Two Weeks Survival

Fall Break. I almost survived it! But I'm getting ahead of myself.  When I don't post here as soon as I should, things get left out. Therefore, I'll add some recent Facebook posts to bring things up to speed. One of them is quite exciting!

Earlier today:

It's so nice to rollerblade when it's in the 70s! Oh, to live where it's like this all summer! (now to just get it to be overcast...)

But it'll be back in the 90s next week. GROWL!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday (10/11/12):  

So I have Christian go outside to pick up doggie poo to earn part of his allowance. He comes in a few minutes later and says, "Well, now I know what happened to one of my little Lego people..."

Wednesday (10/10/12):  

I found out that Christian can go for hours and be entertained driving around neighborhoods and seeing all the different names of WiFi networks. He just needs someone willing to do the driving. His favorite one tonight? One called "Not Yours" 

Tuesday (10/09/12):  
Reading scriptures tonight, there was a part about the devil and it described him as "miserable". Chris stopped to talk to the kids about what that means. Christian asked, "You mean, like Squidward?"

lol ...

so the discussion went of how yes, Squidward can be miserable, but he's not a miserable person out to make everyone miserable and then certain episodes were cited. Too funny. 

Also Tuesday (10/09/12):  

Wow! Yellow letter day for me! I dropped off my Dia De Los Muertos artwork at Sundust and Ron informed me that my original YELLOW COW sold! I don't know what day it was....but wow! I didn't expect that! Yay for the Yellow Cow! (prints are always available through me though....don't forget! More of his friends would love it if they had homes too) 

Photo of the Original Yellow Cow in Black Round Matte 

Saturday (10/6/12):  

Chris left for Priesthood early to run some errands first. Then called from a weird number to say he left his phone at home and can I text his friend Mark and tell him he's on his way to meet him at the chapel. So I did. Then I realized I needed something from Chris and texted Mark (poor Mark). The conversation went as follows:

Mark: Ok, but I haven't seen him yet, but I saw his truck out there.
Me: He doesn't have the truck. He took the other car. (I described it)
Mark: lol...Okay...I will find him. His puffy hair is usually pretty easy to pick out in a crowd.
Me: He just got a haircut
Mark: Crap. I will have to look harder then.
Me: He'll be wearing a white shirt and tie. 

Also Saturday (10/6/12): This is me this week with the Fall Break "Spring" Cleaning and painting:

Back to the title of this entry...

So today is the last day of Fall Break. The kids had two weeks. The first of the two weeks, Chris took a week off. Therefore, I was pretty much the above "gentleman" with painting projects (thanks to Alexander, the walls and a Sharpie) and other things that "had to be done". 

And yes, the original of my Yellow Cow sold! I was very surprised and excited to hear that! Things are happening!! Sure, not as quick as I would like, but they're happening. I dropped off the Original of my Dia De Los Meurtos on Tuesday. (And like the Yellow Cow, you can also purchase color prints of this through me as well):

And lastly, what is the deal with Alexander twisting his shirts like this? This is after the shirt has been on for awhile. Maybe he's trying to take the shirt off. I mean, he likes to take his diaper off (yeah, THAT is fun...), so maybe he's trying to take his shirt off and having a tough time figuring it out. But still...this twisted shirt thing is happening more and more. It only seems to happen at home though. So I don't know. He's such a goofball.

 

No Muggles

Back in May, I posted this entry: A Muggle's Young Women's Circle Motif. In that entry, I said that I doubted I could get my LDS-specific work into large LDS retailers like Deseret Book or LDS Bookstore because of my Muggle status. I said I would submit, but not be all that surprised at the rejection. Well, I submitted to both, and voila! 

I'm still a Muggle.

The Deseret Book rejection came this morning and I just shrugged. The one from LDS Bookstore was a week or so ago. While the rejection didn't surprise me, there was something that grinded on me like a pebble in my shoe. The standard "form letter" of rejection read as follows: Thank you for submitting your product. However with most art, we work with two main distributors due to the difficult nature of shipping. I think it would be good to get some more sales experience before you take on a large retailer.

So me, feeling a little snippy that day replied, "So what you're saying is it's not about the quality of the art but the sales experience and business experience of the artist?"

He replied right away. And when I say he, I mean Brandon Young, President of LDS Bookstore.  

