Third Cover for Country Flag Artwork

 

Wow! This is the third time that my artwork titled Country Flag has landed the cover of The Country Register. I'm thrilled that the editor for the Maryland edition of The Country Register chose my artwork for the cover of their July - August 2011 edition.

To learn more about this fabulous publication, click here.

Love is in the Air

How I love (no pun intended) to make artist trading cards (ATCs), and with Valentine's Day right around the corner, you never know what one will be inspired to create. I designed these ATCs several years ago using watercolor paper, watercolors, and waterproof ink. I was in a prim mood at the time, so these designs have a decorative/country look to them.

I don't know about you, but I'm starting to think about a good dose of chocolate right now. Preferably, I'd like some dark chocolate. If it's not from Belgium, I'll take some chocolate from Victoria's Chocolates in Hazleton, Tallarico's Chocolates in Bethlehem, Jon L. Stopay Candies in Plains, or Michael Mootz Candies in Wilkes-Barre.

Be sure to check out Cathy Cano-Murillo's blog here to see all the heart-inspired craft tutorials and guest posts she has on her blog just in time for Valentine's Day.

Original Artwork Featured in Celebrate 365

 ~photo used with permission of publisher~

I'm happy to announce that one of my original paintings has been chosen for the winter 2010 edition of Celebrate 365.

I had just finished painting this piece titled Prim Snowman with Garland when I saw a call for artwork for this fabulous publication. This original piece of artwork is now available for sale for $149. It's painted on a piece of recycled wood using acrylic paints by DecoArt. The sides of the wood are painted, so you don't need a frame. It comes ready to hang.

This painting is based on my watercolor collection of prim snowmen sporting tall top hats. I was really in the Christmas spirit while painting and decided to give this dapper guy some stripes on his hat and a bit of holly.

As with all the sales of my original artwork, the artist retains the rights to the image, i.e., the copyright does not transfer to the buyer of the original artwork.

~photo used with permission of publisher~

It's a bit hard to see the artwork on this page, but my prim snowman is located in the top, right-hand corner.
Did I mention that my friend Sandra Caldwell of Babycakes Designs is also featured on the same page? Way to go, Sandra!

Be sure to check out this premier magazine for the ornament collector by clicking here.  It's a terrific source for all who love collectibles.

Home Again on Black Friday

Home Again was buzzing with customers today during the Black Friday shopping event. If you're looking for unique gifts, a visit to Home Again in Luzerne, PA is a must. You'll also get to see some goodies from yours truly since I dropped off a bunch of prim ornaments and earrings from my Recycle with Style™ jewelry line.

Mary, the store owner, is a master when it comes to staging a store. When you walk into this quaint boutique, you don't want to leave. In fact, a customer from New York said the very same thing this afternoon.

Mary decorated one of the front windows with a woodsy theme, which gave it that classic cabin feel.

This is just one of many Christmas trees in Mary's store. I was captivated by the ornaments made out of dried oranges, and I love the way Mary wrapped the tree in raffia.  The tree skirt is by Capitol Earth Rugs. While in Mary's store, I bought a rug by Capitol Earth Rugs with the Penn State logo for a dear neighbor who is always dropping by with food. My neighbor is a big Penn State fan, so she's going to love the rug.

Here's a closeup of the tree all decked out in dried-orange ornaments, raffia, and tin stars. Just lovely.

The individual sections of this dried orange remind me of stained glass. I love how the lights on the Christmas tree cast a glow behind the dried-out pulp.

This white Christmas tree serves as a background for the display in the other storefront window.

~ A lovely, oak mantel decorated for Christmas ~

~ A closeup of the snowman on the mantel ~

I've never seen a lamp like this before with a Southwestern theme. For $200, this is certainly a good buy.

The bottom of this lamp also lights up. It's not as bright as the top, but it casts a faint glow. 

Look at the hand-painted details.

