Golden Spiral Meditation ACEO

I am fascinated by spirals and use them often in my art. This one just seemed to require a golden spiral to go along with the reds in the background.

The spiral is done with iridescent paint. Because it sits on top of the other colors, it really catches the light.

Please visit my Etsy shop if you're interested in purchasing it.

SOLD

White and Red Sweet Hearts ACEO

Here's a sweet little pair of hearts! They're done in acrylic paints on paper. The white one is done with pearlized paint, so it really shines. The border is done freehand with pen and ink in a sepia tone.

See details at http://lifeneedsart.etsy.com

Why Do I Make ACEOs?

I was an art major in college, and painted in my spare time for several years after graduating. As I got busier and busier, I spent less and less time on my art. Before I knew it, a dozen years had gone by and I’d done no artwork at all.

Trying to restart my art was tough. How would I start again? Browsing the web in 2006, I discovered other artists who were making wonderful little artworks called ACEOs and the idea intrigued me. How could anyone make artwork that small? I was used to working large. Making something tiny seemed impossible. Of course I had to try.

A couple of ACEOs later and was hooked. I loved them! They gave me a way to restart my art on a scale that fit with my schedule and studio space. Little did I know how challenging and enjoyable these tiny artworks could be!

See mine here:


LifeNeedsArt web site

ACEOs on Flickr

Purchase ACEOs

The next question is...why do YOU make ACEOs?

What are ACEOs?

I’ve been asked about ACEOs lately, so here’s my take on them.

ACEO is an acronym that stands for Art Cards, Editions, Originals. They’re highly collectible tiny artworks that can be either prints (editions) or originals. The one rule is that they have to be exactly 2.5 x 3.5 inches, the same size as a baseball trading card.

They can be made in any medium or style on any support. Mine are all originals on paper done in mostly traditional painting and mixed media – watercolor, acrylic paints, colored pencils, ink, collage, torn paper. However, I’ve seen ACEOs done on canvas and also as photographs or prints or even made from glass or metal or fabric.

Subject-wise, my ACEOs are abstract acrylics and collages, though the styles and subjects used by other artists run the same gamut as larger artworks: traditional, landscapes, realism, Impressionism, illustration, florals, primitive. Whatever your favorite style of art, you’ll find an artist making ACEOs in that style.

ACEOs are a sibling to ATCs, which stands for Artist Trading Cards. The same rule about the size applies to ATCs, and they too can be done in any media. The essential difference is the method of distribution: ATCs are only traded never sold, hence the “trading card” part of the name.

ACEOs are sold. Prices range -- what’s the expression? -- from pennies to bennies? I’ve seen some artists’s ACEOs indeed sell for pennies, which breaks my heart, to hundreds of dollars. Mine are in the $10-25 range.

ACEOs are sometimes nicknamed “pocket art”. My catch-phrase is “Art you can carry in your pocket. What could be better?” No, I don’t carry ACEOs in my pocket because women’s clothing makers rarely put pockets where they might be useful. I do, however, carry ACEOs in my purse and my wallet all the time.

I also call them “my little gems”, because aren’t they just?

Valentine ACEOs In the Works

I've been busy working on a bunch of new Valentine's ACEO's -- all kinds of sweet little hearts and curly-cues. Some are collaged papers, some are painted, and some are drawn with ink. Many of them are not the standard pinky pink Valentine's hearts, either. Green hearts? Why not?

None are finished yet, except the Double Sweet Hearts.

Stay tuned. These will be done and posted promptly!

Double Sweet Hearts, Red and Gold, ACEO

Cute little hearts done in acrylic paint on paper. Both hearts are done with iridescent paint so they shine nicely. The scroll border is done by hand in ink.

Visit my Etsy shop to get a closer look:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19274268