Young? He's the President of a large LDS retailer and his last name is Young? Yeah, of course I got rejected. I didn't have the right connections or right last name. Sure, my great-grandfather x4 financed the Kirtland Temple, but he has something like 30,000 descendants by now and I don't share the same last name.

Brother YOUNG's reply is what stuck in my craw. He said, "Well... it's really a combination of a few things. Some of those being the quality of the artwork, the business experience, the price, the demand for the product, etc."

QUALITY of the artwork? First of all, he's the president of the company. He's not an art critic. Second, my prices are about what you would expect for prints. I charge less than $30 for all 12x12 sizes. The reason the YW Poster print (20x20) is more is it's so expensive to have it printed in color and for that size. So of course I'd charge more. So the price argument is a total cop-out.

My Reply:

I understand the business end of it, but as far as quality, I have some mainstream art in a gallery in downtown Mesa (Sundust Gallery) and the reason I don't have many Etsy sales is most of my sales are local so I make the sales on my own (so they don't have shipping costs), and the Etsy shop is relatively new (August 2012). I have been told countless times by fellow friends and other fans of the artwork that it needs to reach a wider population of LDS people. Please contact me when a more unique approach to displaying the temples and other scriptural elements is desired, as that is exactly what my quality of artwork accomplishes. 

And that was that. Chris thinks my last reply was too much, but I disagree. I didn't set out to do this artwork to please people like Brother Young. I don't care if he is president of the company. Plus, since then, I received a custom order from someone I do not know to make a wedding gift for a couple I do not know. That means my Etsy shop is getting more play! I completed the artwork quickly and sent it off. I don't know if the buyer has given it to the couple yet.

Not only that, but I've sold more of my bird motifs on Etsy, and locally I've sold more Temple Prints and another Lehi's Dream print. Sure, I'd love it if business could pick up, but you have to start somewhere.

I also completed a third Halloween print. I titled this one "Stay for a Spell" No one has purchased Halloween art yet, but they are sure fun to do!

                            

Another fun one to do? This "Enjoy the Silence" Depeche Mode tribute:

I added a lengthy description where it was posted on Etsy.  

Depeche Mode released their VIOLATOR album in 1990 and with it is their iconic "Enjoy the Silence" "recorded in 1989 and released on 5 February 1990. Their timeless video directed by The Anton Corbijn takes a "Little Prince" theme (philosophical children's book) where Dave is dressed as a King who appears to have everything in the world, but is just looking for a quiet place to sit. The video with the beautiful European scenery is intercut with black-and-white footage of the band and Brief flashes of the single Violator rose. I agree with Dave Gahan's statement that this Enjoy the Silence video was "Anton at his best."

Why the reference to the World Trade Center? In 1990 a promotional video for Enjoy the Silence was shot by French TV featuring Depeche Mode lip-syncing the song while standing atop the World Trade Center at the WTC rooftop World observatory. This was 11 years before the tragic 9/11 Terrorist Attack and 3 years before the first WTC attack. Google searches can find this video, though if you are in the US, it is hard to find a link where this video is available in the US. I have found it at YouTube, but it is often taken down due to Copyright issues.

"Enjoy the Silence 04" was almost equally successful in the UK, peaking at No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart. In the US, it reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play. This is another iconic and amazing video that some say rivals the original 1990 video. For me, it is close to a tie. It has some "Orwell 1984" like animation which flashes to images of the band from various ETS live performances. The building housing the animated characters (only men, interestingly enough) is consumed by what looks to be vines and thorns and blossoming flowers. At the end, all that chaos was a giant Violator Rose. It just doesn't get better than that. To not include references to "Enjoy the Silence 04" and its video in this Enjoy the Silence tribute would be an incomplete shout out to this masterpiece.

I am currently on another custom project and it is quite the adventure around here during Fall Break! Chris is off until after Monday, so we have more household projects to tackle. Must run for now...

"Nephi Get Burrito", "If the Shoe Fits!", First Day of Autumn...

Between Christian's techie know-how, and Mikelle's strange creativity, the kids created a video called "Nephi Get Burrito". They were assigned a stop-motion Book of Mormon video for Family Home Evening (FHE). I guess we should have specified that it had to be true to the story. Still, even with the warped "artistic license" that was taken, I still believe it's a classic.

I originally didn't want to put it on YouTube, because have you ever seen the comments people leave on YouTube? However, I discovered there was a way you can put the video on there and have the settings set to be able to 'approve" comments before they're posted. Perfect. So the see the above video. Click here! 

