And the Winner is...

I used Random.org to pick a random number from the 4 eligible entries and...

I-Am-Amazed. 

I have sent you an email from vdjames10 (at) gmail (dot) com !

Thanks again for those who entered. 

More giveaways next month for Women's History Month!

Shop Opening Giveaway -- Enter Here

Win this print in two easy steps!

As a thank you to my friends and family who've been encouraging me to sell my art, I'm giving away this print. Go see the shop at ArtbyVDJ.etsy.com

The giveaway runs today through 11:59pm 2/23/2014.

Here's what you have to do to enter the random giveaway. 

1. Go to ArtbyVDJ Facebook Fan Page and like the page. If you have already done this, no need to do it again. 

2. Come back here and leave a comment on this post that says you want the print and have liked the Facebook page!

That's it. I'll put the number of comments in a random number generator and the person whose comment corresponds to the number picked will win the print. 

Specifics --

You can only enter once. 

You must respond to my notice that you've won (posted at this blog) within 72 hours of my trying to contact you. If I can't reach you, I reserve the right to choose another winner at random from the eligible entries. 

I will ship the print anywhere the US mail goes. 

Patiently Waiting...

Ladies in Waiting

It's snowing and the low outside temperature and the hot inside temperature of my little studio is wrecking my schedule. My warm studio means that the paint is drying both too fast and too slow depending on which paint I'm using. I varnish in the garage with the door open because the sealer has strong smell. It's too cold to even attempt to varnish. Humbug.

These three portraits are in various stages.

Left - "The Overlooker" still needs lots of work. But alas, the paint is going on inconsistently right now.

Middle - "The Waiter" has most of her outlines and just needs some shading and details.

Right - "A. Beyond" is done. She needs to be sealed...but alas.

Each of these paintings will be available for sale as one of a kind originals. They are painted on 16x20 canvas sheet and look good framed with or without a mat. I'm sort of excited to send them off to new homes. I have As soon as I can figure out how to finish them given my weather constraints -- I'm opening up shop!

Happy Dancing... and painting.

Prints Galore!

I did a happy dance on my icy sidewalk this afternoon when I saw the package on the stoop.
Do you ever do the happy dance?

I spend so much of my time being serious, sitting still, acting appropriately --- I appreciate every little moment I can get to cut loose and be silly. Sure, some of the neighbors may have seen me breaking it down about a USPS box and they probably think I've lost it -- but who cares? I have my prints and it was so much fun to dance around for no good reason.

Soon, I'll be posting the new shop info AND two giveaways!

Somewhere There is Summer

Acrylic on Black Canvas Paper

It's snowing here. It's been so cold lately. I just shut down my work email for the night and came to sit in my studio. The painting above is actually quite big (16 x18) and is laying on a shelf waiting for ...well, I'm not sure what she's waiting for... but I looked at her just now and thought, perhaps she's waiting for summer. Somewhere it is summer. Maybe I should send her off to someone who lives somewhere there is summer so I can live vicariously through her.

And we're almost in business!

Business Cards.

This afternoon I finally printed up my business cards and made the Facebook page for the new print and art shop. All we need now is the prints.

The business cards are miniature works of art themselves. I plan on sending different paintings out with each print order.

At this rate, the shop will be up and running by this weekend.

You can like my art on the new Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/artbyvdj

Prints ordered!

This one didn't make the first round, but it isn't because I don't love her.
Mixed Media. Acrylic. Water Color. Pen. Goache. Digital.

While noshing on nachos and watching the first quarter of the Superbowl, I decided it was now or never and hit the button to order the first run of prints! The online shop will be up and running by next weekend.

Weirdness.

Print Proofs, Oh My!

Giclée Proofs

It takes a lot to make me nervous. Sharing my writing with others is one. Sharing my art with others - for the them to keep- is apparently another. 

Last summer a friend and I started talking about my many hobbies and I confessed to her that I spend lots of money on the materials. I'm a crafter, too. I spend money on beads and paint and sewing materials and yarn and ... well, I could go on. While I'm fortunate to be able to afford my supplies (perhaps at the expense of building a good savings account!), in every other part of my life I've become much more budget conscious.

My friend in passing said what friends have said to me before -- "you should sell some of the stuff you make, pay for the materials, at least."

I thought about it for the better part of 6 months. Most of the paintings I make are deeply personal. I paint through a whooshing ear (shout out to my sigmoid sinus diverticulum sufferers!) and insomnia. These paintings are therapeutic. Most of them were painted before I had any intention of sharing them with anyone but myself. 

But at her urging and with the desire to show friends what I was up to, I started to share a few of the finished pieces with family and friends. Positive responses, some of them surely too kind, made me look into selling a few pieces. 

So, I decided to start small with a few paintings that I like aesthetically and that I believe would look good as decorative art in someone else's home or office. I've omitted the ones that I think are too personal or too introspective to be of interest to others. 

I ordered test Giclée prints on art paper and on textured art paper over the last two weeks. 

The corrected prints of a few I intend to sale came today. WHAT! OH NO! Not only do they not suck or look amatuerish, but they look like art prints for sale. Suddenly I have to face the prospect of sending them out into the world. 

We'll see how it goes.