winter wonderland

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{views from my home & studio}

whew.

Sorry for the break in posts. Between the steady stream of guests we've had in our home, and my preparation for the upcoming holiday fairs, I haven't had that much time to post {or take any decent pictures of what I've been working on}.

Some great news I received last week~

The Color of my Childhood was selected for the "lipstick & Rouge" show at Spokane's Second Space Gallery! I packaged her up and shipped her off yesterday. I believe the show opens December 3 {for those of you in the Spokane area}.

I will also have my original work, pocket mirrors, and journals at Tasty in Seattle. I am choosing eight of my originals to be included in their upcoming GIFTED show {opening December 8}.

I have been working on so many new things outside of the norm {for me}. The first is jewelry {some of which I have already shared} and also sculpture! The pieces below are created with polymer clay, acrylic paint, wood block, coffee stained vintage book paper, and moss & twigs. These are my first two attempts, and I can't wait to make & share more!

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I also have brand new pocket mirrors {ten new designs}, greeting cards, & postcards! I'll work on getting some great shots so that I can share them with you before the holidays! I've designed some sweet new packaging for all of my goods, too.

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Finally, a little sad news. My grandfather's pancreatic cancer has returned, and become stage iv. He and my grandmother were just here last month {their first flight in 60 years!}, but cancer is a nasty beast and is taking his energy quickly. My sister and I will be flying out to spend the holidays with him and our grandmother. I take off the 16th of December, so all of my shops will be closed on the morning of the 15th. If you plan on last minute Christmas shopping, please do so before then. Everything will re-open when I return on January 6. I will not have internet access during that time, and will be focused only on helping my family, spreading good cheer, and the creation of my solo show {opening January 7}.

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I hope you all enjoy the last few days of November! 

It is a winter wonderland here!

IF*sneaky

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{no. 8}

It is easy to be sneaky when you have two birds for eyes...

looking back

She's finished~ and now available!

 

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{looking back}

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hello, good-bye . new work

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{among the poppies}

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I finished {among the poppies} yesterday and it was snatched up by one of my collectors almost immediately. It appears I won't be spending too much time with this pretty lady, so I've decided to make another~

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I hope to have her finished up and listed this afternoon. Then I plan on taking some close up shots of my earrings with my new tripod {thanks Nichole for pushing me over the edge}. I have a few commissions to work on after that, and then finally choose the pieces that will become my new pocket mirror collection. What's on your plate today?

forest, monsters & mountains...

{please enjoy my newest collection}

Each wooden circle and block is hand-painted black and then lightly sanded to distress the edges. 

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I create the illustrations with colored pencil, and then seal them with a semi-gloss spray.

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The earrings are drilled and fitted with brass earwires, affixed to a card, and each pair is tucked neatly inside its own cotton muslin bag.

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{since each earring is hand-illustrated, no pair will ever be exactly alike} 

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Earrings aren't your cup of tea?

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Make your shelf or mantle happy with these one of a kind art blocks!

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Click on the pictures, or visit Unconventional Ida to view more!

In remembrance..

dirty little wednesday

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My hands got a little dirty this morning,

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 my blocks turned a little black,

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and my hugs got a little makeover!

the start of a new collection

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hand cut

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hand painted

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hand sanded

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...and ready to become my next collection.

winter show & fair dates

Below is a list of where you can find me this winter. I will be adding and updating as new opportunities pop up. If you are in the area, I hope to see you!

Upcoming Shows & Fairs:

Swoon Gallery
Solo Show: Souls
Opening: October 23
Los Angeles, CA

Helena Fall Artwalk
One night only~ Cash & Carry
November 12, 6-9pm
40 S. Park, Helena, MT

University Center Holiday Art Fair
December 2, 3, & 4
University of Montana, Missoula, MT

Second Space Gallery
Group Show: Lipstick and Rouge
Opening: December 3
610 W Second Ave, Spokane, WA

Tasty
Group Show: Gifted
Opening: December 10
7513 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA

MADE fair
December 12
Elk's Lodge
112 N. Pattee, Missoula, MT

Noteworthy Paper & Press
Solo Show: The Grandfathers

Opening: January 7, 5:30-8:30
101 S. Higgins, Missoula, MT

Bernice's Bakery
Solo Show: Dreams of Spring
Opening: February 4
109 S. 3rd W., Missoula, MT

Tasty
Group Show: Tickled Pink
Opening: February 11
7513 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA


Find my journals, postcards, & more at:

Artsiehorse: 137 E. Main, Missoula, MT

Noteworthy Paper & Press: 101 S. Higgins, Missoula, MT

Shakespeare & Co.: 103 S. 3rd Street W., Missoula, MT


Originals, Prints, Trinkets & Trifles:

unconventionalida.bigcartel.com

unconventionalida.etsy.com

stellalatwinski.etsy.com 

the unlucky 13 get a listing facelift

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{after}

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A while back I toyed around with changing my listings to photographs of the pieces. I decided that the scanned images looked cleaner, and stuck with them as the first pictures of my available originals. I figured~ the photos are still in the listing, so people will see them.

