Rats saving the world

This is totally off topic of art, but I thought it was so cool. There is an organization in Africa training rats to find landmines, and detect tuberculosis. They can do both of these things many times faster than any other method already in existence, and making the world a safer place. I thought it was really fascinating! You can learn more, or support the rats at www.herorat.org

More digital portraits completed

I have been continuing to work on more digital portraits. I really enjoy doing these. Sometimes, even when you think the original photo is fairly clear and in-focus, when you enlarge it and look at it closely, it is surprising what information is assumed, rather than clearly presented when you look at a photo. Of course, when I draw and paint (digitally), I have to make judgement calls about what these unclear/muddy areas should actually look like. When I work for several hours on a piece, and the final product just looks so sharp, and just like the subject in real life, it's a great feeling!

I've been working hard on some gift portraits for Christmas. (No peeks at those ones yet!) I have ordered the prints for those now, and I can't wait for them to arrive! The great thing about working on several of these portraits over a short time span, is that I am getting to know the functions of my computer better. I am streamlining my process, at the same time as I am adding new capabilities and increased detail.

Here is an example of something I can do with digital portraiture that is very challenging to do with just a photograph. This client wanted a portrait of her with her cat. Unfortunately, she had a very hard time getting a photo where they were both looking where they should be, and looking good. I liked her cat's expression in this first photograph, and I asked if she had another photo of herself in a similar position, where her face could be seen better. Thus came picture 2. Below those, you can see the final product, where I combined both images to create one portrait with the best of both worlds.

Treasuries are fun

Today I once again got a treasury on Etsy. There are so many great items on Etsy! I love choosing a theme and seeing what kind of a collection I can make out of it. Today I finally got to make a circus treasury. I've been waiting on this one for a while, but was never at the treasury when it opened up. Get a closer look at these great pieces here.

Lovely Jewelry Prize from SadieAndLeo.Etsy.com

I had a lovely surprize come in the mail this week. I had participated in Tara Marchese's Know Modern Art? contest on her blog (http://sadieandleo.wordpress.com/) the other week. It was lots of fun, as I love modern art! I got all the artists right, so she sent me a lovely little package in the mail. She had packaged up a charm necklace, a cat's eye bobby-pin, and a lovely pair of white heart-shaped earrings all in a cute little wooden heart box. Thanks Tara! If you are interested in finding more jewelry items like these, visit http://sadieandleo.etsy.com/

New!! Custom Portraits

I am thrilled to announce that I have added a new product to Nikasha Designs today. I am now offering custom digital portraits, made to order from your photograph. I have been having so much fun making these, and I'm excited to offer them to the public. I can do people, as well as animals. If you want detailed info on the process, or pricing, you can find that in my Etsy profile here.

Etsy Treasury

I got a Treasury West on Etsy today. I filled it with ribs and ribcages. Perhaps it would have been more fitting before halloween, but oh well. Our bones exist year round, right? Click here to visit my treasury and look closer at the pieces included.

Miriam Makeba

No art posts today. I just wanted to post a tribute to Miriam Makeba- an incredible singer from South Africa. She had a heart attack following a concert Monday night, and passed away early yesterday morning. If you haven't heard her music before, you should, because it is amazing. Here are a couple of good articles where you can learn a little about her life as well.

Wikipedia

Mama Africa

Doodle Debris

Treasury- some of Etsy's great painters

This evening I got a Treasury West, as they call it. I decided to find some great paintings of the sky to fill it. I was very happy with the artwork I found. To visit my treasury, and link to the individual artists, click here.

The Five Senses

The other day, I was contemplating what would happen if I lost one of my senses, which would affect me the most, and how would it change my art.


I love hearing nature and music, and being able to hear no doubt makes daily life and communication easier. However, losing my hearing wouldn't affect my artwork. If I lost my sense of smell or taste, it wouldn't affect my artwork. Though losing either of these could pose extra dangers in your life, I think for me, these would affect my life the least.

If I lost my sight, it would dramatically affect my day to day life, but artistically, I imagine I would shift to a more sculptural bent. I have no doubt that I would continue to create and feel artistically fulfilled.

Finally, the sense of touch. I am certain that this is the most important to me. For the people and animals in my life, I love seeing and talking to them, but it is the touch that creates the bond. It would definitely be a great sadness to lose my sense of touch. I can imagine myself happier blind, than unfeeling. (Imagining myself blind in a hospital bed, feeling the faces of my loved ones.) When I create artwork, I really enjoy the feel of the material in my hands as I work. I am happy to let my hands work of their own kinetic knowledge. It is that sense of touch, combined with the visual aspect of seeing the artwork, which leads to the emotional connection and fulfilled sense of work well done. While I am certain I would continue to create artwork if I couldn't see, I cannot say the same thing if I couldn't feel. I don't think solely the visual aspect of creating artwork would be enough for me. I know I would continue in artistic expression. Without the sense of touch though, I am almost certain I would turn away from visual media to a greater focus on music.

I guess the important thing for me to do about this realization is just to fully appreciate my sense of touch while I have it, and pray that I'll be able to keep it.

