Visiting the Muse

New ACEOs

2011-06-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

The math class I'm interning in were given an art project to do today. I was busy as a classroom helper then, but I thought I'd experiment some based on the ideas when I got home. My new pieces Vampire's Eye and Math is Art came out of that. I've taken some photos, but need to do some uploading before I can show them.

Another treasury featuring Allan's art.

2011-05-04T19:35:00.001-07:00

His centaur piece has caught attention again. And the whole collection is very nice, with a fairy tale theme to it. I particularly liked a piece called Belle of the Ball, which has the tragic aspect of older fairy tales suggested in it, and a wonderful interpretation of the night sky.

New Exhibition up from FAE.

2011-04-10T17:47:00.000-07:00

The Fantasy Artists of Etsy have created a new exhibition (there's a new one every 2 months)-- this one on the theme of Fairies, Elves and Pixies, Oh My! It's got everything from accessories to wall art. Allan and I are each represented.
The quality is excellent, and this is a time of year people may be shopping for Mother's Day gifts, wedding jewelry, SCA/ Ren garb, and housewarming presents, and I can see items appropriate for each of those categories.

Check it out at http://faeteam.com/exhibition.html

Allan's art in a new treasury.

2011-04-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

We end up showcased now and then at Etsy's treasury section, but I don't often mention it here. But Allan's "Drops of Jupiter in Her Hair" pastel painting made it into a pastel treasury, and I was impressed by ALL the art there.
For those of you not actively pursuing art, the word pastel probably suggests soft colors to you. But those tints aren't what we mean when we say pastel painting or pastel drawing-- it refers to a dry pressed powder that combines pigment with a binder such as chalk or oils, allowing an artist to draw with broad, vivid areas of color. It can be layered, blended, hatched, washed-- while it is technically a drawing medium, generally sold in stick form, the techniques of drawing and painting are both usable, and the richness and depth of color makes many pastellists to refer to their works as paintings.

But in art, especially, a thousand words are not as effective as a picture. Please follow the link to see a sampler of pastel works http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d9d07fcd6b36d918e9c8a44/a-pastel-life#4d9d27d52b476d91bacb64e7

Monthly sale

2011-01-19T19:36:00.000-08:00

Pink things, 15% off.

Calm Waters

2011-01-19T02:32:00.000-08:00

This is my latest, and we've decided this will be the one to save for "Close to Home". It's called Calm Waters, and it's based on part of the Monterey Bay coastline. This area really is a painter's paradise. Mom should think about organizing a plein air class/expedition-- too bad Aunt Alice isn't still a travel agent.
Well, there's always Lodi Lake and other fine sights back home. You'll find beautiful agricultural landscapes in a lot of the Lodi Community Art group's portfolios.

Paintings of the bay

2011-01-18T03:30:00.000-08:00

I currently have one done-- of waves crashing on the rocks-- and two in progress. The two in progress are a monochrome acrylic (ultramarine blue shades and tints) and a watercolor, mostly green, of a sailboat with a treelined hill shore in the background.

One of the themes coming up this month is "Close to Home", and I think I should reserve one of the unfinished ones for that theme. I haven't been able to think of anything for the Americana theme. My "Artist at Play" theme will be a self-portrait dancing. And I have some things I could do quickly for the "Homage to Impressionism". Thoughts on Americana, anyone? I don't know if I have the skill for it, but would it technically be Americana if I painted prehistoric America?

Getting Ready for my show...

2011-01-15T18:30:00.000-08:00

I've got a lot of new and never-before-seen paintings: meaning on one hand, ones I have just finished, and on the other, ones that I tucked away after painting and hadn't done anything with. The near photo shows some of my works in progress, either for the show or for Etsy. There will be several small works; I'm hoping people will be more inclined to buy something relatively cheap and easy to find a place for. Snowbringer, the left picture, is one I had to retouch due to a bit of smudge from one of Allan's pieces. I like it even better now, and I'm rather proud of how the glimmering paint looks in the photo. I think for some of the special effects I like to do, flash photography actually works better than natural lighting to capture the sheen.

For fiber artists and knitwits

2011-01-12T19:13:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine is having a sale on her hand-dyed yarns and fiber batts. I recommend taking a look-- the colors are gorgeous! http://www.etsy.com/shop/laughingrat?ga_search_query=laughingrAT&ga_search_type=seller_usernames

She may be closing shop due to hand issues and other concerns, so you might see it as a last chance thing.

Being productive

2011-01-08T19:06:00.001-08:00

I've done a fix-up of Snowbringer, a fantasy piece that got a weird mark on it when put away for safekeeping. I think it looks better now. Sometimes accidents are happy accidents in art, and a good artist should learn how to be clever about fixing problems.

I've also finished some small works: A Topography of Roses, The Ocean in a Drop of Water, and Partners. Next up, Sky-Bird Nesting and a monochrome of the Monterey Bay landscape I haven't got a name in mind for yet. Also Orbit and Moon Launch, a couple of Cosmic Cat pieces. Some, but not all of my new pieces, will be in the February show at the Lodi Art Center. I also need to plan ahead for a few months worth of their theme shows: Treasures From Travel and Artist at Play should be good ones.

Happy New Year

2011-01-05T03:47:00.001-08:00

I've been getting busy with projects. I've upgraded Heart Full of Joy, a mixed media painting, and I've crocheted a few new fuzzies. They seem pretty popular around here-- I wore one to my dance class and got so many compliments, and when I brought samples to show, people were just purring over how comfortable they are! I'm showing off my Star Light, Star Bright fuzzy here, and I have lots more I need to list know I know there's a market for them.

Speaking of dance, this is not my creation, but one of my teammates in Fantasy Artists of Etsy has a beautiful belly dance pants for sale. http://www.etsy.com/listing/61353552/teal-velvet-belly-dance-pants
They're a little too small for me, so don't think I'm hinting, but if any readers fancy them, I think they're gorgeous and would probably look good on you. ;)

Merry Christmas, everyone

2010-12-25T02:32:00.000-08:00

A picture Allan did... I haven't done much in the way of holiday painting, although every year I mean to.
I've been working on a few new pieces; I'd like to have a few new things to show at the Lodi Art Center show I'm doing in February. It starts right before Spring term starts, so I'll be doing First Friday for it and hoping to earn some textbook money. I'm working right now on an abstract based on particle tracks, a floral, more Cosmic Cat and possibly an astronomy fantasy piece.
I will also try to finish my Lady of the Lake colored pencil piece.

Isis Pyramid

2010-11-26T18:12:00.001-08:00

I always love working with new materials, and I knew these triangular canvases were something I just had to work with. As I've also painted on papyrus, I decided to go with an Egyptian theme and paint a tribute to my favorite goddess, Isis.

She's just been added to my Etsy site, along with my Asteroid Belt necklace.

To the person who is leaving comments in Chinese.

2010-10-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

I assume you are trying to post advertisements and blogger is automatically scrubbing them, because your comments are always gone by the time I try to reply to you to tell you:

I don't read Chinese: Mandarin and Cantonese are both a mystery to me. I have a very small readership, and I don't think any of them can read your posts, either. Since they automatically disappear very quickly, YOU ARE WASTING YOUR TIME.

Please stop. It is irritating to have squiggles appear in my inbox daily.

October Magic sale on my Etsy site!

2010-10-13T01:32:00.000-07:00

October Magic -- 20% off all items tagged Autumn, Fantasy, or Costume.

I do love this time of year. I'm trying to organize my improv dance class to go to the downtown Santa Cruz Halloween promenade and actually pperform in public. People have said they like the idea, but I know a lot of them are kind of stage-fright prone, so I don't think more than a third of the class will show up. And yet you never know-- people do let themselves get a bit wild come Halloween.

New FAE exhibit

2010-08-25T13:36:00.001-07:00

The Fantasy Artists of Etsy have put together an exhibit of our "Hearth and Harvest" art pieces.
http://faeteam.com/exhibition.html

The ones I have in there are definitely fantasy, but I'm posting this with my still life "Harvest Gold", not included.

Touch Down

2010-08-23T18:18:00.001-07:00

This is the second in my Cosmic Cat series, and I may do more work on it before I'm satisfied. This is the current version of Touch Down.

I have had to stop comments on this post because some creep keeps posting "comments" in a foreign script I have been told is really computer coding.

Remembering Keiko

2010-08-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

September's theme for the Lodi Community Art Center is "Remembering". I'm working on a picture I started some time ago based on our first cat, Keiko, when she was a kitten. She was half-Siamese, a very clever and playful cat.
Sometimes a toy of hers would end up under a little faux-oriental rug we had, and I thought that made the perfect backgroun for her. Which is very attractive, but it's hard to try to do complex geometrics in perspective to a deadline... and I want the paintings to ride back to Lodi with my family after their visit tomorrow.

