Meet The Maker - Day 6 - Shop Small

 Today's is the last day of Meet The Maker and the prompt is "Shop Small".

Supporting small businesses whether it's online or local is such a lovely thing and feeling...all of us small makers are just trying to make the world a smidge lovelier with our creativity and goodness knows the world

can use a bit of extra lovely lately!!

Every single order I get, no matter how big or small I do a happy dance

and get a burble of happiness in my tum.

I appreciate every single one so much.

It means the world that someone wants to spend their hard earned money

on my work and it also acknowledges my unique skills, training & hard work too.

Even if you can't buy from small businesses right now,

because let's face it, sometimes that just isn't possible,

there are still great ways that you can help us small indie businesses.

You can like our posts and I always encourage people to not just heart a post but to leave comments too....

....Reposting our work or things that you have bought from us on all or any of your social media platforms is one of the biggest ways you can help us out.

Saving our posts helps us get higher IG rankings which is a tricky beast!

and well just sharing our work & names with your family & friends

is a wonderful way to help us get our work in front of new eyes. 

Also signing up for our newsletters

and encouraging friends and family to check out our work is all super helpful. Any and all of these actions are a wonderful way to help us indie businesses out but are also great reminder to us to that someone out there is indeed paying attention and liking what we're working so hard on and in many ways that is just as important as the sales cause goodness knows we need cheerleaders, especially today in these turbulent uncertain scary & unprecedented times!

CP Treasures

The book I am in is ready to ship out you guys.

I saw an advanced copy and holy smokes my fellow coloured pencil artists in this book are amazing,

I am quite humbled to be among them as my whimsical style and palette stick out quite abit

as it's mostly high realism work but I am in seriously talented company, wow.

I can't wait to get my copy and am still so over the moon that my work was selected.

Get your copy from Amazon today 

Just Click Right Here to buy your copy today....Enjoy!

And Thank you for the inclusion Ann Kullberg...YAYYYY.

Sweet Sir Frogget

Oh my dapper Sir Frances Frogget convinced me to give him a quick kiss...

He's whispering sweet nothings into my ear and has quite the silly story to share.

Airabella Almost Done

Airabella has started whispering her story to me...

Hop on by my Instagram to see what else I am working on.

Dust to Dust

Guys look...I found the coolest little urn for Jaky's ashes...

it has two compartments in it actually.

The ashes are inside a silk bag & some of his fur in the smaller compartment.  It sits on my big studio art display shelf because he was always with me in my studio & will always forever inspire my work.

Fox Goddess

And because my honey wants everything to 'be normal', that means me getting back into my studio.

So here's something underway, an inkpen on paper of a cool foxy goddess...I am liking it so far.

Upcoming Linos

Here's a sneak peek at some of my next linos...these guys are all pretty big.

I am already done 2 of them & I can't wait to show you & get some editions listed.

A Star-Gazer named Whimbley

I started this image awhile back of a star-gazing frog named Whimbley.

I put it away for awhile because it made me miss Henrie too much.

I am ready to get back to it now and finish it off & conjure up Whimbleys tall tale

but I sure do miss looking down from my desk to see these two snuggled up next to me.

Rabbit Distractions

A little closer to the end now...I can not wait to do a test run of this beauty...

Misa thinks she helps to keep me on track but her cuteness is the ultimate distraction!!

Tee-Tee I Miss You

I'll be able to show you guys this watercolour next week, it's just about done.

This one was inspired by my girl Teela, who I miss deeply, every single day.

No Mouth...What!?

Here's something new on my upstairs desk...

and yep, your seeing correct, she's not going to have a mouth.

I am doing this beauty in polychromos on stonehenge.

I am still learning which mixes I like best, the polys on this paper feels like more work but I like it!

Studio Break

It's been a long heatwave...summers are just getting wetter and way hotter we find.
It's hard on the buns to be stuck inside so much, especially when they know it's summer out
but even if it wasn't too hot the mosquitoes are just too bad & now of course it's shad fly season!

I am just super duper grateful that we have AC now & can keep everyone cool and nice long
days inside in my studio (currently tidying & reorganizing) feeling cool as a cucumber
is feeling very nice too, the outdoor chores aren't going anywhere after all!

