Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy

Here are 3 little fish ACEOs for you today:

Red Coral Zig Zag Fish ACEO (SOLD)


Purple Tropical Fish ACEO


Blue Fish ACEO


They are all collages. The fish were made by painting and drawing on a variety of paper. I then cut out the fish shapes and glued them on ACEO-sized cards.

The top one (the red fish with the zig zag design) was made by gluing together strips of paper and then painting over them. I made the backing card by weaving together strips of specialty papers that have wonderful bits of fiber and plant material embedded in them.

The purple fish in the middle has these great gold stripes that give it an exotic feel.

The blue fishy has wonderful watery washes of acrylic over printed scrapbooking paper. I drew the fun branch and box design with sepia ink. The left edge of the card has a ragged deckle edge that adds to the fluttery feel of his tail.

All are for sale in my Etsy shop: http://lifeneedsart.etsy.com

Acronyms and Definitions for Miniature Art: ACEO, ATC, OOAK...

Miniature art is sometimes described with a variety of abbreviations and acronyms. While they're helpful to aficionados, they can be confusing to the rest of us.

Here's an admittedly informal list of acronyms. It's heavily biased toward ACEOs and their cousins, since that's where my interest lies.

What others do you use? Have you found artists using an acronym but can't find the definition? Let me know and I'll try to track it down.

ACEO = Art Cards, Editions, Originals. Must be 2.5 x 3.5 inches, but any medium may be used. ACEOs can be sold.

ATC = Artist Trading Cart. Must be 2.5 x 3.5 inches, but any medium may be used. ATCs are only traded not sold.

INCHIE = Square 1 inch x 1 inch. (Not an acronym, I know.)

OOAK = One of a kind.

SFA = Small format art. Usually less than 14 inches in any direction.

TWINCHIE = 2 inch x 2 inch square. (Not an acronym, I know.)

Note: miniature art societies, groups, and galleries have their own definitions. Please check with your group to be sure you're abiding by their guidelines.

Holy Family ATC by Morris Nelms

This lovely ATC entitled "Holy Family" was painted by Morris Nelms. It found its way to me through the Strathmore Holiday ATC swap.

It's a wonderful card, beautifully done, with a peaceful feel. It truly embodies the spirit of the season. I'm honored to be the recipient.

Mr. Nelms is an accomplished pianist, composer, vocalist, and painter. Visit him on the web:

www.morrisnelmsmusic.com

www.myspace.com/morrisnelms

If ACEOs Are Pocket Art, Do You Carry Them In Your Pocket?

I do.

Several, usually.

I carry one ACEO that I made for myself with my daily words to live by. It's meaningful to me. I guess that means it's not technically an ACEO -- I wouldn't sell it for anything.


I also carry a small snack-size zip bag with a stack of unfinished ACEOs: some plain white ones and some with colored backgrounds. Plus, I carry a handful of pens and pencils. Sometimes I'll sit at lunch and doodle.


I also sometimes carry a finished ACEO with me. Sometimes I'll finish one and especially like it or make one that's completely different and gets me thinking about a new series or direction. I'll put it in a plastic sleeve and take it with me. I might put it on my desk at the day job, on the kitchen counter at home, or even on the dashboard in my car.

And, I have a little album with finished ACEOs that I sometimes carry with me so that I can show other people my cards. Friends will often ask what I'm up to, and it's handy to be able to show them my latest cards. Or, I'll take it out of my purse and leave it sitting on the table while I have coffee or lunch, and you'd be surprised how many conversations it starts. So I always tuck a few business cards in the back of it.



Do you carry ACEOs with you?

2009 Calendar Is Here, With All New Paintings

The 3rd annual Life Needs Art calendar is here! Each month shows a different painting done in the past year -- no repeats from previous years -- and 8 of them are ACEOs!

The months have everything from snowflakes to abstracts to pumpkins, and even a chicken! (Yes, check out September. I love my chicken.)

Calendars are available for $16.99 in my gift shop through my web site or directly at this address:

http://www.cafepress.com/life_needs_art.327864360

Three White Snowflakes

This card is my entry in the Strathmore ATC Swap: http://www.strathmoreartist.com/atc

It's official! The card is in the mail and heading off to the Strathmore Swapping Headquarters in Appleton, WI. You have until November 26 to get yours in the mail. Hurry, hurry!

I'm especially fond of this card, with its bits of three snowflakes as they drift across the scene. And the background colors came out so well. I just love it. And hopefully it's new owner will, too.

The snowflakes are cut from wrapping paper printed with little gold stars. Hopefully I have enough left to wrap my gifts after having used a bunch for snowflakes!

Two Purple Snowflakes, Light

A variation on the previous snowflakes, but with a much lighter background. Definitely a wintry afternoon rather than evening.

The paper that these snowflakes are cut from has such lovely threads and bits in it. It has terrific texture.

I'm having great fun with this series. More to follow, surely.