Artfire.com

The art really is on fire on this site! Well, not just art but all handmade items and there are some beauties including my Cascades Waters!

I have been on Artfire for a while now and find it such an easy, friendly site to work on. This site really ‘wants’ to sell your stuff. Now, very unusually, you only pay a small monthly sum to sell your products. Yup, just one payment and that’s it! No final value payments, listing fees etc.

Another thing! They really want to help you as a seller. Artfire want to reward you for your hard work and loyalty. For instance, if you follow this link http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=power_up&refuid=478 you can join and use me as the referrer. If I get 12 folks doing this it will pay my monthly subs. Then you do the same!!! Imagine being able to list and sell for free??

I quote here the message that Artfire have sent out to their members…..

‘Your confidence and your investment in the ArtFire community is appreciated and does not go unnoticed or un-rewarded! With the ArtFire Free Ride program for a limited time, you can earn an upgraded Verified account with full functionality and the ability to list unlimited items in your Fusion Studio absolutely free for life! Just refer 12 of your friends and when they join as a Verified member you, PLUS a friend of your choice receive a Free Ride! We provide a custom link for you below, just copy it and paste it in blogs or forums you frequent and email friends to participate!’

So, what’s stopping you and whilst you are about it….. have a look around my Artfire shop?

Creative Cafe

This painting comes under the subject matter called ‘Mandala’.  That is to say the pattern created is called that.

For those of you who are not familiar with term 'Mandala' think of your childhood when you used to play with a tube which you held up to the light and along which you could view moving beads etc as your rotated the tube. This would have been called a kaleidoscope, remember? Anyway, moving on! A Mandala is a uniform pattern that can be viewed from any direction. 

The word "Mandala" is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated it means 'circle' and can be related to all aspects of life: the celestial circles we call earth, sun, and moon, as well as conceptual circles of friends, family, and community. I suppose apart from enjoying the design there will be many ways in which to approach the concept of a Mandala whether in a material or spiritual sense.

Now to the interesting part from my point of view!

A little while ago I joined a group on the Internet called Creative Cafe.  Creative Cafe is a social network where members show off their art, photography, crafts, music, videos and write blogs. Creative Cafe is a charitable group run by volunteers with mental health and other disabilities in Brighton UK. Membership is free and open to everyone.

As is often the case, you will find the most amazing talent on show here so it is well worth a look and if you are interested it is easy to join!

Well, Jill who is the founder and leader, came up with an idea. She invited members to submit a picture that would look good if it were placed at the side of the main text area.  Winners would be pulled out a hat and as well as having the opportunity to see their work for a period of two weeks they would also be eligible for more!

Guess what?  I was the first one to be pulled out of Jill’s hat! Yippeeee.  Check out this post to see the above Mandala as a side picture.

Now to wait and see who will be the next winner?

Reservoir and Beyond

The one thing I love about painting with wax (encaustics) is that not only does it allow my imagination to flow but also that of the  viewer.

Having completed this painting recently I decided to list it on Artfire.com where I have several other paintings for sale.

‘Reservoir and Beyond’ allows you, the viewer, to rest and feast your eyes upon a landscape that can be found in almost any corner of the world.  It could be Afganistan, it could be in the Lake District of England – just let your imagination realise!

As you stand high up on the rocks you can look down on a stream that is curling its way down into a reservoir.  Beyond is a landscape which appears lunar like in quality.  It is obvious the winds gather in this remote spot sweeping the clouds across the sky.  What else can you see?

An ACEO for Spring in encaustics

Global warming they call it.  So, why is it still cold, wet, windy etc etc?  At least the grass, weeds and lovely flowers are flourishing.

In celebration I created this ACEO entitled ‘Astor’ which I have for sale in my Etsy shop.

Remember!  An ACEO only has one rule.  It must be 3.5” x 2.5”.  It can be made in any medium you like.  I find in these days of ‘the credit crunch’ (I have come to dislike that phrase because it covers a multitude of sins) people still enjoy art but might not have enough spare cash to spend out.  So, by creating ACEOs you can own an original piece of art, show it off however you wish without breaking the bank.

How to display your ACEO?  Try framing it.  These days you can purchase frames and mounts specifically for ACEOs like Custom Art Framing who sell these on Etsy.

Or you can place your ACEO in an album on your coffee table ready for your guests to browse!

Another way to display your collection of ACEOs is to place them on individual stands such as these from Pettman Art on Etsy.

Or, you could be really classy and use this black stained glass stand from Nonnie’s Treasures.

Change of banner wording?

I need your assistance and feedback.  Having searched through many sites I am now wondering whether I should concentrate on my own name more than On A Whimsey?  As a viewer or buyer do you prefer to equate to the shop or the personal touch of the name of the artist?

It is sometimes nice to be able to relate to the artist themselves, get a feel for them, find out their likes and dislikes.  Imagine going into a shop.  Would you prefer to be dealt with by an automated machine or by a shop assistant/shop owner who actually wants to chat with you, is interested in you so that they might help you find what you want.  I know which I would prefer!

My banner has already been altered to show my real name whilst underneath I still use the On A Whimsey description as can be seen if you look at the picture below or follow the link provided.

‘On A Whimsey's Art in the Wax by Pat O'Neill’

Apparently, this will help with Meta tags which I am trying to understand at the moment!

Certainly on my Facebook I am known as Pat O’Neill and have now placed a picture of yours truly rather than the encaustic image which makes it all that more personal.

So do you want to see automated imagery or the personal touch?

By the way,  I had good reason to be really happy in this photo since it was taken just before our son’s wedding last summer.  It was really hot which is why there is a glow on the skin!

Ronda, Costa del Sol, Spain

At last some time to spend to create a couple of ACEOs based on photographs I took whilst on vacation in Spain recently.

By car we travelled for about an hour up into the mountains until we came to a town/village called Ronda which boasted some amazing views.  After looking at a couple of photographs that I took whilst visiting I was prompted to interpret them in the encaustic medium.  Here are the results!

which became this image!

 

 

 

 

 

Just before the incredible bridge straddling the gorge we walked along some steep cliffs which afforded us some amazing views down the valley.

This image in turn became this painting for me.

 

 

 

 

It is always interesting to see how an artist views their own image in their minds.

Top April Entrecard Droppers!

First of all I would like to apologise for not posting on my blog as soon as I returned from my super vacation.  This was due to some sickness or other that I appeared to have picked up on our last night.  Since I am now well on the road to recovery I would like thank all of you for dropping your cards through to my blog.  I especially want to thank the following for being amongst my top 10 droppers for the month of April.  As they say…..  ‘normal service will be resumed as soon as possible!’

Seriously folks, if you can just take a minute from your busy daily schedule to stop by these super blogs you will find your time has been well spent.

Once again, THANK YOU!