It's with immense joy and gratitude that we announce the exciting expansion of The Artist Life! Thanks to the unwavering support of our incredible customers, our three-year-old venture has grown beyond our wildest dreams. In the midst of a global pandemic, we embarked on a journey to create an artistic haven that embraced a lifestyle we cherished - The Artist Life. Now, we're thrilled to share the inspiring story of our evolution from a simple living room setup to our own bustling warehouse, and how this transformation benefits our cherished artist community.
Three years ago, during a time of uncertainty and change, The Artist Life was born from our shared vision. Our mission was to curate a collection of art supplies, artist accessories, stylish smocks and aprons, unique art-centric jewelry, and creative gifts that we adored. We wanted to offer a place where fellow artists and art enthusiasts could find not just products, but a whole artist lifestyle experience.
Our journey began with a humble e-commerce site, created with passion and love for art. As time passed, our mission expanded beyond selling products; we set out to foster a vibrant artist community. We wanted to connect artists from around the world, giving them a platform to showcase their work and share their stories.
One of our proudest achievements is the Artist of the Month program. Each month, we feature a talented artist in our newsletter and across our social media platforms. We take great pleasure in sharing the unique narratives, inspiration, and creative processes of these artists. It's our way of celebrating their talent and fostering connections within the community.
Our journey didn't stop at our living room; we graduated to the garage and, now, we have our very own warehouse. With a dedicated team of shipping specialists, we've taken our commitment to the next level. For our cherished artist life community, this expansion translates into lightning-fast order fulfillment and a revamped shipping experience.
We're also excited to share that our improved infrastructure allows us to offer our customers more competitive shipping rates. As a way of showing our appreciation for your continued support, we've decided to pass on the savings to you. We believe in nurturing the creativity within every artist, and affordable shipping is just another way we can contribute to your artistic journey.
Of course, as with any significant transformation, there were some bumps along the way. Over the past two weeks, our website faced some adjustments, which unfortunately led to a brief period of downtime. We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. Your loyalty and support have been the driving force behind our growth, and we're grateful for your resilience and commitment to The Artist Life.
In conclusion, The Artist Life is more than just an online store; it's a shared dream and a thriving artistic community. We are excited about the new chapter in our journey, made possible by you, our loyal customers and fellow artists. Your support has allowed us to grow, and we promise to continue nurturing creativity, sharing stories, and providing top-notch products and services for artists worldwide.
With immense gratitude and enthusiasm,
Linda
(Artwork in photo courtesy of past Featured Artist, Ellen Rosenthal. She so kindly sent us the original handmade block print of the Hamsa, a protective symbol. Find out more about Ellen from our June Blog.)
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Whether she's sketching amidst the bustling streets of a foreign city or working from the comfort of her art studio in Athens, Antigone's dedication to her craft shines through in every stroke of her brush. Her preferred medium, watercolor, is a testament to her fascination with its transparency, often complemented by the delicate precision of an ink pen, especially when she's immersed in the great outdoors.
Nature's magnificence constantly moves Antigone, while her travels expose her to diverse cultures and mindsets that fuel her artistic inspiration. Her artistic mission revolves around capturing the essence of a scene at a precise moment, particularly when nature and the changing seasons transform archaeological sites or landscapes. She finds a special allure in scenes where humanity and nature intersect and harmonize.
For Antigone, painting serves as more than just a creative outlet; it's a form of highly active meditation. Through her art, she takes deep breaths, observes the pure beauty surrounding her, shares her emotions, promotes positivity, and unveils the world's vibrant allure through her unique perspective.
Antigone Damigou's journey as an artist is an exploration of the interplay between the beauty of nature and the spirit of human existence. Her watercolors invite us to see the world through her eyes and appreciate the profound connections that exist between art, nature, and the human soul.
You can stay in touch with Antigone at:
antigone.in.colours@gmail.com
Instagram:
https://instagram.com/antigone.in.colours?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM=
Etsy Shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/AntigoneInColours?ref=seller-platform-mcnav
The natural world has an unparalleled ability to inspire artists and ignite their creativity, and Theresa Bond is no exception. As a talented artist, wife, mother, grandmother, and a concerned global citizen, Theresa's life experiences and deep connection with nature shape her artistic expression in profound ways. Her passion for the environment and the future of our planet greatly influence the themes she chooses to explore in her captivating artwork.
Theresa Bond's artistic journey began in Brazoria County, Texas, where she first discovered her love for art. In 1992, she made the transformative decision to move from Houston to Austin, seeking new horizons and opportunities to nurture her creativity. Her educational path was characterized by its diversity, as she attended five different colleges over a span of 23 years. Despite the challenges she faced, Theresa's determination led her to achieve her first degree in Studio Art in 2004. Undeterred, she pursued and successfully earned a second bachelor's degree in Fine Art in 2006, both from the prestigious University of Texas at Austin.
One of the defining aspects of Theresa Bond's artistic approach is her belief in finding true beauty in the smallest of moments. Whether it's the delicate flutter of a butterfly's wings or the serene stillness of a sunset, she aims to capture the essence of these fleeting instances in her creations. Her artwork becomes a canvas for the emotions and reflections that these moments evoke within her, inviting viewers to share in her profound experiences.
Theresa's artistic repertoire boasts a diverse array of mediums, each reflecting her exceptional talent and versatility. She is a master of printmaking, skillfully employing techniques like intaglio, cyanotype, serigraph, relief, and monotype to create mesmerizing visual narratives. Additionally, Theresa immerses herself in the world of painting, deftly wielding watercolors and acrylics to bring her visions to life with vibrant hues and evocative strokes. Moreover, her innovative approach extends to creating found object art, where discarded items find new purpose and meaning under her skillful hands.