We're celebrating my brother's birthday, with a wonderful vegan dessert from Staff of Life.

I'm working on a couple of other cat-related pieces, too, my Cosmic Cat series where I mix astronomy and cats together.

I love Lady Gaga's sense of style.

2010-08-20T03:34:00.000-07:00

I just realized what makes Lady Gaga's wardrobe choices so great. It's impossible to make fun of them without showing you just don't get it. She looks like she borrowed an outfit from Judi Jetson? Duh! That's because she wanted to look like retro scifi. She has shoes that are shaped like hooves and put her feet into a digitigrade walking position? Duh! She WANTED to walk around on horse legs that day. I mean, she just goes for things that are so out there they don't try for something in the mundane world of fashion that she could fail at. It's art, baby!

This isn't Gaga's style but I think my fiber art necklace makes a statement, one more nature-oriented.

Clearance Sale

2010-08-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

I've begun a clearance sale in my Etsy store; I need money to cover expenses, and with the school term coming up, and reduction in inventory will make time management a little easier. Right now there are 9 items on clearance. They will be expiring, but I'll be adding new items in. Best advice is to grab anything you want fast.

Science and Art-- Cobalt

2010-08-04T03:21:00.001-07:00

Cobalt is a metal element, symbol Co, atomic number 27. In the visual arts, this gray metal is the basis of blue and sometimes green pigments. It is normally found as a by-product of mining copper and other metals; it can also be found in the mineral colbaltite, which isn't very pretty.

Cobalt and kobold, a goblin, are related in name-- early workers found the gray residue after obtaining the copper or nickel they were after, and called it kobolt, explaining it as a kind of earth spirit that had found its way into the ore. So, fantasy artists, let's use a little cobalt pigment when painting your kobolds. It will be our little joke.

Combined into the structure CoAl2O4 it becomes the blue shade we are familiar with in painting, glass making, and white-and-blue Chinese porcelain.
Cobalt blue was a favorite of Maxfield Parrish, and is sometimes also called Parrish Blue. Cobalt green is a mixture of cobalt zincate and zinc oxide. Both pigments are very stable, and therefore good choices for a painter who wants their work to last a long time.

Some cobalt compounds are also used as catalysts that speed the drying of inks, paints, and varnishes.

Although cobalt is part of vitamin B12, it is toxic and should not be ingested outside of food/supplements, where it a small part of the compounds of life. Likewise, anyone working with pigment powders should wear a protective mask to avoid accidental inhalation. The LD50 can be assumed at over 10 grams, ingested, but it is carcinogenic, so it is still best to wash up carefully after using cobalt paints.

Mai huzban can haz blog!

2010-07-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

Allan has been working on a series of novels, one complete, two more highly developed. He's decided to blog about his experiences, discoveries, mistakes, influences, and so on. He's got a great sense of humor, which makes the blog readable (not like my LOLspeak title).
Allan's Blog

Well, science...

2010-07-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

ScienceBlogs didn't stay down long, but I do intend to write some science+art posts.

Shall we start with light? After all, most crafts, scultures, drawings and paintings are enjoyed primarily visually. Tactile qualities may be of interest, too, but sighted people examine most things with their eyes.
Light is photons, vibrating at certain frequencies known as the visible spectrum. Light can also vibrate at lower frequencies (infrared, microwave) and higher frequencies (ultraviolet). These photons are released when electrons, small particles in orbit around the nucleus of an atom go from a high energy state to a lower energy state. The energy the electron had gained to be in that state has to go somewhere, and it does so in the form of the photon. The bigger the difference between the high, or excited, electron orbit, and its lower energy orbit, the higher frequency of the photon wave.
When we think of light as coming from fire, electricity, or the sun, we are looking at ways the electrons are raised to high enough energy levels that their jumps back release photons.
Then those photos reach objects. Most objects reflect light. Even matte-finishes on beads, acrylic painting, paper collage, etc. meant to reduce shine don't stop reflection. If no light is reflected, a item would seem either completely transparent or completely black. Color comes from an item reflecting light of a certain frequency, while absorbing other light. White objects reflect light across the visible spectrum. The difficulty in mixing colors comes partly from this. After all, the colors you look at are really reflected light, and if the frequencies reflecting off a blend of pigments isn't right, you get dark and muddy colors.

Solidarity!

2010-07-21T16:46:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite bloggers over on ScienceBlogs is on strike; half the bloggers there are either on strike or have left because management has been jerking them around too long. They are supposed to get paid, and the checks haven't been coming. They might blog anyway, as these are dedicated communicators, but they also can't get tech support, management doesn't respond to their questions and concerns, and the final straw hit the camels' backs when Science Blogs sold a blog space to a large corporation, so that Pepsi could put their spin on nutritional science.

Anyhow, I've been thinking for a while about doing some posts on how science and crafting and art intersect. Things like why do colors fade in sunlight, what goes into a gemstone, how do fibers connect to each other, etc. But I'm in the middle of a research paper right at the moment, so I can't go into specialized topics like this. What I can do is link you to some interesting science stuff at least once a day. If you like science, you'll have something to read without the ScienceBlogs organization.

I'll start you off with an article on nuclear fusion. How does it relate to crafts? Well, if it can be developed to the point of being a major energy source, it could mean an era of more abundant, less polluting energy, and that means you can put together better lighting and tools for your studio. Also, the price of manufacturing and shipping would be far less vulnerable to fluctuating fuel prices, so you will probably not have to worry about price spikes for your supplies. Consumers would likely end up with more money to spend on fun things once their electricity bills go down. On the other hand, it's likely to be decades away, so don't gt your hopes too high.

July sale: Life's a Beach

2010-07-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Mom, for helping me with the theme.

20% off anything to do with oceans, water, sand and sun. Please don't forget to contact me for the markdown before you make your purchase.

Planning next month's sale.

2010-06-26T15:34:00.000-07:00

If anyone is listening to me, I'd like a little input on next month's sale theme. Should I go with fantasy works? Prints? Art Cards Editions and Originals, aka ACEOs, ATCs? Nature? Jewelry? any other thoughts, based on what I have to offer?

Something to work on soon...

2010-06-15T02:46:00.000-07:00

I want to do some dinosaur paintings. I've been looking at some, and they all seem to have the dinosaurs walking in the dust. Yes, flowering plants, which only developed in the Cretaceous, could tolerate more dryness than other kinds of plants, but it still seems like if it isn't actual desert, there should be at least some signs of life. I mean, what is the point of painting a lone dinosaur (of a type they think were herd animals) next to conifers he can't reach the foliage of on an otherwise dusty, barren landscape?

I had more than I thought

2010-06-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

... in the category of space, science fiction, and science. Especially as I'm willing to consider animal art to be biology, if you'd like to get it at sale price.

June Sale

2010-06-02T22:12:00.001-07:00

June's monthly sale: Going back to school. Anything with a science or astronomy (space, science fiction, etc) tag or title will be 20% off. Please use the "contact" button in the store's sidebar so I can edit the price down before you purchase it; listed price is regular price.

I am still willing to consider taking custom orders, but will have to take into account how it will fit into my college schedule. Jewelry is fast to make and could be done on a slow day, but a complex painting would have to be done between terms, or spread out over a few weeks.

DragonLady Arianna

2010-05-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of doing a whole bunch of dragonlady art pieces and writing a book about them, but I will be doing a bit less art during my college classes, I think. It's going to be a demanding schedule. So I thought I'd present this one for now, listing her on Etsy in a few days.

Well, it looks like we're moving again.

2010-04-16T02:12:00.000-07:00

For the rest of April, get 25% off anything (and everything) you want from my store.

Census inspired

2010-04-09T03:41:00.000-07:00

I was sent two of the short forms for the census, so I got the idea of using bits of the form, acrylic paint, collage papers, and found objects to do a mixed media painting.

This has little to do with my art, directly.

2010-03-30T22:59:00.000-07:00

But some, indirectly.

I'm going back to college, to get a B.S. and then a teaching credential. I want to teach science; the more I think on it, the more I think I have found my calling.

Indirectly, this may effect my art in several ways. I'm already working on one abstract art piece based on collider particle tracks. (Hmm. Foxfire does not have collider in its spell check dictionary). I hope to have some fun turning visualizations into art inspirations.
And of course, there's the time issue. Although I think I'll be doing art at about the same pace and cutting back on other ways of spending time.

I really just want to talk about my plans, though, because I'm excited; it may have come late in life, but I've chosen my major, I have a path, and I have motivation to see it through. Wish me luck, though-- I have to take at least one course that is very hard to get into (high demand, little money for teachers and classrooms) before I can go farther.

Art Sale

2010-03-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

Well, my show at Chill Out Cafe has closed, and now my walls are absolutely filled with art again, and I keep producing new pieces. So I've got a 30% off sale for the month of March on the originals in my Etsy shop. Allan's works are covered by it, too-- so I'm using one of his, Sunbathing, to mark this post.

