Nikasha Designs

Come out this weekend!

2009-12-07T23:32:00.005-06:00

I will have work in the W7 Collective sale this weekend. It will be the first opportunity to see/buy my new photo block collection.

I am very excited about these pieces. I took the photos within about the last year, and I had processed some of them, but having this show to prepare for led to me finishing out the set.

The photos are mounted on high quality plywood board prepped for hanging. They have a beautiful surface achieved by a hand-brushed varnish that gives the photography a layer of surface protection and ultra-violet protection. I will definitely be taking photos of them at the sale, because I didn't have time to before I dropped them off. I will have both photos and pastel paintings at W7. Come out to St. Paul this Thursday, Friday, or Saturday - details below!

New Presentation Method

2009-11-23T20:07:00.005-06:00

I have now claimed another area of our house for studio space. This new setup shares our extra bedroom along with the excercise stuff.

I got a lovely vintage laminate table that is the perfect size to hold some supplies and some pieces to work on. (That's my drop-cloth underneath.) I've been working on a new photo product, and testing out methods and surfaces. I do believe I've found the one I like, and I plan to debut it in December (details in an upcoming post).

...testing in progress...

The end product will be ready to hang. I love the way this display method is clean and modern! Let me know what you think.

Pompeii

2009-11-07T13:32:00.003-06:00

Awesome wedding video

2009-10-21T21:29:00.002-05:00

Check out this awesome "cinema-style flip book" of a wedding shoot by Aves Photographic Design from Fort Worth, Texas. It is too cute... especially when the weimaraner joins them!

Click here

Meetup with Maria Thomas, Etsy CEO

2009-10-18T22:05:00.003-05:00

Well, I said I would come back with a post about the meetup at Nye's Polonaise Thursday evening. I had a great time. I met many people from the HandmadeMN team that I've never seen in person before. Maria talked with all of us very honestly about how things work at Etsy, and specifically in regard to our questions. She was very personable and it was nice to see that she took our concerns seriously. For more on the evening, click here to view Corrin of Athena's Little Owl's report on the HandmadeMN blog.

Etsy videos

2009-10-18T19:23:00.004-05:00

Etsy held a contest for videos promoting Etsy. I thought this one by Estellelle was too cute. It won 2nd runner up.

**Sorry, I had to remove this video, because it was forwarding my blog to Etsy.**

Around town

2009-10-14T22:22:00.005-05:00

Last Friday, I went to the St. Paul art crawl with a couple friends. It is always fun to go around visiting the artists' studios, and finding some great art. Our favorite artist discovery was Mary Barrett. She had a large printmaking studio filled with many landscapes, primarily woodblock, but also intaglio, collage, and pigment paintings. Mary was very willing to talk with us at length about her work. She used to teach printmaking at UW River Falls. I'm sure she inspired many students!

Tomorrow, I'm going to go to a meet and greet with the CEO of Etsy! She's in town, and there's going to be an event over at Nye's. I'm very excited... will report back this weekend.

Welcome to MN Maria!

My new plants

2009-10-12T22:39:00.007-05:00

Finally, time for my garden post... to share my newly planted perennials, and hopes for them all to come back strong and healthy in the spring. Unfortunately, my garden joy is tempered by a bout of very early snow :( We had near a half inch when we woke up Saturday morning. It melted off, and today it snowed for about 8 hrs or more straight. Much of that has melted as well, but more snow is predicted Wed. through Fri. It is really hard to enjoy your fall when there is already snow!

Here are some pics, possibly with the right name under them, and a few more names without pics.First off, in this little garden we made under the birch tree...

Meadow buttercup

Centurea Montana

Forget me nots

Valerian (Red Valerian?)

Lambs ear (which I have a tendency to call elephant ear!)
Also, daisies, and probably a couple other things.

Over by the mailbox I planted peonies and a trumpet vine. In front of the house are a purple coneflower and black-eyed susans.

Under the bay window we have hostas along with red and yellow creeping sedum.

And in the corner of the walkway, a Nishiki willow bush- very similar to the Flamingo willows we had at our last place and loved. The leaves change colors depending on how long they've been out of the bud. It is very interesting to watch.
Then on to the back yard. The perennials in the back are along the fence, to the right of the evergreen in this picture. I had to put a short fence around them, because my dog Toby thought I was making a obstacle course for him to roll his ball in, and Sasha thought I was making a bed for her.
Black-eyed Susan

Columbine (Honeysuckle)

Gooseneck Loosestrife

False Dragonhead - this one had a few flowers still on it, and the bees found it within minutes of being planted. They were just small enough to climb down inside each flower and suck out the nectar.

Monarda (Bee Balm), also Joe Pye Weed, Veronica, Liatris, Queen Anne's Lace

Many of these plants I had never heard of until the day I bought them. I am very excited to have plants ready to go for next summer already.

