Etsy is worth visiting!

I just want to thank all of you who posted comments on my blog, wishing us well in the new house adventure! August 10 seems like a long time to wait, but I know it will go fast. I am not sure if adobe is cooler than a regular kind of house. I think REAL adobe is, actually, but this house is FAKE adobe. Meaning the adobe is just a surface they put on a standard wood frame house. It just LOOKS cool, if you catch my drift. ;)

I want to post a little about etsy today. If you have never visited etsy, I highly recommend it. It is a website for buying and selling all things handmade. You can find art, clothing, soap, candles, magnets, handbags, baby items, quilts, and on and on. The thing that distinguishes etsy from other sites, including ebay, is that the people who are listing items on etsy are also the creators of the items. So if you buy something, you are buying directly from the artisan. It is a very exciting concept, and there is an amazing amount of talent!!! Here is the link to click. Of course, I have listed some of my small originals, cards and prints on etsy, but I want you all to know there are many other artists and crafters selling on etsy. You can even buy supplies - things like yarn, buttons, fabric, etc.

I have recently listed some of the paintings from the 100 on etsy. For those of you who don't know about this, I painted 100 oil paintings for a show at my gallery in Salida. The show was titled "100 paintings for $100 each". The idea was to create paintings that regular people could buy. Something for those of us who don't have thousands at our disposal. Yes, I realize you can buy reproductions that are very affordable, however in my opinion, there is just nothing at all like an original. These 100 paintings are all oil paintings, and they are quite large, for the price. Measuring 12 x 12" and 12 x 16" each, the main focus is abstract. I did do a few landscapes (which I sold right away), a couple of paintings of leaves (also sold right away) and some nudes. The one remaining nude will be listed sometime this weekend!!! There is nothing quite like setting a large task for yourself and then being able to complete it. It was exciting to paint all of those paintings, and then see them hanging up on the wall, all together. It became an installation, really, once they were all hung. I tried to find a photo of it, but I think it is buried in a box somewhere. Here is a photo of the front of my gallery, instead. Just so you know, I sold almost all of the paintings from the 100. (over 80% of them are sold, which is pretty good, considering the show was only up for 2 weeks!) What I am posting now on etsy are the few who still haven't found their rightful owners. There are still some really nice ones left!

I just took the dog for a walk, at 8 pm, and it is still scorching out there. It is quite impressive, really. I like it, though. After a cold and snowy winter in Colorado, I am NOT going to complain. I'm just going to jump in the pool....