Sunday, April 29, 2007

spider web embroidered ACEO





Inspired by memories of the classic children's book Charlotte's Web, this is an original, one-of-a-kind mixed-media ACEO ("Art Card, Edition and Original").
The web itself is sewn into the card (not just stuck on).

Gray and lavender embroidery thread and black Canson drawing paper (front); original page from Charlotte's Web finished with acrylic pearlescent medium (back); front and back affixed to 140 lb Canson watercolor paper.
The back will be initialed and dated by the artist. 3.5 x 2.5 inches (standard ACEO size). Completed 04.29.07


Buy this piece from the haiku bird shop at etsy.com: haikubird.etsy.com.


next phase: painting in gouache



With the exception of a little gouache, used sparingly, on the Nabokov ex libris, this is my first gouache painting.

Gouache on 140lb Canson Watercolor paper; image size about 7 x 5 inches.

Completed 04.28.07

NFS


Thursday, April 26, 2007

elephbudda photo: now all proceeds donated to charity



I have decided that all proceeds from sales of this photo will go to The Elephant Sanctuary.

Here are the details:

$10 from the sale of this photograph will be donated directly to The Elephant Sanctuary, a 4-star rated charity by Charity Navigator.

From the Sanctuary's site:

The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, founded in 1995, is the nation's largest natural habitat refuge developed specifically for endangered African and Asian elephants. It operates on 2,700 acres in Hohenwald, Tennessee - 85 miles southwest of Nashville.

The Elephant Sanctuary exists for two reasons:

To provide a haven for old, sick or needy elephants in a setting of green pastures, old-growth forests, spring-fed ponds and a heated barn for cold winter nights.

To provide education about the crisis facing these social, sensitive, passionately intense, playful, complex, exceedingly intelligent and endangered creatures.

(http://www.elephants.com/)

When you purchase this photograph, I will immediately donate $10 to The Elephant Sanctuary online. Printed confirmation of the donation will be included in the package you receive.

Buy this photo from the haiku bird shop at etsy.com: haikubird.etsy.com.



Wednesday, April 25, 2007

ex libris: Nabokov's Butterfly





"...fluttered around like blue snowflakes..." ~ Pnin, by Vladimir Nabokov

~~~~

Vladimir Nabokov (b. 1899 St. Petersburg, Russia; d. 1977 Montreux, Switzerland) was not only a brilliant author but an avid lepidopterist. He took great pride in his scientific work and wrote extensively about his research. He caught his first butterfly in 1906, at the age of 7.

This ex libris is a tribute to Nabokov and his dual passions for science and literature. It features my own interpretation of one of Nabokov's illustrations of a scale-row classification system of the Karner Blue (Lycaeides melissa samuelis), the butterfly he is perhaps most famous for studying, tracking and helping to classify.

~~~

Media: Pen & ink and gouache on a new set of an authentic library circulation card and manila pocket.

Size: the card is 3 x 5 inches; the pocket is 4.5 x 5.5 inches.

The set comes with an extra blank circulation card should you wish to include a personally inscribed card in the pocket with the ex libris card. It also comes with a 1.5" x 1.5" piece of non-toxic, acid free, transparent double-sided tape-like adhesive that can be cut into strips or squares and used to affix the pocket in a book.

The back of the circulation card will be initialed and dated by the artist.

Completed 04.24.07

S O L D


Friday, April 20, 2007

wasp ACEO





the realms of wasp life,
She flew this way
gazing intently
anxious humming
until the shadows grew long.

~~~~

This is an original, one-of-a-kind mixed-media ACEO ("Art Card, Edition and Original").

Pen & ink, perforated "stamp" paper, copper wire stitching, black drawing paper (front); book page and iridescent acrylic medium (back); affixed to 140 lb Canson watercolor paper.

3.5 x 2.5 inches (standard ACEO size).

Completed 04.20.07

NFS


Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Copper and Clouds ACEO




zigzagged directly about the nest
birds in the tree, first and last,
anything like such a stir

[from the back of the card]

~~~~

This is an original, one-of-a-kind mixed-media ACEO ("Art Card, Edition and Original").

Pen & ink, perforated "stamp" paper, copper wire stitching, black drawing paper (front); book page and acrylic paint (back); affixed to 140 lb Canson watercolor paper.

The back will be initialed and dated by the artist.

3.5 x 2.5 inches (standard ACEO size).

Completed 04.17.07

Buy this piece from the haiku bird shop at etsy.com: haikubird.etsy.com.


blue shadows, 8 x 10 photograph (san francisco)



This photograph was taken on an early evening photo-trek through San Francisco, when the light was just right. One of those moments when you stop and think how lucky you are to be.

This is an open edition print. It is professionally printed on matte-finish Fuji Crystal Archive paper, that, quoth the lab, "with its 108 year rating ... will last for generations to come." Each print is inspected and approved by me prior to listing, and is signed & dated on the back.

The image itself is about 5.25 x 8, printed on 8 x 10 paper for a nicely-sized white border. It does not need to be matted to be framed, though it can be.


Buy this photo from the haiku bird shop at etsy.com: haikubird.etsy.com.


ladybug 79, 5 x 7 photograph (street art, san francisco)



This photograph was taken on the street in San Francisco. It is part of a larger assemblage-mural in the Mission District. The ladybug was just a xeroxed piece of paper stapled on to a wall painted, stenciled, and layered with chipboard.

I worked with the original photo digitally to get the colors I wanted for the final effect.

