Knit 2 Hats For Your Fears

In 1968, women didn't usually have babies at her age. 45! Who had a baby at 45?

She wasn't worried about it. She already had five children and well, what is one more? But her "friends" started in with THEIR worries and anxieties. They tried to convince to not do this crazy thing.

"What if there is something wrong with the baby?"

"Like what?", she challenged.

"What if she is born with two heads?!" they cried in panic.

"I'll knit her two hats." She answered in that super-smug, I-don't-give-a-damn-what-you-think way she had.

And you know, it turns out I did only need one hat. A kinda big one, but just one.

Now I'm 45 and I am not having another baby (I am just not that tough - sorry Mom.) but I have my own internal chorus of sweaty, panic-stricken fear-leaders trying to ruin my fun at every turn.

I'm taking Mom's approach.

I'll take what comes my way and adapt.

I don't knit as fast but I can whip something up with a little felt and glue

Rejection? How about a snazzy beret?

Criticism? Slap a baseball cap on that one.

Everything can be managed. I firmly believe that it all works out fabulously in the end.

So there is no reason to NOT work damn hard and ignore the naysayers.

Look, ONE head. At the exclusive M Street Beach, South Boston, MA

The One Little Book Your Artists Will Love

A Pain-free Gift Giving Tip!

Make an impression - your Artists and Art Teachers will rave about your mad gift-giving skills.

I ran into my daughter's art teacher recently. "HEY! I remember YOU! YOU'RE the one that gave me Steal Like An Artist! I LOVE that book. I am giving it to all of my artist friends. Thank you so much!"

I gave it to her last Christmas.

A full year later she is still loving it. No kidding. (You will not get the same response to a mug of chocolate kisses.)

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon  is a beautifully designed 6"x6" book of creative inspiration for all artists and writers and is perfect for when you need to shake up their creative routine.

Get a copy on amazon and be a hero!

Next year, we'll get them:




Happy Shopping!

Do this when you are thrown.

So many times I get - BOOF! BAP! - BOFFO! - SPLURG!  - knocked off course; knocked off my horse and sit startled in a puddle of mud. 

blink.

blink.

blink.

(Not even sure where my left shoe went.)

In those moments I tell myself:

So grateful am I to you, loyal subjects, that I am giving you this bit of encouragement on a piece of my art. 

Here is the link. 

Download it. 

Share it.

Just make sure you get back on that horse!

join my invite & events list for more frivolity

Which lasts longer: 7 Lipsticks or ONE piece of Art?

$100. 

The quandry =  7 1/2 lipsticks or ONE fabulous little piece of art?

I love lipstick more than the average bear but really, those things are only going to languish at the bottom of my bag. I have a big mouth and I cannot use up seven and a half lipsticks. Can't. But luscious art lasts a long time.

Right now, I am engaged in a fabulous hunt for artists selling a portion of their work at very affordable prices - more than affordable prices. Yes, you can find A LOT of cheap and not-so-good art online - but I am talking about good, quality work at surprisingly affordable prices. I am collecting my favorites on a pinboard called "Good Art for Under $100."

How can artists afford to sell their original art for such a teeny, tiny amount of money? Really - $100 for original art = practically free. 

The low price is due to a number of factors:

size - It is tiny! Not bad. Just small. You really need to READ the description of the art. Tiny art is awesome - just make sure you understand the size. 

medium - What it is made with. Prints (such as etchings, woodblock prints and those guys), drawings and other works on paper will be less than a fancy oil painting.

Suspenne, 8"x10", Acrylic Monotype, Amantha Tsaros, 2012. ($95)

experience - Artists who are just starting out - but who make great art will charge a little less than other artists especially if that artist is already represented by a gallery.

I will post some marvelous finds here on my blog, but you can check out my newest finds on my Pinterest board, "Good Art Under $100".Please have a look at my Pinterest board or suggest some artists in the comments section! 

Now then, Good Art Under $300 is coming up. Because paintings and other works NOT on paper are not - or should not - be $100 or less. 

How To Squeeze 8 Paintings onto a Business Card with an Accordion

Mama's Got a Squeeze-what?!

No - Mama's gotta cram as much art as possible onto a business card.

Big Cards?

Square Cards?

Folded Tent Cards?

How can you get a lot of art on 2.5" x 4.25"?

Turn to Ye Olde Accordion Book.

