Ryan O'Neill of ROStudios U2 and Paintings

I originally wrote this post for Handmadeology, but I am also posting it to my own blog. I believe Ryan's story is inspirational to artists, meaning, if you follow doing what you love, good things will come.

One of the Acrylics in his collection, $40, Etsy,

I recently stepped into the very creative shop of Ryan O'Neill who has ROStudios on Etsy.  It isn't every day an artist gets to collaborate on a project for U2.   Ryan was born in Montreal and now resides in Ottawa, Canada. He's  a recent graduate from the Jewelry School of Design as well as from the Gemological Institute of America. Inside his shop, you will find original watercolor paintings, some acrylics,  and mixed media art and jewelry. 

Painted pendant wood disc, 2"x2" comes with a sterling chain, $15!

Ryan's jewelry is gorgeous, most miniature paintings on wood discs, or dog tags painted and embellished with oddities. Some pendants are actually tiny mixed media collages. Ranging around $15 each, some come with a sterling chain making them quite the deal. There's nothing nicer than knowing the pendant around your neck is a one of a kind unique piece. 

A watercolor work, $40, and comes in a gold mat!

Paintings range around $40, and most are matted and or mounted in eco-friendly bamboo and reclaimed frames. So it wasn't suprising that one of his paintings recently won a U2 talent contest.   Shaughn McGrath (U2's designer)  and photographer, Anton Corbijn selected 15 submissions of artwork through Talenthouse, which will be collaged onto U2's website in the near future as a celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Achtung Baby.  Ryan's "Abstract World in Graphic Noir " won!

This is my favorite, painting on disc, $15, gorgeous.

For now Ryan is busy creating and working on a series of larger pieces.  He would love for you to stop by, and say hello in his Etsy shop.  He's been a bit busy making new pieces but has recently launched a facebook page.

Ryan has taken his love for art a step further, his paintings have also been transformed into super cool smartphone covers and mousepads in his zazzle shop!  Ryan is proof if you create, and love what you do, big things can and will happen.

 

Photographer Victoria BC Jades Photography

I love Jades Photography! It isn't often that I am impressed with wedding photographers. In fact I've seen some really below average wedding photos that people have paid a lot of money for.  Let's face it, when preparing for a wedding there's months of planning and nerves on edge. When the big day comes you want to make sure to have the right photographer, not only to capture "the day" with their camera but with unique and individualized perspective. This photographer Victoria BC based (Jades Photography), is awesome. Photography is, truly an art form!

I love these!

I want to frame these photos on my wall and they aren't even my family. I love them!  She has a very candid approach to her work, and these photos stand out in a crowd. Wouldn't you agree?  I believe when the "big day" comes, you should feel secure knowing your photographer has got you covered!

I would have never thought of a pose like this but it works so well for this family doesn't it?

In a nutshell, some wedding photographers do only weddings, but Jade does it all. So, what if you aren't getting married and just want some really good photos? She's the girl for you. Her portfolio covers family photos, special professional photos, baby photos, and even photos of a special event!

This is one of those photos you will remember forever.

So just what does she say about her work? "Life moves too fast. There is something to be said for capturing a moment in time and locking it into a photograph. You can capture a quirky expression or an emotion that may have been lost otherwise. Photography can make you see the world from a different perspective and make you see beauty in something where it didn't exist before."

Jade- picture perfect!

Part of the photo a day series on her blog. 

Stop by and check out her portfolio here and spread the word. Good photographers are like hair stylists, very hard to find, and when you do have a good one it's the world's best kept secret.

Go to Jades Photography Now.

I Support American Call to Handmade Artists

Here is a great artist resource for the American handmade artist.  This new marketplace is a must for any handmade seller in the USA.  It's called ISupportAmerican and I have reviewed it for legitimacy before posting it here.  

First let me say, I'm always skeptical when a new site crops up. The promises of sites like Zibbet just didn't pan out for me.  Artfire is okay but I don't use it, and of course you know how much I love Etsy. So it's hard for me to talk nice about anyone but Etsy.  To be fair, when I checked out ISupportAmerican I was in shock--because I think it's a great resource and it may even give Etsy a run for their money!

