Art Hop and other news, August - September 2016

Returning to my Art Hop roots, you'll find me this year at 420 Pine Street otherwise known as the Howard Space building. This is where my father's family had their appliance sales & service shop for years...so it's cool to be back! Look for me and Jess on the second floor in Marie Davis' studio (D-3) which is reachable via front (Howard Street) entrance, or back stairs (parking lot behind Arts Riot.)
Festivities go from 5:30 - 10pm on Friday evening, run most of the day on Saturday, and wind down late afternoon on Sunday.

detail from the final page of The Evening Day and Grey, one of two stories I illustrated in The Crown of Secrets

I'm designing prints from selected illustrations I did for The Crown of Secrets, and there will be lots of new greeting card designs.

Probably no new Advent calendar design this year, though I'll have plenty of the first three designs. Another project has come up which is keeping me very busy! More on that soon...

Follow me on Instagram to see more details of this series as it develops

New drawings...I'm playing around with some fancy Crows when I have time between other projects. There will be prints of these as well as the originals debuting at ART HOP. 

During last year's INKtober I focused on bears. When you're doing one drawing a day, you learn quite a bit about your subject, which is what led me to choose crows for my theme this October. I realized while doing the illustrations for "The Evening Day and Grey" just how little I know of crow anatomy and poses. I'm looking for good reference books if you have any suggestions.

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!

Art Hop 2014!

Moon Trail, acrylic on canvas, 28"x22" ©Kristin Richland
(title-in-progress for the latest Ghost Bunnies series, seen here during a 4AM painting session)

It starts today!

Art Hop begins officially at 5 p.m. today.  All the hours upon hours of prepping and crazy sleep-deprived nights culminate in three days of AWESOME fun with art packed into every square inch of Burlington's South End Arts District.  

Find me and Polanshek of the Hills in our spot at The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery, 266 Pine Street, suite 105 (look for the big orange exterior wall with a Spaceman mural, we'll be just inside the yellow doors.)

This is my third year in this spot, and every time it looks better and better.  Hope you can come and see it!

Our hours:
Today (Friday Sept 5th) 5 PM - 11 PM
Saturday 10 AM - 10 PM
Sunday 11 AM - 4 PM

Our art is available for purchase throughout the month, please let me know if you'd like to make an appointment!

drop me a line at sweet_enemy AT obscurius DOT org or comment below. 

Happy Hopping!

creativity in the wee hours

It never fails:  the closer I get to an event, the more REALLY AWESOME IDEAS start coming as to what I could create for said event. 

But as I get older, I am at least able to let some of these ideas go, and thus remain somewhat relaxed.*  "Next year," I'll whisper as I pat them on their little heads and send them out the door.  "You're a great idea, really great.  But let's try for next year.  Bye bye!"

Still, the idea of completing these 18 new small paintings just cannot be let go of.  I have tonight (and it's almost 11 p.m.) and tomorrow night in which to finish them.  

Here's a view of what I did to our living room last night.  Camped on the couch while installing hanging hardware and roughing in colors. The lights are low to protect the innocent.

Now, off I go to attempt this crazy goal.  


*I am fairly certain my guy will attest to this.


Bonus picture from my archives!  Here's what I look like after way too many hours spent painting and staring at screens.  Well, it could be worse, I suppose.

this is actually from 3 years ago.
I don't want to see an updated version.

  

Art Hop September 6th-8th 2013

My studio table this afternoon 

These new canvases and mini-panels are a blast to work on.  I am feeling very productive!  

Our friend the S.P.A.C.E. Astronaut!

ART HOP:  The official info is here

Art Hop hours at S.P.A.C.E:    

Fri. Sept 6, 5 pm - Midnight

Sat. Sept 7, 10 am - 11 pm

Sun. Sept 8, 11 am - 4 pm

Find us at 266 Pine Street, right behind Conant Metal and Light.  Look for the Astronaut mural;  when you enter that door, we are the first studio on your left.  

Swish on over to see the new work!

What's up Portland?

Portland, Maine, that is.  I'm headed there for the Picnic Music & Arts festival this weekend.  Looking through the vendors I'm both excited and a wee bit worried:  Excited to be selling alongside some great-looking vendors, and worried that I am going to buy too much stuff...

Still, it's a great experience, and I'm going with local art maven Beth Robinson of Strange Dolls.  And I will be debuting my new panel paintings!

here's just a few...

Next stop, Art Hop September 6-8th at the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery, where Jess Polanshek and I will be sharing this awesome space:

Yours truly, always smirking

Hmmmm...what to do with that niche?


thanks to Polanshek for the studio pics!

Success! Another Art Hop wrapped and delivered.

Justin Atherton (No Grace) and myself on the final day of Art Hop 2012
photo courtesy of Jme Wheeler (Ink and Sugar)

Many thanks to all the awesome work that goes on behind the scenes at The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery and Art Hop in general, we had a great weekend.  People came, they saw, they chatted, they left with art.  

Of course, it's hard not to have a good time when you're spending time with a bunch of artists whom you've come to know and love; luring the general public into your studio space, and sending them home with new art or ideas to enjoy.  

I'm still learning the fine art of engaging strangers when they're looking at my art, but there were a few good conversations nonetheless.  One bonus of the quiet lulls between crowds:  I got to watch Justin start one of his acrylic paintings for the upcoming "Art of Horror" show, and also popped in while Beth Robinson worked on her doll pendants.  When I wasn't visiting, I worked on a few drawing ideas or moved pictures around in my display.  

