Mask: A Dream of Myself, hand sculpted raku ceramic wall hanging with redwood, crystal and amethyst chips, 9"t x 5.75"w x 3.5"d, by Tammy Vitale $120.00
What a difference background makes in the mood of a piece, don’t you think? Tell me which one you like the best. And don’t you just love that driftwood? Makes me think of a Chinese glyph.
Today I’m going to share some other art blogs that have recently (and some not so recently) come into my life. I am grateful to have all of you here: my community. When September comes along, it’s good to know that people will hang in and come visit even when I’m not reciprocating because it’s, well, September.
These four blogs and their writers have been with me a very long time. Although we have never met and we are scattered all over the country and I wouldn’t know these women if I ran into them, I do know them through their work and their writing. Tinker Art by Tinker always brings a smile to my face. Her whimsical paintings take you into a NeverNever land and her wit and imagination flow through her writing. Ascender Rises Above by Ascender combines an amazing variety of art with an amazing breadth of quotes, poems, prose and information pertinent to the day’s work. You could (and I do) get lost just following all of one day’s links. I own an Ascender print. And the lovely Leah, Creative Every Day, who started most of this for me through her Art Everyday Month last November (I own 3 Leah originals – 2 are currently coming to me in the mail from her last show). Leah’s getting married next month and still continues to make art, be in shows, post regularly on her blog and visit others. She’s my inspiration! And Art in the Garage who has lately been on a swirl of creativity featuring these great faces in her collages (and she throws in tutorials too).
Some new favorite art spots: Sacred Circle Mandalas (beautiful mandalas and photoshop tutorials) and Artventuring (she makes masks – Have I mentioned I love masks?). Then there’s C’est Andrea – she does masks too, in fabric, and then quilts them. She lives way across the Ocean (you absolutely have to love how the internet connects us all) and I may just have to go to Europe so I can feel her work. Everything she puts up makes me go, "oh" and my body pulls toward it, wanting. And I can’t forget Lizzie at Elizabeth’s Blog who, in addition to making beautiful art, is one of my daily "over the back fence" chatters, and who, along with HealingMagicHands (who is the supplier of the redwood on the mask above, a most generous lady!), gardens. I want their gardens, too!
Other inspirational blogs: Alyson Stanfield, of course, with whom I am inextricably currently wound as an Inner Circle member and a participant in her Promote Your Art class, and Christine Kane who I fell in love with reading on the ‘net only to find she’s a great singer/songwriter in addition to being very wise (treat yourself to one of her retreats in the Asheville NC area sometime. You won’t be sorry).
And then there are the spots with art and that start my day the way it needs to be started: You may say I’m a dreamer, who I do know, she’s local to me and also a client of mine. Her posts are gentle and thought provoking and better than coffee and her art is beautiful. And I want her yard.
Of course there are more, but that could easily take all day and we all get tired after too many clicks. so I’ll finish this for today.
thought for the day: [I’m going to leave you with a blog that landed in my comments section this morning. She’s a clay artist and painter and her Diva bowls are the most unique thing I’ve seen in a very long time. And she can write….read all of her blogs, not just this one!] click on over to Touching Art by Carla Sanders.
13 Comments
I started leaving a message the other day and had to leave in the middle of it.
I wanted to thank you for the link love; how very kind to include me in the mix of this strong and creative women. I am honored!
The thing I wanted to mention of the image is that I like that the drift wood appears like a garden work glove and I leaves me with the impression of a man getting in touch with life/growth/woman.
Someday I hope to meet in real life
Oh, I feel so honored – and yet so embarrassed, because I'm SO behind on blogs, reading and posting – but thank you, THANK YOU, so very much Tammy for the blog love! Sending you much love! XOXO
Hey Tammy!
Many thanks for the name check – I feel VERY honoured! I love our 'over the back fence' chats… what a great expression too, soooo American 😉
This is a great list of blogs and talent to get clicking on, thanks. The masks are looking great (dark background definately). Not only are you super talented.. you are FAB!
Hugs, Lizzi
Hey Tammy!
Many thanks for the name check – I feel VERY honoured! I love our 'over the back fence' chats… what a great expression too, soooo American 😉
This is a great list of blogs and talent to get clicking on, thanks. The masks are looking great (dark background definately). Not only are you super talented.. you are FAB!
Hugs, Lizzi
Hi Tammy, this mask is incredible! The backgrounds sure do make a difference.
And thank you for such a great list of blogs!
~ Diane Clancy
http://www.dianeclancy.com/blog
Wow! I'm deliciousing this post for when I have a chance to peruse all these great links!
You might be interested in this mandala artist:
http://www.serpentmandalas.com/serpentmandalas.html
I did a post about her art when I had TravelingMermaid:
http://4travelingmermaid.blogspot.com/2006/09/art-and-music-sunday.html
Hi Tammy, I like the dark background better overall because of the contrast. And thank you again for linking to my blog. Scrolling down I also wanted to comment on Unicorn. She really spoke to me, maybe cuz when I made masks in my previous lifetime, one of my favorites had a crystal on her third eye too. Your mask looks very wise to me.
~Sue
Tammy-
I feel SO honored by your words on your post, and your words in person today. You really are an amazing artist … and you are KIND, too. I do hope we can hook up for coffee sometime very soon. Maybe you should come over here and see the yard in person before it's covered in leaves. Again – you hair looks great!!!
Great ceramics!
OOohhhhhhhhhhhh links!!!!! *happily clicking away*
oh, Tammy, you rock. Thank you for your sweet words. You made my day!
I love how the driftwood is like a hand here! so cool! I went back and forth on the backgrounds. I think if I had to choose one I'd go for the darker background because of the contrast, but really I could go either way…I know, loads of help from me too. 🙂
Yes, Tammy! Thank you for mentioning my blog as well. It does feel great to be connected, and I find myself in a great "wonder state" whenever I think about the people who live on other continents who come and read my blog, and I can read theirs and there is such a deep connectedness estabilshed between everyday people.
I wonder sometimes if our "leaders" had time in their days to enter the blogworld and experience that connectedness if they wouldn't act differently.
As far as your photo background goes, I am going to now be NO HELP AT ALL to you. Both colors of background are very useful. I find that for the small view, I like the white, because the contrast brings out the art work in the little picture. But, when I click on the pictures and get the close up view, I like the moodiness of the dark background. There, did that help you? (Tee hee)
I KNEW that you would be doing something wonderful with the driftwood! It is so much better in that piece than sitting on my porch giving spiders a place to live. I can almost feel its satisfaction.
Oh là là .
I just lost the contents of a comment I have been writing here for 5 minutes…
Here I go again:
Oh là là what a nice surprise. Thanks so much Tammy, for mentioning my blog and for the lovely description of my art, and for mentioning all the other artist blogs which I'm about to discover!
It feels good to be connected.
The mask is so beautiful, peaceful. I like it best on the blue background, it enhances the colours. I love the wooden "hand", its like nature's hand giving you shelter…
Thanks again, I'll visit your other blogfriends to discover more art.
Andrea