Hello all!! During the past year I have been creating numerous new pieces of art for a Duirwaigh project called "My Wish For You" - a follow-up to their international best selling book and DVD called "A Knock at the Door". Today is the day it is released!! It's launch is cause for celebration for all of us involved with Duirwaigh.

24 of my works are featured in the film. Some you may remember, while many are brand new, and will be shared here on DeviantArt over the next few days. I am SO excited!! It's a wonderful feeling to be involved in something so heartfelt and uplifting. I hope you forward it along to everyone you know who would enjoy a break from the stress of the day, to disappear in a lovely daydream for a few minutes.

The other stunning artists involved with this project are Jena DellaGroataglia, Christophe Vacher, Agnieszka Szuba, Elisabetta Sinopoli, Barbara, Marc Fishman and Silas Toball, and the magical words of Angi Sullins. A lullaby for the soul - My Wish for You.

The Music on "My Wish for You" was contributed by Annbjørg Lien, with special thanks to Bjørn Ole Rasch.

Enjoy!! And be inspired!!

Aimee

Hello all!

Summer is here!  June already - packed with lots of sunshine and busy days!  To celebrate that, I've added several of my latest works of art in the Shop - many of which are collaborations with Angi Sullins of Duirwaigh Studios!

Here is one, called "Whirligig" - which just makes me want to hop on the nearest merry-go-round and wave a big fluffy cone of Cotton Candy in the air!


Also, Issue 57 of Advanced Photoshop Magazine is on the stands in Europe right now, and will probably be out in the US by the end of July.  It features a piece by me called "Rio - 2009" - which is part of a head-to-head challenge with another artist!  It also has a simplified tutorial to accompany it.



My Rio 2009:
Available as cards and prints!
 

Suffice it to say, this is going to be another hectic summer.   I am currently working on new card lines for 2010 - and will hopefully have a couple of new puzzles out as well!  Until then, here is the latest puzzle by me that you can purchase!  Called "Wish"



Enjoy!!

Someone recently asked me a series of fun questions, which included this gem:  What is something that you have loved, that has blown away?

An odd question.  Not many things in my life have physically blown away.  I've never had the movie-esque experience of riding in a convertable, only to have my favorite scarf whisked from my neck as I speed down Mullholland Drive.  Nor have I ever lost a favorite hat to the wiles of a gusty day.  So I thought of it, and realized the only thing that ever really blew away that I had loved, is probably repeated millions of times over across the planet:  A balloon.

Who hasn't had a beloved balloon as a child, only to have it plucked from our pudgy starfish hands and stolen into the sky by impish winds?  Who hasn't stood there, gazing through tear blurred eyes, frozen in that grasping pose of futility, trying to retrieve the quickly ascending string?  Who hasn't felt the plummet of one's heart at the sight of the bright purple/blue/red/yellow/rainbow balloon merging with the clouds above... knowing that no matter how hard one wishes, it's never going to be ours again?

Remember being inconsolable when a well-meaning adult told us to 'calm down' it's 'just a balloon'?  Could they not understand how you had bonded immediately with that balloon?   The color, the bouancy?  As a child, I swear, I did not see a balloon.  I saw a friend.  An instand buddy with a string body, and a bouncy head who would hold my hand and follow me into every adventure.  A friend who had the power (if one believed) to lift me right up off my white buckled sandals and draw me into a sky filled with grand adventures.  'Just a balloon' indeed!!  And a replacement was out of the question.  It was betrayal!  How could you go and find a substitute to your new best friend, especially as they were still in sight... a pinprick of color in the sky!  Surely they were just as distraught as you, all alone way up there in the clouds, face to face with birds and airplanes and thunderstorms.  It was so tragic that it kept the sniffles coming all through dinner until bedtime, when the pillow soaked up the tears.

As I thought of all this today, I realized something.   For me, and maybe for many...  that experience was our first taste of loss.  In the grand scheme of things, it was a very gentle introduction to the concept of losing something dear, and - try as we might - having no way of making it return.  Of course, as we grow, those losses are met with more than just confused tears.  They are met with anger, with self blame, with denial.  And maybe we felt the stirrings of all those things as a child too... but mostly I think it was a pure sort of sadness we felt.  It was singularly focused, and really quite sweet in retrospect. 

