I finally finished some paintings!!!

Woo hoo I actually finished some pieces!

~Sweet Songbirds~

"Flight of Fancy"

So, I have been on a bird kick for the last few months and have been loving these sweet birds. So cheery, happy and Springy! I put a suet feeder outsider and within one day got all kinds of gorgeous birds. I am hoping our bluebirds comeback to nest for the 3rd year in a row-fingers crossed.

Still tweeking my blog with patterns now, so you will continue to see changes over the next few days, bare with me.
Finally I will announce the April Blog giveaway early this month as Michael and I are leaving for Aruba in the 2nd week of April. So, expect a giveaway announcement also in the next few days after the blog tweaking is done.

Finally, if you are an artist you need to be on Flickr. I have bought from a number of Etsy shops from things I have found on Flickr and I know it is helped my shop as well. Flickr is free and easy. What is better than free marketing?

Happy Creating ~dani~

I am glad someone said it

Ashley Dietrich a fellow Etsy Artist posted this in the Alchemy to get buyers attention.

~BRAVO Ashley~

I have been a freelance artist for 10 years, and have run into the same problem since day 1: people in general do not understand the cost or market value of custom artwork. I see many audaciously low bids for custom portraits, paintings, etc. and wanted to help educate the non-art public about commissions.

First, custom work is made to order, and therefore is more costly and difficult to make than ready-to-go pieces or mass-produced department store prints. There are expenses such as canvases (think up to $15 for a nice gallery-wrapped 8x10), paint ($10+ for a quality 4oz tube), brushes ($5 to $50 for decent quality), and then time.

You are purchasing an artist's lifelong experience and skill, not just the hours they put into a piece. Would you ask your electrician to work for $5 an hour?

There are certainly older pieces that artists mark cheaply just to clean out the studio, but you generally get what you pay for. Many good artists on Etsy and elsewhere on the net sell work for far below its gallery value. I consistently receive lowball offers for pieces already marked dirt cheap for the quality.

Please be considerate of professional artists. Shop around to get a feel for appropriate prices for size, subject matter and quality of work. There are many people trying to get started that will work for little to nothing, and my advice to those people is that you will regret it later on. Stick to your guns and ask what you deserve for your artwork. That is the only way you will ever make a living doing what you love.

Your Art Rocks Award

I created this Blingee award from the Swanky Lady Liberty Painting I recently completed.

I have found so many Brilliant artists through Etsy, Myspace, Ebay, Flickr & Blogs that I wanted a way to recognize these creative souls for their outstanding ability to create TRULY one of a kind-diverse art.

I will periodically hand out this award to help bring attention to these WONDERFUL OOAK artists. Who am I? Just someone who wants to live art everyday and tell artists why I think, their ART ROCKS!

My first award goes out to Lori Earley.

I originally found Lori on Myspace and have since counted her as my all time favorite artist. I am lucky enough to have seen her works in person at the Opera Gallery in NYC. I encourage you to visit her pages to soak in her work. Very Edgy and Very Polished . I truly believe she is destined for worldwide recognition and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us in the future.

I leave you with my personal favorite

"REGRET"

~HaPpY eAsTeR fRiEnDs~

Here is 'lil Gucci in her Easter best!

and Scoobs (The Piddler) in his "bunny suit"!

I love how his neck chub & fur sticks out of the top and I swear it is not tight on him!