As usual, the discount is not already marked. Click on the contact button on the sidebar of my Etsy store to request the item be discounted for you, before you pay, please.

Wetlands

2010-02-19T03:06:00.000-08:00

I love bird watching, and egrets are one of my favorites. Their white feathers are so pure and reflective, they almost seem to glow sometimes, at least by contrast to their surroundings. I set this painting in the morning in shallows that are a hybrid of various rivers, lakes and lagoons I have lived near.
I finished it last summer, but it's only had a brief showing at the Lodi Art Center, and I've listed it on Etsy for its next public offering.

The Lodi Community Art Center

2010-02-06T20:16:00.000-08:00

...is now on Facebook.

My mom helps me maintain membership with the art group in my home town. They are a not-for-profit organization that helps encourage youth art with shows and scholarships, as well as classes for all ages, Art Tours, open competitions, and the member shows and gallery/boutique.
I've been newsletter editor for them for most of a year. It's something I can do to contribute in spite of the distance, and it keeps me aware of what's going on.

Check out the Art Center's logo! It was done as part of a speed art contest, and I love it (not my work). It makes me think of the famous Don Quixote painting.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/pages/Lodi-Community-Art-Center/195796816730?ref=ts

I'm going to try to get back to publishing more often here. I want to profile some other artists, and tell the stories behind some of my artwork.

F is for Free Shipping in February

2010-02-01T16:14:00.000-08:00

F is for Free Shipping in February Sale! For all discounts, use the contact button in the sidebar and I will edit the discount in for you. Over 100 choices
http://krummenacker.etsy.com

12th month sale!

2009-12-06T04:02:00.000-08:00

12% off everything to celebrate the 12th month. Ask for the discount by using the Contact button in the sidebar of my store. I do free gift shipping on request, with the item nicely wrapped and a small card with your message enclosed.

Planning and progress.

2009-11-14T19:01:00.000-08:00

I've started a new piece; I think I'll call it "Across the Bay". I'm experimenting with blue skies and this one looked just like the misty skies we get when the marine layer is hovering. Ultramarine and titanium white make almost a lavender gray blue. The mist thickens near the horizon, but I will add touches from the hills across the bay, and closer, there will be sailboats. We saw a regatta in strong fog once, and it was somewhat eerie seeing the boats appear and disappear in the mist.

I want to work a butterfly painting, but I want to be sure what to do with the sky first. It will probably be lake blue + titanium, but I want to experiment with phthalo blue and white, too. I may add a bit of white/yellow while the blue is drying to make it seem especially sunny. The thing I want to capture is how when the sun shines through their wings, the underside of the monarch butterfly is as bright as the top side. I noticed this on a visit to the monarch sanctuary at Natural Bridges state park with my parents. I'm also hoping for the sense of joy and wonder the sight brings.

Looking over my works, I paint a LOT of sky. I love bird-watching, star gazing, and watching sunsets. Kate Bush's song, "The Big Sky", rather spoke to me.

November Sale: Red

2009-11-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

November Sale. The theme color is RED: autumn leaves, roaring fires, and red ornaments going up. 20% off any item with "red" in the title or tags. For all discounts, use the contact button in the sidebar and I will edit the discount in for you.

October Sale for my Etsy Store

2009-10-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

October Sale. The theme color is black: 13% off any item with "black" in the title or tags. For all discounts, use the contact button in the sidebar and I will edit the discount in for you.

News of my art

2009-10-01T06:02:00.000-07:00

With summer over and the weather still very fair, but the beaches uncrowded, it's a wonderful time for me to go out and find inspirations for pieces. I painted a watercolor just a couple of days ago of a wave crashing against a cliff. I also made a little acrylic space scene I'm calling Crowded Space. No photos of either for me to share yet, unfortunately, but soon.

We took down the shows from Cafe Bene and Cafe Pergolesi here in Santa Cruz, but we have art up at Chill Out Cafe and will add a few pieces to it. I also might add some items soon to the Lodi Community Art Center.

One project I need to work on is finding a free photo editor that will do color adjustments and watermarking, but will work on an Apple OSX.03 -- suggestions are welcome. If I can correct for lens distortion or the photo being slightly off angle, that would be great.

I need to plan a new sale for my Etsy store.

Sorry for the long delay between posts.

2009-09-26T23:11:00.000-07:00

I've had to rethink what I'm doing with my blog a little. Trying to get a relevant poem in every post wasn't really working out; my plan had been to push myself to write more, but instead, I was blogging less.

I'm pleased to say Allan and I have 3 shows running right now: Cafe Bene, Cafe Pergolesi, and the Chill Out Cafe all have our art on their walls. All of these are Santa Cruz locations. Cafe Bene and Pergolesi's shows will be running out at the end of the month. Chill Out Cafe will carry our art until further notice, with items being rotated in.

I'm working more these days with gallery wrap canvases, where I can paint on the sides and hang them without frames. The look is easy to go with most decors, and while the canvases cost a bit more, it's cheaper than framing them.

You'll find more posts here more often; I intend to share information on projects in the works, thoughts behind some of my palette choices, and maybe more bits of writing.

1000 hearts giveaway

2009-03-18T03:44:00.000-07:00

I've been hearted over 975 times! And I just have to celebrate my 1000th when it comes. So here's the deal:

Favorite items in my shop that interest you. After the 1000th heart, I will pick out at least 5 items and randomly pick one of the people who hearted it to receive it, absolutely free. If they are anonymous or refuse it, I will offer it to another person who hearted it.
Of course, the sooner I reach 1000, the sooner the giveaway happens.

http://krummenacker.etsy.com

Black Friday/ Cyber Monday Sale

2008-11-27T15:08:00.000-08:00

I've put discounts on 59 items in my store! Here's a sample.

Featured items, update and sale information.

2008-11-17T16:05:00.000-08:00

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
krummenacker.etsy.com

Well, our cat didn't make it. She had a brain lesion, which is untreatable, and it was causing her to be unable to swallow, and to shake violently. We ended up with a vet bill of over $800, and although my Etsy sales didn't cover it, a few generous buyers did make a significant difference for us.
I'm now hoping to earn a little money for the holidays-- my temp work has actually slowed up lately-- through a storewide 25% off sale. Just hit the contact button in the store and tell me what you want to buy, and I will be happy to adjust the price for you and reserve it for you to purchase.

Veterniarian bill sale-- help me help my cat

2008-10-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

40% off anything in my shop. Convo me before purchase for the discount.

My cat has lost about a third of her body weight. They're giving her IV fluids and running a bunch of tests. The bill so far is $300 and that's not even knowing what's wrong with her yet. My husband and I are both low paid temp workers. Anything will help.

Thanks.
--
http://krummenacker.etsy.com

Arrrgh! Avast ye sea dogs!

2008-09-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

I celebrated Talk Like a Pirate Day by adding a pirate themed trinket box to my Etsy site. I always enjoy a touch of whimsy.

The lid slides open: there's more pictures of it here:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15404881

Closed, it hold coins like a bank
Or open, make dolls walk the plank.

Welcome in Fall!

2008-09-13T16:24:00.001-07:00

Etsy
Buy Handmade
krummenacker

To celebrate, I'm offering 25% off everything in the Clothing and Costumery and Hairsticks sections of my Etsy store. http://krummenacker.etsy.com -- I'd like to help people who are designing their own Halloween costumes to dress them up. Just hit the "contact" button on the store site and it will let you send me a message. Tell me what you want and I will edit it for the discount and reserve it for you to purchase.

Apple of Discord, and other ACEOs

2008-08-21T02:01:00.000-07:00

These are ACEOs-- Art Card Editions and Originals, and in my case, all originals. They are art pieces done in the same dimensions as a trading card (like baseball cards), 2.5 x 3.5 inches. This makes them a great way for people without big houses and big budgets to have their own art collection, and I'm all about making art available for everyone.
This is the most recent group I've painted, but ACEOs have their own section in my shop and I just painted 5 more pieces tonight that I haven't had time to photograph.

Today's poem is extemporaneous, referencing the same legend in the red painting above.

Eris's apple: To the fairest.
Sweet temptation of the ego,
Shining brightly, like an insect
Full of toxics, sharp and bitter.
Brightly golden, worse than pyrite,
Costing more labor and bloodshed
Than Gold Rushes coming later.
Paris judges, but no winner
In the end, except Fair Discord.

New exhibition by FAE

2008-08-06T15:47:00.000-07:00

Visions of Atlantis-- a watery theme for the hottest month.

Beneath the water, coral towers
Entwined with kelp around their bowers
Sparkle under sea-snow showers
Brightly decked wi' anenome flowers.

Magically successful.

