I'm a Fan of...

A painter for over forty years Tom of TRMACKSTUDIO on Etsy has collectors in all four corners of the world from Singapore to Brazil and New Zealand to Italy. He says of his work, "Many of my paintings are inspired by the beautiful countryside and cities of Italy. So, many of my titles are in Italian as a tribute. La bella Italia."

Here are just a few of my favorites from his shop. I've never been to Italy, but if this is what it inspires, book me on the next flight!

Piccolo Albero Rosso
(Italian for Little Red Tree)

Le Colline de Rotolare al Crepuscolo

Tree of Solitude

Summer Lights

Midnight in the Orchard

Tree of Prosperity

Please visit his other Etsy Studio to see more of his work!

Theme of the Day Thursday

Wordless Wednesday

From This to That

This Tuesday I've chosen one of the most popular images in my shop, and one of my personal favorites to show step by step. The image began as rust on the side of an antique car in northern California (at one of our favorite stops when we drive to San Francisco, Casa de Fruta, which is a produce market that has grown to gargantuan proportions surrounded by acres of antique farm equipment and vehicles that are aging gracefully in the countryside!).

Here is the original photo (Nothing special, right?):



Next, instead of colorizing it (which I usually do first), I kaleidoscope-d it till I found a formation I liked (I don't think it matters which order I do it in, except that it sometimes easier to see the patterns after I colorize it.):




Finally, I colorize the photo, saturating and adjusting color balance to get this:



Printed onto Premium Photo Paper on my inkjet printer (that I love so very much! So much clearer than when I have my photos developed!), I hand cut all my photos and use double stick tape to adhere them onto handcut cardstock, add a thumbnail print of the original photo on the back between my label and the card style label, sign, date, and package! Voila!

This card is included with 3 other rust kaleidoscopes in a set:

See more of my Kaleidoscope cards in my Etsy shop!

Moody Monday

Pensive:

Andy Goldsworthy

I was cleaning out my purse one day and came across a post-it pad with several pages used to jot down titles, phone numbers, etc., but there was a name on one page that I didn't recognize, nor did I remember writing it, though clearly it was in my handwriting. The name was Andy Goldsworthy. I asked my husband and a couple of friends if they knew anyone by this name or if they had ever heard of this person and did not solve my mystery until I thought to Google his name. Since that day, I have checked out from the library several of his books and watched YouTube videos Rivers and Tides (click on the link and work your way through the YouTube videos if you want to see him in action) and a DVD of his work and am totally enamored with this artist. When you see him work, you can see how close he is to his higher power and it shows in his art. It's brilliant, simple, and unlike anything I've ever seen---at this scale, anyway. I'm so glad that this man is able to devote his life to his art---the world is a better place for it. I am better for it.

I don't remember how I happened to stumble across him when I jotted his name on my pad, but I am not likely to forget him now.

I'm a Fan of...

Creative with Clay Etsy artist Charan Sachar's shop contains some of the most unique and beautiful ceramic pieces I have yet seen. With every new listing I see of his, my eye is drawn and
I feel the need to explore it further.























Drawn to the art form for years before actually trying it himself, Charan began his life as a ceramic artist after years of pursuing a different path, and it is clear to me that this outlet is near and dear to his heart.

Having spent much of his life in India, the culture's influence is obvious in his work, lending a richness and depth that transforms the traditional to contemporary without losing it's association with the roots from which it came.



You can see his studio and other artwork at his website and if you would like to see a video of his process you can see the HGTV clip at or just search for Charan Sachar on www.youtube.com. Don't forget to visit his Etsy shop, too!

Theme of the Day Thursday

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Check out more of our cards and photos at
http://madebyswirlygirl.etsy.com

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From This to That

Many people have expressed interest in how I create my photo images that I use on my cards. This is a photo demonstration of the steps I take to get "From This to That".


First I start with a photograph that has a variety of colors, textures, and/or shapes:

Then, I add saturation and play with the colors till I come up with something that pleases my eye:



I then open the saved file in another photo program where I "kaleidoscope" the image, adjusting until I like the result. Finally, I crop the image assymetrically in order to get this "Whirly Girl" image:




I'd love to hear your feedback and any suggestions of images that you would like to see "kaleidoscoped" in this way! Leave your comments below!

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Check out more of our cards and photos at
http://madebyswirlygirl.etsy.com

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