17th Annual Art & Artisans Market November 13th and 14th 2010, 10-5

Alright art friends, here's the skinny. You can start your holiday preparations this coming weekend at the Art & Artisans Market, where I'm a guest artist. Stop in and see what's cooking.

(no, I mean it... It's Arthur's Fault will be there...)

Art Trek--I'm Massachusetts bound!

So, you know how lots of artists dream of showing in a NYC gallery? 

Karen and I are on our way to the R. Michelson Gallery, a venue I would love to show in someday (NYC is still on the list though.)  Northampton is a fun place to nose around in, so if I had an extra reason to go there, well, I wouldn't complain.

The opportunity to rub elbows with some of my favorite illustrators and authors is such a treat.  Last year I came home with two books autographed by that master of many mediums, Barry Moser.  Check out his work if the name is new to you.  

Speaking of treats, we'll be making our usual stop to L.A. Burdick's  chocolate shop along the way.  Oh yes, it's as good as it sounds.

Here’s a shot of the reception for last year’s show.  We had a prime spot just behind Rich Michelson himself, because we couldn't tear ourselves away from the book table...

Well that’s it for now.  If you’re up in the Jeffersonville VT area, make sure you check out the Small Picture Exhibition at the Bryan Memorial Gallery, which opens today.  The show runs through December 23rd. 

Likewise, if you’re down Northampton way, I highly recommend the  R.Michelson gallery.  The Children's Illustration Show looks to be up through March 2011.  Both venues have more than one show going at a time, well worth the visit. 

Plus, and this is important, both towns have some fabulous food.
You knew I was going to end on a food note, didn't you.

Small Picture Exhibition opens this Friday

Nazgul Bride  Graphite on paper  ©Sweet Enemy Art 2010

I've submitted two pieces to the annual Member's Small Picture Exhibition at the Bryan Memorial Gallery, which runs through December 23rd 2010.  Obviously, what you see here isn't quite Vermont landscape, but this show usually mixes things up a bit.  I'm curious to see if they hang both my pieces at once, or if the turnout was large enough where only one piece from each artist will show at a time.

Guess I'll have to wait, though, as I'm missing the opening reception this Sunday!  Check back then and you'll see why.  

Incubating ideas

Last night I attended my second meeting with the 'Pollinators', kindly hosted by Sidney E.  This is a group she invited me to take part in, where working artists can bring their in-process-work in for feedback and ideas.  As with the first night, the Mode-de-Monstre work that I brought received the best response.  Sculpture keeps coming up as a response when I show my drawings, and Wylie mentioned an iron pour that takes place in Burlington.  My response has been rather giddy.  I got out my roma plastilina clay when I got home, but it's tricky to work with (and my hands stank all night.)  This is something I'll probably need to talk with some other sculptors about.

I'm also halfway through a class with Alyson Stanfield of artbizcoach.com and it's simultaneously overwhelming and energizing.  Tons of "to do's" are threatening to topple over onto me, so thank goodness arkonbey has stepped up to the plate and is, well, washing the plates.  Ladies and Gents, my man makes dinner and he does the dishes. 

Back from the HoP

...and spending a few minutes searching for Sweet Enemy online.  Found a few images of my artwork, which is great--that's what I was hoping for, but I also found someone out there who's got a righteous excuse to use my psuedonym:  Check her out.

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.

15 microseconds of fame!

Well, maybe not fame exactly, but when I checked into Etsy last night, I discovered a friendly little note from bythebead saying that one of my pieces had been picked for a treasury.  Treasuries aren't that rare, it's not like being posted on the main page or anything, but still, nice to see my work in a collection picked by someone else.

Here's the link

So what's YOUR vote for my next Etsy batch, oh internet peeps?  

Should I post more line drawings, or bigger pieces, or what? 

Until then, looking forward to this heat breaking a bit.  It's too stuffy in the studio, and we just found our awesome vintage fan needs an overhaul.  

Cheers