2008-07-28T02:21:00.001-07:00

With the difficulties I've had with the Art Nouveau Medusa, my artistic confidence was getting a bit shaken. So I was pleased to have this be a roaring success with this Wiccan business card holder.

For those of you not familiar with these symbols, the pentacle represents 5 elements: spirit, air, fire, water, and earth, with spirit being the top point. Although some Christians in modern times are suspicious of the pentacle, in medieval times it was also thought to represent Five Virtues and was referred to as being embroidered on the equipage of great Christian knights in epic poems. In the Tarot, the Pentacles are the suit of Air, Intellect, and Wealth: not bad symbols for a business card holder.
The Triple Moon symbol represents the Goddess as maiden, mother and crone. The waning and waxing of the moon has always been seen as a metaphor for the cycle of life, and the Fates found in many myths are likely a version of the triple goddess. I consider the Triple Moon an excellent reminder in today's youth culture that there are other times of life which are just as important. Those with life experience become more confident and more powerful.

Still trying...

2008-07-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

to make a Medusa my customer actually likes. I can't wish for her to be less choosy, because a tattoo is basically forever. I do wish, however, she had a slightly better art vocabulary, to make communications with her easier.

I've got a few other little custom pieces to work on now, a necklace and bracelet set for a friend, and a Wiccan business card holder I got an order for through Etsy's Alchemy. Plus, I'm working on and off as a Kelly temp.

Money
makes the world go round,
Yet it seems
we're slowing down.

I wish prosperity to all my readers. Times are hard for many people, but I believe we can all get through this.

Custom design in progress

2008-06-08T03:09:00.000-07:00

The idea is an Art Nouveau style medusa (with non-snake hair), who must be beautiful in a way more ethereal than sexual. I think this works but I want approval from the customer before I start to ink her.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Exhibition

2008-05-31T13:28:00.000-07:00

The Fantasy Artists of Etsy have put together a new exhibition; the banner doesn't seem to work here, so I'll find a link...

Hmm, I added the link, but it's not displaying for me, so here's the copy/paste version.
http://fantasyartofetsy.webng.com/exhibition.html

The longest day still ticks away;
The hands of time are never stayed.
But dreams go on, and so does song
So let us never be dismayed.

Bracelets I have made

2008-05-29T02:53:00.000-07:00

I've gotten on a site that makes slideshows easy to make, and I'm hoping it will work as well on a blog as on a journal. No poem tonight. My arm was injured recently and I think I've typed too much as it is.

bracelets

Near Neary Lagoon

2008-05-26T13:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo from our "backyard". A wood duck has claimed a space on the water. You can't see the fish in this picture, but not far below the surface, there are koi/carp that are longer than he is.

Koi wait patiently;
Warmed in a California
Lagoon by Spring sun.

A New Start

2008-05-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

Allan and I have moved to Santa Cruz. It is so beautiful here, I know I will be inspired to do much more art and poetry. For now, I'm recovering from an arm injury and don't have internet access at home yet... so I will post more once these problems are taken care of. But I have much to share.

So much charm

2008-04-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

I had an order of a snake pendant a couple of weeks ago, and while I was trying to find a lovely snake, I discovered a set of dragons! They were so pretty, and the price was right, so I bought them to use in future items. Anyone who wants to order a custom item before I end up putting them to work in other creations, please speak up.
And since these are Asian dragons, I offer this haiku from my poetry archives:

Dragon brings the rain,
Drops like tiny pearls falling,
Seeding the rice fields.

The Custom-er is always Happy, part 2

2008-03-31T05:52:00.000-07:00

Blame Canada-- well at least a Canadian girl with remarkable hair! Ordinary hair sticks are just too small to hold her luxurious locks so she custom ordered 11 inch, gem topped creations. We worked together on the choice of stones. Moonstone and turquoise/ malachite and pearl, on the different pairs. It's a delicate but elegant look.
And it's given me another idea. Sticks *this* long are big enough for knitting needles. And I know fancy knitting needles have their market.
Today's poem. Well, I'm proud of how things are going with my art/artisan work. So, I give you my poem on pride.

Pride

A thousand trumpets
Sing their clarion
Call to triumph,
An echo of the
Leaping soul-song.
To split the sky,
Etch names in stone,
Command the wind
Takes but a thought.

This glory must be shared!
Know, all, your beauty,
Wisdom, power, and measureless
Potential, heady as wine.
‘Til drunk with joy, we
Stop to rest, and savor
Sweet achievement.

The Custom-er is always Happy

2008-03-28T03:54:00.000-07:00

Some artists don't really like doing custom work. It compromises their artistic integrity, or it makes them feel like a worker rather than facing it with inspiration.
I actually LOVE doing custom work, at least I have every time I've been given the chance. Of course, working with my own ideas is fun and creative, but it feels even more exciting for me to *stretch* myself by working with someone, to create something I wouldn't have, solely by my own effort. Just for instance, I tend to prefer very clear, strong colors: fuschia and cobalt, black and red; such combinations as the pure paints yield.
When a buyer was looking for an abstract with light brown, beige and light green, though, I found it intriguing. It made me think of leaves against sand, or a bit of forest undergrowth-- but she wanted geometric, not organic, design. Even more intriguing.
What do such peaceful colors suggest in a geometric style? Stability. Tranquility. But an art piece should also suggest a dynamic side, so I conceived of a sphere for stability and rays for motion.
This top picture was my initial foray, to see if that general concept would work. With a request to tone down the green (She was right-- the green was highly mixed with white, but still dried darker than wet) and approval to add a few more rays for balance, I ended up with the second and final version. We were both happy with it, and as it fit well in a priority envelope, it should be in her hands about now.

It's been a while.

2008-03-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a hand injury, I've tried to minimize my typing for a while.
With Spring here, there's a lot more light for taking photos. I've even set up a little photography station near a window so I can use natural light and yet not go out in the big asthma-provoking outdoors.
While packing things to move, I found this Dragon Glass Candle Holder I painted a while back and stashed carefully away. It's gone into my store inventory boxes for now, but I wouldn't mind at all having to ship it before we move! So pretty-- the gold paint doesn't photograph well with a light background, so if you go to my store, you will see a dark background, too, that really shows how it can shine!
I've updated photos on many of my older listings to make them clearer and more informative.

No poem, because I'm late getting ready for bed. The way I react to the fibromyalgia and asthma keeps me nocturnal-- but I can function by day on the coast, where I'm so much healthier.

New Art

2008-03-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

I've been finishing a lot of paintings lately. It's an urge I've had as we've gotten closer to moving. I can't stand to pack an unfinished canvas. Unfortunately, even trying to fit two paintings into one post makes the formatting on this blog rather difficult.

Come to my etsy site to see the rest of the new listings!

http:krummenacker.etsy.com

Here's a poem I wrote that combines goddesses and Egypt.

Bast breathes an Eternal purr mixed with moonlight.
Twin moons with the glow of gold watch through the night.
Silent, she sidles, the hush of wind her sound.
Twisting like a river, she marks sacred ground
Until Ra’s rays fall upon her silken fur
And Bast becomes woman, but her face, her purr
Recalls the midnight prowling and moonlight glints.
Bast is the feline Pharoah, benevolence.

New FAE exhibition

2008-03-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

src="http://fantasyartofetsy.webng.com/exhibition/exbanner_march.jpg"
border="0" target="_blank">

March Madness was my idea-- I've seen lots of Alice In Wonderland and dark fantasy stuff, so when we decided to do more exhibitions, I thought it would be good to give people a chance to pull out some of their more unusual pieces.

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update, but I got an injury on a fingertip that has made typing a lot more difficult for a while.

In the theme of madness, this poem was written in character a while back, but works quite well without any background and isn't really that dark...

Silver Tears

Oh kiss, my love, these silver tears,
And make the madness go away.
My pain is more than I can say,
Yet at love’s touch it disappears.

Now beak these bonds, these chains of hate
I’ve carried through long, lonely years,
Forged of faithlessness and fears,
And tempered by the blows of fate.

Then bring, my love, the light of day
That burns the fog that clouds my sight,
For still my soul is full of night
And only you can see the way.

Then lift, my love, with easy might
This spirit lain with heavy weight.
Your love alone can consecrate
A heart so long removed from right.

The silver tears that gently traced
A song of woe across my face,
Are vanished, lost in your embrace;
And lest by me you be debased,
Or that your love may seem misplaced,
I vow to dedicate to grace
All strength within this mortal case
Until my faults are all erased.

Green Goddess

2008-02-18T03:50:00.000-08:00

It started with an experiment with making skirted fairy pendants/charms. I noticed some of them had a rather goddess-y silhouette, so I decided to try make a goddess figurine. I had copper wire I could use to give her arms and the spiral, and with spring already underway around here, a green goddess seemed just right, with leaves and a slender strand of beads like a stalk or vine.

I intend to do more in other themes, but this seemed like the perfect start.