A simple old-fashioned idea. An accordion book is created by simply folding a small piece of paper like a fan. Here is mine:

4.25" x 2.5" Accordion Book of Monotypes by Amantha Tsaros

It boasts eight paintings, and my contact info all over it.

There are easier ways to make this but I'll share my low-tech technique.
Excellent for artists with lame Photoshop "skills" and short on time.

How to make an accordion book using Publisher.

1. Create a Publisher document in landscape format. Add guides to divide the page in half horizontally and vertically. Add  guides 1/4 of the way across so that each 8 1/2 x 11 page (double sided) would make two accordion books when printed in landscape format.

2. Slap an image in each panel - line those bad boys up real nice, like.

Page 1 of the 2-sided document

3. Put your contact information on the front and extend it along the front as well.

4. Make color copies on double sided glossy paper and then
cut them in half horizontally.

Front and back of the accordion book business cards

5. Be forced to watch cartoons with a five-year old while you fold the copies into
little accordions.

Fold the accordion book in quarters to fit 8 images 

6. Shriek when you realize that the margins at the short ends are too wide.

7. Trim the ends a tiny bit with a $20 paper trimmer from the craft store.

8. Choose one:
  - Wine and chocolate
    -Scotch and soda
    -Bubble bath and pedicure

If you allow yourself enough time, you may be able to create them by ordering accordion fold brochures and have them cut in half.

How do you maximize the space on your business cards? Do you make accordion cards?
I would love to see them!

Don't Feed Your Inspiration Sugar Pops!

It must be so nice to be an Artist. 

You get to just sit around all day painting.

Big Brush - with NO PAINT on it! 

I’ve been asked if  I paint “when Inspiration strikes”. If I waited for Inspiration to strike, I’d spend all my time eating cereal and watching Reality TV. (Project Runway? RuPaul's Drag Race, anyone?)

Ms. Inspiration would just pass by my window and say, “No artist lives here.” and go get her own bowl of Sugar Pops.

You just have to work when you don't feel like it and hope She pops in for a visit. 

She usually does. 

Art Guys Like

Stereotype Alert! 

It is true. The one painting of mine that men relate to the most is the only painting I have ever done of a truck.

Truck 26, 12x16", Acrylic on Canvas, ©Amantha Tsaros, 2012

They really seem to dig it. Isn't that funny?

Purchase this macho piece of art.

Red, White and Blue for You!

Happy Independence Day!

Patrios, 10x8", Monotype, ©Amantha Tsaros, 2012

Purchase Patrios

Eenkling

I have no idea but I am doing what I know.

Eenkling, 6x6", Monotype, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Roote

Do you suppose people have lost the ability to read a map?

Roote, 6x6", Monotype, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Tarre

Are there angels in the desert? No, really. Saints are always going there.

Tarre, 6x6", Monotype, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Frond

And very soothing despite the heat.

Frond, 6x6", Monotype, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Heizer

Some places are warmer than most.

Heiz, 6x6", Monotype, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

T-eye

I don't surf but the beach is lovely.

T-eye, 6x6", Monotype, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Arachnode

My mom always told me that spiders were good luck. So do hate to squish them.

Arachnode, 6x6", Monotype, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Myst

It has been interesting to do battle with the red paper I am printing on. It is a lightweight mulberry paper but the color is so dark and strong to begin with.

Myst, 6x6", Monotype, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

and Trias

I love things that come in threes.

and Trias, 6x6", Monotype, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

 

Uld

A big old immovable object. In 8 square inches.

Uld, 6x6", Monotype, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Mavro

I have been working on monotypes again. I have a new Gelli plate which is 8x8". It makes very squishy edges. Below is a monotype on red paper.

Mavro, 6x6", Monotype, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Click to bid

It Is "Almost Midnight"

I have been painting but have not actually finished anything. Here is a still-wet acrylic, Almost Midnight. It is related to a larger painting of mine, Half Past Midnight.

Almost Midnight, 6x6", Acrylic on Canvas, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013


Click here to bid

What's on your wall?

I have very little on my walls. I usually rotate paintings as my work goes on exhibit or comes back or goes away. It all depends. But there are some pieces that do not leave.

My prized, "Rhythm & Hues" by Kathleen Probst

I have some paintings of my own that I do not like to take down and I have some very favorite works. A wonderful piece by Kathleen Probst. I had to have it when I saw it and it was a race to acquire Rhythm & Hues (see below). She has expanded the series - check it out.