Central Austin has become the cherished home for Theresa and her husband, providing a nurturing environment for her artistic pursuits. Together, they share their lives with a spirited and beloved rescued mutt, adding a touch of joy and companionship to their journey.
Theresa Bond's artistic endeavors are far more than just expressions of creativity; they are a testament to her deep-seated concern for the environment and the future of our planet. Through her art, she raises awareness of mankind's impact on our surroundings and calls upon others to join in preserving the natural world that serves as her everlasting muse.
In a world where nature's beauty often goes unnoticed amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life, Theresa's artwork serves as a poignant reminder of the marvels that surround us. Her unique ability to translate her emotions, concerns, and reflections into art is an inspiration to all who encounter her work.
As Theresa Bond continues to embrace life's intricacies and the wonders of nature, she remains committed to using her artistic talents to inspire others and contribute positively to our world. Through her exceptional artistry, she opens our eyes to the profound connection between humanity and the natural world, urging us all to appreciate, protect, and cherish the beauty that surrounds us.
Follow Theresa at:
Website: www.tbondartist.com
Instagram: bondartist
Facebook: Theresa Bond Zelazny
]]>“I spent my life being an artist wannabee. My career in banking left me with no time or energy to take lessons or self-teach. After retirement in 2018, the first thing I did was sign up for classes. I was fortunate to have two amazing teachers: Donna Clement (color pencil drawing) and Lydia Pottoff (pastels). I admire both women. Through them, and the Firehouse Art Center, I have met a wonderful, supportive community of artists. My love for travel and nature has inspired me to primarily paint landscapes from photos I’ve taken on my trips. Painting nature affords me the opportunity to relive the moments of travel and hiking. My other love of animals has given me inspiration to paint my own fur girl and other animals with the goal of capturing their personality. It is also my hope to evoke emotion and fond memories in the viewer.”
Do you have any advice for fellow artists? If you’re just starting, focus on learning to draw. Not only will it give you skills you’ll need, it will help you to see things differently without breaking the bank. Either take classes or go to YouTube. Sometimes art supply places have demonstrations or adult learning courses if you’re close to a college. I was lucky to find a Nature Journaling class that was sponsored by the local County Extension group that was free. I learned to look at flowers differently and how to make texture on trees without getting crazy in the details.
Where do you create your art? I have a finished basement in my home where I have cupboards, countertops, storage and drawers to hold my art supplies and frames. My area has a lovely large window to let in natural light where my cat hangs out. I am surrounded by art from artists I’ve met and admired and I not only draw inspiration from them, I am comforted by the moments I’ve shared in conversations and lessons.
What's your preferred medium? Pencil, Graphite, colored pencils, watercolor and ink pencils and soft pastels for painting.
What style have you been wanting to develop more? I am still working on my style. I think it is something that evolves as I learn. I didn’t take art in school and spent 40 years in banking. I’m a newbie to the art scene. I started practicing art when I retired. I was fortunate to move to an area that has many art associations so I’ve learned much from the talent that surrounds me.
Do you have any artists who inspire you? Many local artist inspire me, as well as the amazing masters. Each have made their contribution to my learning process. Some by helping me see color, some remind me that we don’t have to be perfect. Degas, for example, has a painting of ballerinas where one girl has 3 arms. He didn’t bother to correct it, he just didn’t let the mistakes intimidate him. Some impressionists, for example, also demonstrate that it isn’t necessary to paint every single detail and in fact, it can be distracting. Some are masters of light and shadow. Monet, for example painted the same scenes several times at different times of the day and year. Some remind you that as artists, its ok not to paint in exact local color. Van Gogh, not only interpreted color, he made shapes in clouds, etc, that only he could see in his minds eye.
You can follow Neva on Instagram at https://instagram.com/neva2k
]]>Ellen F. Rosenthal is a printmaker who specializes in hand-pulled Relief Block Prints and Block Print Collages with mixed media. All of her block prints are based on her original drawings that are transferred to a block, carved, inked and then hand-printed. All her block prints are considered to be “Fine Art Originals” and are signed as part of an open or a closed edition. She loves the creative possibilities of relief block printing in interpreting the natural world of flora and fauna, landscape, still life, and other subject matter.
Block printing is a very old art form, and Ellen enjoys the creative challenges of expanding her art practice through using different printmaking papers, adding color with multi-colored reduction prints, experimenting with collage elements, and using color pencil or mixed media enhancements.
She first started printmaking during her student teaching in art education. She had never done any printmaking before but her host teacher suggested she watch a demo and teach it to the classes the following day. After receiving a block and some cutter tools, she was hooked. Block printing became one of her favorite units to teach during her 15 years as a middle school teacher, and one of the students' favorites as well. Now that she’s retired and has more time to focus on printmaking, she’s still hooked!
Ellen is a member of The Artists Undertaking Gallery, an artists' co-op in Occoquan, VA, and also an artist member of the Del Ray Artisans in Alexandria VA, a non-profit gallery run by volunteers, where she exhibits in their monthly themed shows. She has taught several “Into Block Print” workshops at the Del Ray Artisans, and just recently co-curated an exhibit there on printmaking, "Prints in May @ DRA: Exploring the Possibilities”.
Instagram : http://instagram.com/erosenthalprintmaker
Artists Undertaking Gallery: https://artists-undertaking-gallery.mailchimpsites.com/
Del Ray Artisans Gallery: www.DelRayArtisans.org
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Anna Jarvis, the founder of Mother's Day, believed that the holiday should not be commercialized with material gifts. Instead, she believed that the greatest present any mother could receive on her special day was a personal visit from her children. If a physical visit was not possible, a heartfelt, handwritten letter would suffice. Jarvis's vision for Mother's Day was centered on celebrating motherhood and spending quality time with family, reflecting the values of her own mother. However, Jarvis became disillusioned when the holiday was quickly transformed into a commercialized spectacle that deviated from her original vision.