This is an open edition print. It is professionally printed on matte-finish Fuji Crystal Archive paper, that, quoth the lab, "with its 108 year rating ... will last for generations to come." Each print is inspected and approved by me prior to listing, and is signed & dated on the back.

The image itself is approximately 3 x 5 inches (2.88 x 5.12), printed on 5 x 7 paper for a nicely-sized white border.

Buy this photo from the haiku bird shop at etsy.com: haikubird.etsy.com.

05.03.07 UPDATE: currently this photo is being offered only as an ACEO.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

"Below," to benefit the Monterey Bay Aquarium





"Below," an abstract pen & ink drawing, inspired by the Etsy Creative Challenge.

$10 (that's 20%) from the sale of this drawing will be donated directly to the Monterey Bay Aquarium (CA), a 4-star rated charity by www.charitynavigator.org.

"Opened in 1984, the Monterey Bay Aquarium seeks to inspire conservation of the oceans. From the beginning, we planned our permanent exhibits as a walk through Monterey Bay's beautiful natural communities. In 1996, we almost doubled our exhibit space with the opening of the Outer Bay Wing, devoted to the open ocean and deep sea. The main feature is the Outer Bay Waters exhibit, the one-million-gallon tank containing tuna, sharks and sea turtles. The aquarium has an active research program. We have groups working on sea otter conservation and tuna conservation biology. About 1.8 million people visit us each year."

(http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/)

When you purchase this drawing, I will immediately donate $10 to the Monterey Bay Aquarium online. Printed confirmation of the donation will be included in the package you receive.


~~~~~

This is an original drawing, not a print.

Pen & ink on 140 lb Canson watercolor paper.

Image area: 6 x 6 inches
Sheet size: 12 x 16 inches (a standard frame size)

Completed 04.10.07

S O L D


Wednesday, April 11, 2007

sketchbook for charity, page 009





This pen & ink drawing is part of my "Sketchbook for Charity" project. Like many artists, I spend a lot of time drawing in a sketchbook. Until now I haven't done anything with these drawings. Then I realized that through Etsy, I could sell them, and give that money to charity.

When you purchase this drawing, $20 will be donated to First Book, an international nonprofit organization that gives children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books, and provides a supply of new books to children participating in community-based mentoring, tutoring, and family literacy programs. For more about First Book, visit their website at www.firstbook.org.

This is an original page from my 8 x 5 inch Moleskine watercolor notebook. It comes "as is," meaning untrimmed, and with the perforated edge at the top; I think it would look interesting left this way, as a page, and floated in a frame, but it can be trimmed or matted to have straight edges.

This drawing is priced at $23. $3 is to help me cover the costs of Etsy, Paypal, and supplies. When you pay for this drawing, I will turn right around and donate $20 to First Book via their website. You will be sent a copy of confirmation of this donation with the drawing so that you can be sure your money was indeed donated. $20 is enough to provide EIGHT new books to children in need.

You get a nifty little original drawing, and eight children receive their very own brand new books to read and cherish. How can you lose?

Buy this piece from the haiku bird shop at etsy.com: haikubird.etsy.com.


Saturday, April 07, 2007

unidentified moth (Port Alice), ACEO





An original, one-of-a-kind mixed-media ACEO ("Art Card, Edition and Original").

This is a currently unidentified species of green moth, temporarily named "Port Alice" after the shade of paint (see card back).


Pen & ink and acrylic-tinted gloss varnish (front) and paint swatch sample cards (back) on 140 lb Canson watercolor paper. The back will be initialed and dated by the artist. 3.5 x 2.5 inches (standard ACEO size) with rounded corners.

Inspired by Illustration Friday's theme, "green."
Completed 04.07.07

Buy this piece from the haiku bird shop at etsy.com: haikubird.etsy.com.


Friday, April 06, 2007

hummingbird in situ



33 Birds in 33 Days
, no. 23 in its home.

Photo courtesy the owner.


Nest (original pen and ink drawing)



A hummingbird nest with two eggs on a tree branch.

This is an original drawing, not a print.

Media: pen & ink, black, on 90 lb "Classic Cream" Canson drawing paper.

Size: image area 3 x 3 inches; sheet size 7 x 7 inches.

Inspired by the Etsy Creative Challenge. Completed 04.03.07.

NFS


Sunday, April 01, 2007

hummingbird and cloud blossom, to benefit the American Bird Conservancy





A flying hummingbird and a cloud blossom.

~~~~~

$10 (that's 20%) from the sale of this drawing will be donated directly to the American Bird Conservancy, a 4-star rated charity by www.charitynavigator.org.

"American Bird Conservancy's (ABC) mission is to conserve wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. It is the only U.S.-based, group dedicated solely to overcoming the greatest threats facing birds in the Western Hemisphere. A growing human population, consuming ever greater resources, is critically impacting bird populations through habitat destruction, direct mortality from such harmful practices as the unwise use of pesticides, and the introduction of destructive species including domestic cats. ABC believes adequate resources exist to overcome these threats, and that unifying people, organizations, and agencies around common approaches to priority issues is the key to success."

(http://www.abcbirds.org/)

When you purchase this drawing, I will immediately donate $10 to the American Bird Conservancy online. Printed confirmation of the donation will be included in the package you receive.


~~~~~

This is an original painting, not a print.

Pen & ink, metallic & regular acrylic, and interference acrylic medium on 140 lb Canson watercolor paper.

Size: 9 x 12 inches.

Completed 04.01.07


Buy this piece from the haiku bird shop at etsy.com: haikubird.etsy.com.