~ The base of the lamp ~

I'm not a fan of the color red, but this bedding by Victorian Heart Company, Inc. is something to see.

Mary certainly knows how to create a fabulous place setting. Look at how she used a wreath as a charger for each dinner plate. Amazing!

Several Observations Result From a Painting Project

I just finished a painting project this afternoon for my friend. I typically don't take on such projects because by trade I'm not what you'd call a "stand-on-a-ladder-all-day" artist. My feet are still aching. I don't know how mural artists do it.

My friend asked me to paint the soffit above her kitchen cabinets to match her dinnerware. With any painting project, the prep work is the hardest part. Using a plate and a bowl as references, I created several preliminary sketches on tracing paper. After my friend's approval, I created sketches for the entire length of each soffit. I'm glad I have a long table in my studio to do this kind of work.

This picture is a closeup of the second photo above. 

With the exception of two leaves that I added on either side of the center design, this part looks like the design on the bowl. As for the rest of the project, I created my own arrangement.

The painting process is the easiest part, and it's almost meditative in a way. It's very calming.

So, what does a girl think about while she's on a ladder all day? For one thing, I thought about how God gives everybody different types of gifts. As an artist, I can share my gift with others and, hopefully, make their day a bit brighter when they look at my artwork. Likewise, the person who's good with math or science can make our lives easier with inventions, new medicines, and cures for diseases.

Another thing I realized is that all the new music today sounds the same. I was listening to a local radio station while I was painting, and it sounded like the same band or singer was singing every single new song. Back in the day, every band or singer had a distinctive sound. Whether it was disco, rock, dance, or whatever, the musicians all had their own sound within any one of those music genres.

Take disco for example. Donna Summer sounds different from singers Diana Ross, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Gloria Gaynor, and Patti Labelle. As for rock, Led Zeppelin possesses a different sound from Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, KISS, Deep Purple, and the Rolling Stones. Get my point?

It's interesting how a painting project could lead to several observations. Life is a wonderful learning experience!

On The Auction Block

My original Pumpkin Cat painting will be up for auction at the Art Extravaganza on Sunday, August 29 at Ehrhardt's Waterfront Banquet Center, Lake Wallenpaupack, PA. Art Extravaganza is a tri-state area art show and auction to benefit children's literacy.

This acrylic painting measures 8"x10" and is painted on a thick piece of wood similar to a gallery-wrapped canvas, which does not require a frame. You can also purchase greeting cards with this folksy cat design in my zazzle gallery by clicking here.

Hope to see you at the auction!

It's Good to Be Home Again!

A visit to Home Again in Luzerne is always an adventure. I don't know how she does it, but every time I stop in for a visit, Mary's store looks fabulous. Here's one of my primitive boxes sitting on a new jute rug by Capitol Earth Rugs.

The primitive box in this photo is one that I just dropped off last weekend. An art student gave me this vintage art supply box, which is fully functional and may be used for display or for actual use.

Now I bet you didn't know that Mary is an artist herself. She's a fantastic photographer, and the two patriotic framed photographs are hers. Mary has a keen eye for taking pictures. Be sure to check these out in person. They're beautiful.

Home Again has the best selection of vintage folk art.

Here's some beautiful milk glass.

And, of course, Home Again is an authorized distributor for Bella Taylor handbags by Victorian Heart.

I couldn't resist taking a photo of this cute, little cat. He seems to be Mary's mascot.

One World One Heart Giveaway

I knew I'd keep the flow going again, but this time I'm participating in Lisa Swifka's One World One Heart worldwide giveaway event.This event gives all participants a chance to connect with other bloggers and artists from around the world. What a fabulous opportunity for us all.

Every blogger who participates must host a giveaway on his or her blog.  This giveaway is open to anyone who blogs. 

 The Rules

Post only one comment for my giveaway, and include a blog address that I can link back to, or leave an e-mail address so I can contact you if you happen to win.  It's that easy.