My muse loves it, too.

The lady green loves growing things,
And dances with the sun.
Her pale mane, it falls as rain,
And washes everyone.
As her dance flows, each creeping rose
Bursts forth before her face.
The rain, and dew, and moonlight, too
Reflect her glowing grace.

FAE's Storybook Romance

2008-02-11T23:10:00.000-08:00

The Fantasy Artists of Etsy street team has an exhibition up. See what my colleagues have been making!

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Daylight?!

2008-02-10T14:24:00.000-08:00

When I'm traveling, of course I cannot be quite the night owl I usually am. So now that I'm home I've been able to take new and better pictures of a lot of my etsy listings. Also, I've got new listings up, like this mermaid vase and a banshee art piece. http://krummenacker.etsy.com

Since my title is about changing my schedule and being up in the day, my poem is one I wrote years ago when I was reluctantly diurnal.

The day devours time;
The hours, sun-scorched, die
Or are pushed into
Oblivion by
Clocks’ hand and digits.

The night gives time back—
No demands, schedules.
Crickets mark seconds
In broken rhythm.
You breathe minutes, hours.

The moon speaks of months;
The stars sing the music
Of eons’ passage.
You look up and fall
Into forever.

A Journey To Be Taken

2008-02-04T02:08:00.000-08:00

This week, Tuesday-Friday, I will be spending time in Santa Cruz. I truly think it will make a world of difference to my health once I am living there. We will be scouting out mobile home parks, as the most likely source of affordable rentals. Allan will take a test for a county job. We will probably both be looking into other job opportunities and such as well.
I love ocean air, the cries of seagulls, the towering sequoias in the mountains above. The area has been calling us for years, and the move has been too long delayed by second-guessing.
I like the people who live in the area, too. People feel better and it shows in their interactions.

Today's poem is about a different type of ocean-- the cosmos. I wrote this after stargazing one night at college.

Black Ocean

If an ocean had no floor,
A weight would fall forever.
In a black, endless sea
Drift a million pearls
Lit from within, at changing depth.
There are no shores,
But a lush, green isle where I stand.

I want to fall into the cool dark,
The ocean that is the sky,
Among the pearly stars.
Sometimes I start to fall,
But the island pulls me back,
Earthbound.

A poem, mainly

2008-01-31T20:02:00.000-08:00

Although this is a cool painting I did, recently listed on my etsy site. http://krummenacker.etsy.com

I hope you can read LOLcat speak, as the poem is not written in normal English.

Cheezeburger Cat sez:
I CAN haz cheezeburger!
Not question; statement--
Way of living.
Az ceiling cat iz witness,
Never be hungry again.

Life full of things,
Some I DO NOT WANT.
But embrace invizible stuff
And they will be there.

Believe in ur cheezeburger,
And nom. nom, nom.

Who?

2008-01-30T03:40:00.000-08:00

Allan Krummenacker, that's who drew this. :) My husband and I both love owls, and barn owls, with their heart shaped faces, were perfect for his "love birds". The name of the picture is "Moonlight Rendezvous", and while we gave the original to his mother, we did make prints which I've just listed on my Etsy site.
http://krummenacker.etsy.com

Seems like the perfect poetic finish for this will be one of my love poems...

Kiss me into heaven, with each tiny touch a stair.
Kiss me into heaven; let me know how much you care.
No words can yet express
The way you do with each caress.
With you alone, I dare to give myself to happiness

Thank You, Tracy!

2008-01-23T04:53:00.000-08:00

My friend Tracy helped me out by modeling my hairsticks. I'm afraid I had a little trouble holding the camera steady enough, but I got one usable photo on each, which, combined with better focused pictures, should help people solve the question of, "But how to I *use* them?"
Doesn't Tracy have lovely hair? We had a great visit, besides.

I wrote this poem years ago, back when Tracy, some other friends and myself, had a pretend Assassin's Guild going, and I was fascinated by reincarnation and Asian history...

The wheel turns--
Clans at war, locked in struggle.
Lord kills spy, love kills lord,
Ripples on a pond.
The wheel turns.

A new item from Allan

2008-01-17T19:38:00.000-08:00

Doesn't he do beautiful work? Okay, I'm biased, being his wife and all, but I love how well he creates a sense of dimension on these calla lilies. There's even a sense of the slightly fleshy texture of the flowers--my parents have a huge bed of calla lilies outside their house and I used to play with them as a child.
Actually, when I was about 5, one of my favorite games to play by myself was "magic potions", which was basically inventing ways to process substances and imagine what a mixture of them, with the right spell, could do. The calla lilies were one of my favorite things to work with because of the interesting textures within them.

and here's a little poem I wrote about a form of "magic potion" that I have long been skeptical of:

The masquerade begins.
Glimmering promises of beauty
In colors bright or shy,
Perfectly matched,
Tantalize the eye.
Photographs like romantic dreams
Gaze at you,
Or romp through sunlit fields.
Like a gypsy tune,
The call of magic,
Your youth recaptured,
Your wishes fulfilled,
Sing the ads,
The catalogs
Of a billion-dollar industry:
Cosmetics.

My mom has an art blog now

2008-01-15T05:26:00.000-08:00

http://artid.com/members/Caroline/blog/

She's really been my main muse; she read us the best books while we were growing up. She's done wonderful writing, from nonfiction, to poetry, to novels. And as you can see, she is a truly talented painter. You might say she taught me the art of finding ways to show people the world through your own eyes.

Also, I wish to mention that some of my poetry will be going onto part of the FAE website. I don't know what the exact links will be, because our webmistress is remastering the site. But I can give you a sample for your reading pleasure now

Enter the Dragon

A dragon tries to fly against the wind;
How valiantly he struggles to ascend
A sky forbidden long to such as he!
Though others rise upon his vast wing-breeze
(And seem to soar aloft with such bright ease,
Surpassing him in height but not in might),
He’ll not content himself with lower flight,
But roars, insistent that the sky be free!

Oh, valiant dragon, dropped before your time;
Oh, cruel curse to interrupt his climb:
And yet, the dragon’s legend still remains,
And lifts up others, following his name.
The dragon has, at last, achieved his fame.
Do you see him in the clouds, atop the sky?
Remember him, and he will always fly,
A pioneer, rewarded for his pains.

A quick way to see what FAE has been creating

2008-01-11T03:43:00.000-08:00

Click
here to see items from FaeEtsy's talented artisans

Moon River

2008-01-09T20:19:00.001-08:00

I love working with real stones, and pearls. They have a wonderful feel to them, and seem to interact with personal energy even as I work. The chatoyant pale stones are moonstone, and the blue central stone is amazonite, thus Moon River is a sort of play on their names. Freshwater pearls unite the themes-- the moonlight-like gleam of white pearl, and freshwater for the river. Silver seemed the natural choice of metals to go with, being associated with moon and water in magic.

Design is a great pleasure; if one has enough materials to choose from, it is possible to layer a wealth of meaning in one simple item.

Here's a poem I wrote with a watery theme, although not fresh water. ..

Sing me the love song
That the waves sing to the beach
Embrace me like the tide.
Where we touch,
We merge,
Reshaping one another
In the landscape of life.

In California, winter doesn't tend to last long

2008-01-07T03:15:00.000-08:00

And so I've been focusing on spring and summer themes. The FAE team is doing a Storybook Romance competition/exhibition right now, and whether I have something suitable or not in my story may depend on what is considered fantasy. BTW, no one has bothered commenting on my questions on the FAE blog as to how the lines are drawn, anyhow.

My asthma has been worse lately; it seems our rains have been doing more to encourage mold than scrub the air.

I sometimes fret, and sometimes seethe,
When I find it's getting hard to breathe.

Playing with something new

2008-01-04T00:18:00.000-08:00

I sanded down and painted a little tin with acrylic craft paint and mod podge, added glitter, an owl I'd made from salt dough, more paint and mod podge, and it is cute as can be. I am not, however, convinced it is 100% as durable as can be, so if any of my readers work with metal and know the right cleaners and paints to get a really durable finish, please let me know.
The tin is the size of an Altoids tin, but came as a promotional thing in a box of tea. I didn't much see people being interested in tins with tea related graphics on them, but the owl is just the sort of thing the people *I* know love.

I'm afraid I only have one poem with an owl theme, and it's a bit grim. The muse is lost in thought over a cup of tea and not giving me new words, so here it is.
Death awaits,
An owl perched watching,
Waiting to swoop,
To lift the stray in its talons
Aloft in the sky.

New year; new listings; new sale

2008-01-01T17:46:00.000-08:00

Happy 2008, everyone.

We will probably be moving soon, so I'm offering free shipping on everything in the US and normal US shipping costs for people everywhere else. I'd like to have less stuff to pack and move!

