I wanted to thank you all for all the comments on my post about why I’m leaving Etsy. I appreciate all of the feedback, expressed here and in private: positive, negative, & concerned. I’ve had definite second thoughts about my decision, but I’m moving forward….it’s scary, ain’t gonna lie to you…..but I’ve always believed that when a door is closed (either by my own decisions or those of the Universe) that it makes way for new opportunities and new growth….There are going to be hardships, for sure, but I’m hoping I can meet them with new enthusiasm.

You can see I’ve made some changes here….starting with a big old round circle up there on my sidebar pointing to my shop that is hosted here, on my own website. You may not even realize that I’ve had this shop here, albeit neglected, for over a year, in favor of listing on Etsy…I’m slowly moving things over from my Etsy shops to my own site and deleting the listings on Etsy. It will be a work in progess, perhaps for some time, so patience, feedback, and constructive criticism are very welcome.

There are some listings that won’t make the transition so please feel free to buy on Etsy until my move is complete on 4/30/2012. It is a transition after all….most of what I’ve moved so far has been items that I keep in regular inventory or are made-to-order. What hasn’t been moved yet will either be taken out of inventory and moved to a brick and mortar shop that keeps my work or slowly moved over or used in my own designs….so any and all sales are appreciated if you feel so compelled.

Okay!

Let’s move on to Paint! YAY! PAINT!

Since late last year, I’ve been feeling a pull to get back into the paint and also some bookmaking. I have about 4 books waiting to be stitched but I normally save the stitching for off times like when I’m traveling in the car or sitting at the auction, or watching Netflix after dinner,  but I’m so out of practice, I need to refer to my basic stitch instructions and for whatever reason, I keep forgetting to stuff my beloved Keith Smith book in the bag and they’ve yet to be stitched. For those of you unfamiliar with book making, certain bindings and stitches require you to start at different stations depending on the size of your book which determines the amount of stations.

distressed painted covers with inset tiny antiqued ink & watercolor sketches & covered with acrylic glaze.

filled with a mixture of heavyweight and upcycled papers

Next up are these little mixed media illustrations on board. They are both 5″ x 7″ and and have nice positive messages on them. I used to sell quite a few of these types of pieces. They make nice gifts and are great to prop on a shelf or can be popped into a frame as a little inspiration piece. These little sayings often pop into my head while I’m working or while I’m journaling.

Mixed Media Acrylic, Collage, and Pencil

These next paintings are the continuation of a series I’ve worked on and off on since 2005. When I first moved to Florida, even though I only moved about 4 hours south from Savannah, Georgia. I was intrigued by the vibrant and tropical floral and fauna and started to make these botanical paintings inspired by the strange and bizarre array of foliage. They weren’t  botanically accurate depictions of anything specific, more narrative in style and each one is almost portrait like, as if they each have a personality. While the style has evolved from those beginning pieces, I still enjoy employing the forms as I’m constantly fascinated by the plants here.

Blue and You, 2012, Acrylic and Pencil on Canvas 12″ x 12″

Grow Taller, 2012,  Acrylic & Pencil on Cradled Wood, 6″ x 6″

Near/Far, 2012, Mixed Media Acrylic Collage & Pencil on Cradled Wood, 8″ x 8″

Grow Taller, Ask, and Invest are available in my Etsy Shop here.

Near/Far and Blue & You will be going into my Store here later today or Tomorrow.