Posted tagged ‘art’

Making Something Bright & New from Your Old Calendar

January 11, 2011

A brand new year means a brand new calendar. But what do you do with your old one? Sometimes I save it as a keepsake of the year’s events, but this year I decided to recycle it into something new and useful thanks to the ARTchix Studio challenge to make something out of your old calendar. My 2010 calendar was full of beautiful and whimsical illustrations and heart-brightening quotes from a company called Brush Dance. The name Brush Dance got me thinking about giving my paint brushes a fun new container to shimmy in and out of in 2011. Next thing you know, an old holiday cookie tin was being repurposed and jazzed up with a collage of inspiring images from the old calendar, mixed together with some retro-cool ARTchix graphics. Here’s the 360 degree view, together with wishes for a New Year painted with love, a playful heart, and plenty of reasons to smile.

Shades of Blue Bliss: Water Inspiration

December 10, 2010

Blue Bliss: Water Inspiration 8821 © christine matthäi

Artist Photographer Christine Matthäi has created an alluring and intriguing series of images inspired by the changing shades of blue and blissful reflections of what surrounds and supports us most—water.  Her travels to Grand Bahama Island and watching the wind and waves create motion, reflecting the sunlight on our gorgeous clear sapphire seas, is certainly part of her ongoing inspiration and fascination with water—that life-giving source vital to us all. Take a look at these modern, contemporary art works:

Blue Bliss: Water Inspiration 9589 © christine matthäi

Blue Bliss: Water Inspiration 8789 © christine matthäi

Blue Bliss: Water Inspiration 9587 © christine matthäi

Blue Bliss: Water Inspiration 9592 © christine matthäi

Blue.Bliss.Water.Inspiration.8908

Blue Bliss: Water Inspiration 8908 © christine matthäi

If you are interested in prints for your home or office, write to the artist at christinematthai (at) mac (dot) com and note the image number in the caption.

Or take a look at all Christine Matthäi’s gorgeous contemporary portfolios by clicking here.

I am fortunate to call Christine a friend, and am posting this because I admire her incredible talent and brilliant work. As with all things I enthuse about here, it’s simply because I enjoy it and like to make the world a brighter place by sharing the good stuff!

That said, I DO have a vested interest in my husband’s printing company—Freeport Advertising & Printing—a Grand Bahama-owned full service printing and graphic design business here since 1973. If you would like to win a big beautiful 24″ x 36″ inch, fomecore-mounted print of one of Christine Matthai’s images (your choice of the ones shown above), just click here to subscribe to their free Printer At Work newsletter. You can see a sample issue by clicking on the Printer At Work button on the bottom left side of the screen. The newsletter is a quick read, with great tips on marketing, design, technology, and ways to save money and  increase business sales. It comes out every two weeks, so you won’t be getting tons of email or anything. There are even a couple fun cartoons in each edition. (And of course, your email address is safe with us and will be kept private.)

Okay, that’s it. If you’re already a subscriber or have an account at FreeportAdvertising.com, you’re already entered and eligible to win. Subscribe by January 1, 2011 to be eligible to win the print. A random entry will be drawn by over-caffeinated gerbils, or some objective technological wizardry, and the winner announced the following week.

If you want to leave a comment here letting me know you’ve subscribed, or which print is your favorite, or just to jump in and say the water’s fine, that would be wonderful, but is completely up to you.

And if you need some last-minute Christmas cards printed, or little notepads with people’s names on them as thoughtful gifts, I know just the place! (that was the last commercial plug–but aren’t imprinted personal things so cool?—okay that was it, really … I get on a roll and can think up all kinds of fun goodies to print!)

Enjoy the blue bliss of water that surrounds our wonder-filled island and makes us all fortunate in business … in beauty … in life … each and every day. In gratitude for the time and tides—Paula.

It's about the water. It's always about the water. Southern shore of Grand Bahama Island.

 

 

 

 

 

Turquoise & Butterflies

August 21, 2010

That Bahama-blue water color — turquoise — is the theme of this week’s ARTchix challenge for fun and prizes. Here are a couple “inchies” (1″x1″) collages made from ARTchix images and aqua bits of a shopping bag.


The flutterby collage ATC’s (artist trading cards) feature new images from ARTchix’s Hot & Cool Butterflies sheets, along with some of their lovely vintage ladies! (and some recycled Daytimer refill sheets and magazine clippings!)

