When Art Can Be A Gift

Art is not something ordinarily something you think of when wracking your brain for gift ideas, but why not give the gift of art?

People without a lot of art knowledge sometimes fear buying art even for themselves. I wish this didn't happen. If you hear a new song that you like, you want to hear that song. If you like bananas or salmon, you choose to eat those foods. If you like only blue shirts, you wear blue shirts. I'm just saying what kind of art you like should be as natural as these other kinds of choices. Choice really is a natural thing.  You either like something when you make a decision, or you are neutral, or you really don't like the thing. You should never buy a piece of art for yourself if you don't like it!  If your boss's wife loves it, be unselfish and let her buy it.

Years of Growth

Buying art isn't as permanent as a tattoo, and people don't seem to avoid body art. So, be bold, treat yourself!  Buy yourself a piece of art! How many times have you ever been sorry you bought yourself something you really like? Not ever. Really. (Unless, of course, you have a spending problem!)

Magnolia Time

It follows that your friends and relatives also have definite personal likes and dislikes. One likes cats, and the other dogs. One likes classical music, the other reggae. So you need to consider what they already have chosen to have around them. What colors do they have in their surroundings? Neutral colors, pastel colors or bright colors? You probably even know their favorite color. Do they like antiques or modern furnishings? Curves and frills or clean lines?

When to buy art? Give the gift of art when you know it would look fantastic with your friend's decor. It doesn't have to be large or costly. If you have a special relationship with a person, the fact that you bought it for them makes it special. Give them art as a housewarming gift, a wedding gift, or a Mother or Father's Day gift, or just because.  There doesn't have to be a reason! Purchase when you know you've found just what that special friend has been looking for! At least take a quick photo, and text or email it if you just want to share where it can be found. If this person is someone you shop with a lot, you know you have a good idea what they like, and you could just buy them a little spur of the moment art gift.

Another time to buy the gift of art is for someone elderly or ill who needs cheering up. Send them a get well or cope card, and enclose a small watercolor ACEO! It may be just the lift they need to make their day!

Leaves On The Move

If you are traveling and know your friend has a special memory of where you currently are, send or bring them a little art gift.

Castle Builder

How many times have you ever been sorry you bought yourself something you really like? Not ever. Really, unless you have a spending problem!

Remember, if you wait, you may never find that piece of art again. Even if you think you will remember, somehow you don't - or worse, it's gone!

You can find or inquire about any of these paintings at my online shop, DreamON.Etsy.com .

Things I Love - No. 6 - Creativity!

Everything that exists, exists because of creativity!  It isn't just inventors or scientists, artists or composers or singers. We all have the creative spark, maybe not in all areas, but every single person has it.  Creativity is special and wonderful, and admirable.

Whoever came up with the painted rock or the jellybean or the cell phone, microwave or wireless outdoor speakers? How did the tooth fairy ever exist without tooth fairy pillows to slip the payment into? How did the flameless candle come about? Who invented upcycling? There are just so many wonderful creative things that have been turned into a new thing with an entirely new life and usefulness to a new generation of people.

A couple of interesting and creative finds:

A Means of Saving Too Short Skirts

Replacement For The Boring Light Switch Cover

I love creativity!

Art Abandonment

My first Art Abandonment "ArtDrop"
a "Palm In Paradise" Limited Edition ACEO Magnet

I am going to abandon some of my art.  Really.

I'm getting ready to find a creative place, take a picture of a piece of my art in this location, leave a brief note and walk away for the first time.  This is called Art Abandonment.  If you're on Facebook, you can drop in and read all about it here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArtAbandonment/

I first became aware of this group a week or so ago when I read another person's blog post, Etsy artist Stacey Merrill of Artsnark .  She had abandoned a piece, and then another and another within five miles of where I'm sitting right now.  I'm curious about who might have found her artwork, and thought this was a nice thing to do for the sake of art and for others, and decided to join in the fun.  You can find Stacey's blog here:  http://artsnark.blogspot.com/2012_06_01_archive.html .  The initial post about Art Abandonment was June 17th.  Go have a look, but please come back!

I started this post last night, but today at lunch I made my first "ArtDrop".  I left one of my ACEO Limited Edition magnets in the decorative fishnet handicap parking marker at Dockside Dave's in Madeira Beach.  The sign was decorated so great already, I just added my little decorator ArtDrop.  I hope someone finds it.  It would be really fun to hear what happens, how they came to find these pieces, and where and how they used them!!!

This is the site of my first "ArtDrop" at Dockside Dave's in Madeira Beach

As I'm writing this, the internal voice in my head has changed to what sounds very much like a TV reporter keeping his voice very low, so that no one will overhear.  LOL.

Happy finding!  Coincidentally, as I was making my ArtDrop, I made my first sale of an ACEO magnet in my shop on Etsy, and I love the happenstance of this.  It's pretty cool!

Crowning Glory Girls - New Series at DreamON on Etsy

Lady of the Locks Original Watercolor Painting On Tissue Paper Collage


I am sharing the beginning of a new series tonight. I have called it the Crowning Glory Girls, because it is all about ladies with long, long, long hair, and that's what makes it so much fun. I was brainstorming all day and crunching on a name for the series. These are some of the ones I came up with on the way there:

The Crowning Glory Girls. Hair They Come. Ladies With Locks. From Tops To Bottoms. Tails of Hair and There. Heaps of Hair. Curlie Girlies. From Heads to Tails. Big On Hair. Heavenly Hair. World of Curls. Locks To Love. Looks and Locks. Curlilocks and the Bon Bons. Curly Ladies With Locks. Hair Hoopla. Cougar Curlers. We’re Out of Hair. Ladies of the Lock. Hair Watch. All About Hair. Out of Their Heads?

Well, you get the idea, I couldn’t decide what to call this bunch of ladies. They are loosely inspired by R.C. Gorman, Native American artist of the Southwest. What I do know is that these are (mostly) all watercolors, a layer of tissue paper, and then more watercolors with archival ink to finish. 8x8, 7 x 7 and 7 x 6 ¾ . Pastel colors in the background with stronger colors in the girl’s lovely outfits.

I say mostly watercolors, because I have almost finished one in black and white for the Studio 1212 Black and White show's 40 paintings for $40 wall in October.

The painting I have chosen to share here at "Dreams About Art" is called "Lady of the Locks," the dreamy girl with purple hair. She can be found in my Etsy shop, DreamON.

Painting A Day: Flowers On Red Kool Aid

Flowers On Red Kool Aid is my Painting of the Day. It photographed quite orange, but it is much more of a true red. Reds are very difficult to adjust. I put a layer of Pyroll Red under the Medium Red Acrylic layer and then scratched design elements into the top layer, so perhaps the camera read right thru to the much more orangey-red underlayer. I will try to get a photo with truer colors tomorrow when it's light.

For purchase information or more details about this painting click either here or on the photo. Flowers On Red Kool Aid is displayed in my Etsy store, DreamON.