Well, I have gone and done it!!!  As promised a few posts ago I have jumped in a new direction to bring my love of encaustics to a wider audience!  Instead of saving up to buy individual paintings why not buy a book which includes illustrations and descriptions of some of my paintings?

The holiday season is here and I am sure there are many of you, like me, who end up scratching your heads trying to think of an original present for a dear one.  You can’t keep giving sweaters or socks so be original this year!  Especially, if the person you want to buy for is interested in the arts and new to encaustics.

Go to this link http://www.blurb.com/user/store/onawhimsey and you will find my first book entitled ‘My Encaustics – Art in Wax’.

Here is the front cover of the book which contains 20 pages full of illustrations of my paintings.  You can either purchase the book as a soft cover or as a hardback with a dust cover.  The site leads you through the buying process and helps determine the shipping charges according to which country you wish to have your book delivered.

Let me know what you think?  You may even want to buy a copy as a Christmas present for a friend, a member of your family or just for you to place on your coffee table to enable you to browse through a selection of my paintings!

 

IMPORTANT NEWS!!!

 

I have a couple of softcover books that I can sell to you through Etsy http://onawhimsey.etsy.com  It will be slightly cheaper and I can send it out straightaway!

Always looking for different Internet sites on which to list my paintings.  After all, the more exposure the better it is!

One site I sell on (you may have noticed the logo button at the side of my blogger blog) is called Artfire.com.  Here you can list for free or you can become a verified seller and pay $7 per month for life for however many listings you want.  Once they have 5000 sellers signed up the fee will go up to $20 per month.  You also get a chance to show loads of pictures plus lots of other incentives which are well worth looking at.  It is easy to copy and paste from Etsy, in fact it is encouraged!!  The whole listing process takes place on one page thus making it a lot more user friendly.

The other site I have started to use is specifically for UK based artists but the buyer can come from all over the world!  This site is called Artgallery.co.uk  and offers original art from UK artists.  The exciting layout of this site is that you can ‘test drive’ your painting to see what it will look like.  Obviously, it works better if you have a large painting but this service is one of the first I have come across.  I must admit I have played with Photoshop to achieve a similar effect but here it does look that much more professional.

The decision is always hard to make.  Do you spread yourself around thinly or concentrate on one venue?  Only time will tell and, of course, a sale or two!!!

Yes, I know…. another blog to keep up with!!

Well, the only reason is that my new blog http://onwhimsey.blogspot.com is a little more user friendly than this one.  It is a lot easier to add widgets, or at least the ones I want!  It does not mean I am closing down this one!  Oh no!!!  I will use this one as a mirror version of the blogger blog so that you, the reader, have the choice…again, more promotion can’t be bad, can it?

And, so here you have a snapshot of it!  It is entitled Pat’s Encaustic’s – Art in the Wax and can be found through this link

http://artinthewax.blogspot.com/

As I said, you the reader have total control, obviously!  You choose which blog you want to follow. I will be updating each one, sometimes at the same time, sometimes not.

 

Do let me know what you think about this and which blog you prefer!

Christmas is just around the corner and there is still time to find that elusive gift for a relative, friend or just a treat for yourself!

What about a book on encaustic art? Check out http://blurb.com/user/store/onawhimsey for further information.

Well, they do say you should never put all your eggs in one basket.  So, with that in mind I searched around and came across an American site called Art Fire.  With a remarkable likeness to Etsy.com this site is very user friendly.  At the moment there is an offer when joining to become a verified member by subscribing with $7 a month instead of the usual $20.  For this you are allowed 10 pictures to show off your item, you can join a blog/forum as well as there being a handy system which allows you to offer a discount to your customers of a pre agreed percentage to start at a specified date in the month.  In addition there are loads more extras to enjoy.  Even as a ‘free’ member you can enjoy 4 free pictures and many other exciting things.  Check out the site http://artfire.com and have a look at my shop http://onawhimsey.artfire.com See what you think.  It does appear to be easier to post and organise.

In addition I know they advertise heavily which is something Etsy tend to be slow to do.  This being one of the gripes which often comes up in forums etc.

As I said, it is always good to have your eggs in more than one basket!

Well, I have gone and done it!!!  As promised a few posts ago I have jumped in a new direction to bring my love of encaustics to a wider audience!  Instead of saving up to buy individual paintings why not buy a book which includes illustrations and descriptions of some of my paintings?

The holiday season is fast approaching and I am sure there are many of you, like me, who end up scratching your heads trying to think of an original present for a dear one.  You can’t keep giving sweaters or socks so be original this year!  Especially, if the person you want to buy for is interested in the arts and new to encaustics.

Go to this link http://www.blurb.com/user/store/onawhimsey and you will find my first book entitled ‘My Encaustics – Art in Wax’.

 

Here is the front cover of the book which contains 20 pages full of illustrations of my paintings.  You can either purchase the book as a soft cover or as a hardback with a dust cover.  The site leads you through the buying process and helps determine the shipping charges according to which country you wish to have your book delivered.