This event ends February 15, 2010, so if you'd like to participate in a giveaway of your own, check out Lisa Swifka's blog for more information.

My Giveaway

I'm offering an archival art print titled Tea Lady in Green, which is one of many in my Teacup Society Design CollectionTM featuring many tea lovin' ladies. My tea prints have been featured at many formal teas, and I'm happy to have this art print to offer in this giveaway. This art print measures approx. 4 1/4" x 6" with a small white border around the image, which makes the piece suitable for framing with or without a mat.

This tea lady looks lovely in her green suit, and she's digging those floating tea signs! Good luck, and I'm looking forward to meeting you all.

Extra Dry With An Olive

On Saturday, I was commissioned to do a painting of a martini glass based on the martini painting I donated to the Paper Kite Studio "free art" event in August. I started the painting on Saturday afternoon and worked into the wee hours of Sunday morning. When you're on a roll, you're on a roll.

I used a 9x12 gallery-wrapped canvas for the project. I initially created a pencil sketch of the design on the canvas, and then I transferred the design onto tracing paper. I then painted over the original sketch with three coats of Winsor & Newton ivory black. After the paint was dry, I traced the design onto the canvas and started laying in the color with titanium white by Premiere.

NOTE: If you're looking for a great acrylic paint at a reasonable price, try the Premiere brand. This paint is so smooth and easy to blend. I'm also amazed at how long this brand of paint stays on a palette without drying out. I work with a wet palette to add moisture and to prolong use of the paint, but this paint literally did not dry out while I worked on the painting throughout the night. The back of the paint tube contains a www.nicolecrafts.com Web address. I purchased the paint at A.C. Moore.

I found some fabulous music on Youtube while painting. If you're a Stones fan, you must see the version of Loving Cup as performed by Jack White and The Rolling Stones. Love that twangy voice that Jack uses for this song. Unbelievable! Here's a link.

Also, another gem I found on Youtube is some awesome footage of Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones. This "jam" music makes for great background music when you're painting. Here's a link.

Getting back to the painting project, the olive makes an appearance! I used DecoArt Americana brand paints for the other colors (green, red, and yellow).

Here's a splash of yellow.

Next comes the lettering. I have to turn the canvas sideways to paint the lettering. My drawing table is a bit messy at the moment.

I put the finishing touches on the painting last night, and I showed it to my client today. She loves it! I'm happy that it turned out to her liking.

Art prints will be available in the near future. I'll keep you posted.

Recap of Christmas in July

I had a wonderful time at Home Again's Christmas in July show on Saturday. Mary did a great job putting the event together, and she certainly had an eclectic group of artists at the show. I had the pleasure of sitting next to my friend Lynn Catnes of the Cat's Meow Designs and Christine Altmann, the Queen of Halloween. As you can see from this photo, Christine goes all out when it comes to Halloween.


Maria Livrone had a fantastic display of pottery and fused glass. Love those wind chimes!


The Verve Vertu studio showcased a colorful array of handmade pillows, needle-felted jewelry, greeting cards, and accessories. Here's a look at some of their batiks.


Thanks to all the artists who made this day a great success.

Homespun Now Carrying Artwork by Liz Revit

I'm happy to announce that Homespun, a primitive country shoppe and a cozy inn, located in historic Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania is now carrying my artwork. You'll find an array of my handcrafted items ranging from decoupaged works of art, original paintings, reproductions, and greeting cards. Homespun offers its visitors a unique shopping experience in a historic inn. You'll be pleased with the prim-decorative-country gifts, and you'll also find artwork by fellow artist and friend, Christine Altmann. You won't want to miss the Homespun shopping experience!

Homespun is nestled in the mountains of scenic Jim Thorpe, which is located on the Lehigh River. Be sure to stop by and tell Debbie that I sent you. Homespun is located at 12 and 14 Race Street, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. Phones: (570) 325-3590 and (267) 250-6054. Visit Homespun on the Web at www.homespuncozyinn.com/.