Additionally, we planted apple and plum trees, a couple maples, a weeping willow, raspberries and blueberries. If everything works out, we should have lots of exciting things going on in our yard next summer!

New treasury

2009-10-11T15:50:00.002-05:00

I finally caught the treasury when it was open. I had a great selection of abstract art in my poster sketch, but yesterday, I went to check on the items, since I saw the treasury would open after not too long, and they were all blank. So instead I made another circus themed treasury, and I'll have to collect the art ones again for next time. To visit this treasury, click here.

Front page!

2009-10-05T21:46:00.004-05:00

It turns out you can miss a lot when you are crazy busy. I was checking in on my google analytics today for my Etsy shops, and I saw a huge spike in views from September 21. I went over to Craft Cult, and searched through the front page treasuries from that day, and wah lah! My pastel piece The Thicket made it on the front page!
Thanks StudioElan!

(I was also an alternate in this front page treasury October 4. It's been an exciting week for me!)

Treasuries!

2009-10-02T20:31:00.003-05:00

What a treat when I logged in to Etsy today... Two of my shops are featured in treasuries simultaneously! First up is a pine cone treasury by CaitlinSainio featuring a photograph from TholeImagery.etsy.com. Click here to visit this treasury.

Next up is a national parks treasury by dayinthepark, featuring one of my Yellowstone drawings from SarahThole.etsy.com. Click here to visit this treasury.

busy busy...

2009-09-27T20:50:00.002-05:00

Wow, the month of September has been so busy for me. In addition to my day job, I helped photograph a wedding, have been working on processing those photos, had a family event, hosted a large event, babysat several times, and did a lot of landscaping at our new house! I'm pretty exhausted. I hope October is slower. I want to share some photos of the perennials I planted, but they'll have to wait another week, until I'm done with these wedding photos.

September here was exceptionally warm and dry the first few weeks. It was lovely. Today, the weather changed. It was cool, really windy, with rain coming and going, alternating with patches of sun. The wind was so strong, we were afraid our birch tree was going to go right over.

I hope everyone else is having a lovely fall!

Treasury

2009-08-30T13:02:00.003-05:00

FuriousDreams has included me in a treasury with some other great artists on Etsy! Click here to visit and get a closer look!

Getting back to work

2009-08-24T21:57:00.004-05:00

Well, we've been settling in at our house here. It's wonderful. We spend a lot of time out in the yard playing with our dogs. We finally have a big enough, fenced yard so they can actually run! When we have time to relax, it's a really great place, and we are thrilled with it.

Last Thursday, I drove to work, and due to a major accident on my route in, I was delayed over a half hour. Then, on my way home, I went to pick up a lovely sewing table I found on craigslist, and then my car wouldn't start. I couldn't get a hold of anyone I thought likely to rescue me, so I quickly hiked over about a mile to where I was most likely to be able to catch a bus downtown. That bus got me downtown with about 5 seconds to spare to catch the last bus of the night out to our new place. I narrowly missed having a long night on the town. Luckily, the car only needed a new battery, so we got it working again.

That was enough stress for my week though, and I decided that the weekend would consist of de-stressing. We barbecued both days, which was lovely, and I worked a lot on my digital art, which felt wonderful.

Here is another in-progress update of my digital painting I plan to hang in our new living room. Now that I've had a bit of a break from working on any of this stuff, and I'm doing it again, I feel really comfortable and natural at it. I feel like I really know how to manipulate my colors, shadows, filters, etc. to get what I want. It feels great! I've also been working on a digital wedding portrait as a gift, which I am super excited about.

And lastly, here is another in-progress piece I haven't shown yet. It's a bit of a different style. It's an architectural piece from San Remo, Italy. I've had the drawing part of it done for a while, but couldn't decide if it was sufficient as-is, or if I should add some color, so I figured I might as well add the color to try it out. I'm doing the color in a light, sketchy style. The beauty of digital is that you can always go back if you do your layers right! Please feel free to let me know what you think of these pieces.

Settling in

2009-08-16T22:17:00.002-05:00

Well, we are all moved in at the new place. It's fantastic!

The unpacking is done. The organizing is almost there. Tonight, I sorted out my art supplies for ease of use in the office. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to use them. Unfortunately, I am still having issues accessing the internet from my own computer. Hopefully we will get that sorted out soon. My etsy shops are open again, please visit :)

I got a treasury on Etsy tonight. Click here to visit. The photo-uploader isn't working right now. I'll add an image of it tomorrow if it lets me.

Moving

2009-07-18T18:19:00.005-05:00

We will be moving to our new house next Friday. We have been packing up for several weeks. Our current home is a quite full of boxes and stuff! It made me a little sad to pack up my art supplies, since it means I won't be able to use them for a little while (whether or not I would have used them any way.) I tried to take the opportunity to thin them out though. I have such a hard time getting rid of art supplies- I always have so many ideas of something I want to do "sometime". I toughed up and gave away my oil and acrylic paints, as well as several random arts and crafts items.

