This much I know is true: my life's road has been a crazy and crooked one, but I've loved and continue to love it all. And these days, I embrace the new and the wild and the unpredictable with a sense of joy and far less questioning and hesitation and angst than I have in the past. So here we go!
Let me tell you about my process... The beautiful logo which appears above was designed by me and a team of really cool on-line designers back in December via a site called "99 Designs" (check it out here: http://99designs.com/) which one of my dog school customers had used and raved about. At that time, I was feeling grateful for all the small and large successes I've enjoyed in my professional and private life, and I wanted to create an umbrella under which I could house some creative projects throughout the year through which I would give back to the community in a variety of ways. When my customer told me about this affordable and fun design process I could engage in, I decided to hop in and begin creating the visual image that would encapsulate all that I wanted to achieve through my grateful giving in the future. I came up with the name "earth angel arts" and worked with a bunch of designers to create my beautiful new logo and then got started on my first giving project, which was a dog biscuit sale that raised $1100 for the Make A Wish Foundation, which was given to our local Maine chapter to help a young girl with disabilities obtain a service dog.
Before I even had time to hang up my apron after baking 120 pounds of dog biscuits, my 22 y.o. nephew passed away in a tragic accident and my world tilted on its axis. Losses of such magnitude tend to cause a person to question the ways of the world, but also to live their own life with more passion and joy. I had the great fortune to have an artist customer/friend who wanted to teach me about collage painting this winter and this messy, joyful, wild process resonated with me on a deep level. It took about two or three paintings and boom! I took off on my own creative path and came up with a process for making paintings that was a mix of what Liz turned me onto plus a whole lot of snippets and techniques I studied on-line on sites I researched and pored over into the wee hours of the night. Soon, I was painting every single day and loving it. And my work began to center around something called "She Art" which women around the world have been making for some time. Serene, folk-art inspired women, often with wings sprouting from their shoulders made their way onto almost every canvas, and I'd add whatever words these painted ladies seemed to want to say. Of course, there is a big piece of ME in every canvas and often, the angel women are speaking the words that I carry inside me, telling pieces of my own story.
I've posted every piece on my Facebook page and have put them up for my dog school customers to see in person here at my home and have received many positive and gracious comments on my work. So...I've decided to exhibit and sell the original paintings, as well as prints and postcards and calendars and a few other things, at a couple of upcoming summer art shows. The first is the Mill Creek Art Fair which will be just down the street from my home, in Mill Creek Park in South Portland, on Saturday, August 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The second sale will be at Ft. Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth on the day before Labor Day, Sunday, August 31. I hope you'll come out and see my booth and all my wares if you are able. If not, I am happy to pre-sell any of my paintings to friends and family and will take orders for calendars and commissioned pieces as well. You can email me at danceswithdogs@maine.rr.com with orders, to reserve a particular painting, or with any questions you may have.
Postcard sets include 16 4x6 postcards as shown above, with envelopes for mailing, packaged in a lovely view-front box and would make a lovely gift. $20 per set.
All canvasses are flat, canvas boards. These would be lovely sitting on a shelf or framed. If you frame, place spacers to separate the painting from the glass, or frame without glass. These are mixed media collage paintings with a sealer of clear matte Mod Podge on top and can be wiped clean with a dry cloth. The four above 8x8 original canvasses are $50 each.
I have 11 7x9 canvasses (above) available for $40 each.
The "Angel" and "Freedom" pieces above are wrapped canvasses on wooden frames (i.e. they have painted edges on four sides and are ready to hang as-is). The 4x12 "Angel" canvas is $60 and the 8x10 "Freedom" canvas is $70.
This little piece above is my only 4x6 painting and it's one of my favorites. $30 takes it, though it may be spoken for by a customer already (I can make another...)
This little triptych is made up of 3 3x5 canvasses and is priced at $40.
And, finally, these 2 8x16 paintings are $70 each.
I will also be selling big, bold, beautiful 12x12 2015 calendars featuring 12 of the angel paintings for $30, and I have two versions, since I have so many paintings!
You can commission a painting to your own specifications or can order a repeat of a painting if you love one but it's already sold. For commissions, you can choose the hair color, up to 3 colors for the dress, and can add any sentiments you'd like in the painting. 11x14 commissions are $80 and 8x10 commissions are $60 plus postage if they need to be mailed to you.
I would like to be able to display ALL of my work at my shows, so if you buy a painting, it will be available for pick up after Labor Day and will be displayed at the shows with a "SOLD" sticker on it.
Also available at the shows, I will have some 8x10 prints of many of the angel paintings for $15 each, suitable for matting and framing. And I will have three really rustic, shabby chic window frames with 6 openings - each displaying six prints of my angel paintings. Pricing for those hasn't yet been determined because I need to get the glass cut, etc before I can figure out pricing. I will also have a few canvas wraps of some of the angel paintings in 8x8 and 8x10 sizes for sale at the shows. And finally, I will have about 60 "painted thoughts" rocks, many of them heart-shaped for sale for $5 each.
Thanks and let me know if you'd like to pre-buy something by sending me a FB message or an email at danceswithdogs@maine.rr.com. I hope you can make it to one or both shows!!