Anna, who ironically never married nor had children of her own, developed a profound respect for motherhood from her own mother who had given birth to eleven children and lost seven of them at an early age. On May 10th, 1908, she organized the very first observance of Mother's Day by holding a memorial service at their church in honor of her late mother and began to speak out for the recognition of the holiday on a national scale.
By 1913, the concept of a national day to honor mothers had caught the attention of Congress in Washington. Within a decade, the US Congress adopted a resolution to establish the day as a formal national holiday. The measure was passed on May 8th, 1914, officially designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. Anna was overjoyed.
Unfortunately, a trend of commercialization took over and Mother's Day became more about buying flowers, candy, and cards than about personal visits or heartfelt gestures. Anna became distraught and lamented the holiday's transformation. She attempted to regain control by campaigning against the profiteers such as confectioners, florists, and retailers. She even filed lawsuits against groups using the name Mother's Day and spent a significant portion of her own money on legal fees. When an organization called the American War Mothers used Mother's Day for fundraising in 1925, she was arrested for disturbing the peace at their convention in Philadelphia. She even attacked First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for using the occasion to raise money for charity.
By the 1940s, she had disowned the holiday and actively lobbied for its removal from the calendar. Despite her efforts, Mother's Day had become a commercial success and continued to thrive as a holiday, generating millions for others while Anna remained penniless. Due to her deteriorating health, financial difficulties, and absence of close family members to look after her, Jarvis was admitted to a sanitarium to spend the remainder of her life. During her stay, all of her expenses were covered, and the institution received generous compensation for keeping her there and ensuring her silence. Who generously paid for this you might ask? Businessmen linked to the floral and card industries.
Jarvis died a few years later, and the commercialization of Mother's Day continues to this day. According to Forbes, consumers spent $31.7 billion dollars in 2022.
Lori Van Kirk Schue is an award winning fine and graphic artist and author of many children’s and art resource books. She is an expert in art curriculum development and a professional illustrator with an international following. Her studies include Visual Communications at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Creative Psychology at George Mason University, Virginia and various art, art history, and archeology studies at Christ Church College, Oxford University, UK.
She is currently an art instructor and exhibitor at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, where she shares her vast knowledge and experiences from her travels around the globe.
Lori is a diverse artist. She is accomplished in illustration, basketry, painting, animal portraiture, silver point drawing, colored pencil painting, collage, medieval manuscript art, botanical illustration, pottery, and printing.
She is also a fine and commercial artist, art teacher, art historian, art therapist, author and the owner of Artlingz, Inc. and SeeSayCreate, Inc.
“The inspiration for my art comes from the natural world. I tend to gravitate to animal art, landscape or basketry and pottery. I also create inks and dyes from natural products found and cultivated in the wild gardens at my home in northern Virginia. Colored pencil and pastel are favorite mediums although I do continue to work in watercolors and oils. A special favorite is silverpoint which is the art of working with a pure silver stylus or other metal point such as copper or gold on prepared papers. This was a particular medium used by book illuminators and artists of the 14th and 15th centuries. My style is loose but controlled. I find no attraction for hyper-realistic art that copies the photographers art.”
Lori works in one of her three studios at her home in Virginia. She also teaches in person and online courses for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. She is currently working on a series of classes on art and art history.
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Bay Area
Mount Tamalpais State Park: On Coast View Trail (from Pantoll), in February and March, look for footsteps of spring, Pacific hound’s tongue, common star lily, and dwarf checkermallow. April and May bring narrow leaf mule’s ear, lupine, Ithuriel’s spear, blue dicks, California poppy, and Western blue-eyed grass. Park hours are from 7 a.m. – sunset with parking at the Pantoll Station. For more information on the current status of the bloom, follow us on: Instagram and Facebook.
China Camp State Park: On Shoreline Trail, in February and March, look for Warrior’s plume, shooting star, milkmaids, laceleaf sanicle, and sun cups. April and May bring California poppy, narrowleaf mule’s ear, yellow mariposa lily, Ithuriel’s spear, and Douglas iris. Park hours are from 8 a.m. – sunset with parking in main lot. For more information on the current status of the bloom, follow us on: Instagram and Facebook.
Trione-Annadel State Park: On Cobblestone Trail, in February and March, look for buttercup, shooting star, purple larkspur, common star lily, checker lily, and Pacific hound’s tongue. April and May bring yellow mariposa lily, ookow, red larkspur, and purple Chinese houses. Park hours are from 8 a.m. – sunset with parking in main lot and Visitor Center lot. For more information on the current status of the bloom, follow us on: Instagram.
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park: On Lower Bald Mountain Trail, in February and March, look for Pacific hound’s tongue, red maids, baby blue eyes, checker lily, and more. April and May bring whispering bells (a fire follower), popcorn flowers, Diogenes’ lantern, blue dicks, lupine, and California poppy. Park hours are from 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. with parking in the main lot. For more information on the current status of the bloom, follow us on: Instagram and Facebook.
Southern California
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: (UPDATE) The largest state park currently has small pockets of wildflower blooms throughout the park, however, with the hotter temperature expected during spring, the wildflower season is almost at its end. Visitors can see remaining sand verbena and desert sunflowers along the east side of Henderson Canyon Road in the northern end of the park. Additionally, some flowers continue to bloom at the visitor center, Cactus Loop Trail at Tamarisk Grove and Coyote Canyon Entrance. For more information on the current status of the bloom, follows us on Facebook and Instagram.
