Hello faithful readers! Happy Thanksgiving!
I have an etsy shop I'd like to share with you:http://www.etsy.com/shop/RSSDesignsInFiber. Ruth creates such lovely crocheted pieces for your home decor. I know it takes a lot of talent and patience to create a center piece for your table or dresser. My Austrian grandmother used to crochet lovely delicate doilies, and doll's dresses. This is one of my favorite pieces from Ruth's etsy shop:http://www.etsy.com/listing/12625320/grapes-in-leaves-centerpiece-or-doily.
Ruth is also a member of http://Designstyleguide.net/
Please visit her shop and see all of her beautiful crocheted works of art.

Thank you, http://mysticsilks.etsy.com

NASA Space Etsy Contest```By MysticSilks

This silk painting, "Super Nova," was entered into the NASA Space Contest as a last minute decision.

About 3 weeks ago, maybe a month now, I had read in the etsy admin forums that they were running this contest, and if any of the etsy members would like to enter a 2-D, 3-D , original, or reproduction entry to do so.

I thought of all my original creations, I have no prints, nor reproductions of my work, of what would be an appropriate entry.

" Super Nova" came to mind. It is my image of what a close up of an exploding star would be.

I could imagine the Hubble turning in space and capturing that image in its telescopic lens.

Enough to take my breath away, and about as close as I'd want to get to an exploding star!

OK, back to the main part of my story. About two weeks after whatever voting might have taken place;I thought etsy admins were the ones voting on this contest, and that once they had sifted through and voted on what they thought were the best entries, then they would open the voting to the etsy members.

Well, I went back to see who was in the running. I did not see my silk painting anywhere on the finalist's page. Oh, well, I thought, that's what you get for opening up your mouth and speaking your mind in the etsy forums: Etsy admins read those posts.

Well, then the other day I read a new post in admin threads, saying, that somehow blah, blah, blah, they left out some of the finalists. I chuckled to myself, thinking what's new.

Etsy seems to make many errors, and apologizes again and again. I have come to believe that the meaning of the word etsy is: Much to forgive. OK, back to the story, so I decided to click on the voter link:

http://www.etsy.com/voter.php, and look at the Group 2-D original http://www.etsy.com/voter_list.php?ref=voter&room_id=118

and lo and behold, there is my painting! But, the week before when I thought I had lost in this contest, I went back to edit the title of my painting, took out the NASA Space, and Super Nova.

All titles have to be google SEO friendly so they have a better chance of being found by a gazillion Internet seekers. But now my painting title on the etsy voter page says, original painting, fine art. Oh well.

I asked my friends on Facebook to vote for me, my Vast team mates, and Design Style Guide Team members; a lot of them have and I so appreciate their support and votes.

So I raise my glass of wine on Thanksgiving Day to salute the friends I have.

And etsy, I forgive you for your goof-ups--:)

Thanks for reading,

visit my etsy shop:http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/

And if you're a member on etsy vote for my "Super Nova"

Family---By MysticSilks

You see that face in the middle of those two great looking women? Well, that middle face is my son: Just recently daubed , " The Wizard Of Warren" He's a terrific guy! Not saying that because he's my son, but because he is filled with honor and integrity in all he is and does. I have 4 children, and I am proud of and love each one. But this one the youngest has added much fun and laughter to my life. I had more time to spend with him when he was a baby---the other children came so quickly, that at one time I thought I was taking care of triplets.But , Bill was the last of the 4 so there was more time with him.

In 2006 I moved in with him and his lovely wife Theresa. My back had made it impossibile for me to handle a 20 some acre piece of property. So Bill and TJ added a large room with full bath onto their home. They also set up a studio for me to continue my silk art work.

Tj and I had finished wrapping and steaming 10 new silk scarves.I posted photos of them on my Facebook page. And later in the day when I was reading the very nice comments folks had left about the scarves, I saw Bill's.

"Hey', he says in his comment, "I know where you can get some of these(scarves) real cheap."

I saw that and my jaw dropped open. Rather then get upset, I decide to come back with some humor of my own. So in the comment box under his posted comment I said, " Pay no attention to that man behind the green curtain(remember that scene in the "Wizard of Oz", where Dorothy , Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and Straw Scarecrow, are approaching the huge screen with the Wizard on it, and ToTo runs behind the green curtain exposing the Wizard? He says, "pay no attention to that man behind the green curtain.."

I went on," he thinks he's the Wizard of Warren."

We all got a great laugh from that.

He are some more photos of the new silk scarves: View at the top.

http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/

http://mysticsilks.designstyleguide.net/

http://mysticsilks.artfire.com/

Thank you

MysticSilks

I had the privilege of being interviewed for the Spotlight feature on iCraft. This great interview was arranged and conducted by Diane Cipollo, editor of Spotlight.
Her questions were thoughtful and I could tell she had done her research; I was quite impressed.

I thought I would share it with my readers.

Klaire Martin is an artist working in the natural medium of silk fibers and fabric dyes. A retired nurse, she enjoys creating the wonderful silk paintings, scarves and pillows in her Mystic Silks iCraft Creator Exhibit.She starts with pure white silk and the finest French dyes. These organic mediums take on a "mysterious life of their own" resulting in OOAK pieces of art. She uses a custom made steaming pot made from a clam chowder boiler pot for the steaming process that brings out "mysterious images on the silk". The entire process takes many hours but she took time out to share her story with us.
Please give us a brief bio – introduce yourself.Hi, My name is Klaire, also known as MysticSilks. Art has been a part of my life since I was old enough to hold a crayon or paint brush.My professional training came from The Cooper Institute of Art, however I gave that up to become a wife and mother. In between being a wife and mother I attended Kent State University, graduating with a degree in Nursing. And betwixt and between that career, I attended various classes in art. I began silk art as a way of relaxing. According to my art instructor, creating silk art was a ZEN experience: Not for me, I am a Virgo perfectionist!

