(Feverish?) Art Shopping Spree

Amy Lilley, Lilleypics

I may have been a little bit out of it as I worked my way up to the past weekend and beyond. I hate to think so, but time sort of warped on me the past few days and I can't explain it other than to say I wasn't completely myself while ill, but in between sleeping I wanted to be busy and productive. Yeah right, so now, shopping for some new art is busy and productive?? Hmmmmmm.....

But I must confess that yes, over the past week or so, well, I've added the work of two artists, both quite new to me, to my little collection.

First, I decided to inquire of Amy Lilley, who blogs here about her life, photography and wearable art (sound familiar?? Like likes like?) if she would consider a custom order of her photographic cards that was made up of 6 selected images rather than 6 matching ones, as they are listed in her Etsy shop here.

She replied that not only would she be happy to let me choose my own set, but that she was about to start a special where the customer could choose 8 cards for the price of 6. You can read all about it on either her blog, Amy Lilley Designs, or her Etsy shop, Lilleypics. There is a lovely selection to choose from and I am planning to frame up a selected few from the ones I chose in order to install them as a little photo vignette here in my home. I love her macro photos of, what else? Flowers!! Be sure to take a look because you just might be smitten too!

Cara Walz, Floodplain Studio

Then, I happened to read this blog posting on ArtSnark's Artifacts. It's written by a Florida artist named Stacey Merrill, who has featured my work on her blog in the past (which you can check out here and here, if you missed it.) I was truly excited by the mixed media drawings being featured by an artist I didn't know before, Cara Walz. So besides entering the drawing ArtSnark's blog is holding, to try to win a piece of her work, I went straight to Cara's Etsy shop Floodplain Studio, to see more of her work, and was enchanted by a piece, which, after a conversation about how to mount and display the piece, I decided I had to have. So I bought it. We later learned we both got our graduate degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, just not at the same time.

As you can see, it features a ROBIN!! Why is this special to me? Well, I've been collecting "bird stuff" forever (I need to take photos of some of my cool things to share here...I've got quite a few sculptures, crafted objects, and other "birds" I've found or have been given over the years.) But not so many two dimensional pieces in the collection. So now, I shall have a very wonderful new addition! Also, on the topic of the Robin...when I was in about first or second grade, I wrote my very first poem, you guessed it, about a robin. I'll spare you from hearing my childish rambling, but it was straight from the heart as I was smitten by the Spring robin then, and continue to adore them to this day.

OK, so these aren't super expensive investments, but the reason I collect art (and have most of my life) is to be able to look at and live with things that give me pleasure. I've been very fortunate to have been able to trade pieces of my work with other artists that I admire and so have some pretty good pieces, in a very wide range of media and sizes. And if I can't work a trade (or it's just not appropriate) if I'm financially able to, I buy the work! Art auctions, such as fund raisers for art centers and art schools are excellent places to pick up new pieces, where the money goes to a good cause AND you get to take home something wonderful. And yes, over the years I've also donated many of my pieces to causes such as these. When I couldn't donate in cash, I could often donate in artwork so the organization could sell it and raise the needed funds.

So I'm coming back to life here...and I thank all of you wonderful friends and readers for your good wishes for me and my health!! I'm still too tired but maybe soon, I'll be back to running on all 6 cylinders! And Dakota says thanks for the compliments, too...she's a sweet old girl!