2009 in paint

After a couple of years of being pretty quiet, 2009 was a very busy year for me -- starting with January, when I spent about a week just doing paintings for myself, like the one you see above, with a psychedelic surreal science fiction feel. I really enjoyed these and kept most of them for myself. But it got me into the habit, so over the year I did dozens more...including a wonderful project for the Eve Hallows book which is now available!

I did a lot more work on my Etsy shop, http://sarada.etsy.com, and I have something like 80 items for sale right now including original art and prints -- which I also figured out how to get together for selling purposes this year.

I took tons of photos of mushrooms in the woods...started this blog...wow, it was a pretty busy year! And I am happy to have found many like-minded artists and craftspeople along the way.


As usual I did a lot of Halloween art...


A lot of crazy colorful stuff...

Some gothic haunted art inspired by my reading of 19th century ghost stories...

And just cute stuff with owls and cats in it. :P


Anyway, thank you if you have been looking at my little blog here, and here are a few more images from throughout the year just to sort of sum up what kind of a year it's been for me! Here's to much more fun stuff in 2010!

Meanwhile, back in the world of weird

Right, so here's another post with no holiday content whatsoever! I don't know why I feel apologetic about that, but I just do! We were snowed in this weekend but rather than share snow art with you all, I will delve deeper into the cosmic weird. That thing above, that's what I imagined when I was stuck in traffic on the way home from work during the busy holiday shopping season when all of the roads were already jammed but the bad weather made it worse. I couldn't think of a title so I wound up calling it Brain Tree. Wow, don't hurt yourself coming up with names there, lady! It is 9 x 12.

This one is 6 x 8 and apparently I titled it : Shards of the Swirling Sun because i like alliteration.


And this doesn't have a link because I didn't put it up for sale but that doesn't mean you can't look at it. This was based on some images from a weird, long dream I had. Suffice to say that weird sea creatures and mushrooms were in it and that's enough for me to go on. I might put it up for sale but for the moment I am too amused by it myself!

So happy Psychedelic Christmas I guess! Ha!

Artist feature: theenchantedgypsy

It's been awhile since I was able to put together a feature on one of my fellow artists who sell on Etsy, but I really really love the work of my friend Denise, aka theenchantedgypsy.  Her work ranges from altered art: little tins arranged as shrines to haunted, gothic figures, or coffins adorned with tributes to art, aesthetics, beauty, literature and decadence.  She also has many collages in holiday and decorative themes, and curio cabinet assemblages ranging from the whimsical to the dark.  You can see a few examples above, and look here for some more!

Alice in Wonderland curio cabinet

The Gargoyle's Apothecary

Edgar Allen Poe in a coffin

Altered witch tin

I love the way her work combines found objects with an aesthetic appeal, along such a diverse array of themes.  Please visit her blog at http://www.theenchantedgypsy.blogspot.com/ and her Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/theenchantedgypsy

Here is what she says about herself!

I am a mixed media artist who specializes in art using repurposed items. I feel good about recycling and helping Mama Earth while creating something cool at the same time. The majority of my art is in painting, collage art, assemblage art and spirit dolls. I have always had a proclivity toward the bohemian lifestyle and consider myself a gypsy and free spirit at heart. I love creating and must do something to satisfy my artistic muse every day. I am a wife, sister, daughter, aunt and dog mama and I love all things that are four-legged, winged and aquatic. I love to go barefoot...I only wear shoes when I have to.

Please support my kindred spirit, a creative and talented artist whose work I hope you will love as much as I do!

Snowflake Witch repaint

I'm going through a long process of repainting a lot of my older paintings that are in my gallery, at http://www.artbysarada.com, this year into next year. Of course, I realize that with Christmas a week away it might have been a good idea to have this one up for sale a little earlier in the month but that's just the way things go sometimes!

I did a lot of these winter witches a few years ago and it's become something of a ritual for me right after Thanksgiving to get back into painting them. Of course, I think winter is lovely all year round, not just at Christmas/Yule/etc. time. She will be available as a print soon, but I have several other winter witch prints available now as well. Maybe people are finishing up their winter holiday shopping by now, but they will be available after the holidays as well!

Candy Cane Path - 5 x 7 print
Snow Cauldron - 5 x 7 print
Snow Cauldron - 8 x 10 print
Valentine Witch - 5 x 7 print

Into the cavern

Oh goodness gracious but time does fly. I have a million half finished posted that I need to post here, but headaches, work and other obligations keep me from completing them. So for the moment I am just saying hello. How are you, readers? I've been looking at everyone else's blog but haven't been tending to my own.

I am still really into doing these figure paintings, with the ambiguous featureless forms. I never get tired of them! They are always floating around, drifting or reaching out for things. Ahh, they are a fun bunch. The colors in this one are inspired by malachite, that glorious black-green rock that I love so much, and a sort of periwinkle bluebell blue. That is a tribute to the bluebells that I love so much in May and can't wait to see blossom again, many months from now.

If you can tell, I am not thinking much about the upcoming holidays, though I wish everyone a happy one. I usually celebrate holidays "when I get around to it," which is rarely on the actual date, and almost never with store bought gifts. But whatever works! It always sneaks up too fast on me, personally!

Happy winter, everyone!

The last mushrooms of fall

I took pictures of the last mushrooms of the year, on Thanksgiving, but I did not get a chance to post until just now!

It was unusually warm on that day, probably around 60 degrees which is very warm for late November here. I didn't expect there to still be mushrooms growing in the woods, but there they were...not the vivid shades of July, no bright reds or sulfurous yellow, no garish blues and purple or strange mossy greens.

Though a few still spring strange and corpsy, smooth waxy curves of flesh protruding from the cold bark of trees.

There's a flourish of strange orange-yellow color among the rotting leaves though.

And the flaky purple fungi creeping up this log, looks rather like oyster shells.

See how big they are in comparison to my green glittery nails!