FEATURED ETSY SHOP - SQUIDART

"SOME THINGS LAST FOREVER" - 6" X 6" Print

by SQUIDART

(CLICK on the photo's title to learn more about this print)

WELCOME, Katie and her Etsy shop SQUIDART!  You will find fine art photography and mixed media prints, in a variety of subjects, when you pay a visit to SQUIDART.

I love the colors in the above print and the title for this photo is perfect!

Let's learn a bit more about Katie by reading her interview below.

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I started taking a few photography classes in high school, and I just fell in love with the dark room process. I continued to take a class or two in college, but most of what I do is self taught. After I graduated college, I put photography away for a while. Then, my husband bought me a copy of Photoshop. The love was reborn! I dove in head first and started creating again.

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?

I actually really miss the dark room process. I could get lost in that room for hours playing with the developing chemicals and trying to make that shot perfect. Dark room photography takes so much time and patience, and because of that, you feel so much more rewarded when you see the final product.

Now, Photoshop is like that for me. I love to see what I can make that software do. All I have to do is imagine the final shot, and if I take enough time and am patient enough, I can get Photoshop to create that for me.

If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?

Kumquat – It’s a little different and a little fun.

If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?

Sewing… I don’t know how to do it yet, but my next big purchase will be a sewing machine. I am so excited to learn the craft and see what kind of mess I can make with it.

What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?

Each picture is meant to convey some type of mood, whether that be serious or lighthearted. It really is a way to show people an emotion and ask if they have ever felt that way. That is why people become so connected to art. People love your work when they can share in the emotion that it shows.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

Put it out there and have some fun. Part of the reason we create is to share, and Etsy gives us such a wonderful and easy way to do that. Take a chance and share your work with the rest of the world!

MOUNTAIN FLOWERS

by SQUIDART

(CLICK on the photo's title to learn more about this beautiful print!)

Thanks, Katie, for taking the time to share you thoughts and photographic creativity with all of us. 

To learn more about Katie and SQUIDART, be sure to click on the links below.

SQUIDART BLOG

FEATURED ETSY SHOP - CAROLYN MACKIN

Lourve-Rivoli metro station, Paris, France- petite fine art print- 7.778 x 3.5in

by Carolyn Mackin

WELCOME, Carolyn Mackin and her fairly new Etsy shop (April, 2009), called CAROLYN MACKIN.  Carolyn is a fine art photographer, and has a wide variety of prints listed in her shop.  Be sure to pay a visit to Carolyn's shop....you just might find that perfect scene to hang in your home or office.

First, let's learn a bit more about Carolyn by reading her interview below.  I always find it fascinating to learn why someone chose the "medium of expression" that they did.

SPECIAL OFFER:  Carolyn Mackin is offering free shipping to anyone who places an order during the month of September or October 2009 and adds the message "fantasy" at checkout.

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

Just before my third birthday, I spent two weeks decorating the goody bags, tablecloth, and party hats for my party, and I have been creating ever since. Creating images of beauty that resonate emotionally and spiritually and then sharing those pieces with others gives me extreme pleasure and a sense of fulfillment.

Australia, Embracing Couple, 2001)- petite fine art print- 8 x 3.5in

by Carolyn Mackin

How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?


I have always loved to create objects and experimented with many mediums. A photography workshop I took at a local art museum while in high school secured my passion for the medium. The click of the camera's shutter, watching prints magically emerge from light sensitive paper, and then the control and infinite possibilities I found with digital imaging all made photography very appealing to me.

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?


Sharing it with others and receiving feedback gives me immense pleasure. I love honest critiques and feedback and the wonderful dialogue it can produce.

If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?


Very interesting question! A blueberry because they are beautiful on the outside, but have a full depth of flavor and nutrients.

If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?


Oh- choosing just one is impossible! I love to hand paint on my images, and I love paintings in general. However, I find the blank white canvas daunting and so starting with a photographic image works best for me. I have also worked with video and installation art. I find the combination very powerful, however it can be expensive and time consuming.

What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?


I like to convey many different messages in my work, depending on the series I am working on. I take the time to write an artist statement about each portfolio so that the viewer can get a glimpse of what my intention was.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?


Create from your unique perspective. Tell a visual story in each piece that is true to who you are. Work that has a different perspective and authenticity to it will always stand out as superior for me.


THANKS, Carolyn for sharing your great photography with everyone.  It must have been fun to visit those places and to capture them with your photographic eye.
 
To learn more about Carolyn and her work, be sure to visit her links below.

CAROLYN MACKIN WEB SITE

FEATURED ETSY SHOP - WIREFOX - Photography and wild jewelry

Three Droplets 16 by 20 Fine Art Photography Print

by Kacey

Taken after a morning rainstorm, this (insert flower name) is in full bloom in my Grandmother’s walled garden in Costa Rica.

Let's welcome, Kacey and her Etsy shop WIREFOX. Kacey not only has fine art photography in her WIREFOX shop, but also unique bottle cap pendants, other fun jewelry, post cards, and more. Be sure to pay WIREFOX a visit.

Fly away home

This pendant in made from polymer clay, beads, and an unpcycled izze twist off bottlecap. The little lady bug sits on a yellow background. Her spots are made from glass beads. Fits most thin chains.

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

Leg surgery. I was off my feet for an entire summer, an eternity in kid time.

How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?

I didn't, polymer clay grew out of experiments with other, less satisfactory clay types, and photography was the only way I could capture what I want to capture

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?

The moment when I first see a positive reaction from a buyer, or a friend, or a gallery goer.

If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?

Kiwi. Dark, strange and unapproachable in some ways, bizarrely textured, but vibrant and sweet all around...wait, was this about me, or my art? Still kiwi either way.

If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your creativity, what would that be and why?

Film. Writing. But mostly film. I've been fascinated with cinema since I was a little girl, and I am one of those rare people who want to go back to New York, not to act, but to become involved in technical theater and film-making.

What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?

You tell me...

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

Do what you love, if you are here for any other reason, now is the chance to get out.

Kacey, thanks for being a featured artist out here on DZFANTASY, and for sharing your creativity with everyone.

You can learn more about Kacey and her work by clicking on the links below.

BLOG