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.