English Ivy

I listed a new drawing in my etsy shop today. It is a drawing of English Ivy. It seemed rather empty, so I decided to write English Ivy on it in fancy script. I'm pleased with the way it turned out. I'm really fond of drawing with carbon pencil. I think it looks so sharp and crisp against the stark white of the paper, much better than regular pencil. I'm envisioning my next drawing, which I think will be of some gorgeous Gingko leaves I found yesterday at the University when I was taking some lunch to Dan. I was walking along enjoying the brisk wind, a quintessential fall day, when I looked down and saw all these perfect little ochre hued fans. I didn't realize Gingko leaves turned yellow in the fall, but they do, and they stood out against the green grass like tiny golden lanterns. I grabbed a handful of them, and did a practice drawing of three of them yesterday. I think that will be my next project. I also took a beautiful photograph of one, and I'm considering posting that on etsy as well. What do you think?

Twitter

I'm on Twitter now. I'm still not convinced that Twitter is all that great, but I'll keep you posted on how it turns out. If you would like to follow me on Twitter, my address is: http://twitter.com/SilvanArt. I was feeling discouraged this morning about not having any sales yet on etsy, so I looked around in the forums there. That was quite encouraging! There were all sorts of tips and advice, as well as stories of how long it took people to get their first sales after they started their shops. So, I'm feeling energetic and inspired again (hence the Twitter thing). I will now walk to the University and sketch for awhile, then take Dan some lunch. I made a fabulous Italian feast last night for dinner, completely from scratch. It was parmesan polenta served with a creamy Italian sausage and vegetable sauce. The book said it would go really well with a Sangiovese, which is one of my favorite red wines. We did not have any on hand though, so just drank water. It was still quite yummy, and is destined to be our lunch today!

Connie Tom

This is perhaps one of my favorite paintings I have come across on the web. I think it's absolutely beautiful. I love the colors, the lighting, everything. It's called Lanterns of Gold, and the painter is a woman by the name of Connie Tom. I think I could just stare at it for a long time. Her web page is here. Check it out, she has many more beautiful paintings. Maybe one day I'll be able to paint that good. I have been practicing my woodland scenes, and so far they are looking like I need some more practice. But I'll post one eventually.

Tea Time!

Those of you who know me, know of my penchant for drinking tea. I drink it several times each day. In fact, I am enjoying a cup of apple blossom green tea right now! So, imagine my happy surprise upon discovering an etsy tea shop! There are several, in fact, and I made my first etsy purchase yesterday from one called teaman. He has tons of different types of hand blended tea, and his prices are excellent. Since I just ordered it yesterday, I have not had the pleasure of drinking any yet. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my tea package, and anticipate becoming a regular customer. If you like tea, or if not but are still curious, please check out his shop. In the mean time, I believe I will paint a new picture today. It is a rainy, cool, cloudy gray day, and I'm inspired to paint something misty and green. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Sharon's Hands

I posted a new drawing on SilvanArt today, the drawing I did of Sharon's hands, and immediately I started getting some views. I discovered something invaluable. New postings come up first, so when I post something new, people will see it, click on it, and come to my shop. Therefore, I will not post several new items at once. I will post them on different days, to keep traffic alive in my shop. This makes sense to me. When I fist drew Sharon's Hands, she told me that she wanted me to "pretty them up" for her. I think her hands are beautiful the way they are. I wrote a bit about this on my etsy listing. Her hands have such character. You can look at them, and see the life she's lived. The hours spent in the kitchen preparing food for her family, the time she spent on her knees, scrubbing and making her home beautiful. Whenever I meet a new person, I find myself looking at their hands. Whenever I see an old friend, I do the same. For whatever reason, hands fascinate me.

Knitting

I want to knit a sweater. Unfortunately, I'm in the middle of knitting a scarf. I will not start another new project before I finish this one. Today I had three unfinished projects going, including a knitting project (the aforementioned scarf), a crochet project, and a drawing project. I did finish my drawing project, as that is supposed to be the focus of my efforts these days. Once it's sealed I will take some pictures and post it on my Etsy shop. And, for the second day in a row, I drew in my sketch journal! I'm being very disciplined. Perhaps when I'm finished with my scarf, I will no longer feel like knitting a sweater. Why is it, that when a task is no longer optional, it is also no longer as fun?

Apple Pie

If anyone has ever made an apple pie, they know that it's a long, tedious process. Especially if you make your own crust, which I have begun doing in an effort to create a healthier pie. I suppose this kind of thing is an art in itself, which makes it an appropriate topic for discussion in this blog. : ) Dan, my husband, asked me to make a pie for him, and I did. When I was halfway through slicing the apples, he came downstairs wondering what I had been doing all this time. "Making the pie..." said I, a bit testily. So, naturally he offered his help. I sat on a chair as he took over. First, he searched the kitchen in an effort to find a more industrial tool for the job. Finding none, he returned to the knife and demonstrated to me the proper way to transfer apple slices from the knife to the bowl. He then proceeded to slice three quarters of an apple, all the while lamenting the effort it took. Finally, I took back control of my own kitchen, and suggested he make a trip to the store. When he got back I was rolling out the bottom crust. He watched as I transferred the crust to the pie plate, filled it with apples, and then retrieved the lump of dough set aside for the bottom crust. Dan exclaimed, "You have to do another one? Wow, that's a lot of work. I won't ask you to do that ever again. For awhile."

Thanks to http://www.freeimages.co.uk/ for the apple picture.

Rockbridge Arts Guild

I was browsing online through various artsy things, and I found the website for the Rockbridge Arts Guild. This seems to be a group of individual artists of various skill levels, and it offers lots of different opportunities for activities and education. By which, I mean critiques of one's work, trips to museums, workshops, and group painting activities. It sounds really neat. I was reading on their newsletter critiques of some artists' work, and one thing really stuck out to me. They talked about practicing drawing every single day, in the same way a musician would practice her instrument every day, to maintain and develop her skill level. This really spoke to me, since, as a musician, I completely understand the necessity of continual practice. So I have decided to keep a sketch journal, in which I will practice my drawing every day. Hopefully, this will help me in my endeavors to become a more skilled artist. In any case, perusing their website refreshed my desire to pursue art, and my excitement in doing so.

Just getting started

I have recently opened an Etsy shop called SilvanArt, http://SilvanArt.etsy.com. In my shop I sell my own original artwork, which consists mostly of paintings and drawings of a natural theme. This has been a very interesting experience for me thus far, so I thought I'd blog about it. Etsy has been a great site to work with, as far as my limited experience can tell. It was not difficult to make my shop, and there are multitudes of helpful articles that may help me on my way to that pivotal first sale. Please feel free to take a look at my shop. Even if you're not in the market for purchasing original art, I'd love to share what I've done and also hear any feedback you might offer. Thanks for reading!