First off, it's a marketplace only for people in the States that are selling made in USA items. The premise of this alone is very keen---they are helping stimulate the local economy.  To do so, they are even helping the seller find an affordable marketplace by offering only a small flat monthly fee of $5.  Sellers can list 500 products up to 10 images each for ZERO selling fees and ZERO listing fees.  I could not believe it.  I had to read it twice. Truth be told that's a lot of photo hosting on their end for a mere $5 a month.

I Support American  : Will this be giving Etsy a run for their money?

Here is my List of Pros and Cons:

PROS: 



The site is clean and easy to navigate.

It's run by Americans for Americans and there are flags everywhere. 

You can search by shop, person, category, or much like Etsy a collection ie : (treasury).


Monthly Fee is Affordable: I did some quick math, Etsy is a .20 per item listing fee. If you were to list  (or relist) any combination of 25 items on Etsy, you are already at $5 threshold for the month, (plus any selling fees you accumulate) so paying a mere $5 per month to ISupportAmerican and waiving any listing or commission fees is a plus.

You get 10 photo spaces to use, unlike the 5 at Etsy.

Tons of share buttons on the front page.

They are already on Facebook, and are starting a nice Twitter following.

This is a section for vintage! OMG! 
 


CONS:  (Not really, but just to remain unbiased and fair...) 


Not for people outside the USA.   <--only a con if you are in Canada reading this!

No Made-in-China art supplies, only handmade!  <--think this should be a PRO !



MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION AS AN ARTIST AND MARKETING GURU:
In retrospect, I think a lot of people are scared to try something new but for $5 what do you really have to lose? Many people feel safe with Etsy because it's so big and well shopped, but on the flip side, a plethora of shops have made it so that your listings are buried on page 206 and it's hard to get found.  Lost somewhere within the giant walls of Etsy. I keep preaching about how you must really take time to promote your shop no matter what venue you are on, but there are definite pros about getting in on the ground floor of a new site--I do think smaller and new means more exposure!  Hey, Etsy was little once...

Oh, as if that wasn't enough, on top of all that sweetness, they are having a promotion for March 2012 only:

Sexy little barefoot sandals: FREE!

 "For every person who sets up a shop in the month of March they will receive a free gift worth $25 as our way of saying thanks for supporting American which are these sandals CLICK here to see the sandals

Well folks, tell me what you think about this.  Are they the next Etsy?

Check out: 

The site
Their Facebook
Them on Twitter

Signs for Big Fat Daddy's a Twitter Bird

I started with some old wood laying around the farm.

I love to paint but I'm not a good painter. I guess that's why I like assemblage art because it's a no-brainer. I had to make some signs for my husband.   He doesn't like my cutesy-cute look but when you are talking little Twitter bird, what can you do?   I'm usually good with a jigsaw but I didn't realize my first mistake was grabbing some wood laying around the farm compound that was wayyyyyy to thick. This particular board was 3/4" wood.  It took me awhile to cut with the jigsaw...and HE said it couldn't be done ha ha. I was careful not to break the jigsaw blade or marr up my hand.  I had to wear glasses because the wood was flying everywhere. Normally I use only 1/2" thick wood and need to make a special note of that next time.

I had a mess when I was done cutting, but hey, that's what getting messy with the cheese whiz is all about!  I then had to sand the edges and the face of my sign so I could paint. I used medium grit and just hit it a bit here and there.  The sandpaper was used before on something red, so I had a bit of a transfer.

This stuff really is thick!

Future twitter bird

I laid out a few designs, and there was no way on earth I could do the lettering. I was actually thinking about decoupaging some on but that would be massively cheating (sigh) and besides, this thing is going to be outside. The hole in the middle is so that he can hang it on his wooden food stands.  So I just decided to paint him up. I used latex craft paint and three coats of Rust-o-leum shellac and he'll withstand most outdoor mayhem. I misjudged the white part on the left a bit and made the  "B" a little out of whack but hey, who cares. The best part is making it from scratch, freestyling it.   He can be attached by a bolt to the fence that goes around the BBQ Stand. 

A Fence Every Artist Should Have

If this isn't the coolest thing you ever did see, I don't know what is. I originally saw it on dwellinggawker via enpundit....I then pinned it to pinterest just so I could share it here! Whew, what a social networking pain in the butt but look at this...voila...

Source: enpundit.com via Cindy on Pinterest