I also might get a day job afterwards, so I want to get plenty of listings up before then-- it takes less time to check the site and ship as opposed to wrestling with listing information. Don't worry about me becoming less efficient, though; I will, as always, have my husband's full cooperation in getting things shipped.
He HAS to help-- I'm selling his art, too, as can be seen from Autumn Melody for Wind and Strings show here and drawn entirely by him in soft pastels (the medium, not the color).
I've got a lot of new jewelry I want to list, once I have good photographs. And bookmarks-- everyone can use nice bookmarks, although it's a bit tricky to find good materials to do masculine styled ones.

And the muse is quite friendly today; this is a brand new poem:

Shadows of the past year
Slowly fade away;
Soft lights shine above, here,
Heralding the day.
Hope for new beginnings,
Brilliant joys, arise.
The future's underpinnings
Reflect upon my eyes.

Happy Holidays

2007-12-25T03:46:00.000-08:00

I don't have much to say, other than to wish my readers a good time and a happy new year.

I wrote this haiku series to suggest the changing seasons.

I Imagine a Fox

Black rock amid snow,
Glistening, the onyx eye
Of an Arctic fox.

White Narcissus blooms,
A star against a stone sky.
(Fox runs in the night.)

Ebony stone hides
As bamboo grows around it,
Shadow of hunted.

Crimson leaves become
Lush red fur on napping stone
Moonbeams cradle it.

Snow slurries again:
Bamboo lashes frame the eye.
The fox gazes on.

Christmas is coming

2007-12-16T06:15:00.000-08:00

I will ship priority within the US so there's still time.

The postman gets off on most holidays;
But it still works him hard in many ways.

;) Okay, I'm reduced to letting doggerel chase the mail man, but it's a busy time of year.

Spacing Out

2007-12-15T01:44:00.000-08:00

This piece, Launching, depicts a cat as a silhouette of space and stars, playing against a background of sunspots, chasing after a ringed planet.
Partly it was inspired by watching my cat jump after toys, thinking how rocket-like their high-leaps can be. Partly it was inspired by the "solar-powered cat" joke, referring to their love of napping in the sun. Partly it was my love of the night sky, astronomy, and my cat's sleek black fur. She hides against black backgrounds from an instinctive love of camouflage. Having loved books about space-faring cats as a child, it just all sort of came together thusly. I have some future Cosmic Cat paintings planned, but tis is the only one completed yet. I have recently relisted this on my Etsy site to get it the attention it deserves.

The Cosmic Cat's the only one,
Who might be playing on the sun.

Flame On!

2007-12-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

I love phoenixes. They are a symbol of hope, especially for someone like me who has to deal with health issues. I imagine job loss, heartbreak, etc can also be helped some by the thought of the creature that rises from its own ashes.
I painted this and a few other glasses to serve as candle holders. They are painted with the same durable, dishwasher safe paints I use on my wineglasses-- speaking of which I have added 3 Christmas themed pairs of wineglasses to my shop.

I wrote this poem several years ago.

Each Life, a Phoenix
by Helen Krummenacker

Though rage may leap insatiable as fire,
And dark despair like smoke engulf the skies,
The blaze of pain will not become a pyre,
For even anguish meets its own demise.

The human heart endures beyond breaking
And human minds can dream beyond defeat,
For there is joy in toil and retaking
The field from which we were thrown in retreat.

For life is like a phoenix, ever new,
Reborn amidst the ashes of despair.
Each loss is an au revoir, not an adieu—
Even ones which seem beyond repair.

For phoenixes we are all; we have no end.
Not even death will last; life must return.
So with the faith that ev’ry wound shall mend
What matters is our courage while we burn.

The fires have not scorched me very near
And yet I know the flames approach, sublime
And I will lose my treasures, not with fear,
But with the hope to rise higher next time.

Not as quiet as I've seemed to be

2007-11-28T06:42:00.001-08:00

I've started doing Wednesday contributions to the FAE (Fantasy Artists of Etsy) Group blog-- not about my art, but rather the history and legends that contribute to fantasy art. See the blog http://fantasyartofetsy.blogspot.com/ for my article on unicorns, then scroll a bit further down to where I talk about the real beginnings.

Mind you, I wonder if they aren't too dry and scholarly, more science than fantasy-- I'm hoping for feedback to let me know how things are from a reader's point of view!

I'm an odd duck by most measures, I suppose; I believe in a lot of things that aren't well proven, but I don't expect others to. I love fantasy, but I love science, too, and spend hours pouring over essays by the late Stephen Jay Gould, watching Nova programs and other science documentary work, or thumbing through science popularizations ( and debunking of badly written articles that misconstrue studies). I use herbal cures and aromatherapy, but base usage on the ones that have good evidence for them. Cranberry juice if you think you have a bladder infection coming on, for instance, is well proven.

So I will close with a poem from my science-loving side.

Evolution

I hold a stone that was a bone
Encased within strong flesh and skin
Belonging to a hominid.
Now, I could be her great-grandkid.
How great the change. How very strange,
Anticipating our mutating
When we leave this planet behind.
Who knows what wonders we will find
Selecting genes? Survival means
Adaptations. Situations
Will decide who carries on.
Humanity is at its dawn.

I felt strongly about this artist.

2007-11-22T06:08:00.000-08:00

juliepersons of Etsy works in wool felt, thus the bad pun I began with-- but that fact is, I found her work strongly moving. Although she sculpts many things in wool, including jewelry, accessories and bowls, the really outstanding items in her shop are the dolls and tapestries. Particularly interesting is her recurring themes of pregnancy and nursing. I've long believed that as a society, we need to get over the negative reaction to nursing. It's the best thing for the health of children, but women receive a lot of pressure, both economic and social, to stop as soon as possible. So, if art can change the world, I hope images like these can change people's reactions to nature's baby food. Also, you can see she does mermaids, which I find just plain cool as a fantasy artist.
In fact she started felting after her daughter was weaned. The loss of that means of emotional bonding was saddening and the artwork was a cathartic experience. Her works take from two hours to four-- a simple doll takes about 3 hours, with more time for the nursing dolls (after all, those are two dolls together!) "I feel like I "know" each one so well by the time I am done," she says of the long process.
Of her themes, "My focus on maternity comes from being a mother, I think. I love the female form and the pregnant torso is a beautiful, wondrous thing."
Having had such a strong sense of meaningfulness and appreciation when I went to her store, I asked her what first reaction she wants to create. "I hope that newcomers to the store will feel joy when they enter. I hope that I can share the feeling that I LOVE what I do and put a part of myself into every piece. I am happy when I am felting and I am grateful for the chance to share that with others."
I think her happiness shines through, and I think you will see it, too. Her store is at
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=44218

SnowBringer

2007-11-20T22:26:00.000-08:00

FAE-- the Fantasy Artists of Etsy-- is having a competion with the theme Snowflake Fantasy. Here's my entry-- an exotic faerie with feathered wings and a sea dragon's tail, the SnowBringer flies to the forest making snow and trailing it in her wake.
Some of the snow and highlights in her wings and hair were made with pearly acrylic ink, but the main of the painting is done in watercolor, with some colored pencil details through in.

FAE is also having a Christmas exhibition. Check it out at our team's website: there are works in glass, art dolls, chain maille, jewelry, and more. Oh, and it's being updated on a weekly basis so that the sold items go away and new items listed by members are added. http://fantasyartofetsy.webng.com/exhibition.html

The muse says I must have a good poem to go with this... let me check my writing archives. Ah, the forest...

The trees whisper
Words of wisdom
Older than works
Of ancient man.

Children, poets,
Dreamers listen,
Pressing their ears
To dusty bark.

Softly they breathe,
Becoming part
Of the rhythm,
Gentle music.

The music of
Endless eons,
Earth keeping time
Under brass storms.

The refrain lilts
In reedy voice:
"Root deep; grow straight.
Reach for the sky.

"Fill yourself with
Joy, harbor life.
Test the wind
Before bending.

"Be a forest
Within yourself,
And yourself in
The joined forest.

"In the song of
Cycles, oldest
Of music, find
Your harmony.

"Wait for the rain,
It always comes.
Fear not the fire,
For it renews.

"And remember,
The sun, hidden,
Still sustains the
Cycle of life."

Most humans try
To move in straight
Paths, without pause
Accelerate.

They struggle as
Their desires break
Against the flow
Of world-time

Like splashes made
Against the oceans,
Rivers fighting
Against the tide.

The biosphere
Is a thing of
Quiet circles,
Shifting sine waves.

Humans are, first,
Part of nature.
Her patterns are
Ours, in our blood.

Listen to trees,
They know the way;
They grow with love
For Earth and Sky.

To bend, to rest
At the proper
Moment; Nature
Gives the cues.

In harmony
We may find peace:
The way of men,
Women and trees.