"Nephi Get Burrito" is an adaption of Nephi and his brothers going back into Jerusalem to retrieve the Brass Plates from the evil Laban. To see the actual context of the story, click here. 

Buck Cluck

Mikelle and Christian's unusual and creative adaptation of the story reminds me of the movie "Chicken Little" when at the end, Hollywood wanted to make a movie about everything that had happened. Chicken Little expressed his concern about whether they would stay true to the actual story. Buck Cluck (voiced by Garry Marshall) said, "Oh, son. These people are from Hollywood. The one thing they will never do is mess with a good story...." lol 

(Now I need to watch that movie. One of my favorites!) 

A day or so earlier, Mikelle and Christian created this little gem called "News 8". (It's not on YouTube, just on a Public setting on my Facebook)

News 8 has more of the Dragon character in it that was only barely shown in "Nephi Get Burrito". One thing I would have liked to see from Nephi Get Burrito is a chase scene with the dragon after Laban kept the "precious grapes". 

If the Shoe Fits

I added more Halloween artwork to my Etsy shop. This one is called 'If the Shoe Fits' with a witchy theme. 

And here is a better scan image of the first Halloween Image "All Hallows Eve"

ABOUT

I also created an 'About' page on Etsy! I don't know if that's going to help bring in more traffic and business, but it can't hurt, right? 

It has a nice heading with a little slide show of art examples, along with a nice presentation and background of the art and who I am, blah blah blah.

FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN

Yesterday was the Autumnal Equinox of 2012. And it's going to be 106 today. Thankfully we'll be in double digits next week and I'm crossing my fingers it stays that way. I've started roller blading again, but only in the mornings to take Christian to school. Plus, he needs the exercise on his bike. It's impossible to get that kid to play outside - even when it's descent outside - as he's so in to the computer and other gadgets.

Just ending with this tortuous picture (sigh):

Fall Is In the Air!

Well, sort of. It's still very warm, but there are signs that Autumn is coming. Sure, I'm sad we cannot have this season as other parts of the country, but at least another Summer is coming to a close!

To the left is a Blue and Gold partial color motif I finished and posted it to the Etsy shop earlier this week! 

If we add another bird to our "brood" it'll be a Blue and Gold. But that'll have to wait for the Wickenburg house.

Moving along...the air is cooler in the mornings and Halloween is coming! And you know what that means? I get all crazy excited and obsessive! Yay! Here is my first of who knows how many Halloween motifs. This (below) hasn't been scanned yet, but I did post it to Etsy anyway taken with the camera.

Why it is tilted that way, I don't know. It's not how I saved and edited it. We'll try this one (below).

I'm already working on another Halloween one (hint: It'll be Witchy) until a client gives me info for a custom motif she would like me to make for her daughter.

Moving along...last month, after I finished the San Antonio Temple motif, I completed a second one with a custom twist for my nephew and his wife who were married last December. i couldn't post it right away because they hadn't seen it yet. I was slow getting the frame and having it sent to them, but finally, it is in their hands! Therefore, I can share it now. 

It says "Example" because it's one of the samples on the Etsy site of custom temple motifs that I can complete for others. Mikkel and Lise of course do not have that on the original work I sent them.

I've also made this and posted it on a few Facebook pages. Of course traffic is still slow.

In addition to the Blue and Gold Macaw tribute above, here is one that pays homage to my ultime "dream" bird - the Blue Hyacinth Macaw. If you really want to know why it's a "dream" bird, google the price of these beauties. 

Back when I was finishing up my last year at San Tan Foothills, I did this Watercolor of a Blue Hyacinth . I gave it some last minute touch-ups and added it as well. 

And to end with something completely unrelated and has nothing to do with my art, it's this silly 23 second stop-motion video Christian and Mikelle made today. My favorite part is when the Dragon returns at the end. 

Click Here.

Taking a Second to Remember...

First, it's important to take a second to remember the fateful day of 9/11/01. It's crazy that it's been 11 years. Mikelle was just 13 months old. I was surprised that my NYC Motif has had some attention on Etsy. Not a sale of a print, per se, but a few have added it to their "Favorites". I am quite honored! 

I am sure past 9/11 entries I may have gotten into where I was when I heard 11 years ago. If I haven't, I'll come back and add an edit to this entry.