So, here's to all those friend-balloons that have been lost over the years.  Thanks for escorting me softly into a world where loss is an all too often repeated theme.  Here's to simply enjoying the view of brightly colored dots high up in the sky.

Here's some sneak peeks at the trades I am taking to ArtFest, as well as my gallery pieces that will be for sale there as well!

First, the art trades.  Since I am a digital artist, I had to find ways to incorporate my digital prints, with a touch of personalized embellishment.  What I finally decided to create was ArtFest "VIP" passes!  The baseball card sized prints inside are printed on Kodak Endura Mettallic, which is AMAZING stuff.  It makes artwork glow in ways I can't even describe.  On the front is my ArtFest woman, a mix of Mucha and Octopus, just ready to haunt the seas with her beauty!  On the back, is my name, website address, and a vintage stamp from my collection!  Each stamp is different, coming from all areas of the world, and ranging in years from the early 1900's, to the 1940's.  Some may even be worth a bit of money!  But they are all included 'loose' in the trade card, so that a person could utilize them in a collage if they wished!



And then, on to the gallery pieces!!

These are both printed on Mettallic Endura paper, and mounted on heavy matte board.   The Shell Maiden is 12x12, and Stella is 5x15! 





Of course, the watermark won't be on the gallery piece!!

Anyway, I've had such fun preparing for ArtFest!  And I can't wait to see everyone there!!

Aimee

---------------

Coming Soon! New Merchandise!


I am very excited to announce that my "Buy" page will soon be undergoing an extensive overhaul. My art prints and cards will be available in beautiful new formats, including an exclusive Mettallic paper which radiates with color and detail. It is truly stunning, and is my preferred way of seeing my artwork in print now!

Also, prices are being lowered, shipping times are being cut in half, so that you get what you want, when you want!

So watch for more details on this coming soon!

On a very rainy day, in a very rainy city... Sir Cricket von Marionette decided to have his portrait taken. You see, Sir Cricket had a ladyfriend whom he bestowed the utmost admiration upon. One could even say he prized her esteemed company beyond all other crickets in that drizzly town. Perhaps even in the entire land, though Sir Cricket von Marionette was not one to go galavanting too far beyond the streets of his beloved home.

At any rate... this ladyfriend, Penelope Chirpington, had mentioned in passing that she would quite like to look upon the personage - or rather, the buggage - of Sir Cricket when time and circumstances were not favorable to their being together. In other words, she longed for a certain portrait, to keep on a certain table, which sat in a certain room that served as a place to pass the time, when not in a certain charming man-bug's company.

Sir Cricket had a fervent desire to make this wish of Lady Chirpington's come true. And yet, where among the cobbles of that great and shadowy city would he find a portraiteer who would accomidate the peculiar nature of being a rather diminutive size? In all his days, Sir Cricket had never seen such a portrait, and surmised that his dear Penelope had only entertained the notion due to the fact that she had spied such things in the parlor of the Duchess of Bigguntall. After all, Lady Chirpington had found a tiny nook near the Duchess' hearth, where she could warm herself on particularly dreary days by sitting on a cushion made of a powder puff. Sir Cricket quite enjoyed those days, for his treasured ladyfriend would return to him smelling of lavendar talc. Of course, propriety demanded he not say this directly to Lady Chirpington, but he always made sure to comment on the particular quality of the air whenever the occasion allowed.

So with a determined mind set on Lady Chirpinton's wish, he dressed in his finest hat and spats, and scoured the streets and snickleways of that city, unflagging in his faith that somewhere there would be a portraiteer who would not cringe upon the sight of a smitten cricket.

Much to Sir Cricket von Marionette's delight, he happened to find one... snugged cheek-by-jowel between a millinery shop and a cafe that sold exquisite almondine tarts (he knew this, of course, because he had the rare fortune of sampling a crumblette dropped by a usually fastidious baker, who was momentarily startled at the sight of a cricket donning a red top hat).

The portraiteer - an aged man whose stature had grown more acclimated towards being nearer the ground after years of bending and stooping behind the black drape of his photo-contraption - was most accomidating to Sir Cricket. He even managed to find a stool of impressive height in amongst his props, and lent a withered old hand as means of transport for Sir Cricket to travel the distance. Sir Cricket said nothing of the fact that he could have easily jumped three times that height with only a faint flick of his legs.... after all, he was a gentlebug, and could not even fathom turning away such a kind invitation by the portraiteer.

