Mosaic Monday/ Talented Friends

© 2011 David Stover
3.5 x 5

 We are so lucky to have so many talented artist pals. This weekend we had dinner with a terrific couple that we met through a mutual friend and through the Creative Arts Center here in Dallas. Dave and Linda are both mosaic artists and they share a studio in their home. They are both as generous as they are talented. Dan and I were both ooohing and ahhing over a recent new piece that Dave had done, and he gave it to us ... zowie, what an amazing score! Our jaws dropped to the ground and we were a bit speechless. Dan made sure to speak up and correct me later however when I thanked Dave again for my gifted mosaic ...  the hubby made sure I called it "our" mosaic, it was a gift to us both after all.

About This Work:
It is 3.5 x 5 inches and this new experimental size sort of sprung up for Dave from the recent trading card swaps we have all been doing here in Dallas. It is a bit larger than the standard 2.5 x 3.5 atc size and so you end up with a little more surface to play with and the end result feels like a really substantial piece instead of a mini-card, it is thick too which adds to that hefty feel.
The tiny translucent green bead that seems to have a texture printed within it is getting that texture from the mesh below, it is really cool in person because if you look at the bead from another angle you do not see the mesh texture ... it is really a dynamic piece that sort of changes at different angles.  Check the detail below and you may see what I am referring to better.

I am a sucker for anything that has a layered effect and this piece by Dave really does. The mix of textures and the shiny center tessera versus the flat black really make this mosaic special.  I would love to share a web link to Dave's website with you but he does not have one just yet.  I am going to bug him about that this year.  I may see if I can help him get that happening soon, he has very professional photos of his work so I think it is just a time issue, I can understand that.

Flickr Friday / Dogs and Fences

From Flickr Member Amber McNamara

 

From Flickr Member Backpackphotography

From Flickr Member Glenn Keelty

From Flickr Member Jo Peattie

From Flickr Member Ariel DovasIf

If you like these fun photos then check out more within this theme over at a new blog I have started with my friend Kris Hundt, it is called : http://petphotographytips.wordpress.com/.  Each Friday we are doing a fun Flickr Friday post on that blog and during the rest of the week we offer up quick tips for taking great shots of your pets. I come at it from the approach of an experienced amateur that knows dogs and knows how to get some great shots on occasion, I share what works for me. Kris is a professional photographer and offers up great advice that can only be learned from spending years behind the lens. Together I think we have the potential to build a great blog that will be a terrific resource for anyone wanting to get better at taking photos of their animals. We are not getting a lot of eyeballs over there just yet so please drop by and leave a comment if you can: http://petphotographytips.wordpress.com/

A Pup Named Lola

"Lola" ( see all proofs)
© rebecca collins/ artpaw.com

What a crazy week. I posted my team up Thursday pic on Weds. and I posted a Flickr Friday post yesterday. For some reason I have been a one day ahead on my blog posts this week. I guess I am just eager for the weekend. Today I proofed around 3 clients and updated some kitty art. I may try to do a little bit of Art Paw work this weekend, however I think I am really just going to focus on a few personal art projects.  I have so many mosaic projects stacking up in  my head, I have to start working on a few soon.

So what do you guys think of Lola?  I love this puppy girls' ears. She has the same name as my assistant so I am going to assume she is high spirited, hard headed and determined ... all traits that Art Paw's own Lola has.

Flickr Friday / Dogs In Windows

From Flickr member Justin.Beck

From Flickr Member Jonathan Khoo

From Flickr Member Orin Zebest

From Flickr Member whizchickenonabun

From Flickr Member Olga

 

 

From Flickr Member Susanne Stoop

From Flickr Member Bondiben

From Flickr Member Michelle Tribe

From Flickr member Newsbie Pix

Wouldn't it be fun to drive around the country shooting pups in windows for a book?  Maybe some day when we are semi retired we will get a travel trailer and load up the pups and take on photography projects like that. All of these terrific shots were found over at Flickr.

B. W. For Team Up Thursday

B. W. For Team Up Thursday
Originally uploaded by artpaw [rebecca collins]

Just a silly and fun post for my Team up Thursday group. The shot to left is me taken with the i-site camera on my computer. Kris Hundt shot the lovely goat. They have a new male in the petting zoo to keep the lady goats company ... yes they want babies. I am glad to be getting back to this flickr group, not sure I will go all year, as we both fell off posting last year, but it certainly was a fun creative kick start last Jan. and it seems to be that again. Kris is a fun person to play creatively with. She is into shooting for fun this year and she even has another team up Thursday partner.