I hope that by reducing the variety of creative implements I have, I will increase my use of them. I really would like to get some gouache paints again, and I figured it would be easier to justify buying them if I didn't have a bunch of other unused paints sitting around. After I gave those paints away though, I realized I have several canvases that I started painting but remain unfinished (see my almost first ever blog post). I will have to figure out if I should keep those too or not- only a couple are in close to finished condition. I will have to think about it for a little bit- I could maybe do some mixed media work over them if I felt like it, but most of my remaining supplies need to go on paper.

I went through a period last year where I was feeling like I should do more work on canvas. I was thinking how great it would be to not worry about framing for every piece. I thought I could use our garage for a studio, but it ended up not working very well at all. I have since come to terms with the fact that without my own large studio dedicated to painting, I am unlikely to get very far with canvas at this time. Also, I am very much more familiar with paper, as I have been working on it for so much longer, and paper can be a very beautiful thing.

I will now be putting my Etsy shops in vacation mode until a few days after our move is complete. I look forward to getting my stock listed in them again.. after we get our network set up again so I can actually access the internet from my own computer (I haven't been able to for several months). Well, I probably won't be posting here again, until after the move, but all this packing is making me and my puppies very tired :)

Treasury

2009-05-25T22:53:00.006-05:00

I just got a treasury spot on Etsy. Click here to get a closer view at any of these beautiful photographs.

Work in Progress

2009-05-20T22:36:00.002-05:00

Here is an image of a work in progress- a large-scale digital landscape painting. When printed out at full size, this will be 20x36". This is the first digital piece that I've attempted on this big of a scale. My husband and I are buying our first house this summer, and I hope this turns out well, so I can showcase it on our new livingroom wall!

Etsy Treasury

2009-05-17T23:10:00.002-05:00

Thanks to RozzyToz for including one of my photos in this treasury, with so many other beautiful items.Click here to visit and look closer at any of the included items. Click here to visit RozzyToz's Etsy shop and view her lovely beaded jewelry and appetizer picks.

Puppy Love

2009-05-12T21:41:00.004-05:00

I just started taking a socialization class with one of my dogs, Toby (the wonderful model for this portrait). I am really enjoying the class so far, and Toby is responding really well. Anyway, it inspired me to post some great dog art I found on Etsy.

This boxer by Chet Phillips of ChetArt.etsy.com even looks quite a bit like Toby :) I love the way it reminds me of a woodblock print even though it is digital art.

I also found these fantastic paper mache dog sculptures by Papier Dog at PapierDog.etsy.com - I love the way she uses color in her sculptures.

Cleo

Olive

Both these artists have many other items in their stores, so follow the links to see more!

*images used by permission*

To Italy

2009-04-07T21:39:00.002-05:00

I just want to post a short note of empathy for those affected by the earthquake in Italy. My heart goes out to you.

Time flys by

2009-04-01T19:43:00.003-05:00

Well, once again it's been a while since I've posted. I spent some time working with my husband and my friend, updating the webpage for our photography business, Thole Imagery. Its all together now, and we have a studio to shoot in, which is great! We are located in south Minneapolis, so it is convenient for most people in the Twin Cities metro area. We are also offering several new services this year, such as the old-fashioned hand colored look. Look for this service available for your own photos in the Thole Imagery Etsy shop next week!I also offer my digital portrait paintings through Thole Imagery as well- if you don't have a good picture to work from, come have a portrait session first!

I'm starting to add more things to my sarahthole.etsy.com shop also... I finally added the layered drawings that I blogged about here months ago! It's about time! I have tons more art ready to be listed. I have a ton of little abstract pieces I was hoping to frame first, but I might have to work on getting images of lots of them this weekend.

A Snippet

2009-02-21T17:34:00.004-06:00

I've been working a normal 9-5ish job for about 6 weeks now. I haven't made nearly as much progress with my art as I was before that time. I also haven't been keeping up with my online sites very well, like this blog, and my Etsy shops. I feel like getting back to it and accomplishing something, but I don't feel like being on my computer as much either. I am working on cleaning out my home office/studio, and I think today I will work on a couple of drawings. Lets hope I'm able to accomplish something.

Today, we stopped by the Walker and visited the Multiples Mall: A Bookish Fair. It was great to see a lot of people there. We stopped by the booth of my friends from the Good Minnesotan and picked up some of their comics. They are very original, with great artwork. Find out more about them at goodminnesotan.blogspot.com

More on repeating patterns

2009-02-15T20:55:00.003-06:00

After I did my last post on pattern making, my friend Benjamin sent me another method of accomplishing the same thing.