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve: The hillsides at the Poppy Reserve are starting to show vivid pinks from filaree and vibrant yellows from large swaths of goldfields. There are some California poppies blooming but are expecting more poppies to start blooming in the next few weeks. The Antelope Trail North Loop and Kitanemuk Vista Point offer the best views of the wildflowers currently blooming. For more information on the current status of the bloom, visit the Poppy Cam, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Chino Hills State Park: The best wildflower viewing experience takes place along Bane Road. To get a closer look, visitors can hike on Bane Ridge Trail. This year, the flowers that are blooming include canterbury and school bells, arroyo lupine, and California poppy. For more information on the current status of the bloom, follow us on: Facebook and Instagram.
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park: The grounds of the historic park are currently covered in brilliant yellow goldfields. These flowers typically last for a month or more. For more information on the current status of the bloom, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Eastern Kern County Onyx Ranch State Vehicular Recreation Area: Jawbone Canyon has a beautiful array of wildflowers blooming for the next month including lavender Lacy Phacelia and brilliant yellow desert dandelions. For more information on the current status of the bloom, follow us on: Instagram and Facebook.
Red Rock Canyon State Park: Hagen Canyon, Iron Canyon (4WD recommended) and the Ricardo area surrounding the visitor center and campground are awash in color for the next month from a variety of wildflowers including desert dandelions, blue dicks, desert or wild parsley, and red maids. The Joshua trees and bladderpod are also currently blooming in the park. For more information on the current status of the bloom, follow us on: Instagram and Facebook.
Tule Elk State Natural Reserve: Currently, there are large patches of goldfields and filaree blooming at the reserve that are visible from the park’s overlook of the reserve. Visitors might even catch a glimpse of the tule elk herd. The elk bulls grow their antlers throughout the spring and into summer. For more information on the current status of the bloom, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
April 12, 2023, "Flower Bloom Updates", The California Parks and Recreation,
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30080
]]>Mary Gwyn Bowen is an artist, art educator and a former registered nurse. In her art, she focuses on the beauty and color of nature in birds, flowers, landscapes and occasionally ventures off into abstract cubism and live event painting. Oil is her favorite medium for painting but watercolor, colored pencils, silverpoint, pastels are fun too.
Mary Gwyn loves to teach Botanical painting workshops, in studio and out in the natural setting of parks and gardens. In her former nursing career she has published a research project on the positive effects of art in the surroundings of cardiac surgery patients as they recover.
Mary Gwyn devotes her time to painting the flowers and birds of West Tennessee, where she grew up, and the surrounding region, exploring beautiful natural places and taking lots of photos! And she shares her joy in art by teaching the botanical painting techniques she uses in her work. Currently, she teaches adult painting workshops at Watkins College of Art of Belmont University, and Cheekwood Estate and Museum in Nashville, TN, The Ice House Gallery, Mayfield, KY, Murray Art Guild, Murray, KY and The Dyer County Arts Council in Dyersburg, TN and other venues. Her art is featured in galleries, shops and private collections.
Mary Gwyn’s newest venture is weekend artist painting retreats in beautiful locations. Kick off will be a retreat at Reelfoot Lake in West Tennessee during the June blooming season of the unique Reelfoot Lotus Flower.
Connect:
https://marygwynsart.com/
https://www.facebook.com/marygwynsart
https://www.instagram.com/marygwynsart/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marygwynsart/
Allison Adams
In honor of Women's History Month we are spotlighting Allison Adams. Adams is an artist from San Clemente, CA. Her current collection focuses on the strength and inspiration of the women of our world. She has thrown herself into this collection to learn and inspire from the great women of the world.
Sojourner Truth
Lucille Ball
My "Groundbreaking Girls" series began in 2017 simply as a search for inspiration. Recently widowed, and beginning to focus on the next chapter as a single parent and artist, I found strength and empowerment in the stories of trailblazing women throughout history. I began to paint portraits of these women, bringing vibrancy to the old black and white photographs I had found. I try to capture the spirits of these women who would certainly be cheering us on today.
As we learn their stories and look into their eyes, we remember our heritage as women and girls: creative, resilient, and courageous.
Adams at her show.
Simone Biles
Jon'te Aycox is an Artist and self-published Writer from Las Vegas NV. He was born 05/21/1979 in Japan Tokyo - his dad was in the military. Jonte is African American and part Cherokee Indian.
There's room for every type of artist and every type of art. Nonrealistic and realistic, everyone deserves that platform to express themselves and their style.
He discovered his passion for the arts, at nine years old. He always sat at the table in the kitchen, drawing, while all the other kids were outside playing. He continued his love for art through classes in elementary, middle school, and high school. The more he learned, the more passionate he became. Over the years, his craft started to develop, improving more and more.
Jon'te expresses himself through his unique style by using a variety of acrylic paints. His art ranges in subject matter from nature to portraits; animals to humans; abstract to spiritual.
In addition to painting, Jon'te is also a writer. His passion for writing was discovered later in life. To showcase his work, he created his blog in 2010 (link below), on WordPress, which has all his writings.
His writing varies from poetry to spiritual writings. Additionally, Jon’te writes short stories that take the reader on adventures. His writings are fictional with relatable themes. In his words, he gives “Inspiration, happiness, and positivity.” Jon’te The Artist writes from the heart.
Jon'te was always taught to give back through his passion, gifts, and talent. To give back, every Christmas he created Angel Art pieces for his coworkers, to spread cheer, and happiness. Additionally, he donated one of his pieces to Erlanger Health System hospital in Chattanooga, TN.
Jon'te recently showcased his art in a gallery with other Las Vegas artists. The show was by a non-profit called Think Art. Think Art brings artists together in the community to display their art, and support art schools and organizations. In 2020, during the pandemic, Jon’te was a featured artist in an online gallery Art Fest.