Let your art take wing!

It’s About Time

August 19, 2010

I found this quote artfully created on a calendar frame …

Having a marvelous summer stretch and wishing you the same!

Clothespin Art

May 14, 2010

altered old-fashioned slotted wooden clothespin decorated with ARTchix images, ornamentals, some paint, and marker

other side of the clothespin

Having fun … making art!

Art Challenge Fun: Playing with Complementary Colors

May 10, 2010

It’s fun to play with color. I created this collage playing mostly with shades of deep blues and various orange-reds as part of this week’s ARTchix Studio challenge about exploring the fullness of the color wheel …

… this pinwheel is a simplified version of the full color spectrum, but it nicely illustrates the pop and zing you get in your artwork when you pair up colors that are opposite each other on the wheel to command maximum attention … like yellow and purple …

… orange and blue …

… or pink and green (or red and green!)

Color wheels can be sweet and simple with primary colors like the pinwheel, or hugely detailed with all the multi-shaded variations of color that printers, designers, and artists use …

… either way, it’s a wonderful visual reminder of how contrast gives you the most impact and why some pairings automatically appeal more to the eye than others. And when playing with color—whether in art, graphic design, fashion, food, or decor—it’s all eye-candy!  Play away — it makes you feel like a kid again with a new box of crayons!

“Create Art. Share Happiness.” — ARTchix Studio

I Love … Collages!

March 25, 2010

This blog started out as a list of a whole buncha stuff I love …

… having fun making art collages is definitely on that list, especially when I’m inspired by the fabulous ARTchix Studio …

ARTchix inspired their chixies to create Twinchies (2″ square collages) in a red, pink & green color palette …

… featuring “I love …” messages of whatever strikes our fancy at the moment … I loved making these …

… with snippets of this and that … bits and pieces from a magazine … great images and goodies from ARTchix

… recycling … refreshing … renewing your creative spirit … reminding yourself of some favorite things that make you smile …

… yes, I love making art … making collages …  taking little trips into the imagination … especially in The Bahamas!

ps … 5/18/2010: I’m posting the back side of the twinchie collages now. The originals have been mailed out as part of the swap and are arriving in their new homes … I like to leave some small element of surprise for the recipients of the originals when they receive them in the mail (in case they’ve already seen the card fronts in other ARTchix places!). For me, it’s just as fun creating the back side of the cards as the front side, so here they are!

I Love Movies (Movies Thrill Me); I Love Gardens (Nature Lover); I Love LOVE In Your Heart (True Love); I Love A Love Story (Sweetly Told); I Love Being Me (Surprise); I Love Vacations (Sea Post)

Butterfly Inspiration

January 19, 2010

Postcard collage for ARTchix challenge inspired by vintage butterfly postcard

another postcard collage inspired by ARTchix butterfly-themed weekly challenge

I adore butterflies. And that made this week’s ARTchix challenge extra fun in making these postcard collages. All kinds of creative inspiration takes wing at the ARTchix Studio blog: http://www.myartisticlife.typepad.com

On creative wings

August 16, 2009

The current ARTchix art challenge at their cool blog inspired this salute to creative thoughts that take flight in the face of bright, beautiful, and whimsical ARTchix goodies. This postcard-sized piece of art uses images from a “masterboard” of art bits created by Helga Strauss, as well as images from Chixies Hat Affair, Tangerine Travels, the Romantic Keepsakes Kit, a just-the-right-size clipping from Helga’s printed newsletter, and paper from a pretty floral gift bag in the background. Hats off to all the talented and creative artists out there who lift us up on the wings of their wonderful ideas & playful thoughts!

LoveAChallenge.Postcard

Turquoise Thoughts

August 4, 2009

My friend, Helga Strauss, (who has marvelous images, art bits & fabulous supplies at ARTchix Studio), has recently returned from a vacation along the shores of my favorite Bahamas paradise where crystal clear turquoise waters surround and inspire. She hosts a weekly creative challenge and asked everyone to make a piece of art with turquoise as the main color. Here are my ATC (Artist Trading Card) size collages (shown here front and back) to add to this beautiful tide of turquoise!

Here’s a link to Helga’s blog if you want to follow her weekly art adventures:

http://www.myartisticlife.typepad.com/

Have extra fun … make lots of art!TurquoiseATC.Cards


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