The great thing about this method, is you don't have to cut your sheet of paper. I found when I did the drawing of my dog, that my cuts weren't perfectly straight, and it affected things a little. The downfall of this method is that you may find it challenging to draw/paint on a rolled surface. Both methods can help you understand the process of how to create a repeating pattern so that you can apply it to different materials and processes though. I think I will be doing most of my pattern design on the computer, but I found it helped me understand the process to first work with paper.

Thanks for sending that tutorial, Benjamin!

Etsy Treasury

2009-02-08T19:46:00.003-06:00

Fell Painter, of fellpainter.etsy.com has made a wonderful treasury of paintings (including one of mine) check it out at http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=38522

Pattern Design

2009-01-06T18:11:00.009-06:00

The next direction I plan to take Nikasha Designs, in addition to the digital portraits, is pattern design. I've looked at a few tutorials on using Illustrator and Photoshop to assist the pattern-making process, and I made a sample pattern tonight. I'm quite happy with the ease of use for making the pattern. I think I'll be able to do what I've envisioned in my head.

What I did here tonight, is make some quick sketches of my boy Niko. I cut the paper in half each way, and reversed the sides, essentially separating it into quadrants and taping back into a whole. After the paper is taped back together again, I drew him again, filling the new middle of the paper, so that my pattern wouldn't look like a bunch of squares lined up.

After completing the drawing, I scanned him into my computer, and used live-trace in Adobe Illustrator to turn him into a vector drawing. This was a new tool for me, but it is really cool. I brought the vectorized drawing back into Photoshop, and added colors behind it.

In Photoshop, I defined my image as a pattern, then created a larger workspace, and filled it with my pattern. All in all, it was a pretty cool process. I think it will be simpler with a fully computer-created pattern, but I am happy with my first result. Here it is:

Museum Visit

2009-01-04T22:25:00.003-06:00

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts and The Walker co-hosted an exhibit this winter on the architect Eero Saarinen. I really wanted to attend it, because of my love of mid-century modern design, and the fact that Saarinen and I both have Finnish roots. For some reason, I thought the exhibit ended mid-December. Yesterday, however, I found out it was still up until today, so I got to see it after all. Architecturally, Saarinen designed a variety of types of buildings, from colleges to corporate campuses to homes to churches. He also designed furniture- chairs and tables, including his famous womb chair. He was also the designer of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Surprisingly, he managed to do so many big projects before the age of 51, as he died an early death as a result of a brain tumor.

While at the Walker, I also looked in on the Text/Messages exhibit. It is an exhibit of books by artists. For me, there were a few treats- books that I enjoyed much more, however, I have been unable to find images of them online. This exhibit is up until April, so if you are in the Minneapolis area, you have time to see it for yourself. My favorite pieces from the exhibit were by the Belgian artist Mark Luyten. They were pages out of a book, on which he made suddle abstract ink and watercolor paintings. It seems that this is a great diversion from the art he is best known for. There was also a version of Alice and Wonderland, which was illustrated by Salvador Dali. There was a book about artists, in which the majority of the text had been sewn over, leaving selected passages uncovered to result in a new text and meaning by the american artist Jen Bervin. My final favorite was by Sarah Sze, an american artist known for her delicate, elaborate sculptures of mundane materials. It was a typical legal pad, in which the pages had been strategically separated and geometric portions cut out, so that the resulting piece resembled architecture.

Happy New Year

2009-01-03T21:51:00.002-06:00

Well, I took a holiday break without mentioning it, but I hope everyone is enjoying the new year. Here are my puppies wishing you happy holidays.

Rats saving the world

2008-12-17T14:33:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-15T22:59:00.004-06:00

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

2008-12-09T00:22:00.004-06:00

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

2008-11-29T16:54:00.006-06:00

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

2008-11-15T21:53:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-15T13:48:00.002-06:00

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

2008-11-12T16:21:00.002-06:00

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

2008-11-07T19:50:00.001-06:00

Treasury- some of Etsy's great painters

2008-10-28T20:38:00.002-05:00

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

2008-10-26T15:41:00.004-05:00

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.

2008-10-22T17:29:00.007-05:00

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...

2008-10-22T15:53:00.007-05:00

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

2008-09-27T15:27:00.003-05:00

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

2008-09-07T20:13:00.007-05:00

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

2008-09-02T22:47:00.005-05:00

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

2008-08-14T11:52:00.003-05:00

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

2008-08-10T18:56:00.003-05:00

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

2008-08-04T18:36:00.006-05:00

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

2008-08-03T20:06:00.005-05:00

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

2008-07-31T22:38:00.013-05:00

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!!

2008-07-19T22:06:00.004-05:00

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

2008-07-13T17:00:00.014-05:00

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

2008-07-02T14:37:00.003-05:00

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 :)