He also creates custom pieces for people's homes. Plus, he sold his art online on Artpal. Anytime that he sells a piece of art, he donates part of his earnings to favorite animal shelters and other good causes. Jon’te is an entrepreneur and loves to share his art with the world. He has 2 self published books on Amazon (link below). Additionally, he sells his art on leggings, mugs, accessories, and prints (info below).
Through all that Jon'te does, he hopes to continue to give back, making the world a better place.
Jonte understands the balance of life. Beyond art, he enjoys singing karaoke, going for walks, hikes, to the gym. He finds his mind stimulated spirituality by attending church, reading the Bible, and learning from pastors. His calming activities are cooking, watching movies, and reading.
For more info on Jon'te, please check out the links to his sites:
https://www.amazon.in/
https://www.facebook.com/
Https://twitter.com/
https://teespring.com/stores/
I love this quote from Picasso “Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once they grow up”
Quality products, thoughtfully packaged and chosen for us artists who look for and find inspiration when we open the box. It’s like Christmas. Thanks, The Artists Life for the attention to detail you provide.
Are you or someone you know interested in being a Featured Artist? Contact us at galleryandsupplies@gmail.com to learn more!
Hello artists! We are so excited to introduce you to our December Artist, Nancy Delahaye! This artist went from a biomedical researcher to a full time artist - from a perfectionist to a lover of color and creation. Reading her story inspires one to paint more for oneself and think less of other's opinions. She doesn't shy away from color but instead embraces it as a way to connect with the world and those around her. Read on to hear her point of view.
If it weren’t for art, I don’t think I would have survived some large losses and trials in my life. So, you see, creating art is remarkable therapy for me.
I am unlike any artist I've ever met because I didn't go to a fancy art school, but rather I have a biomedical background. I meet people daily that immediately say they can’t create art because they aren’t creative - but it’s just another muscle you have to train. Being a self-taught abstract artist has opened my mind and heart to so many new experiences.
I want to soften the door to entry to inspire another women to heal by finding the colors and expressions that bring them joy - everyday.
My inspiration is drawn from travels around the United States and Europe. I often dream at night about what direction to take my paintings. Meditation, journaling, music, and incense lighting help to get my creative juices flowing. I never know where my work will take me but it is always a fun journey.
WEBSITE: www.nancydelahaye.com
INSTAGRAM: www.Instagram.com/nancydelahayeart
I make illustrative art that is explorative and eclectic in nature. Using vivid colors and whimsical themes, I seek to use art as a tool for coping with and overcoming the discordant world we live in. Creating both sequential mass consumption pieces as well as stand-alone gallery pieces, I desire my work to captivate a wide audience.
I seek to use art as a tool for coping with and overcoming the discordant world we live in.
As an art educator in public Title 1 schools, much of my work is inspired and created around the classroom. I tailor projects and lessons to engage and motivate students, impacting my own art making in the process. The resourcefulness and inventiveness of creating art projects accessible to a wide range of students and ages allows me to see multiple possibilities for each art material.
I received my BFA from Winthrop University and my MFA from Jacksonville University. My art is varied in both the location of its creation as well as the materials I choose to work with. My art making transpires at proper easels, desks, floors, and even the ground outside - whatever venue suits the need of the piece’s creation. The media in which I work is equally varied - colored pencil, conte crayon, pastel, printmaking, acrylic, oil, watercolor, graphite, charcoal. The world of art is too broad to narrow down my favorite media. This love of diversity comes in handy when teaching art to young learners. It is imperative that I be versed in a wide array of materials and processes to best teach my students.
Ember's favorite materials from The Artist Life include: Canson & Strathmore watercolor paper, Prismacolor colored pencils, travel-sized sketchbooks, white charcoal pencils, and washi tape.
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In my photography, I'm drawn to the abstract qualities found in the movement of sand. I'm always amazed at its beauty. What I've been able to capture on film has inspired me to further express myself with paint on canvas. I am inspired by the movement of my surroundings; the waves, wind and sand of the ocean but also the movement of sound and light. Everything has movement even if it appears stationary.
My artistic obsession is capturing the force and subtlety of this movement in my photographs and my paintings.
Eye of the Storm
After receiving her B.A. in Theatre Arts from Texas State University and her M.A in Human Behavior from National University, Jones worked over 30 years in theatre and film as an actor, director, and award-winning producer. The Ivy Theatre in Los Angeles was founded by Jones, who as the Artistic Director had a vision and a mission to develop, produce and promote projects written by Lesbian playwrights. Her emphasis was to expand visibility and to create a social and political awareness of Lesbian artists. The city of Los Angeles honored Jones and The Ivy Theatre with a “Commendation” for the work produced there.
Language
During the lockdown of 2020 Jones found her new creative focus as an abstract photographer who quickly morphed into an abstract painter. During a year of fear, stress and uncertainty due to COVID, Jones found herself even more grateful for her morning walks on the shores around her Oceanside home. It was during one of these walks that she looked down to discover that the sand that she had been walking on for years suddenly looked different. She was inspired by the abstract movements of the sand. She captured these with her phone before moving on to her camera. From this she created a series called SANDS OF OCEANSIDE.
Jones and dog, working hard.
Based on these photographs Jones wanted to create a group of large paintings. She used her sand photographs as a source of inspiration to painting on 8x10 inch canvas paper. Subsequently she moved on to larger scaled stretched canvas. Her paintings are always inspired by her surroundings, such as beach, rocks, sand, waves and her love of music.
Tiny Dancers
“From the stage to canvas was quite easy given that for her they both require a strength of expression, observation, interpretation, risk, and vulnerability”, states Jones. “In theatre I always worked with the words of someone else bringing life to those words.