Christy Mitchell, "Creative Facilitator" of S.P.A.C.E. and 266 curated not one but three shows for Art Hop weekend:  "20 Mediums" in the Soda Plant hallways, "Represent" in the main gallery of S.P.A.C.E., and "Five and Dime" in the Backspace.  

Here's my acrylic "Water and Sky" in the Represent show:

 

And here's a few shots of the corner studio Justin and I are sharing for September, taken right before Art Hop began on Friday.  Not too likely that we'll get back there to actually make art before the month is up, but the gallery staff are on hand Thursday through Saturday 11-4. 

  

Now that I've spent almost the entire day on the couch with Bernie I'm just about ready to get back to work on my own Art of Horror submissions.  Those should be posting in the next few days or so.  

Ciao!

Art Hop Preview: Tea and Butterflies

Tea and Butterflies

Acrylic on mat board

©Sweet Enemy Art 2012

Almost have a series going on here!  One aspect of the painting that I wasn't able to capture here is the iridescent gold background.  It's slightly matte overall, and the white spots on the lizard actually appear to float a bit above that.  

Art Hop Preview: Telling secrets to a Butterfly

Telling Secrets to a Butterfly*

Pencil & Acrylic on paper

©Sweet Enemy Art 2012

*my titles are always malleable, often the people who buy the painting come up with a far better one!

Art Hop Preview: Classic Dog

A fanciful compilation of some dogs I've met.  Acrylic on paper, lots of fun layers on this one!

©Sweet Enemy Art 2012

Art Hop Preview: Rattus

Rattus:  A portrait

Graphite on paper.

©Sweet Enemy Art 2012

Art Hop Preview: Little Red Cloak

Little Red Cloak

Pairing up a little watercolor piece with a painted mat to complete the fairy tale feeling.

Outer dimensions are 5"x7"

This will be at the "5 and Dime" show in the BackSpace at S.P.A.C.E. Gallery for Art Hop!

Art Hop Preview: Jester Rabbit

More fun with the new mat cutter @Artists' Mediums.  And a little Jester Rabbit that came about when doodling with liquid acrylic and my pen nibs.  

©Sweet Enemy Art 2012

Art Hop Preview: Sunset Dog

Trying out some new canvases we just got @Artists' Mediums.  Sweet little 6x8 gallery wraps!

Here's a little white fox dog at sunset 

He'll be at Art Hop!

©Sweet Enemy Art 2012

©Sweet Enemy Art 2012

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!

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?

       

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

Fresh Art for Etsy

It's almost Art Hop time again!  I'm cranking up my matting and framing in the studio, trying to get ready, as once again I've got a space.  Meanwhile, here are a few close-ups of pieces that just went live 
on my Etsy shop.  More to come soon...

Waiting At The Station (detail) ©Sweet Enemy Art 2010

 Waiting At The Station

Walnut ink and gouache, two great mediums that go great together!  

This little guy is rather melancholy, waiting faithfully on his bench...

Gothic Reader (detail) ©Sweet Enemy Art 2010

 Gothic Reader

Walnut ink and gouache again, with a liberal dose of colored pencil and snaky hair.  

This Is My Cheese (detail)  ©Sweet Enemy Art 2010 

 This Is My Cheese

From a series of pieces I did when experimenting with some new-to-me acrylic mediums... the whole thing started off with this lovely yellow cheese-like surface, so the subject just had to reference that.

Grandma Sweater (detail) ©Sweet Enemy Art 2010 

 Grandma Sweater

Walnut ink strikes again!  And so does Grandma, with yet another bizarre sweater at Christmas. 

This piece shall now proudly take its place with the other Mode De Monstre.  

Bright Bird (detail) ©Sweet Enemy Art 2010 

Bright Bird

From a lovely day of printmaking down at the Burlington City Arts Print Studio, here is a monotype done in a technique which I always love but don't often have a chance to use.  And because I can rarely leave well enough alone, there is colored pencil and possibly some watercolor along with the dry-media and ink that the print was originally made with.

Art Hoppin'

Alright, Burlington! I have finally partaken of the massive event that is the Art Hop. And it was good, largely thanks to the wonderful spot provided by Studio D-3 (Marie Davis, Ginny O'Reilly and Carol Norton.)
The mini heat-wave on Friday had everyone out and about, including the UVM students, for whom this was their first full weekend. I saw quite a few folks with skateboards in hand, and were I so athletic, that's totally the way I would transport myself about for such an event. There were so many venues that I wanted to see, and so little time to run out and see them.
The Mister was kind enough to relieve me for a bit Saturday afternoon, so I could do just that. I also made him bring me food, since I'd survived on one donut and lots of water since 10am. (Not that I couldn't have foraged for myself, but I didn't want to miss anything.) Fortunately I ran into Miriam on the way out, so we went up the street to see her great paintings at the Soda Plant (at Alderson Inc./Jordan Silverman Photography.) We also saw Adam Marsano's wood structures at Recycle North's Building materials site, and stuck our heads in at a few other venues on the way back to my spot. We got there in time to start winding down, which, thanks to Mom & The Mister, went smoothly.

I know I always say this, but Thank You, and I really mean it, for coming out to see me art Art Hop!

Next up, odd things (and good things) overheard at Art Hop.

All in all, a wonderful lead-up to my Birthday!