An artist just is.

Another artist on Etsy, Krystyna81 posted an article to the Gallery United Blog referencing the article The Financially Successful Artist: Commercial Sell Out or Role Model? by Denise Ivey Telep. I think the questions posed in this article are important for today's artist to think about.

One statement in the article that really resonated with me is: "An artist is. It’s soul deep."

That's how I feel about being an artist. I just am, to my very core. To me, it doesn't matter what media I have to work with, I am happy to create with it. I am just as happy making a painting, a collage, a photograph, a digital drawing, a clay pot, drawing on a napkin, carving a potato, or sculpting with pipe-cleaners. If one media isn't available, I see what else there is to work with, and each inspires a whole new line of art.

How I suffer for my art...

I am adding new work to TholeImagery.etsy.com. We went up north the other weekend. Whenever we are up there, I like to take pictures of all the small elements of nature. The fall colors were so gorgeous, but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate, so we weren't able to go out as much as we would have liked. Saturday, we were able to take a long hike through Chippewa National Forest, which was fantastic. Sunday, however, I woke up to find a deer tick feasting on my belly. I didn't appreciate that very much. I've been to the doctor about it once already, because the bite site had a small ring, and irritation. They said it is unlikely I contracted lymes disease, because I found the tick within 24 hours, but they wouldn't be able to tell yet, so I should just wait and see if I develop more symptoms. Well, I hope you all like the photos I got, to make it all worth it ;)

Also, I've been spending some time online, beefing up my Photoshop skills. What I've really learned this week, is how to utilize adjustment layers and layer masks. These help me do the things I've already been doing, but in a way that is easier to affect just a portion of the image as well as remaining adjustable and reversable at any time. I've been having fun playing with them. Here are a few of the images. If you are interested in seeing more, or purchasing any, just visit TholeImagery.etsy.com.

A Little Colored Pencil Love

I have a set of Prismacolor colored pencils that I love to use. Once I realized how rich their colors are, and how smooth they go onto the paper compared to the colored pencils I used as a child, I haven't used any other brand. When it comes to these pencils, however, I don't love them all equally. My favorites are about 10 vintage Prismacolors that I got from my mom. Like an old stuffed animal which is loved ever more with wear and tear, I find the many dents, dings, and stains on them part of their history of use/love, and part of their charm. I enjoy looking at them- to me they are like a work of art themselves.


I also love the typography on these old pencils. The font is quite unique, and art-nouveau looking. I am certain that it was chosen with care. I actually have Prismacolors stamped with three different manufacturer names, Eagle, Berol, and Sanford. Eagle was the original manufacturer of Prismacolors. In 1969, they changed their name to Berol while expanding their brand. After 1995, they were bought out, and the name changed to Sanford. (More info here.) The typeface on these newer pencils is boring in comparison. Sometimes, I am afraid to use the vintage pencils, because I know I will be sad when they are used up. The newer Prismacolors make beautiful color on the paper as well as the old ones, but it just isn't the same to me.

I also wanted to write about another artist who is inspired by the colored pencils themselves. Jennifer Maestre makes incredible sculptures using colored pencils. She creates fascinating forms that beg to be touched!

Heatwave (above)

Aurora (below)

If you are interested in seeing more of her incredible work, visit her website, at http://www.jennifermaestre.com/. She also sells smaller urchin pieces and colored pencil jewelry in her Etsy store at jenmaestre.etsy.com.

*images used by permission*

Soap Factory $99 sale

The Soap Factory is a unique contemporary art gallery in Minneapolis. Their fall fundraiser, the $99 Sale, is fast approaching. The $99 Sale consists of many 5x7" artworks donated by various artists- known and unknown. Sale attendees may purchase any piece for $99, however, they cannot know the maker of the piece until after purchase. This years pre-sale and party is scheduled for September 19th, and the open admission sale is the morning of September 20th. Anyone in the Minneapolis area should go check it out, and support a local arts institution. While you're there, see if you can pick out which piece I made :)

For more details on the $99 Sale, visit http://www.soap99.com/

On the front page of Etsy

It's been a while since my last post. I've had a bit of a "computer vacation." Sometimes you just have to give your eyes some time away from the screen. I have some very exciting news to report though: last week I had a painting make it to the front page of Etsy! This very fine treasury by shavingkitsuppplies featured a variety of figural profiles including this self-portrait of mine.

(hmm, three treasury posts in a row... I'll try to not be so redundant in the future. )

Etsy Treasury

Today I got a treasury spot in Etsy, I made a treasury featuring light colored items, including several porcelain pieces, and some of my favorite artworks. It happens to be my birthday, so you could buy me one of these items... or help me bring this treasury to the front page by viewing it and clicking on the items here :)

I'm in a treasury

My work has been featured in an Etsy treasury curated by the Buddha Builder. This treasury will be up for one more day. To check it out, click this link.