You have worked in several mediums including oils, acrylics, and watercolors. Why did you decide to concentrate on silk ?Silk art offers me surprises. It has a mysteriousness within the process of creating it.
With the organic nature of the "mystic" silks and dyes, you must get some surprises along the way. Would you share a story about how a "surprise" became one of your favorite works of art?One of those mysterious outcomes is in the painting "Fairies In Our Midst". If you do a zoom in on that painting between the statue's tree stump, and the rose bush, you can see images of people. That was not an intended outcome, but I find it a delightful addition.
You also work in watercolors. One of your watercolors became a Christmas card and was sold to benefit the Residents of Maple Leaf House. Can you tell us a little about how this came about?This was an exciting experience for me and my clients at Maple Leaf Residents. The staff and residents were asked to draw or paint some winter scenes. Prizes would be awarded and the top winner would have their artwork made into Christmas cards plus win a cash award. My clients persuaded me to enter the contest, which I did. I won the 1st prize. The sponsors of the contest had my watercolor "Magic Snowfall" professionally framed plus they published holiday greeting cards using that painting. I was very honored.
Positive and negative feedback is part of the art business. You received a lot of positive reactions to your Picasso's Sun piece which influenced you to create Picasso's Moon. However, your memorial painting of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 was not well received at its first hanging in 2002 and again on eBay in 2004. Would you share your thoughts about this controversial piece?That infamous day of September 11, 2001 was traumatic for all Americans. I watched the events of that day happen on TV: It was surreal. A week or so later I found an article written in the Times magazine, plus a photo of the towers: One had been hit, one had a plane coming at it. It was from that photo that I painted the destruction of the Twin Towers. It was cathartic for me to paint it. I captured some American history in that painting. Yes, the feedback from eBay was sad. I wondered if every photographer or painter of the Civil War, or any American war, was reprehended for capturing history? I am in the process of donating that painting to an art museum.
We never see our own art as others see it. One of your less favorite pieces was featured on the front page of Etsy. Can you tell us a little about this pleasant surprise?"Mountain’s Majesty" was the art piece on the front page of Etsy. I finished that piece a couple of years ago, but I guess never really looked at it, I mean really looked at it. I put it in a drawer after I had finished it. It wasn’t until 2 years ago, that I pulled it out, and said, ‘Wow!’ This is good, really good". I framed it and put it up for sale in my Etsy store. And one day someone told me it was on Etsy's front page. I am very critical of my work.



What has been your favorite work so far and why?"Picasso’s Moon" because of the content of that painting and vibrancy of colors.
Can you suggest any books, tutorials or videos that will help the beginner in your choice of medium?Dharma Trading Company offers many books and materials for those who would like to learn the process of creating art on silk.
Thank you Klaire. It's been a pleasure.

Here is a photo of that watercolor painting that won 1st prize, and had Christmas Cards made from the image of that painting:

Its at the top of this page. I never know where my photos will show up on this blog.

Again, thank you iCraft and especially Diane Cipollo.

Another Day, Another Dollar....MysticSilks

Have you heard that song? " Another day, another dollar. Sun comes up ,I'm on my way..... Seems I'm working my whole life away..." I think Volkswagen uses that song for one of its Jetta commercials``` Catchy song.

But after working for two weeks creating ten more hand designed silk scarves, I can relate to that song. I thank goodness, my daughter-in-law helped me with wrapping the scarves after I designed and dyed them. That is a very labor intensive aspect of the silk designing process```especially on the lower back.

I will add a note here and say that I am so glad I went to using unmarked newspaper to wrap the silk scarves in for the steaming process. I have had no bleed through.

One silk scarf that took a lot of time to create is " Sassy Cat's Twin Calico's" It is based on a painting I created called " Sassy Cat" You can see the painting on the right, and the silk scarf with the Calico Cats on the left. I used the painting as a template.

When I first began using the resist to draw the cats on the silk, I smudged it. Yikes! I hurriedly ran the scarf under cold water, hoping to flush any of the resist and smudges away. I had to let the scarf dry, then I ironed it, and began again---seems like the second time is a charm.

After the resist dried( 24 hours) I pinned the scarf to my wooden frame to begin the dying. I did each part seperate from the others. I wanted to be sure the dyes did not run through the resist borders. This happens, and when it does it can cause one to simply break down and cry.

But every dye stayed in its place!!

Please vsiti http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/

or

http://mysticsilks.artfire.com/

Thank you for reading.

MysticSilks

ArtFire```Is This A Rising Star In Selling Venues?

I've been on etsy.com since 2007--My sales haven't been too bad. But I and many other 'fine art' artists have been trying to encourage etsy to build a better category for 'fine art.'

That is one thing that ArtFire has accomplished. And I wonder along with my other fellow fine art artists, why etsy can't seem to wrap their brains and tech talent around this 'fine art concept'?

We began a petition and have over 700 signatures that support having the 'fine art' category on etsy:http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/artonetsy/index.html

I and other 'fine art' artists have written convo's to Rob Rokali(CEO of etsy) with our concerns, but have received no response. We were promised last year(2009) that they were making changes and had hired a taxonomist to organize the fine art category, but alas that has not happened. So many are listing their art on ArtFire, and I have listed several original fine art pieces on ArtFire.com:http://mysticsilks.artfire.com/

Currently I have my orignal art work on both: http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/ and http://mysticsilks.artfire.com/

I sure wish etsy would, as they say, get a move on with defining and supporting the art category on etsy.