It is wishful thinking on my part, and I should know better. I can't guarantee with any certainty that anyone is viewing all of the images in my listing.

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{no. 7}

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I need to remember that these pictures are extremely important in explaining my work to those who cannot physically hold it. {Thank you to the little bird who reminded me of this}. I hear from buyers all of the time that the listings do not do my pieces justice. It is true~ my characters are not flat, scanned images.  They are on beautiful blocks of wood~ three dimensional objects. I realize that is hard to see at first glance from the images that I have been posting. So, I am going to get over my need for a nice, orderly shop page.  Instead, it will be filled with photographs that will allow those who view my art to experience it a bit more.

What do you think about the change? Does it help you see my work in a new light? Add to your experience?

a short film to share~

IF*afterwards

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{she thought she would live forever}

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She did not give one thought to the fact that it was hunting season,

until afterwards...

mew!

I decided to take a break from my traditional illustration tonight and play! I pulled Mew out of my sketchbook, cleaned her up digitally, and added some color. 

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Facts about Mew

  

Mew loves all things smaller than her.

Every time we go to the store,

she has to count 

the toothbrushes on the shelf.

She calls them "My Toothbrushii"

Mew collects acorns in pairs;

however, she collects socks singly.

Mew always wants you to have a lovely day.

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I made a little owl, too!
What do you think?

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a tough day at the office....

Yesterday, I was working on my submission for the Lipstick & Rouge juried show at the Second Space Gallery.

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I was nearly finished {and working on the border} when I made a line that I didn't like. I tried to fix it~ and the second line was worse than the first.  As I was working to fix the second line, I began to have a familiar feeling~ a bad hair day.

You know the feeling~ standing in front of the mirror, getting ready for {insert big event/meeting here} and your hair won't cooperate. Pull it up, put it down, tuck a hair here, pin a hair there... before you know it, your hair is a sad mess and you just should have left it alone in the first place.

Well, this is exactly what happened to my poor piece yesterday. Of course, the third fix looked worse than the second, the fourth worse than the third. By the time I was forty-five minutes deep into trying to "fix" the illustration, I was two seconds away from covering the whole thing up with black ink.

This is new to me~ I have never completely destroyed {as in, covering the entire thing with black ink} a piece before.  When working on art, I try not to acknowledge mishaps as mistakes. I take a moment to remember that I am not fully in charge of what I create, and drawing on wood does lend itself to certain imperfections from time to time.

I took a deep breath, and knew in my heart that I couldn't destroy this girl in front of me.  I had invested time in her~ she hadn't done anything to disappoint me. It was just the background that I was displeased with; so I got rid of it. The table saw came out and my 10.25 x 9.25-inch piece became  5 x 9.25 inches.

I pulled the ink and woodburning lower on the illustration and added stars~ it became a wonderful dark sky. Then I added more burning to the bottom, around her droopy socks and the aspen trees & poppies.

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 {the color of my childhood}

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And the piece was happy, and the illustrator was happy...

What are some of the ways you choose to deal with things when your work isn't going your way? Do you set it aside? Work through it?

*good morning*

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Humbert is filled up & ready for a trip to the post office~

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I hope that everyone enjoys their lovely packages!

Dia de los Muertos

Today, the 2nd of November, is Dia de los Muertos {Day of the Dead}~ a Mexican holiday to celebrate and honor friends and family members who have passed away.

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Sugar skulls are some of the amazing decorations traditionally used, as well as the image of La Calavera Catrina~ the elegant skull. Some carry around these skulls as a good luck charm.

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I have made a few beautiful miniature fine art prints of my Dia de los Muertos girls for you to enjoy. They look wonderful framed {they are archival}, but you could also use them as bookmarks, small gifts, or even carry them around with you in your wallet for good luck~

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{Purchase at Big Cartel}

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{Purchase at Etsy}

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I also have two original ACEOs {artist trading cards} available~

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{la catrina iv}

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{la catrina v}

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...And, of course, stop by Swoon to view the original framed {and wood} pieces that are still available for purchase...