On the subject of art, here is the completed Salt Lake Temple Motif. It has already been added to my Etsy shop as well:

I have more completed artwork to add, but the computer has been quirky with the thumb drive that has the scans on it. Therefore, this is an abbreviated posting. 

X-Man Diaper Fetching
Oh, I almost forgot. Mikelle took a cute video of X-Man last week. As always, I gave it a public setting on Facebook because it's still a pain to try to put videos on here. Here is the link: Clicky Here

Salt Lake Temple Art and Day of the Dead Large Motif

I've been pretty stubborn about doing the Utah temples in my Motif art. Why? Well, sure, Utah is the "hub", but so much of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints exists outside Utah. I wanted to make sure I gave it that approach first. 

Well, I've had multiple requests for the Salt Lake Temple, so here it is. It's not quite finished yet, but it's pretty darn close.

It will be finished before Tuesday and Chris will take it to work to scan it then. After that, I'll have it available in my Etsy Shop. It'll be available in a 12x12 size for $25, a 14x14 for $28.

I also finished my huge color Day of the Dead/Dia De Las Muertos Large Motif. I intend for the original to go to Sundust. I just have to get a matte cut for it. I'll put a color print option available on Etsy as well.

He Thinks He's Big People

8/31/12 20 Months Old

AleXander is certainly trying to let us know he's in a big hurry to grow up. 

He reminds me of little tiny dogs who stand up to the big dogs because they don't realize how small they are.

I know it's hard to realize how small you are when you're only around big people. Christian is 8 and Mikelle is 12, and then there's Mom and Dad. When I take Christian to Cub Scouts and they're all playing basketball in the Cultural Hall, Alexander gets so excited, yells "Ballll!" and runs into the middle of the game as if he's the star player with no sense of how much bigger those boys are and any danger involved.

It's sad for me because I want my baby to stay a baby as long as possible. On the flip side, I love seeing him learn and grow and what he gets excited about. 

And boy, is he talking. I used to be able to make a cute short list of the words he says or tries to say. Now I've lost track! And we're still working on "please" though! 

Trying a little list even though I know I'll leave stuff off:

Big Bird - Big-Buh 0r Buh Buh

Spongebob - Buh Bob! 

Elmo - "Mo"

Remote - "Mo"

Jesus - Jeesah

Nose - No

Ear - Ear (with an "ah" for the r)

Eye - Eye

Snake - Nake
Blue - Boo 
Steve (as in "Blues Clues") - Deev

Mao Zedong

Ball - Ball

Daddy - Daddy

Mommy - Ma

Doggie - Was "Doggie", now is just "Dog" 

Fish - Feese or Feesh
Dorothy - "Dothy" For Elmo's fish Dorothy

Star - Dar
Flower - Wowwuh

Door - Doh

Moon - Boon

Tree - Tee

Bird - Buhh

Airplane - I can't make the word for it, but I know it when I hear it and he's pointing in the sky.

Cat - Mow (for "Meow") Pronounced like "Mao" (right)

And one of his fun noises and terms of endearments? Snorty Pig noises. Gotta love that kid!

Can you tell he loves hats? He's rocking his big sister's Fedora and a Halloween felt candy holder:

When his big brother Christian was 18 months, I put him in his dad's Fedora, a big shirt and one of dad's ties to get this adorable shot. It was August 2005:

Christian 18 Months 8/2005

Due to my summer "blahs" I didn't get around to doing the same with Alexander until a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully, my friend Mindy was ready and willing with the camera. You can't tell Christian and Alexander are brothers, can you? ;-)

 

8/31/12 20 Months Old

 We would had more smiley pics, but despite a long morning nap, X-man was in a MOOD. He's generally a very happy kid, but not free of drama and when he is in a different mood, he makes sure you know about it. (nah, not one of my kids, right?)

And trades are great. For Mindy's services, she walked away with one of my Lehi's Dream prints in a black 12x12 frame. 

Oh wait, that's the right frame but that's not Lehi's Dream. That's my London Motif. Here is the Lehi's Dream in a frame:

And get this - When my ETSY Shop went live a few weeks ago, I thought my Washington DC print was available and listed! Somehow I left it off and didn't notice until today! Here it is! I'll also have a 14x14 $30.00 listing in addition to a 12x12 listing.

HAPPY LABOR DAY

Come on, Autumn! It's not fair for the rest of the country to break out sweatshirts and have the crispness in the air while we're still sweating it out. This is a another hard part of summer because it drags on!