Blue Starfish

Sometimes I get a kick on things and I just can't stop. From blue crabs, I have ventured to blue starfish. Same idea. 

Products with this design can be found at "shop crabulous!"

T-shirts, bags, mugs, housewares, kids

Another New T-Shirt For T-Shirt Season!

One new T-shirt just wasn't enough; I decided to design a second one. "Dreams Come True On the River" is a saying of personal significance to me and I thought my sailboat collage was the perfect illustration. So here is T-shirt #2!

T-shirt can be purchased at shop crabulous!

And here is an "up close" look at the image:

Rainy Day People

So, my good friend and sister artist, Susan Amadio, presented me with the Facebook challenge of posting three pieces of artwork for five consecutive days on Facebook. Having been fairly prolific, it wasn't difficult for me to find enough artwork for the challenge. What was difficult was determining which were my best 15 pieces and I wanted to make it something of a retrospective so that it covered my entire career as an artist. 

I think it's good for every artist to go through their entire inventory list every once in awhile to see how they've evolved over time. I have copies of all the 700+ pieces I've created since I began painting in 1996. (Well, there may be a few I didn't save for posterity.)

One of the collage images I proffered for the challenge received such positive response that I decided to use it to create art prints and T-shirts. So, here it is. What was originally entitled Rainy Day, I've now re-titled as Rainy Day People. (Yes, a la Gordon Lightfoot, of whom I've always been a fan.)

"Rainy Day People" can be purchased as a print on archival paper or on canvas at Society 6.

Or it can be purchased as a T-shirt in a variety of styles (for women only) at "shop crabulous!"

Blue Bottle

Another enhanced photo from Rose's Folie.

"Blue Bottle" - enhanced digital photo

Reflections

"Reflections" - Enhanced Digital Photo

Welcome Home

"Welcome Home" - Enhanced Digital Photo

The original photo was captured in German Village (in Columbus, Ohio) just two summers ago. I thought it just begged for enhancement. :D The blue door, orange bricks and red flowers just spoke to me.

Morning Cup

"Morning Cup" - enhanced digital photo

I love ceramic coffee mugs. I bought this one at a consignment shop about a year ago and it's my favorite because of its shape, size and color. I also enjoy coffee this half and half and that explains the paleness of the contents. 

I have a feeling I just may be doing a series of morning coffee enhanced photos as I have quite the collection of photos of beautifully served lattes in my NYC album.

Pity Party

"Tea Time" - Enhanced Digital Collage

I'm tired. I have a touch of tonsillitis and my asthma is acting up. Therefore, I'm feeling sorry for myself and I'm indulging in self-pampering and self-pitying today. "They" say that it's wrong. I'm tired of worrying about "they." I'm going to finish this blog post and my lovely cup of tea with lemon and honey and I'm going to go back to bed. So there! :P

New License Front End License Plate

Three Sunflowers!

This is my latest design for front end license plates which is one of the most popular products that I sell from Shop Crabulous! This was inspired by checking the list of state flowers. Do you know which state boasts the sunflower as their state flower? I do!

Three Sunflowers Front End License plate now for sale at shop crabulous!

Fancy Shoes

"Fancy Shoes" - Digital Collage

This image actually came about while working on the "secret project." It didn't work for the project and I almost forgot about it until the recent rage of brightly multicolored shoes started appearing on the market recently. I can't claim any credit since this image has been hiding on my computer.

Peace Butterfly

Wednesday morning, while having breakfast, I decided to take this little butterfly which I recently created and turn her into something useable or wearable. You can find products with her likeness at the following links.

Mugs & stuff

Cool, homey things

All kinds of bags

All styles of T-shirts

After I did that, it was time for lunch. I call that a good morning's work.

Christmas Designs

A Tangled Christmas Tree
click here to see more

Working at a Christmas shop, I'm only too aware of how close Christmas really is. 71 days from today to be exact! So, in anticipation I've created new greeting cards for this year's holiday season. And I've put my designs on coffee mugs and beer steins, too. Have a look and you may find the perfect gift for someone on your list.

From Green To Orange

"Orange Lizard" - digital collage

Remember that cute little lizard from yesterday? Well, I couldn't keep myself from playing with his photo. I love creating digital collages and producing unusual effects. This is the finished product, but below are all the layers and elements I used to create it.

Top Layer

Middle Layer - "Tangy Zoodle #35"

Bottom Layer - "Bomomo #018"

Daffodils

Yes, I know. This photo is out of sync and out of season, but I couldn't help posting it. It's been in my Camera Uploads file since July and I thought it was time to do something about it. 

This past July, while visiting my cousin in Ohio, I looked over her collection of my artwork which she displays throughout her home. I'm truly honored to have her do that. This particular pastel was done ages ago and is one of my favorites. I just thought I'd share it.

Seahorse Throw Pillow

Seahorse Woven Throw Pillow from shop crabulous!

This image is a personal favorite of mine. I love the subject matter and the colors. I think I may have to get one of these for myself!

Two More Crabs

I finished Crab In Blue and Crab in Gold to go with Crab In Red. I love their jewel tones. And although I'm willing to sell them individually, I think they'd go great together as in my example below.

"Crab In Blue" - 6x6 - Mixed Media Collage

"Crab In Gold" - 6x6 - Mixed Media Collage

Magenta Series #6

"Blue On Blue" - 11x14 - Mixed Media Collage

The final piece in the series of collages that all began with magenta canvases. This one was the most difficult and very nearly ended up being destroyed. A last ditch effort to unify the background by painting it cerulean blue made the difference between life and death for this bird. ;)

Magenta Series #5

"Murky Waters" - 8x10 - Mixed Media Collage

I needed to make some crabs quickly! The name of my art business "crabulous fine art" confuses some of the public. They come in looking to find crab art and even art made from crabs! Having sold my only crab piece at the last show I realized that I needed something crabby in a hurry!

Magenta Series #4

"Shhh! It's A Surprise!" - 10x14 - Mixed Media Collage

The fourth collage in the series to have a magenta background is this funny little mermaid. I was up late at night working on her and the next morning I was asking both my husband and my 13-year-old grandson whether they thought she was cute or scary. I never did get a straight answer from either one!

Maximum Flight

"Maximum Flight" - 4x12 - Mixed Media CollageAvailable on Etsy

On Monday, May 7, I received a text message that my daughter-in-law was in labor and I hastily packed a bag and drove 90 miles to be there when my grandson, Max, was delivered early the next morning.

When I returned, home (a week later) I saw the piece I was working on when I got the call still lying on my work table and decided to name it in honor of my new grandson.

On the flip side of the emotional coin, before returning home from Maryland, I swung up through Pennsylvania to pick up artwork from the Yellow Springs show. This show has always been very successful for me, so it was a kick in the gut to discover that this year I sold nothing except for one bin piece. After commission and the price of gas to make the 230 mile round trip twice (once to drop off; once to pick up) not to mention the time spent... well it's probably a loss.

In the world of art, nothing is guaranteed and counting your chickens before they hatch is certainly a dangerous proposition. And things go in runs, as well, and I think I've had a very good run there and have certainly enjoyed my experience working with the enthusiastic volunteers at Yellow Springs.

So for now, I'm going to focus on local venues and trying to promote sales in this area. crabulous fine art is getting ready to embark on its first ever season of outdoor shows and festivals, so it will be a whole new adventure.