Paintings from my Flood Series

I may have been the only four year old to have had a wedding present pre-purchased by her mother. My mom fell in love with a painting and she bought it for me because I loved flowers and little critters. She said she would give it to me as a wedding present when I grew up. In the meantime she was happy to hold onto it for me. An excellent strategy when attempting to justify a hefty purchase. Try it someday!

What is on your wall?

My "wedding present".

Pineapple Shake!

It has been a quiet week. So here is a loud painting to wake us up!

Pineapple Shake, 12x12", Acrylic on Panel, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Blue Snow

The snow is piled so high against my studio window. I can just see the snow, the yellow sky and rhodies peeking around the corner.

Blue Snow, 6x6", Acrylic on Canvas, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Click to bid

Untiki

I have been working on a second tiki-type painting. I turned it upside down and abstracted it. I like this one much better.

Untiki, 6x6", Acrylic on Canvas, Amantha Tsaros 2013

Click to bid

Roses on Black

I was told to never ever use black in a painting. I always want to mix clean colors and not muddy them up by adding black to the mix. But lately I have discovered the joy of adding a color to black to create a wonderful black tone - I want to paint with it all the time.

Roses on Black, 12x12", Acrylic on Panel. ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Click to bid

Snoh

Another white day here.
I have done a lot of painting over the last day. My impulse is to paint impressions of each day right now.

Snoh, 6x6", Acrylic on Canvas, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Click to bid

Tropical Orchid

I am painting so much. I have three incomplete pieces on the easel. For now, I will post an anthurium.

Tropical Orchid, 6" x 6", Acrylic on Canvas, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Click to bid.

One, Two, Three-ki

Day four of painting every day and I am in a TROPICAL mood!
Totally terrified to take on these bad boys. But ah, it is just paint.

One, Two, Three-ki, 7"x5", Acrylic on Panel, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Click here to bid.

I am so looking forward to doing their individual portraits. Will forage for umbrella picks tomorrow.

Rose for the Brush Gallery

Today's painting will be a part of The Brush Gallery's Four by Four for Education Fundraiser for their Art Scholarship Program.

The entire exhibit consists of 4x4" paintings created specifically for the exhibit. The exhibit is from Thursday, February 28 to Saturday, March 2, 2013.

Rose, 4x4", Acrylic on Canvas, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

This painting is not available for sale but you can get a print of it here.

Appropriately, today's painting is a rose. It figures. 

Love,

Amantha

Brush Bouquet

"I hate flowers - I paint them because they're cheaper than models and they don't move."

-- Georgia O'Keefe

I came across this quote today. I don't hate flowers but I am very adept at killing them and all plants. 

Well, brushes and some of the crazy tools I paint with also don't move. So I made a little painting of them. 

Brush Bouquet, 6"x6", Acrylic on Canvas, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Click to Bid

Art Frenzy!

I am embarking on the painting a day habit.

Here is  how I came to this decision.

I recently saw the TED talk by Matt Cutts where he encourages you to try something new for 30 days.
+
I know I have not been painting as much as I used to.
+
I have wanted to try this a-painting-a-day trend.
=
So,   "Lets give it a whirl!" .
Today was the first official day of "daily painting".

Two White Roses, 7x5", Acrylic, ©Amantha Tsaros 2013

Click here to bid

Daily Painting is the practice where the artist creates a completed painting every day (or every weekday) they are usually small format works. 6x6" seems to be the favored format. I initially was skeptical - shouldn't an artist paint every day anyway? Sure. But I haven't been - but now I am.

I will post the paintings here on my blog and will offer them for sale in auction format on the Daily Paintworks website. The small 5x7's open bidding at $30.

Let's see if I can make it a whole 30 days!

The bidding starts!

Auctions get me going. I love trying to get something wonderful for a delightful price.

In the interest of fun and paint exploration, I have started a Daily Paintworks account and will be selling small paintings there in auction format. I am really excited about this new venture and can't wait to paint as much

Because Valentine's Day I am starting with a lovely floral painting.

Amantha Tsaros, Evening Flower, 7x5", Acrylic on Panel

Click here to bid.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Got something to say?

I plopped my small illustration on his desk. It was bold but short on content - who would know? He was a writer after all! My brilliant studio-mate cackled and said,

"The willow bends to the gentle breeze.
The wise man fears the bandit.
I thought that is must be profound.
For I could not understand it."

I got it. I made a new piece of art that was clear and connected to his project.

