In preparation for an upcoming trip abroad, I’ve been doing a lot of research on Venice, and one of the highlights has been learning about Venetian glass. Everything about the craft fascinates me—starting with the fact that all the glassmakers were moved to the island of Murano (about a mile off the coast of Venice) in the 13th century to eliminate the fire hazard their furnaces posed to the city itself, where the buildings are so close together that any blaze could be catastrophic. I also have a deep appreciation from any craft that has been passed down through families for generations—and the art of Venetian glassmaking has been a family tradition for centuries for most Murano “glass masters.”
There are several American distributors of imported Venetian glass, and one of the best online sites I’ve seen is VenetianGlassArt.com (from which the photos shown here were taken). Although I typically think of vases and tableware when I think of Venetian glass, I love the idea of using it in jewelry. (Think of the mixed-media possibilities. I'd love to see it combined with some delicate metal clay work!) You can learn more about the art form and find a directory of reputable worldwide distributors at Venetian Glass Info.
Tonia did not exaggerate the fun we had during our encaustic painting day in her last post. I’ve been co-editing Patricia Seggebruch’s fabulous upcoming Encaustic Workshop book that Tonia mentioned, but I still learned so much from working (or playing, to be more accurate!) in the medium myself. For instance, I was not prepared for how fast the wax would begin to harden—literally within seconds!—or for how thick your layer of wax would need to be to fuse into a smooth finish. I have always been in awe of the work artists can create in this medium, but I have an even deeper appreciation for the skill now. (Isn’t it always that way?)
So it seemed only natural to check out what other artists are doing in this medium on Etsy.
Another artist began with a photo, then, after layering encaustic wax on the image, added an artful, dimensional quality with thick oil paint for this high-contrast piece:
What new mediums have you been experimenting with lately?
As someone who is preparring to open up shop at Etsy soon, I was pleasantly surprised at all of the resources and articles available on the site to help newbies. The folks at Etsy know the importance of setting yourself apart from the crowd, and for anyone who's willing to do a little prepwork, they really have provided a fine buffet of articles for things like taking photos, creating great packaging, pricing your work, advertising your shop, adding videos to your site and more. There's also dowloads for buttons, banners and avatars. And check out this list of links for additional resources elsewhere.
And here I've been putting off opening a shop for so long because I didn't know where to start or what to do and I'm glad that all excuses have been nullified! See you at the market soon--what's your excuse?
(If you have any words of advice or tips to share from your own selling experience, please leave a comment here. I can use all of the help I can get!)
Here in Cincinnati, we are in the midst of a rare visit (a politically correct term for “infestation”) from an enthusiastic (a politically correct term for “relentless”) brood of cicadas. Every 17 years, they emerge from the ground to molt and to fly, to sing and to swarm, to explore the world above ground and to reproduce, to dive bomb innocent bystanders and to sneak indoors on the shoulders of unsuspecting pedestrians… but I digress. It really is an amazing phenomenon, if you can get past the initial squeamish stage that comes with the shock of their sheer numbers alone. The cicadas will be with us for only a short time, so it’s only fitting to commemorate them with a mixed-media roundup of cicada crafts here.
Hi, Christine here. I've always been a fan of the mid-century modern look in everything from furniture to housewares to artwork. So I was thrilled recently when the Crafty Ninja gave me a Charley Harper print for my birthday. Charley Harper is best known for his stylized animal images...
...but after attending an exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum, I was taken by his travel series. And it is a print from that series that I received. Hooray!
I love the chartruese paint glob trees and the teeny car motoring along at the top.
While the art that I make resembles in no way the artwork of Charley Harper, I still find inspiration it in, be it in the color choice or the simple detail. Do you have a favorite artist that inspires you in ways other than style? Tell us about it in the comments!