Uptown Art Fair, Minneapolis

Yesterday I visited the Uptown Art Fair in Minneapolis. This is one of my favorite fairs to go to every year. I haven't been at a point where I've been prepared to apply to show there yet, but perhaps I'll be ready in a couple years. (I think I should get some smaller fairs under my belt first!) This very popular fair is juried, and has a lot of strict requirements to get in, such as you can only sell one kind of work- they don't want your booth to be a mish-mash of different media. If you apply as a pair, all your work shown needs to have been worked on collaboratively. Also, you are not allowed to sell mass-produced work from your booth.

As I walked around, I noticed that I walked right by some of the artists I found especially intriguing last year. If their work looked too much the same, it lost it's appeal to me. Their booths were still busy though, because, of course, there were people seeing their art for the first time. (It is also possible that some people come specifically to see them every year as well.) I don't know whether the artists that caught my eye this year were new to the fair, or if their art had changed from previous years.

My art changes all the time, and I have so many different series of work that look nothing like each other. Perhaps from a selling standpoint, I am too much at the opposite end of the spectrum. There is something to be gained by having people be able to see your work and recognize it as yours (as well as the fact that if a certain style proves to be popular, there are always more people who haven't seen it before). I don't know if my work has this recognizable quality yet, or whether it will ever develop it. I think that is something that is challenging to know about your own work. I can generally recognize a piece by Giacometti or Modigliani, but they both had very distinctive styles that are similar in the majority of their work. On the other hand, I can also usually recognize a Picasso or a Matisse, both of whom worked in a variety of dissimilar styles, which, over time I have learned to associate with them.

At any rate, it is a thought that will probably be running through my head for a while: is there enough similarity between my different styles to be recognizably mine? Does it matter?

Finally, a list of the artists I found most inspiring at this year's Uptown Art Fair:

Signe and Genna Grushovenko (painting)- If I had enough money, I would have bought one of their fantastic pieces on the spot!

Mary Burger (photography)- her photographs are ready to hang, and have a fantastic, textured surface that you really have to see in person. I would love to have some of her work as well!

Ann Wood and Dean Lucker (mechanical pictures)- these were so intriguing and original!

Amy Arnold (woolen creations)- how could you not love her fantastic "peepwool"

Andy Fletcher (paintings)- I love his minimalist landscapes!

Michael Bond (etchings)- I always appreciate the work that goes into intaglio printmaking! I also love the coloring he has added to several of the prints.

And finally, Andrew Johnson (stitched art)- his little whimsical stitched pieces are very charming! (One has found a home with us.)

Sneak Peek

I've had my colored pencils out again, and I'm working on a completely new series of layered drawings. Soon I will offer them for sale on SarahThole.etsy.com, but for now, I thought I'd give you a sneak peak at the process and how they look.

Photography

We went up to a friends cabin in June, and I got a lot of great photographs. I have several listed now at TholeImagery.etsy.com. I did a lot of work in black and white - I love how it simplifies the image into an instantly classic look. Most of the photographs I took fell into two categories. The first was small plants. I took lots of images of wildflowers and ferns.








I also spent a long time, almost hypnotized by the variances in the surface of the water on the lake. I have many abstract reflection shots, as well as a series of shots of the water that I have digitally altered. I am still increasing the inventory in this shop, but if you haven't checked it out before, you should: TholeImagery.Etsy.com. (This Etsy shop is an extension of our Minneapolis portrait and event photography business, which you can find more information about at http://www.tholeimagery.com/.)

Sale!!

I am participating in a large Christmas in July sale, hoping to sell off some pieces so I don't have to move them all to my new shop. All my art is on sale 20% through the end of the month, and photography is on sale 33%- a deal like this doesn't come around too often. Come check out all the work!

New Work

I've been working on some new paintings. My current studio is my garage, which works well for me, because I don't have to leave home. I don't think it will work so well come winter though.




When I was very inspired to do some more oil work, and beef up my portrait portfolio, I bought several canvases. I have a few portraits of people close to me in the works.




I am also continuing to do landscapes from the American West (which I have several done in pastels already listed on Etsy).

So far, I am really excited about this piece (below). I love the big open sky, and the high contrast lanscape. At this point in a painting, when I really love something about it, I get nervous that I will ruin the thing that I love about it during the course of finishing it. Hopefully not this time though.

(Hopefully I will get better at incorporating my pictures in the posts. Sorry it's a little clunky this time)

My Inaugural Post

I feel pressure to get this blog off on the right foot with my first post. However, I think it is better to get it done with and move on, so here is a little about me and my business venture so far:

I am an artist. I went to college for art, graduated 3 years ago, and I am just now attempting to take that passion and those skills and work them into something I can support myself by.

As a selling venue, I am starting off using Etsy.com. I started with one shop, nikashadesigns.etsy.com. I started listing some of my artwork there in March, but I felt it restricted me from listing other things I make that don't go along with the fine art as well, so I have taken a big jump now, and split my shop into three! I now also have sarahthole.etsy.com for my general fine art and custom portrait options, as well as tholeimagery.etsy.com - a shared shop with my husband and a friend which holds our fine art photography. The three of us already operate a photography company under the name of Thole Imagery here in Minneapolis, so it made sense to make a group shop on Etsy as an extension of the business we already have.

There, now I can go on posting in the moment without the "first post" pressure :)