lost Nation just to name a few.)
My stepbrother Tyson McGinty has some of his reclaimed barn wood creations there, and Polanshek of the Hills is also well-represented.  Many thanks to Tyson for getting me introduced at this venue!

Birdfolk Collective
Winooski, VT

Nicole Carey has opened this sweet little gift & clothing shop right in the heart of downtown Winooski. I think shopping is best in person (she has amazing soaps & such), but she is building a great web store too. I can't wait to check it out again soon, since I went before the grand opening.

Artists' Mediums
Williston, VT

Hand-picked fine art supplies and custom picture framing since 1987. I've been here since 2000, imagine that.
Come see me with your picture framing needs! And FYI: if you've bought something of mine in a frame that just isn't working for you, I'm promise not to be offended if you want to change it!

Art in the house today: Spring Open Studio tour

A beautiful start to the weekend with sunshine & chickens in the yard, even if it was brutally CHILLY for those of us wearing summer things. Jess Polanshek (Polanshek of the Hills) and I had a nice number of visitors today and are looking forward to even more Sunday. And Rick will be here Sunday to hawk his own art! If you ask nice, he'll brew you some of his super-strong coffee.
Before I go further, a HUGE thank you to Rick for all the help cleaning and especially all the mental support. This guy has to constantly remind me that things will always work out, etc. It's a full time job whenever deadlines loom.

Also, big thanks to the folks over at PopColor in Williston who printed my greeting cards on a tight deadline; my good friend and fellow artist Gwendolyn Evans who gave me a wonderful Reiki session in the midst of my hectic preparations; and of course to Jess for taking part in all of this despite being allergic to my cat. Whoops...

Jess took this great shot of my newest eggs

A piece I haven't worked on in years is back on the easel
and brand new cards are in the rack

From my imaginary waterscape series

My photo doesn't do justice to how good Jess' set up is

Here's her painting nook by the window

And two little paintings she did as part of
our mutual art challenge back in March

Rick's coloring books!

I managed to get a few of Rick's pieces on the display panel too.
Sunday he actually gets to take part in all of this.

Do you like books?

I am illustrating two stories!  This is all happening thanks to Jeremiah Christie, a writer who approached me several years ago to do some brainstorming. Here we are now with the results. Jeremiah has come up with a dozen stories and poems and in collaboration with myself and seven other artists, we are trying to make an actual book come of it.  
Please check out this video:

We are getting down to the wire. One generous donor has just pledged enough to earn themselves a guided tour of Shijiazhuang, which brings us to 19% of our funding goal! But we only have until May 2nd (2015) to fund the rest of it.  ALL OR NOTHING. If enough of you out there are interested, this book could become a reality. If you've been saying I should illustrate a children's book, well, this is my chance. Please make a pledge!
Read more about some of the other people behind this project here at Jeremiah's website.  He wrote a really flattering post about me and my art, too!  You can find that right here.

A Show of Hands! Fundraiser project

Here's a step-by-step of a project I recently completed for "A Show of Hands" fundraiser to help feed Vermont seniors. If the rabbits you see here look at all familiar, perhaps you saw them in this earlier post!

I've been using that same Acryla Gouache paint again recently for a small series on wood panels, so when this wooden hand project came up, it made sense to keep on going with the same medium.  My completed hand has been delivered to Penny Cluse Cafe in Burlington, VT where it will be on display through the month of March.  They're having a silent auction on Thursday April 2nd (2015) from 5:30 to 7:30.  The funds support their amazing program which helps feed Vermont seniors throughout the state. There are wonderful images from previous auctions on the website, I hope you get to attend and see this all in person!

Here is how my piece progressed:

It all started with these faces...

Testing a wash of blue on the surface.  Didn't raise the woodgrain, so I can proceed.

Roughing in the background.

Trying not to lose sight of my lines!

Rabbits taking form.

I like how the warm color of the wood comes through here.

Getting the details figured out.

Maybe it's a little too blue...needs some warmth. 

Just about there...tweaking colors

There is an actual rabbit constellation! I was happy to find that out.

I like making sure each part is looking good.

A few light layers of Golden's Satin MSA varnish later and its done!

Well, I hope everyone reading this considers checking out the auction and making a bid.  The starting bid on mine is $50.  Contact info for the organizers can be found on their site:  http://handsvt.org/a-show-of-hands

Thanks for looking!

Sketching in Clay

I've been wanting to get back to my Haunted Clothing project for a while, not just on paper but working with 3D elements that are wearable.

During the "Great Studio Purge" of December 2014 (the HUGE remainder pile of which still sits blocking the studio door...) I was on the fence as to whether to keep my polymer clay.
So I compromised.
Last week, my friend Gwendolyn Evans invited me over for a day of working with polymer clay.  I went with the intention of finally making some items that could potentially be added to outfits, and Gwendolyn was happy to take all the super-bright colors of clay that I no longer needed.

Here's what I made.  For the most part I kept to white or natural colors (greys, beige, translucent) but I also mixed a weird red for the mouth and HAD to use some phosphorescent clay for the tentacles.  

Each piece is being stained with an acrylic paint glaze for a more natural look.
That white glob at the bottom is Golden Acrylics' Acrylic Glazing Medium, I cannot live without it!
Polymer clay & Acrylic ©Sweet Enemy Art 2015 

Rocky Horror, anyone?
Polymer clay & Acrylic ©Sweet Enemy Art 2015 

Antlers and Squash stems inspired most of these.
Polymer clay & Acrylic ©Sweet Enemy Art 2015 

Inspired by jawbones from a deer, this might be wearable as a pendant.
Polymer clay & Acrylic ©Sweet Enemy Art 2015  

It was a nice change of pace working directly with my hands, especially once these came out of the oven and were cool enough to handle.  The painting process really makes them come to life.

Much of it ended up being too delicate for actually wearing, but my goal is to use them for drawing references. Inspired by Beth Robinson (of Strange Dolls) I may find a way to recreate them in stronger materials.

Cards & Chariots

Happy New Year!  I posted a few cards on Etsy today, including the lovely Inktober postcard set featuring the first ten drawings from the challenge.

Taking advantage of some quiet time, I've been painting a series of women and their chariots.  These are all done in Acryla Gouache on cradled 5"x7" wood panels.
You can see my works-in-progress over on Instagram but here's a sneak peek of the three I'm currently working on.

Mid-way stage on three "Chariot" paintings.