New Client Wall Pics

Buster, Ernie, Gator, Cooper
Framed and Hanging at Home

Harley, Tuffy, Logan, Braker

Keep those in home shots coming!  I love seeing my work on your walls!

Mosaic Monday/ Shopping High To Low

"Tricky Dog" by Betsy Youngquist

"Harry" by Betsy Youngquist

"Otto" by Betsy Youngquist

Window Shopping
Even the most non-material person on the planet has had the experience at some point in life of drooling over a car, gadget, piece of clothing, or art that is way beyond their budget. I remember that when I was a young college student "window shopping" was pretty much the only type of shopping I ever took part in. This morning I went over to Etsy to see what was new in mosaics. I typed in my search term "mosaic" and then selected the "high to low" option so that it would deliver the results with the most expensive price tag first ... WOW, I was not disappointed in what I found.

Check out these funky and original works by Betsy Youngquist. Betsy's work has been included in several Museum shows in both the US and Sweden. Her profile states: "Stemming from a life-long love of all creatures great and small, Betsy’s work weaves together the human and animal spirit through a surrealistic lens."  Her elaboratly beaded creations range in price from a very approachable $75 on up to $11,400 for my favorite piece "Otto".  Betsy's work can be found over at Etsy and also on her own very attractive site "Byart.com".

Ajax & Whitman

This is a shot of my 2 boys hanging out on the back of the couch.  Whitman ( the Fox Terrier to the left) has been with us since the first of last December. He has gained some weight and has managed to win the Scotties over. This morning when I got in from breakfast I made sure to not go straight to Whitman's crate instead I bent down and loved on Ajax first.  When he had enough love, Ajax hurried over to the crate and eagerly waited for me to let his new Bubba out. The boys spent most of the afternoon outside together. Whitman loves the yard.

"All in A Row "

All in A Row
Originally uploaded by artpaw [rebecca collins]

Photography for Team Up Thursday group at Flickr. My shot is the books. Kris Huhdt did the lovely ice shot. The Theme was "All in a Row". Feels good to be playing with my camera again.

Pet Portrait For Baby Nursery

"Riley" ( see all proofs)
© rebecca collins/ artpaw.com

Sweet Riley is one out of four pups I am working on for a baby's room. I am really enjoying this design project. My color theme is browns & light blue. I have the 1st round of proofing finalized and just need to make a few tweaks before we can print. The client has sent me some color swatches so that I can try to match my blues up as close as possible. I think basically I will need take the saturation down a bit to get the powder blue to happen that is in the room. I really like it when the artwork is stronger or more saturated than the room colors, but often times folks get real tied into matching things up as close as possible to a chosen pallet. In these cases I do my very best. Fabric swatches really help.

Pic above was taken 5 minutes ago using my I-mac's photo-booth program. Not having a good hair day and I am a bit under the weather, getting over a cold. This is me ... in the office, trying to get a few things done today before I go back to bed with Kleenex stuffed up my nose.

Mosaic Monday/ Not a Dog

3 Mosaic
Originally uploaded by Leo Reynolds

Ok, not a dog and not really a mosaic. Fell in love with this photo collage over at flickr this morning so this is what I am posting.

Yay ... A New Cat Portrait

"Carlos" ( see all proofs)
© Rebecca Collins / artpaw.com

 This is Carlos and he is shipping out today. I love his pretty eyes. The original photo for this project was very nice to work with. I made his pupils just a tiny bit larger and bumped the green a bit in his eyes.

Some of you may have been following the monthly art collage reviews I have been creating from the last year.  The biggest thing that doing that review work has taught me is that I am not creating near enough cat artwork. I adore cats and miss having them in my life. This year I am going to have to figure out a marketing technique that will get more cat clients to show up. We tend to be very dog-centric at Art Paw, but we love cats too.

Mosaic Monday/ Monkeys Subway Mosaics, NYC

Subway Mosaics, NYC
Originally uploaded by photos11201

Found a great group over at flickr this morning for New York City Subway art. Check it our : http://www.flickr.com/groups/323578@N24/

Most of the images are of graffiti and paint but there are a few mosaics like these monkeys and there is also a  flying pig you have to see.