An artist statement also should be clear and connected to the project. Artists drive me right out of my mind when they do not speak clearly. I know why they speak in riddles - because it is horrifying to write an artist statement. It is the worst task. We put it off until the end and then come up with some lame crap. Maybe if I use enough big words no one will notice? Or maybe the artist really talks like that? - oh, dear.

I am in the middle of rewriting my artist statement. There is the quick way and the slow way. I am going with the turtle on this one because this is a race I want to win. Alyson Stanfield's The Relatively Pain-Free Artist Statement is helping me along the way. The Relatively Pain-Free Artist Statement provides daily writing exercises to help you dig into your work and  really connect with your audienceIt is going to take time to get it right and I don't want to hear snorting, cackling or clever verse in response to my statement.

If you really short on time, you can use the Artist Statement Generator which will whip up a statement for you instantly! It comes up with statements that sound an awful lot like legit statements I have read. Cackling guaranteed.

Amantha Tsaros Half Past Midnight, 24x24", Acrylic on Canvas, ©2012

Mystery = good for paintings. Not for Artist Statements.

Babapapa and Baba-art-a

Babapapa was my kind of show. I was crazy about those shape-shifting brightly colored sweethearts. But me oh my, Babamama is the loveliest mom- she is so pretty. And we have the same wardrobe of jet, ebony and onyx attire.

I have missed them.

My beloved Babapapa tv show.

And 35 years later, I was so surprised to find them appear in a recent monotype.

Amantha Tsaros, Ipnee, 8x10", Monotype, ©2012

You never know who is going to pop up in your work.

Go ahead and hate it.

More artists really need to be told how much their work sucks.

I cannot join any online art community. Inevitably there is a viewing of work and everyone digs deep to come up with something positive to say, "Great use of color!" (too bad your picture is ugly.) Everyone is slapping each other on their paint-splattered virtual backs. Oh, STOP. I much prefer it if someone tells the truth about what they are seeing.

If all work has value then how can anything really be "good"? Don't you need a "bad" to judge it by?

I'm all down with the process over product yadda-yadda-ya. You need that darn process to make the damn product. Just because the creation of it had meaning to the artist personally does not mean it must have merit for the viewing public at large.

Here is a kinda bad painting.

The viewer can zero right in on a problematic spot.

"This part is good but WHAT is going on in that corner?" 

"Right. I am having a hard time there."

"I can see that."

Those conversations are productive. A good friend of mine came to my studio one day and had no problem saying, "That kinda sucks." I was grateful because I was at a point where I could no longer determine if it really was bad or if I was just being to hard on myself.

Trust me. I went to art school. You can't say anything worse than what I have already heard.

So tell me, do you want the unvarnished truth about your work or should I just stick with "Interesting approach to your subject!" when I see it?

Heartbreak and Teals

My last bottle of Cobalt Teal. 

The mourning began last fall.  My beloved Cobalt Teal is no more. Golden Paints Just Paint Newsletter spelled it out. They could no longer get the pigments they need to make Cobalt Teal and will be replacing it with some newfangled hue-on-the-block that is just plain "Teal". Hmph.

Should I hoard as much of it as possible? You can get small 2 oz tubes online at Dick Blick or bigger jars at Pearl Paint. I prefer to use it in fluid form and can't find that at all. What if I buy it and am too afraid to use it? It will just make the parting more painful.

Oh, Cobalt Teal, I was just starting to learn how to love you.

Early Summer, 9x9", Acrylic on Paper 2012 Amantha Tsaros


The last piece I created using Cobalt Teal.

I can just see my name in PLASMA!

Who cares what I think about my reception at the Belmont Media Center?  (It was faaabulous!) Here is the report from attendee and guest blogger, Camilla Corcoran. Here is her walk through the event. Don't miss her review of my painting, "Chiffon":

Her name in plasma!

The Superstar herself!
With extra sass.

Chiffon! And quite possibly a wolf wearing a pink wig. Hey, I may not know much about art,
but I know what I THINK I see!

It's art with a capital R.

Pucker Up! That's an order!

Strawberry Mint Ice Cream! Rendered in acrylics, so,
y'know, zero calories.

The reception really was fun and I am so grateful to everyone at the Belmont Media Center for their support. A big ol' chunk of gratitude goes to Rachel Wiederhoeft for her organization, art installation and being the Grand Doer-Of-All-Things.

The exhibit will remain up until February 28, 2013.