Ornaments

2007-11-18T20:50:00.000-08:00

If painted crafts are a natural outgrowth of art, ornaments are a natural outlet for the jewelry-maker. Carefully wrapping wire and glass to show off the natural beauty of the materials requires some wrist strength but is a joy to do.
I've set some ornaments aside as a gift for my father, but I'm putting many up for sale on Etsy.

Dreams of summer days
Cut through drifting winter fog;
The sun is in my heart.

The funny thing about art

2007-11-18T05:28:00.000-08:00

Once you've learned how to compose a design, work with color, and so on, many other crafts fall into place. Painting on glass or fabric means, usually, a minimalist approach, and the artist has to work with different textures and viscosity than usual, but most artists love learning new technical things anyhow.
It's probably a natural progression to go from art painting to craft painting-- if only because there is only so much wall space. Sometimes practical, usable art items make more sense.

Woollyheadedness--
Enduring, slightly scratchy,
Yet attractive wit?

Etsy Mini test

2007-11-16T06:20:00.000-08:00

If this works, you should see a clickable sampler of recent items from my shop.

A poem under
Such a marvelous display
Would be an excess.

eta: It didn't work.

Treasure Trove!

2007-11-10T06:23:00.000-08:00

Well, we do need to get ready to move, so we've been going through boxes to see what is worth keeping, and what did my dear husband find but the plates I painted a few years ago?

This dragon, green with golden eyes, fire and, belly, is just fantastic! And there are more things, celestial images, floral designs... so many things for me to add to my Etsy site, which currently stands at 130 listings! I hope I get some more sales; I like having lots of options for shoppers, but it gets a bit embarrassing when the sales are less than 10% of the inventory.

I've got a couple more art pieces to put up, too; I need to measure them still , but the photos are all ready. And I keep making more hair sticks, because they seem to be in short supply on Etsy-- those are getting hits much faster than more common jewelry items.

A new poem:

Things forgotten,
Of joy or beauty,
We pack away
For the unpacking.

The smell of old paper;
The box opens
Revealing yesterday's dreams.

Memories are tangible.

Sarah Pittman; worthy of admiration

2007-11-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

Here are just two of the clever creations of Sarah Pittman, a fellow member of Fantasy Artists of Etsy (FAE, appropriately. ) She recently became one of the official leaders of the group after organizing several projects, including our calendar. She also came up with the idea of a group book, which I will be helping with. I know few artists who put so much enthusiasm into helping other artists succeed as well.
She got her start thanks to her father, also an artist, playing drawing games with her. About four years ago, she began to work on her art more constantly, feeling the need to draw on a daily basis. The regular effort has allowed her to develop greater skill.
Fantasy films she watched while growing up, such as Legend, Labyrinth, and Neverending Story, helped influence her towards fantasy. When asked about the frequent fairy themes in her art, she explained, "I think my love for fairies grew from there - as they're personally a favourite of mine to collect as well as draw myself. I remember the first fairy I drew was a fairy called 'Primrose' and I haven't been able to stop drawing them since. As well as fairies being a favourite subject of mine, I think fairies offer a great deal to an artist, as you get a mix of figure drawing and trying to capture their character, and thefreedom to use your imagination, as fairies can be anywhere doing anything, and can be wearing anything - theyre just a joy to draw!"
Mainly, her works are done in colored pencil. I've worked with pencil, too, and was interested in what she has to say about the medium. "It takes a long time to complete a piece in coloured pencils, but I'd say the time it takes is definately worth it. The best things about coloured pencils are that they're always ready to use, and they're easy to transport, so you can use them anywhere, and when you've found 'your brand' of pencils, they're a pleasure to use - I'd definitely recommend that if anyone is considering using coloured pencils they invest in getting some artist quality pencils, they're definately worth it. With coloured pencils you get a lot more control over where the colour goes, and I have to say I enjoy all the layering that goes into it, and the way you can blend colours together easily, plus there are so many different techniques and methods to using them (which I won't go into here), it's a medium that's great to experiment with."
Although I haven't gotten into the experimental methods so much, I know the rest of it is very true! I used to do art on the go quite a bit, and colored pencil has a level of convenient nothing else matches, as it doesn't require a lot of wash up. And for me, the key to getting a result I could be happy with came from investing in quality-- for me the Prismacolor pencil brand offers buttery softness and rich color.
As you can see in the examples I show here, she gets saturated, deep color with great success. The main difference in doing animal pictures as opposed to the fantasy genre, is the animals take even more time. Placing the pencil strokes in carefully allows her to capture the texture of fur.
To see more of her works, see her etsy store at http://artca.etsy.com

Sorry

2007-11-08T05:01:00.000-08:00

It's been just over a week since I posted anything. Busy-ness got in the way. I did finish the custom orders I had waiting and invite anyone out there to check out my etsy store; I'm listing items even faster for the holidays. http://krummenacker.etsy.com

I also need to do some interviews so I can feature more people. Next up is Sarah Pittman, who does fantasy art in colored pencil, a medium that is excellent for capturing textures.

Since the painting here is set at dusk, today's poem will be on the same theme. I wrote this one years ago, but it... ages well.

The day is beautiful when it is old--
When the rust-tinted sky is losing sight,
And a few bright stars challenge the memory of the sun.
Twilight: a word, a poem, a hymn!
And dusk:
Sweet names for a sweet time,
Time for memory, reflection and
Anticipation.
The aging of the day like
The aging of a brilliant soul in a tired host.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T04:28:00.000-07:00

Every Halloween, I like to follow the tradition of pumpkin carving. It can only last a few days before being broken down further for food, or trashed. But it is art for art's sake, and a grand folk tradition.

Allan suggested the mouth should be shaped like a bat. I did the work myself, as he was having asthma issues. I also baked the pumpkin seeds with cajun salt, a treat I'll be enjoying for about a week.

and today's poem is appropriate for Halloween.

You came to me like shadows’ fall,
So silent in your midnight glide;
And in my dreams I hear your call,
Your voice from which I cannot hide,
Now whispering with loving words
Far fairer than a band of gold,
Or singing like the sweet night-birds
Of beauties never growing old.

But promises are often lies
And wise hearts are not lost to song;
There’s greater lure in your eyes
And resting in your arms, so strong.

You came to me, and touched my skin;
As soft as fog, your fingers brushed.
To keep our secret from my k

Jewelry

2007-10-29T05:57:00.000-07:00

I've been tired a lot again lately, and while I have worked on paintings, mostly what I like to do when I'm tired is sit and bead. There's something about beads... each one a pretty, shiny thing, ready to be strung or woven. In a sense, beads are like words and findings, punctuation. In a box, they are an interesting jumble, but strung together they have structure, added beauty, and even meaning.

It brings back memories, too. When I was very young, my great-uncle Bill was losing his battle with cancer. His vision was very bad, because he had actually served in WWI, and, seeing mustard gas coming, he held off fixing his own mask on until he had made sure all his unit was aware of the danger and getting theirs on. But in spite of his illness and disability, he made delicate daisy chain bead necklaces while we were there, and I remember watching him work with them. Many people dealing with disabilities like beadwork, because it requires patience and time, but only limited mobility. When there are few things one can do, the skills one can use are appreciated more. He couldn't see the beads, really, but worked by touch, thanks to his wife having sorted them by color.

Speaking of meaning, here is a poem I wrote back in my college days.

I quest for a quest,
A reason d’etre,
Looking to sky and ground,
Heaven and earth,
Finding myself, always,
Somewhere in the middle.

I am not content
With earning a living.
I want to earn
My life. Who needs me?

There must be a purpose
Why I’ve been spared
The ultimate disaster.
(So many meaningless deaths occur,
Why am I granted life
Unless some meaning remains to be revealed?)
So I search the world,
Consider my soul,
Seeking the lock
I alone am key to.

I should have added the hairstick pix!

2007-10-28T02:40:00.000-07:00

I got so wrapped up in my words that by the end of the post I went looking for a art piece that would fit the poem I put together. I'm afraid my health today has been bad enough to effect the clarity-- but not the creativity of my thought. One nice thing, not all brain functions get disrupted by the same factors, and if my vertigo makes me sleepy and ruins my short term memory, it also clears my mind of anchors to reality, setting my creativity free. I wish I could have painted today, but instead I worked on beading, making necklaces; Moon River, Serpentine River, and Pele Sleeping, all based on natural stones such as amazonite, serpentine, moonstone, obsidian and lava rock. I'll try to get photographs of those for tomorrow.

Hairsticks!

2007-10-27T20:20:00.001-07:00

I found a big batch of chopsticks on sale and decided to make them into hair sticks. These first ones are rather simple; I'll be working on ones topped with beads, ribbon roses, and other fancy things soon.

For members of Fantasy Artists of Etsy, I have joined our Ning group; look for Helen Krummenacker. And if anyone wants to see more of my work, I have a Flickr account as krummenacker with both my work and my husband's.