Respect For Earth's Last Week

Hey everyone

I just wanted to show you some shots from the awesome group exhibition

I was lucky to be included in recently called "Respect For Earth" at the Novah Gallery.

It was a showing of almost 20 local artists and over 50 pieces of artwork

all pertaining to our own unique viewpoint on this one precious home we call Earth. 

This is one of five pieces I had hung in the show "She Took Care Of Her Kindred Spirits"

The gallery space at Novah is pretty cool, two long nicely lighted hallways

and a really cozy common area to show the artwork, a really nice space for an art show.

It was an honor to be included.  North Bay may be small but we have amazing talent aplenty.

And first time curator Sarah Carlin-Ball did a really amazing job at putting it all together.

Sarah made these gorgeous weaved baskets and we were supposed to set an intention or make a wish

on an object or on a piece of paper which we than put into the baskets...all were welcome to do so.

My wish was that more people make the connection and choose to go vegan for the Earth's sake.

My other wish was that I am able to keep being a voice for the voiceless & a home for the wayward.

And I set an intention to start using less plastic when grocery shopping (more on that later).

This was one of my all-time favorite pieces in the whole show,

there's an honesty to this piece that touched me.

Here is another of my pieces in the show called "She Was Nourished By Green Living"/

This is my friend, mentor, high-school teacher and one of my very first supports and reasons why I became an artist, David Carlin.  How cool it feels to be in the same show with him.

The exhibition has a multitude of mediums, including pottery in the outdoor space,

like this outdoor piece by local potter Pat Stamp.

And multimedia metal pieces by one of my favorite local artists Carol Davidson.

The opening was a crowded, lovely, uplifting afternoon with beautiful company.

Here's another of my pieces called "She Wished On Every Star To Always Be A Safe Haven",
this one is a self-portrait (it's for sale but I am more than okay if this particular piece never sells!).

(Pottery by Pat Stamp)

I truly think there's something for everyone in the show.

On the big poster my bio says "...(Mandy) firmly believes that the best & biggest way to respect our one Earth is to go Vegan" and I know that will 'annoy' some people but it's an opinion I feel very strongly about and here exactly why...meat agriculture is irrefutably the main leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions, dead ocean zones, mind boggling rates of species extinction and mind boggling mass deforestation...the simple act of adopting a vegan lifestyle is one of the biggest and best ways a person can actively not participate in all the things that are killing our world! 

So if you are in the North Bay area and are local to me (I know the majority of you are not however)

hop on by and check out the show at the Novah Gallery located at 176 Lakeshore Drive

This Saturday June 15 is the very last day...
however there is a possibility that the show just might be made into a book, wooowww, so exciting.

Flynn In Lino

I can't get enough of linos lately, I carve pretty much every morning.

Those who know my little family know right away that Flynn was my model for this one.

Toowhittawoo

Hi guys today I wanted to show you a brand new image I recently finished up

"Toowhittawoo"

I had such fun with it.  It's only my 2nd image done in the dreamy Faber-Castell Polychromos.

Sign up to Keep In Touch on my website

and I'll let you know when & where prints etc land XO

Studio Sweetness

So this is what most of my days look like (besides the pain)...sweet, soft...joyful...

happy at home, in the studios, hanging with bunnies (and my honey)...what could be better?!

San Diego House Rabbit Society

We were so happy to be able to help out the awesome San Diego House Rabbit Society

again this year when they requested more of my art prints for their annual fundraiser Bunnyfest.

If your in the area on September 23rd, hop by to support the rabbits & all those who help them.

My art prints will be part of their silent auction.  We hope they help out this great bunny cause XO

New Bunny Packaging

Have you guys seen my newest packaging cuteness?

  

Beautiful bunny inspired mojo everywhere to honor the majestic bun beings who inspire me so.

Nesting Nellie

Hi Everyone I am back...suddenly it's August already!

I have a brand new image to show you today...

Her name is "Nesting Nellie"

and she's already listed in my shop if she's striking your fancy XO

Gold Touches

I've been putting little gold highlights on a few original pieces...

whiles watching 'Once Upon A Time', the two activities seem to go hand in hand!