In painting it is all about my life, my emotions and my expression of those experiences.
Jones’ photographs have shown at online digital gallery Light, Space & Time as well as the Praxis Gallery & Photographic Art Center. Her paintings have shown at the Jones Gallery in Kansas City and have been purchased in private collections across the country.
Lace
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Hidden away inside California's Anza Borrego State Park is a little town with big art. Visitors flock to the area in the spring to see the blooming desert flowers, and in the winter to escape cold weather, explore the desert and get artsy.
It's one of the few designated International Dark Sky Communities in the world, and it's home to the Borrego Art Institute.
Surrounding the outskirts of town is a permanent public art installation - a series of metal sculptures by the artist, Richard Breceda.
(Richard Breceda Sculpture, Galleta Meadows, Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Photo by K Bieber.)
The installation was also the inspiration for a yearly public art show, the Candlewood Arts Festival, which brings artists from around the world to create multi-sensory public art available for visitors to search out and explore on their own. Learn more at the Borrego Art Institute
("Borrego's Blooming Octotillo," 2020, acrylic on canvas by K Bieber)
(Photo source: ricardobreceda.com)
(Photo source: ricardobreceda.com)
(Photo credit: K Bieber)
(Photo credit: K Bieber)
]]>Born in Brooklyn, New York, Laura Waller graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Newcomb College of Tulane University and received her Master’s Degree from Tulane. Concurrent with studies in sociology, psychology and social work, she developed a passion for art and art history. After an eleven-year career as a professional therapist, Laura Waller became a certified financial planner and founder of the successful Waller & Wax Advisors firm in Tampa, FL. Throughout her thirty-year career in finance, she continued to paint and study independently with noted artists in Arizona, Florida and Maine.Since 2012, Waller has maintained a full-time studio practice in Maine and Florida. Her award-winning paintings have been featured in nine solo exhibitions since 2015 and 22 group exhibitions since 2006. In 2016, she received the Individual Artist Grant and the Carolyn Heller Visual Arts Award from the Arts Council of Hillsborough County.Her work is included in numerous corporate and private collections nationwide and was most recently acquired by the Tampa Bay History Center and the American Victory Museum, both in Tampa, FL.
]]>Intrigued by the massive commercial ships and vessels I found at the Port of Tampa Bay, located near my Florida studio, I began the Working Waterfront series of paintings in 2013. I was interested in the massive scale of container ships and how light transforms the various surfaces of steel hulls, anchors, and architectural elements. My research included a private tour of the Port which is not open to the public. From a small powerboat providing a water/ground level of perspective, I photographed what I saw happening within this international shipping hub; the process of loading and offloading containers, tugs transporting ships to and from the Port’s narrow channels, and vessels in dry dock for maintenance and repair. I accompanied a harbor pilot taking a ship from the channel, through Tampa Bay out to the Gulf of Mexico as it journeyed to its next port of call. I also began to regularly track specific ships online as they navigated to each port globally.By 2016, I completed 60 paintings of the Port of Tampa Bay and, being so immersed, realized the vital role the shipping industry played in our global economy. But it was in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, that that awareness became heightened. Because of the pandemic, shipping goods reached emergency status with orders delayed, shelves emptied of essential goods, and the industry faced a drastically decreased workforce. International commerce was nearly brought to its knees.I am beginning to paint ships at the Port of Portland, located on the Atlantic coast in Maine, where I have a studio, as an extension of the Working Waterfront series. Focusing on specific architectural elements, which can shift between abstraction and representation, I am interested in exploring how natural light in the northeast differs from Florida’s sunlight and how shapes and colors are perceived.
Regina Argentin explores the subconscious in saturated color gradations that create distilled imagery layered into representational and abstract form. Her large paintings reflect the narrative with a mystic quality. Using parts of nature, wildlife and the divine feminine, she creates an ethereal landscape of mythological dystopian symbolism.
Drawings from Regina's graphic novels charcoal on paper 9 x 12”
“My recent work reflects themes and characters from my graphic novel narratives. Introspective thoughts, dreams, devotion and melancholia are depicted within images of portraiture, adventure, supernatural situations, all within a framework of the connective relationship of human beings to nature and other species. The divine feminine, animal rights and spirituality are my central themes.”
The window.
Oil on canvas
Regina Argentin received her BFA at Art Center College in Pasadena. Upon graduation, she moved to NYC to pursue her passion as a professional fine artist. She participated in solo and group shows and has won several fellowship residencies.
Drawings from Regina's graphic novels charcoal on paper 9 x 12”
Regina's favorite Artist Life product is the Washi Ruler Tape. She says it "is unique and useful. It can be used as a straight edge and measuring."
She then returned to her native city of Los Angeles to work in the film industry as an art director. In addition to art school, she received a masters degree in spiritual psychology. She continues to do fine art, exhibit, teach and has also established her own fine and decorative art business as well as a luxury vegan organic beauty product line.
Check out more of Regina's work on her website here. Plus, you can see more of her work on The Artist Life's social channels @livetheartistlife
Selected collectors: Lee Iacocca, F. Lee Bailey, Liz and Allan Johnson, Jean Pierre
Jeunet, Beverly Cohen, Carol Little, Neil Diamond, Citibank, Stephan Dewy, Lord
Montagu
Current Exhibition: Cad Fab Gallery, Culver City, CA 2021-2022
]]>I am Diana D’Arcy Gorin, a mixed media artist based out of Southern California. You can find me on instagram @black.fox.stuff
I draw my inspiration from nature and the overwhelming peace it brings me.
Whether that nature is Yellowstone National Park, the Santa Monica Mountains, simply smelling a bouquet of flowers, surfing in the Pacific Ocean, or just sitting in my backyard- it makes no difference to me. I love it all and can’t get enough.
