Repetition has it's charms

Cecile Klay, known on Etsy as DreamCreateRepeat, is not your average psychic.

Intuitive, empathic, and just plain whimsical, Cecile's collage art can often seem like portable fragments of vision.

This particular piece, "Safe Travels" (collage on cigar box), stems from a conjunction enjoyment and aspiration. Enjoyment, because Cecile loves to travel (she just got back from a three-week retreat). And aspiration, because this image is a form of talisman which shares that love of travel and the desire to protect the well being of travellers.

The symmetrical composition and use of harmonic blues and yellows give this collage a sense of rock solid balance even on water. The upraised hand of protection, or Hamsa, adds a decorative yet reassuring focus for the piece.

Touch is a very important element in this working method. In order to create such compositions, Cecile focuses on finding images and objects that resonate with each other.

See more of DreamCreateRepeat at http://dreamcreaterepeat.etsy.com/.

Analiese's World

After answering a call for artwork on Etsy, I was please to meet and learn more about Analiese, creator of polymer clay magic. When I asked her to tell me a little more about herself for this article, she did such a great job writing that I decided to use her own words unedited.

Here is Analiese in her own words:

My name is Rachel - middle name is Analiese - which is my design name. I was born way out on the west coast in La Jolla, but moved to the east coast when I was 3 years old. I grew up in Barrington, RI and my parents still live there - so I go back and visit often. Currently, I live in Milford, CT with my husband, 7 year old son and 2 cats. We are walking distance to the beach - which is a bonus. I worked for a large intimate apparel company for 13 years and lost my job due to outsourcing. However, I was actually thrilled since I had already started to go back to school to receive my Master's in Education and become certified in Elementary Ed.

During this time is when I started to play around with beads. I was not new to making jewelry - but I had not done it in years - so it took a while for me to get the hang of it again. For some reason - I wanted to experiment with Polymer clay just to see what it was like. Well - I became addicted to it and discovered how to transfer images onto clay completely by accident. It is not a new art form but my technique is quite different than anything else out there which I am very proud of - since I have been successful in selling my tutorial.

I have been looking for a full time teaching job for 3 years now - it is very competitive here to find a job. So, I substitute teach and also teach an adult Ed GED class 2 days a week. This gives me the flexibility to run my business and come up with new ideas - which I am always trying to do.

I love experimenting and my newest addition is my glass tile pendants which are just as fun to make :) I don't sell much of my finished jewelry on Etsy since it is so competitive, but I do sell at local craft fairs.

I try to do about 6 craft shows a year and sell everything from my handmade pendants to ceiling fan pulls and my beaded jewelry. I enjoy running my business and hope to continue working on it even if I do get a full time teaching job.

I had started my Etsy Artists Pendant line a long time ago and bring it back now and then with new artists - since there are so many wonderful artists on Etsy.

You never know what you mind find in my shop :)

You can find Analiese on Etsy at http://analiese.etsy.com/ and her pendants with my own images can bee seen at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=35723&section_id=5322804. Give her a visit, I can guarantee you'll like what you see.

Share and Share Alike

Hi, everyone, and thanks for taking the time to visit. I'd like to announce that I have begun collaborating with the wonderful shop, Analiese (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13023053). Some of my artwork will be featured there as pendants.

Next week, I will be doing an article about the artisan behind the shop, Rachel Yakubik.

Bubbles contain....

Do you remember the perspective of your child self? Sure, you were smaller back then, but what about your mental perspective?

This image of bubble blowing from a little one's perspective is meant not to invoke nostalgia, but to remind you of that other perspective. Let that perspective be refreshed and look on the world with new eyes once again.

(I did two versions of this monotype, so let me hear your comments on which one you think is better!)

Ha-ray, li'l Bunny!

When Anna "Moonstr" DuBois came to America from the Phillipines at just 3 months old, she brought a big ol' bag of unique along with her. She is also more faithful to her inner child that any other person I have ever known. (At age 5 she made the decision to hold onto that inner child, and I doubt she has even let go of it to get bathroom privacy ;)

Moonstr does a lot of watercolors and makes a lot of different things, but today we're looking at one of her art dolls, Ha Ray Lil Bunny. Newer art forms like installations and art dolls let artists outside of the mainstream (i.e. not straight white men) express themselves in ways untainted untainted by dogma and history.

To help you get to know Moonstr better, here's some of what she had to say:

"how i got started in art...being left alone alot as a kidand having tons of dot matrix paperto draw on cause of my dad's computer.my sewing is chaotic i tend to jumpand not know what im doing.

"what part of my personality it reflects.the part of me that wants to fly a kiteand drink on the beach and have a bond fire.sewing makes me that happy.taking pictures of my dolls outside is fun.hmm for abit i was saying that the dollsare my inner demons poping out of my imagination."

Creative Anachronism Takes on a Wonderful New Meaning

Cara Buchalter didn't have to be an artist, but when you look at her quirky art-deco-inspired illustrations, can you really blame her? It also didn't hurt that the namesake for her etsy storefront, her great-aunt Octavine, was an opera singer, and that her father is an artist.

Buchalter prides herself on living with one foot in the 19th century, and her work reflects a refined Art Deco sensibility. While maintaining that sensibility, Cara's work feature's a more modern design structure which is overall purer than the more densely designed patterns and illustrations of the Art Nouveau/Deco movements. This refreshes the style and makes it altogether more accessible for those of use who are sadly trapped in this post-industrial era.

The work featured above, Devastation, was based on a photo by legendary photographer Irving Penn of his wife. While exploring Mrs. Penn's almost unearthly beauty and painting through the lens of her own creativity, Buchalter is also exploring the relationship between artist/viewer/subject. Not only her own relationship, but also Penn's relationship, to the subject come into question. The lovely woman depicted is thus transformed into a muse for the generations and a mysterious beauty for the viewer to absorb.

Well, I hope you enjoyed our time together today. Tune in next week for a feature of indie artist, Moonstr.

The Worries of Ghosts

This week I present for your consumption a new monotype I made recently.

It cannot have escaped anyone's attention that the summer Olympics will start soon, and this image is printed on newsprint featuring a story relating to protests against China in the runup to the games. A pair of ghostly hands clasp uncertainly and a red star leaves evidence of it's passage. What will China choose to become?