And so, Sir Cricket perched upon the tall stool, and waited while the aged man disappeared beneath the billowing black canopy. He thought of his cherished Lady Chirpington, and how delighted she would no doubt be as he presented her with his token of all consuming affection. He imagined the little table she would set it upon, and even was so bold as to envision her lovely green face lit up by moonlight as she stared upon his likeness. So pleasing was the thought, that his wings fluttered slightly, and the room filled with the bright shirrupping sound of his particular stridulation.

A true surprise was his then, as he heard an echo of that winged violin! In fact, it seemed doubly as sweet...chirpchirpchirping in a way that struck him as quite familiar. Most familiar. Distinctly and singularly familiar! He heard the old gentleman chuckle behind the curtain, and in that moment the world flashed with a giant poof of light. Momentarily blinded, Sir Cricket wiped his eyes...then peered back at the portraiteer. There, sitting pretty-as-you-please atop the gangly-legged photo contraption, was Lady Chirpington, dressed in a particular pink gown that she frequently borrowed from the Duchess of Bigguntall's dollhouse.

The old man extracted himself from behind the black drape, rubbing his whiskered chin and shaking his head. "T'missus shan't be believin' this'un tonight... no. Two chirpers on t'same day, an' both in fancy clothes. No, t'missus might just think t'whiskey finally got t'best o' me affer'all." And his shoulders hunched and shook with a laugh as he shuffled to the back of his workshop.

As for Sir Cricket, he launched himself most gracefully - if not a bit eagerly - from the stool to the perch that Lady Chirpington occupied. Her smile was a ray of sweet buggy light that cut through the dismel dark day. She had decided that for as much as she wished to have in her possession a portrait of her dear Sir Cricket... she knew he would no doubt pine away his days if he did not have one of herself as well. The room filled with the sound of shirrupping wings, only this time in besotted harmony.

The serendipity of it all was too much to be left uncelebrated. Sir Cricket promptly fetched a few more crumblettes of almondine tart, along with some generous droplets of limoncello from the baker's own bottle, transported in the hollow of his red top hat. And there atop that marvelously boxy camera, Lady Chirpington and Sir Cricket von Marionette resolutely decided that it was a Most Momentous Occasion on a very rainy day. And it would forevermore be remembered thusly as their portraits sat side by side on a certain table, in a certain room that served as a place to pass the time in eachother's most certainly charming company. 

©2009 Aimee Stewart, Foxfires.com

"Bad Kitty" purchased by NattyB - Australia

I have been meaning to set up a new section here on the website, devoted to photos that people send me showcasing the artwork they've purchased from me, now hanging on their walls.  Until then, I figured I would include them here on the blog!  My sincere appreciation to everyone who has supported my endeavors in the past few months - big hugs and cupcakes to you all!


"Autumn" (The geisha) - purchased by Danielle Prowse, Australia



La Reverie - purchased by NattyB - Australia

February. Such a love/hate relationship I have with this month. On one hand, February brings the first meager stirrings of Spring with it. Red-breasted Robins come back to flutter around the yard, pecking at the spots of ground exposed through lingering crusts of snow. The wind ceases to have a razer sharp chill to it, and instead softens with the promise of warmth to come. Lovely, right? Well, on the other hand... February always seems to be a time of transition for me, artistically. My seemingly endless well of inspiration and ideas dry up. My passion and enthusiasm for spending hour upon hour crafting new images becomes as fruitless as the spindly, leafless trees outside my window. In short, artist's block reigns supreme during February, leaving me reeling in it's wake.

You would think I would anticipate this yearly phenomenon. But no. I glide along completely oblivious to the unforgiving brick wall that awaits me. I think deep down, I convince myself that somehow I will avoid it this time, and just keep riding the inspiration tsunami that defines the rest of my usual pattern of behavior. Alas, that's not the case.

