VACATION...

All our building work is now completed so we thought we would draw a line under it all by having a short break away.

It will only be for a week; all my shops will be open but NO items will be sent out until next week.

I will be back soon with some new paintings!!

Have a good one.

Hot, hot, hot!

Well cool, cool, cool really! I awoke this morning to find I had sold an ACEO entitled ‘Into the Inferno’. Actually, I was very lucky because the buyer had spotted this ACEO a little while back but when she came to order it…. it had disappeared! Thank goodness she sent me a message asking if it had been sold or was still available.

Having been rather busy with builders etc I had rather neglected my Etsy store. Putting on my Sherlock Holmes hat I realised it had expired. Soon sorted that out!

And, now, I can report that the ACEO is safely packed and on its way to its new home!

Just goes to show you have to keep on top of things, don’t you?

It is hot! The closer to the epicentre you get, the hotter it gets and the lighter the colour until it is nearly white hot. Try squinting your eyes and get drawn into the centre!

The Kon-tiki Expedition

Now I am going back a few years but actually remember reading the book in our English classes at school. The subject matter was about a guy named Thor Heyerdahl who was a Norwegian scientist who led the Kon-Tiki expedition.

I can hear you ask, ‘What is that all about?’

Many believed that the people of Lake Titicaca in Peru and Bolivia, seemed to have a culture far different from other people in the area, and therefore could be the descendents of these migrants. Genetic testing has proved that the people of Polynesia did descend from South East Asia and not South America.

In 1947 Heyerdahl decided to re-enact a journey, that was believed impossible, to shed new light on the possibilities of the people of both South America and Polynesia. He believed that the migration to/from Polynesia (including Easter Island) and South America was possible.

The voyage in a balsa reed craft began in April 1947 and ended 101 days later at a distance of 4,300 miles.

The book written by Heyerdahl about the expedition, Kon-Tiki, was a best seller and a documentary made on the voyage won the Oscar for best picture in 1951.

Going back to my inspiration for this ACEO it was whilst I was developing the painting in wax that a realisation came to me that this could have been the balsa wood raft used for the Kon-Tiki expedition. What do you think?

This ACEO is for sale in my artfire shop.

Tidal Movement

The ebb and flow of the neap or spring tides along the seashore can be related to our feelings as they rise and fall. As the water rises there are turbulent feelings aroused as the sand gets churned up with the currents and disturbs the sea bed making the water cloudy until things settle down again.

I have listed this original encaustic on Artfire.com

Pat

Artfire.com – can you afford not to?

Some of my readers may have heard of Artfire.com and some may not. If you scroll down the blog page you will see my Artfire shop with some of my artwork being shown.

Founded in 2008, the company is based in Arizona with about 15 employees, with a passion for handmade, art, and indie business. As an interactive handmade market place and craft community their mission is to support your business and your brand with innovative features and functions.

Artfire.com is more than just a marketplace, it is an artisan community. On offer are a variety of crafting social networking features to help you interact with fellow artisans. Meeting fellow artists, connecting with art lovers is the mainstay of this group. Some of the features in which the reader can get involved are: Craft Guilds, Member Blogs, Artcast (just the place to go for in-depth instructional videos!). Learn new craft tips, projects, and ideas with high quality movies specially made by the Artfire team and many more. There are so many ideas to learn about and this is what makes this venue so exciting and ever evolving!

One of the newest features is called ‘Rapid Cart’. This is a system whereby the buyer is not required to sign up for an account to check out. This is a brilliant idea and saves so much time for the buyer!

A great idea was that initially for the princely sum of $7 a month for life if you could sign up. Yes, that is all!!!! No more listing fees or final value fees etc. However, it won’t last for ever. When a certain quota, and I believe there are only a few places left, is completed the monthly fee will go up to $12. If you cost that out alongside other selling sites it still makes for a very cost effective selling point!

WHAT TO DO?

Since I have been a member at the $7 rate for quite a while one of the ways Artfire.com want to reward me is by offering a referral system reward. This is also done for other members, not just me! Now if you are interested, and you need to hurry to enjoy the lower rate, you can join and use me as a referral. As my reward I get the chance to collect a certain number of referrals and my membership will be free!! Now you too can enjoy the chance but you will have to hurry!! Simply click on this referral link Register on ArtFire.com - You will have the chance of joining for $7 a month for life until the quota runs out….. HURRY!!!! time is quickly running out, and time is money!

I promise you will enjoy the Artfire experience where everyone can interact so easily - sell with no fees and no taxation on your creativity.

Slogbite!

Ok, Slogbite…. what on earth is it? Is it a bird, is it a plane?

No, silly!!

It’s a:

• A social network
• A comprehensive directory of categories and sites
• A place to see member site’s BEST work
• A place to promote your BEST work
• A place to get noticed
• A place to maximize your exposure at other member sites

Hang on! Why am I copying and pasting when you can see for yourself! Follow this link to read up on all the FAQs which will then give you a good insight to see what Slogbite is all about!

Above all…… it is THE PLACE TO BE!!!

It’s not all serious stuff either. A game has been devised whereby you can earn credits. This game allows you to ‘discover’ some fabulous other blogs and to meet some really interesting people.

So, what are you waiting for? Go on, join! At Slogbite…. See the best before the rest!! See you there!

1st April – time for accolades!

Yes, it is that time of the month when I like to say a huge thank you to all my blog readers and especially to those who took the time to drop their Entrecard.

Below are the top droppers on this site for the month of March.

busy little elf

Youniquely Chic

A Rose By Name

Three Fates Design

Miss Millificent's World

Betty Mae Artistry

Cheese and Chocolate

John Wright Art

Pine Shore Studio

Art By Paul Baines

A great big thank you to all those ‘droppers’ quoted above. Please, do yourself a favour and take a look at these amazing blogs! Enjoy your day.