Thursday, June 18, 2009

Tests = Lessons Learned



Test One, Test Two:
Front, back

These two pendants are the best of the test subjects so far. I played around with using original art on paper and prints under the glass and I will continue to explore that, but I really like the look of these one of a kind reverse paintings/mixed media pieces. I worked with layers of acrylic paint, tissue paper, acrylic gel medium/varnish and a decorative paper backing. The whole look that I'm going for and the right materials to make that happen isn't quite there yet, but I learned a lot from these test works and they serve as a good taste for what you can expect in my Etsy shop shop very soon.

wedding anniversary


June 17, 2009 - 3rd Anniversary, originally uploaded by livefunky.

Last night Rob and I celebrated our third year being married. In this long run of rainy days we managed to have a break of sun for our special day. I am so happy, I feel so blessed. I love you, Rob.

We Have a Winner!

ELANA you are the winner of my magnet set! However I don't have your contact info so please leave a comment with a way to contact you or email me at jtorrant@aol.com - congratulations!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

What I've Been Working On


Ah lovely creative chaos. I've been having a lot of fun exploring new ideas, techniques and materials for my livefunky products. I'll explain this picture working my way down from the top.

Handpainted terracotta pots - These particular pots were painted years ago (2002) and I'd like to get back to working on them. At the time I used acrylic paint and acrylic gel varnish to seal them, but through years of wear and tear, the paint hasn't held up to the elements. If I make these again, I'll be using paints and varnishes specifically for this usage. But at the moment I've got plenty of other irons in the fire so the pots will have to wait.

Glass bubble magnets - (Glass piece shown over old sketch). The set you see here were made using my Mod Circles patterns (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23724210). I used the craft store bubble and acrylic gel medium. I've run into a couple of problems with these. First, the glass bubbles aren't perfect - it's hard to find one that is completely free of dings, dimples and air bubbles. The second issue is in the adhering of the image. I tried the gel medium but I think I'm going to have to use Diamond Glaze (which is what most people use when they do art to glass work). Which leads me to...

Glass art pendants - I just got my order from http://thosesweetsensations.etsy.com/ for a set of rectangular glass pieces and bails. This glass is "crystal clear" which solves the problem I found with the bubble glass. I'm going to wait until I get the Diamond Glaze before I start experimenting with these, but I'm very eager to get going.

Handpainted rock magnets - Like the pots, this isn't a new idea for me. But in the past my rocks were promoted as "pet rocks" or paperweights and I painted on collected rocks I found on walks in the woods. These new rocks are choice, flat, black river stones that are light weight and smooth to paint on. I think people are more likely to put a cool art object like this as a useful tool on the fridge rather than taking up more space on their desk. We all have more than enough "stuff" filling up our work spaces!

last but not least...
Mandala collage/painting on record albums - Being a music lover myself, this idea does at first sting a little - how can you destroy a classic album?! But no worries, it's my mission to use the least desired record albums ever made. The collection of records I recently picked up are actually quite funny, I'll have to do a separate post about them. One of my favorites is "Alabama Christmas" - you should see the inset pics of how Alabama spends their holiday. It's a laugh riot. Anyway, this is the first one I started and it's not done yet but I like where it's going. I'm working with cut out shapes of paper and craft papers as well as acrylic paint. I'm sure more mixed media action will come into play, adding a three dimensional element to the artwork. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with these. I think some will be mounted as artworks, others will be mounted as artwork. Perhaps I could offer both options to buyers... We shall see.

So yes, that's where I'm at right now. As I think of ideas for products and experiment with them, I'm also thinking about the total package for presentation. The whole process is a lot of fun to get into. Meanwhile I'm promoting my annual art (or yart in Etsy lingo) sale at http://www.livefunky.etsy.com/, having fun with family, gardening and all around enjoying life. Rock on.

(Psst - if you haven't already, leave a comment here to enter to win a free set of magnets!)

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Yart Sale on Etsy


Yard Sale + Art = Yart Sale!

The timing of Etsy's annual Yart Sale works out perfectly with my desire to revamp my LiveFunky shop. I'm working on projects to fill my shop with gift items, home decor goods, jewelry and more. (My gallery shop will continue to feature my original Fine Artwork.) So if you are looking for a crazy bargain, now's the time to buy at www.livefunky.etsy.com - 50% off of the listed price of everything in my shop. Now through June 16th.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Magnet Set Give-Away





Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win this set of three glass bubble magnets with my original artwork! Be sure to leave a way to contact you if you don't have a blog. One week from today (Wednesday, June 17th) I'll put all of your names in a hat and pick a winner randomly.

This is the first test set of magnets that I made. I'm experimenting with various techniques and I'm looking forward to offering magnet sets soon in my shop at www.livefunky.etsy.com. Instead of using decorative papers, I'm using my own artwork underneath the glass. It's funny how this came about. Obviously this idea is far from new, I've seen lots of magnets and pendants on Etsy with art under glass. But it wasn't until one night, I was enjoying a glass of wine and put the glass on top of a piece of paper that I had doodled on. I admired how the drawing looked under the bottom of the wine glass and that's what got this ball rolling. I've ordered rectangular glass pieces and bails so I'll be playing with making pendants as well. Stay tuned as I reveal new products!