I grew up spending a lot of time at my farm in central Kentucky, so when I think of the place I imagine my work truly stemming from, my mind travels there. “Spring time in Kentucky” is how i describe my work. Just imagine endless fields of wildflowers, dogwood trees, and bucks. Does and fawns running around. It’s pretty magical (except the insane pollen and humidity).
I hope with my art, the viewer can feel a little better in that moment, and forget for just a second what a drag existence can be. In other words, that sense of “I don’t want to leave, this is where I’m meant to be right now” before returning to reality... Which is coincidentally how I feel out in the woods, cruising on a mountain bike or climbing a rock wall.
You’ll find in my art a lot of colorful portraits of people, sometimes with flowers, animals too (with flowers), pressed flowers, just always flowers. I like them! They are such a weird and fun addition to earth. We should have more.
My current favorite Artist Life product is the postcard sized watercolor booklet. It's perfect for small paintings around my current home, Newport Beach. I’ve always been fascinated with the interplay between architecture and flowers.. how it can just transform a doorway.. so I like to paint on the go. And having a handy dandy little watercolor pad is the way to do it!
The process of building something that wasn't only interesting to look at but could be also used in everyday life was what initially drew me to ceramics.
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Dani at her wheel in her outdoor studio rocking her favorite La Negra Split Leg Apron.
The process of building something that wasn't only interesting to look at but could be also used in everyday life was what initially drew me to ceramics. It wasn't until college that I learned how to throw on the wheel. That was the beginning of my long term relationship with clay.
What I love about pottery is that it keeps me constantly challenged and engaged. It is an incredibly complex art. Beyond understanding how to work with clay there are infinite possibilities in the world of glaze, color and decoration. Understanding what makes up these compounds is chemistry in its greatest form. A couple years ago I bought an old electric kiln and have been learning how to fire my own work. I cherish the autonomy it’s given me. I have control of my process from start to finish.
I enjoy making clean, refined pieces with a minimalist style. What draws me to the "not obviously handmade" look is the challenge - I love the idea of making a mug that surprises people when they find out it's handmade. I express my creativity through the silhouette itself.
The more I create, the more eager I become to explore new styles.
]]>The TAL team helps make my surface design exploration easier with their awesome sketchbooks, like the Large Sketchbook with blank pages. I especially love their La Negra Split Leg Apron for throwing. The slit makes it so easy to straddle the wheel and I can fit my trimming tools in the front pockets for easy access.
Pictured with BB is Gabe Whorley (AKA BB's son), co-owner of Sapphire Grill and The Pantry in the artist enclave of Laguna Beach, California. The Pantry offers postcards featuring BB's paintings.
"As long as I can remember, I have always been drawn to words, colors and music, and how they can create images and draw you in."
BB Crawford, The Accidental Artist
Follow BB:
Instagram: @bbtheaccidentalartist
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BBTheAccidentalArtist
www.bbcrawfordart.com
bbcrawfordart@gmail.com
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Gallery and Supplies, LLC The Artist Life (T.A.L.) regularly features artists on their website, TheArtistLife.com. There is no charge to the artist and selection of Featured Artists are at the discretion of T.A.L.
T.A.L. will not ask for compensation from the Featured Artist and the Featured Artist shall not ask or require compensation from Gallery and Supplies, LLC The Artist Life.
T.A.L.’s intent is to promote artists and creators through a mutually beneficial partnership. T.A.L will promote the Featured Artist on its website, social media accounts, and in T.A.L.’s subscriber newsletter. In return, T.A.L asks that the Featured Artist include links to their www.theartistlife.com Featured Artist page on their own social media accounts, they comment positively about T.A.L., and that at least one photo features the artist either using a T.A.L product or a photo of the product in their studio.
The Featured Artist shall include a photo(s) using T.A.L. product(s).
The Featured Artist shall include a quote about the T.A.L. product(s).
The T.A.L. Featured Artist shall include a biography, photos of the artist at work, and photos of the artist’s artwork. While T.A.L.'s intent is to empower artists and encourage the purchase of their artwork, as well as the purchase of T.A.L.’s products, T.A.L. reserves the option of not including these links if there is a conflict with competing products (art supplies). It is not prudent for T.A.L. to drive traffic to a competitor.
Please submit:
Send all to Linda Martin at:
]]>When you see Edie Martin’s glass artwork, it is easy to see her singular focus on pattern, texture, line, and color. Not only does she focus on those qualities, they are most often the inspiration and the theme of her work. She has gravitated toward them more and more throughout her journey.
As Martin looks back on the journey to the current place where she creates, she has come to realize that she has been on an artist’s path since she was in single digits, age-wise. Now she simply continues to follow her passion on that path.
Martin is an Idaho native, born in Twin Falls. As a farm girl who learned how to do many things, she remembers loving to “make stuff” more than anything. This took the form of sewing, hammering things together, making candles the old fashioned drip way, cooking, decorating her room, knitting, crocheting, and various kinds of handcrafts. She says, “At the tender age of nine I was fully practicing as an artist. And now that I think of it, my first studio was in an attic storage room. Along the inwardly sloping walls there were banks of very deep shelves. My mother allocated sections of these deep shelves to each of her children. We could do with that space as we pleased. I filled mine with my craft odds and ends, fabric scraps and bits of trim, plus my dolls, the models for which I designed and made clothes: many, many outfits of clothes. I spent feverish hours and days with these things and with scissors, my mom's sewing machine, and my ideas about how to put them together. My doll was the best dressed, or shall I say, definitely the most dressed, in the county."