For the past couple of weeks, ever since I finished the Shell Maiden (which is only partially revealed here), I have been in the depths of artistic funk. I sleep in later than normal. I avoid surfing my favorite art websites. I find myself sitting in front of the TV flipping channels, never really landing on anything in particular (and when I do, they are programs that I would normally rather pluck my eyeballs out with spoon before watching). I even decided to clean out my BASEMENT, which frankly hasn't been touched in well over ten years. I literally have been doing anything and everything I can possibly think of to avoid coming in contact with anything artistic.

I sulk. I mope. I question whether I will ever have another original idea. I marvel at the fact that some of my biggest dreams are coming true this month (my cards and puzzles are hitting the store shelves as I type this), and while I am thrilled at the prospect... the celebration of it is not transferring over into new creation.

I start to second, third, and fourth guess myself, artistically. I halfheartedly attempt to start a new commissioned picture, and wonder if I have chosen the wrong colors, the wrong backdrop, the wrong model. I scrap it, and wander to the kitchen for some good old-fashioned comfort food. My Wacom tablet is almost completely buried beneath stacks of film slides and stock waiting to be scanned. My scanner is buried beneath an impressive pile of books waiting to be read. And the books are buried beneath a day jam packed with nothing at all in particular. Just hour upon hour of avoiding the very thing I love the most; being inspired, and creating.

I know I'm not the first, nor am I the last artist to bend beneath the weight of artist's block. This isn't even the first journal I've ever written about it. But I have literally been cringing every time I dare peek onto dA. When I do, I am reminded that it has been ages in 'dA time' since I have posted new artwork. I sit back and wait to feel even the smallest glimmer of inspiration, the tiniest spark of interest in delving into a new picture. Nada. Zip. Zilch. All I am given is a big fat squat of nothing.

Then, today - I discovered something that was completely intriguing. I took a test that reveals whether the person taking the test is thinking with their left brain, or right brain, at the time of the test. If you have never read about the differences between left-brain and right-brain thinking... it is very fascinating.

Left Brain =
Logical
Sequential
Rational
Analytical
Objective
Looks at parts


Right Brain =
Random
Intuitive
Holistic
Synthesizing
Subjective
Looks at wholes

In general, Left-brainers focus on logical thinking, analysis, and accuracy. Right-brainers, on the other hand, focus on aesthetics, feeling, and creativity. The ultimate package is to be whole-brained, using the best of both worlds to your advantage.

The test I took today is one I have taken before. The last time I took it, it showed that I was completely whole-brained at that particular moment. I could easily switch back and forth from left-brain to right-brain activity in the blink of an eye.

Today, however... I was COMPLETELY left-brained. I could not for the life of me switch over to my right-brain, no matter how much I focused and relaxed. It made me stop and analyze this bout of 'artist's block', and think about it in a whole new light. Perhaps there is simply certain times of the year when I 'check out' of my right-brain, my creative hub, and pay an extended visit over in Lefts-ville. Perhaps it is unconcious self preservation and restoration. Admittedly, there are times when I am SO absorbed and obsessed about my artwork, that I forget to eat, and will literally work until my eyes ache and sting from exertion. Maybe, just maybe... the little emergency trigger in my brain clicks, and whether I'm ready for it or not, puts me on a sort of creative 'bed rest'.

So, I am now looking at Artist's Block more like Artist's Stew. I'm simmering. Percolating. Absorbing. I may not be ready to serve up something new yet...but it doesn't necessarily mean there's nothing on the stove. For whatever reason, my brain has decided to give itself over to the logical, methodical, black and white side of life for a little bit. I know without a doubt it's only temporary, and now I have reason to believe it is practically a necessity. It is time to sit back, and let all those creative juices get savory and delicious again. Maybe it's emotional. Maybe it's chemical. It could even be environmental. Most likely, it's a combination of all three, and then some. Either way, it is fascinating, and I am more awestruck than ever at the complexity of creativity in the human brain.

I write this down here, now, more for myself than anything. A way to work through this new discovery, and to reassure myself that I have not come to the mortal end of all my lovely ideas. That's just the melodramatic part of me talking. ;) But hopefully, if any of you out there have experienced that disconcerting 'emptiness' after a long downpour of inspiration... this will help you realize that it's only a matter of letting things simmer for a bit before diving back into the bubbling pot of artistic goodness.

And I have to laugh that I have just spent the past 30 minutes analyzing all of this, which is SO left-brained of me.

Originally written by Simon & Garfunkle