Let me know what you think?  You may even want to buy a copy as a Christmas present for a friend, a member of your family or just for you to place on your coffee table to enable you to browse through a selection of my paintings!

Hola, I realise that many of you who are visiting my blog for the first time must be looking at the last date that I posted anything and wonder where on earth I am?  Fear not!  I am still here!  Honestly!

It’s just that I am on holiday in Spain but will be returning to UK tomorrow – where it is getting colder and colder.  Give me a couple days to get myself sorted and I will start back in earnest.

I have loads of ideas for encaustics which I need to implement and, of course, my book!  The proof copy has arrived at home and I am so looking forward to checking it out before I blog about it… that means advertise, means selling in time for Christmas!!!  So, watch this space!

I will be back!

‘Life is Wonderful’ this Holiday Season when you shop the BBEST Limited Time Sale and find beautiful art, handmade and vintage treasures for everyone on your list, quickly, easily and at remarkable values.

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5904785&page=1 This thread explains fully the wonderful shops who are participating, how to earn points so that you can enter a draw and win some wonderful prizes!!!!

Here’s something EXTRA WONDERFUL. Our BBEST HoLiDaY HuNt for registered etsy buyers. *** THREE WONDERFUL PRIZE PACKAGES will be given away! ***

Can you resist that invitation?

Want to see what the prize packages are? Then check out this link http://www.flickr.com/photos/chauncey_gnd/3022859099/in/photostream/ you will be amazed!!

So what are you waiting for? Christmas will be here before you know it! If you manage to find this avator just follow the instructions in the thread and you could be winning one of these fabulous packages!!!

GGOD LUCK!!

A new concept which shouldn’t overwhelm the viewer/buyer but allows you to browse in the comfort of your home was devised by Blockhead Rod.  You can just look at one item or follow the link to the seller’s shop on Etsy, you decide!  The Artisan’s Shoppe shows off works by 30 artisans on a rotating basis.  All items need to be purchased from the artist/Etsy shop but you will find a description along with the price which will include information on shipping.

I joined this merry band of talented people because I felt it was a super showcase to show off my own work and allows me to be introduced to others too.  For instance, Van Fleet Street Design.  Here the artist, Brett Ward, has a wonderful ACEO that is being featured at the moment called Mudheads.

Her description reads as follows……

The Koyemsi, or Mudhead Kachina, is a multi-faceted clown borrowed from the Zuni, but he’s seen in most Hopi ceremonies. Mudhead Kachinas drum, dance, play games with the audience, and may act as announcers for events. They often give prizes or rewards for the races and guessing games they organize. The term “mudhead” comes from their masks which have mud applied to them. Most of the time they accompany other Kachina, and may appear as a chorus. On First Mesa, and possibly other villages, their songs are in Zuni. During the rests in a dance, they may engage in games with the boys and girls in the audience. The Mudheads also enact by negative example what should not be done. His purpose is to encourage those he parodies to right their wrongs.

This ACEO (a work of art measuring 2.5″ x 3.5″) has been completed using paper,acrylic paint and ink.

Two of my encaustics are being shown at the moment.

The first is entitled The Awakening #1

One of the teams I belong to on Etsy is called the BEEteam (beeswaxteam) and we are all encaustic artists. Each month we have a challenge and the one for October is called Awakening. I couldn’t quite decide what I was going to do until this #1 evolved.
The approximate size is 11.5″ x 8″ and comes without a frame.

The other painting being shown is Cascades of Water

Can you feel the coolness and the spray from the water as it cascades over the rockface?
This encaustic painting is just under 8″ x 6″ (20 cms x 15 cms)without the frame.

So, hopefully I have tempted you to step into this wonderful Shoppe and discover the incredible talent out there!  Look forward to seeing you there.

Please note that this site is a sister site to The Artisans Challenge where you can view more work and vote for your favourite!

The story really all began because DH is having his birthday on Saturday!  All the kids are coming with their respective partners as well as our grand daughter!  So,there will be 11 of us in total – quite a feat for us as a family since we all live in different parts of UK, do a variety of jobs, have a diverse range of activities etc. But, Saturday, they will all be here!

Thoughts then went to a birthday card for my DH.  I didn’t really want to buy a shop bought one knowing that he enjoys my encaustic paintings.  What better treat than to paint one just for him?  This I did.  As usual I messed around with various colours and effects until I stumbled on the idea of painting a version of an ancient monument we would both like to visit together.  Over the years we have visited but it would be nice to go together.  Meanwhile, I had some card so did small painting to place in the aperture to make a special, unique card.  On the right you will see my first attempt but I wasn’t really happy with this.

But then that painting evolved into this one!

Well, of course, now I have to hide it!!!  Following on from that one I decided to paint a larger version but on canvas, I do like that form of support!

I would say it looks more impressionistic but it will show how each painting cannot be replicated because of the medium.

See what you think?