Martin didn't know then that she had started her art training, that she was using design principles that she would learnlater in art school, that she was honing her skills, that she was training her artist's eye, that she was teaching her craftsman's hands to manipulate materials, but she was doing all of those things.
Martin says, “In my college years I was encouraged to focus on a field in which I would be able to support myself. ‘There will always be a need for teachers’, was a commonly heard phrase. So I studied elementary education and ab
solutely loved the “Art in the Elementary School” class, because we were able to experiment with so many hands-on art media. I especially loved making pottery. It should have given me a clue that I should study ART, but it took a while longer for me to figure that out!”
After college graduation she worked as a flight attendant for several years, based in Houston and Kansas City. It was in Kansas City that she met and married her husband, and several years later they began to add to their family. But during the first five years after marriage she was traveling both for work and for pleasure and was able to observe a world of design and art. In her free time she took classes in pottery, the medium that had been so intriguing when she was in college. She also tried drawing and painting classes, and completed an \extensive correspondence course from the New York School of Interior Design. She savored each and every one of those experiences.
A turning point came when she decided to experiment with a class in stained glass at a local community college class in Kansas City. After a very short acquaintanceship, she knew she was truly in love with the medium and that she had an aptitude for manipulating the materials that were used. She says, “The aptitude I had was, no doubt, partly from the multiple kinds of art and craft projects that I had done all of my life. My genes may have had a part in that as well, because my mother had an amazing talent for drawing faces and figures, and my dad, like most farmers, could do anything that farmers needed to do, including design and build buildings of various sizes. I think I inherited my eye for proportion from my mother, and my three dimensional abilities from my dad.”
After several years, Martin and her family moved back to the Boise area to be nearer to her family. And she continued her work in stained glass. “The years of designing for stained glass had an effect on every medium that I experimented with. Every design begins with thinking about a line, a space between the lines that creates a shape, and a color. When I went back to school in my 40’s and got a second bachelor’s degree, this time in Fine Arts, my drawing and painting professors noted that effect.”
Though she was once again exposed to many different art mediums at the university, she remained zeroed in on her glass work. Glass art is a huge field and she knew that there is much to learn – geometry, chemistry, technique and tradition. Because of this, she has taken many workshops and classes related to glass, including classes at glass art trade shows and at the renowned Pilchuck Glass School.
She has received numerous awards for her stained glass artwork and has completed commissions for several churches and homes.
Martin’s stained glass obsession began and it has continued and expanded to include a focus on kiln-formed glass or fused glass. She found that glass is absolutely fascinating to observe as it is transformed in the kiln. She has mastered many techniques in kiln-forming and has developed some new ones of her own as she continues to experiment.
“Glass fusing is, each and every time, a semi-controlled experiment, and you do not ever know for sure how a firing will turn out. That is one thing that keeps it so interesting!” She continues to be drawn to the amazing qualities of the medium: the effects of light, its transparency and reflectiveness, color, movement, texture, and versatility.
Her studio is again on the second floor of her home, but instead of a section of shelves, she has glass cabinets for storage, glass cutting tables, glass grinders of many sorts, a glass sandblasting setup, and kilns for fusing. Martin says she has traveled a long way in her art journey, but, despite that, “In my current work, I still spend feverish hours and days with my ideas, cutting things apart and putting them back together in new ways, adding bits of embellishments, and looking for pleasing combinations in pattern, texture, line, and color. And like the plans I made when I was very young, sometimes my designs work out and sometimes they do not. But there is always value and a learning experience in trying them out!”
“I live for the moment when I lift a piece from my work table or remove it from the kiln and see it with the light coming through for the first time as a finished art piece. Viewing the artwork during the process of being made does not begin to compare with seeing it when the light shines through it. I could go on with metaphors about light bringing the work to life. I want to create pieces that draw the eye and hold the eye of the viewer enough to take in the details, see the beauty, and read the meaning.”
Martin currently exhibits her work at the Art Source Gallery in downtown Boise and the Boise Airport and sells directly from her studio and website.
The Artist Life is pleased to offer many of Edie Martin's original work directly. See our Artisan Collection.
Martin's work can also be seen on her website at ediemartinglass.com
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All creators are artists. Your "studio" or creative space may be a spot at the end of your dining table, a she-shed in your backyard, a picnic blanket in the woods, or an artist loft in Soho. Do not let your self-defined skill level deter you.
Through our Featured Artists, we want to tell a story about all women and inspire self expression, self-confidence and creativity.
Gallery and Supplies, LLC The Artist Life (T.A.L.) regularly features artists on their website, TheArtistLife.com. There is no charge to the artist and selection of Featured Artists are at the discretion of T.A.L.
T.A.L. will not ask for compensation from the Featured Artist and the Featured Artist shall not ask or require compensation from Gallery and Supplies, LLC The Artist Life.
T.A.L.’s intent is to promote artists and creators through a mutually beneficial partnership. T.A.L will promote the Featured Artist on its website, social media accounts, and in T.A.L.’s subscriber newsletter. In return, T.A.L asks that the Featured Artist include links to their www.theartistlife.com Featured Artist page on their own social media accounts, they comment positively about T.A.L., and that at least one photo features the artist either using a T.A.L product or a photo of the product in their studio.
The Featured Artist shall include a photo(s) using T.A.L. product(s).
The Featured Artist shall include a quote about the T.A.L. product(s).
The T.A.L. Featured Artist shall include a biography, photos of the artist at work, and photos of the artist’s artwork. While T.A.L.'s intent is to empower artists and encourage the purchase of their artwork, as well as the purchase of T.A.L.’s products, T.A.L. reserves the option of not including these links if there is a conflict with competing products (art supplies). It is not prudent for T.A.L. to drive traffic to a competitor.
Please submit:
Send all to Linda Martin at:
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