He was doing art seriously and entering it in shows before I started. In fact, it was assisting him through modeling, suggesting ideas, and giving him help on composition and color questions, that made me realize I had a good enough eye to create things that would be worth showing-- originally, I drew simply to express myself or record and image that I had in mind through my fiction writing.

To put it another way:

The story has meaning, in shadow or lightness,
Each word shapes an image of darkness or brightness.
The author is painting a picture to find,
But cannot direct, fully, the reader's mind.
I sketched out a hero who's fallen from grace,
But others cannot see his sorrowful face.
I pick up a pastel, a paintbrush, or pen
So that I can sketch him all over again.
And now in agreement, the readers can see
Just what my story was conceived to be.

A Tasty Temptation

2007-10-27T06:04:00.000-07:00

My next featured artisan is Noma Fowler-Sandlin.

Food can be art and in my opinion, the kind of creativity and preserverance Noma puts into her preserves qualifies. Spiced fig, orange blossom jelly, drunken peach (with cognac), red onion, triple ginger, and chai tea jelly are NOT things you find on the supermarket shelf.

These aren't just unusual; they are practical for food pairings. As Noma says, "I serve cheese with jam. We even make grilled cheese sandwiches with it. My husband likes Red Onion or Hell Belly and cheddar. I like the Spiced Fig and goat cheese. A local chef makes a foie gras, peanut butter and jelly sandwich using my Pomegranate Jelly. The Triple Ginger is great with anything you’d eat Plum Sauce on. It rocks an eggroll."

I can also imagine stirring the rose jelly into tea for a delicate flavor-- many teas are scented with flower petals, this would give you the flavor when you wanted it. Triple ginger would be wonderful medicinally, too-- ginger soothes stomach upset.

Noma got her start in her early teens. Her parents had a farm, and trees don't put out the same amount every year. With a surplus of peaches, they needed to find an outlet and she created a peach jam that won an award at the county fair. When asked what she likes to make best out of her recipes, she explained, "I am a moody creature, so I like making different ones at different times. The Eros Jelly is really difficult because I have to handle very thin sheets of edible gold leaf. It's ephemeral stuff -- floats around the kitchen and gets all over everything, me, included. It's challenging. But sometimes, I don't feel like being challenged. At those times, I prefer the simple ones." The alcohol that goes into drunken peach creates a sort of controlled explosion-- so it sounds like it ranks up with Eros Jelly for trickiness.

She is working on the idea of a cookbook or pamphlet based on her creations and their uses. This one sounds very good to me:

Red Onion Jam Pizza -- Throw out the marinara and add Red Onion Jam instead. Then top it with roasted eggplant (or sauteed onions or any other veg), then cover it with goat cheese crumbles, bacon (or roasted walnuts or pecans if you're vegetarian) and capers.

a tricky bit of work

2007-10-24T06:09:00.000-07:00

I need to create hands on a pair of glasses, somewhat as I did with the faces on these.
However, hands are most intricate and delicate. They cannot be done with bold strokes, only fine lines. And I have discovered the paint is so thick, I cannot even use a pen nib to make fine lines with it.
I must experiment with tiny brushes and possibly a very thinly cut stencil to see what I can manage.

Also, lately I have been suffering a cold. Nothing serious, but here is a sonnet I wrote during a previous run in with a virus. I hope it amuses you.

Last while I slept, the cold germs crept and grew
Within the confines of my tender nose.
At least, I hope 'tis cold and not the flu.
My sinuses have swelled like Cyrano's.
A rush of phlegm, like spring rain on the sands,
Becomes a flash flood mixed with saline spray.
And I hold tissues ready in my hands.
Perhaps I'll feel better in a day
For I am taking goldenseal and zinc,
And megadoses of vitamin C.
I'm breathing steam above the kitchen sink,
But steam can't waft away this misery.

Perhaps Huston, Bogart were right after all;
Drown those damn viruses in alcohol.

Fiber art from the Land Down Under...

2007-10-20T02:42:00.000-07:00

I've always found writing about myself a bit awkward. So at least once a week, I will be featuring someone else and their work. This week's artist is cerublu; I met her in the Etsy chat rooms, and the first things I learned about her is that she is Australian, and she is an expert horsewoman. Her specific locale is Barrington Tops; it is near several World Heritage locations, with both rainforest and sclerophyll forest nearby.

Her expertise in crafting is crochet. I've never been all that big on knits and crochet work myself, as I get too warm easily, but her work is an exception. Her hats are not merely for warmth, I think, but a sculpture made to be worn. She does capes as well; see them here http://www.flickr.com/photos/cerublu/sets/72157594360677606/ -- the names, like Wren Fairy and Flame Fetish, give you the idea these are art capes. Each of her works is unique, and made entirely free form. She works without patterns, relying on her understanding of how her materials and techniques work to invent them as she goes.

The love of fibers runs in her family; her mother spins yarns that cerublu dyes and incorporates into some projects. This site shows work by both mother and daughter http://www.flickr.com/photos/cerublu Like many fiber workers, cereblu also collects yarns that have a strong appeal. With the structural and textural qualities of her work, you can tell the right fibers for the right piece are important. As she says, "Natural fibres such as wool are fantastic for shaping themselves to fit their owner with wear and I tend to use such fibres in places where they'll be needed for their properties. I tend to take a long view of wearing things- how will it wear, will it stay in shape, will it mould itself to it's owner with time and such concerns. Different yarns have different properties and I exploit those properties as much as possible."
And that's what I love about her work. There is so much richness of texture and detail in each piece.

Her etsy store, http://cerublu.etsy.com talks of her inspiration from nature. As the examples I was seeing referenced cotton candy (fairy floss) and Impressionist art, I thought I'd ask for more detail. Her store really only scratches the surface of what she's created. Also, given that I'm NOT Australian, I'd failed to catch some of the nature references that were there, so I will finish this feature with her own words again.
The vast majority of my work is directly inspired by where I live and my perceptions of my environment. There's often some added "twist" to a concept, such as in the "Wattle Homage for Carmen" hat, but I'd think that if one knew this area, one could tell what the seasons are doing to the forest around me, which animals and plants are most in evidence at any given time that a piece was made. It's quite simple- I see stuff and make things which are my reaction or tribute to what I experience.

The place where I live, Barrington Tops in Australia, is a very beautiful and unique area with World Heritage listed areas nearby. My home high on a ridge looks out over the most incredible view- at times I watch eagles flying below me- I can't help but be inspired by what I see every moment. The forest around my house is of two main classifications, rainforest and sclerophyll, so there's a great amount of diversity in the flora and fauna. To be able to live here, solar power was most sensible option and it's nice to be able to live a somewhat environmentally-conscious lifestyle while making things inspired by the area's beauty.

Specifically, there are lots of my pieces which are inspired by trees and plants- "Amazing Angophora", "Bush Orchid", Bluegum Breeze", "(Native) Raspberry", "Native Hibsicus" are just a few. Fungus fascinates me. There are so many really interesting fungi here and I have to pay tribute to them. You can always tell when we've had lots of rain, a week or so later, up pops something like the "Star Fungus" scart or "bracket Fungus" pieces. Various birds and animals are resident here and are more in evidence at some times of the year. Pieces like "Kool Kookaburra", "Festive Frog", "Velvet Gecko" and "Go Anna Goanna" all take inspiration from the little guys who are often sitting on the side of my house, climbing up the windows, popping out from behind curtains in the house or stealing the dogfood!

The seasons themselves and how they change my surroundings is another ongoing theme in my work. The "Flame Fetish" cape and "One HOT Hat" both describe the terrible beauty, drama and threat of bushfire, even though the two pieces are completely different.

I get a lot of fun from little things and have a slightly odd sense of humour. Pieces such as the "Wren Fairy's Wingwrap" and "Red Belly Black Dragon" cape, which were made for Jonelle of SWTC from her beautiful soysilk, maize and bamboo yarns describe my personal, firmly-tongue-in-cheek Australian mythology. I love the juxtaposition of the mundane or everyday and the outre. For me, what is everyday- quolls, goannas, large snakes and birdeating spiders etc- are bizarre or even perhaps disturbing to others, so that means that I come up with what some might see as some unusual ideas at times, I suspect. But it's always, always FUN. "

just a quick update

2007-10-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I will be doing a "rough draft" of painted glassware, so I can run it by the customer before baking it into permanency. Once I know she likes the results, I'll do a few other goblets so I can bake them as a batch and save energy. Holly and Ivy will be one theme I think, for a Christmas/Yule look. And probably some more fairies, as it is a popular theme, and hopefully the House Fairies I have will approve of them.

Sun and Moon

2007-10-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

Allan photographed these for me. I think he got them in indirect light as the metallic sun and pearl moon don't shine in these photos. The moon still needs a bit of work, but I wanted to show these to the customer.