What's Next? Damned If I Know For Sure...

"Come 'ere Cowgirl"

Yes, it has been months and months since I last posted here, and I'd love to say that I've been so busy with commissions and gallery shows that I just haven't had time to sit down in front of the screen. The truth though is, I'm at yet another place of change and struggle. My life seems to have an abundance of these moments. From turmoil comes creative change...

These last months I've been more and more a hermit of sorts, which is not a bad thing for me, as it helps me focus more on the artwork.  I've been making art like the above everyday, inspired by, and working from my collection of vintage odd photos.

Last month I made a quick trip back to Austin to pick up artwork from the two remaining galleries that were representing me. (Sorry TX friends, no time to visit, I got in and out as fast as I could...) No major complaints about the galleries, except to say that my work wasn't selling and so, why use them as a storage facility? Both galleries seemed to be splitting their focus from selling art to wine tasting, music events, pet adoptions etc...While I understand the need to bring people into the space, and god knows galleries all over the US have struggled with this, I've found it doesn't translate to art sales for me. So, in spite of my friend here who tells me almost daily that I need to find a gallery closer to NW Arkansas, I'm stepping away from brick and mortar gallery space for now.  I know I have to update my website, redo the etsy store etc, etc....and so forth. Yes, yes, yes...

Adding to the 'leaving old ways behind' theme is the recent death of the 98 year old man that I had been caring for, as one of four caregivers, over the past 2-3 years. While it was time for him to go, still every death is tough.

 I closed my flea market booth that contained the vintage ephemera and collectible items that I had been buying and selling for years. (Many of these things will end up on etsy and ebay, just as soon as I can get it together enough to build the stores...)

This is all to say, I'm growing as an artist, every new piece I finish becomes my favorite, at least until the next one begins.

If you have need of a pet or people portrait I happily take commissions. Or if you know someone who would be interested, send them my way please. If you have old photos of unknown relatives and you'd like me to put my spin on a scratchboard drawing of them, contact me. Leave a comment here or give me a hollar at lcsheets@blue-eyedponystudio.com

All Is Good--All Is Fine

The above are some earlier examples of my "Little Originals". They are 2x2 inch scratchboards colored with Ampersand Scratchboard inks. These are from maybe two years ago.

These "Little Originals", on the other hand are from this past spring. I love making the "littles", they are challenging detail wise and just darned good fun for me.
I'm working on several pet portrait commissions, along with creating a heap of the little original scratchboards for a few holiday shows.  It's all good here. I'm fine.
I've spent the past four or five years sorting and cataloging the archives of my favorite poet and there is still so much to do. I'm happy with that for now. It's incredibly interesting and helps me to feel even closer to him though he's been dead now for nine months. I suppose I will be extremely sad when I'm finished, it will be another kind of letting go. And damn, I've been learning to let go for sure.
 I'm terribly busy...what with the art-making, archive sorting, and oh yeah, caretaker of a almost 98 year old man (that's a whole different storyline for another time). What curious twists and turns my life has taken, from artist to plumber, back to artist, to archivist, to healthcare. I'm usually juggling all of them, well, not so much the plumber anymore, as it's too hard on me physically. And that's just fine with me.
Today I travel to Boston for a week with friends. My first time off in quite a while. Excited. Happy.
Sorry for the somewhat blurry photos. I prefer that to finding them duplicated without my permission...and I really hate the 'hallmark' thing that some artists put on their images to try to prevent copyright infringement. Just don't use something that doesn't belong to you. Simple as that. Got it? Thanks.

Goals Set and Met. Now What?

Two For The Road

It's already been quite an eventful year in Linda-Land just four months in. Chock-a-block full of ups, downs, and ins and outs. I just reached my 60th year with mixed feelings so I thought a look back might help me make a little sense of it all.
I'd set a few goals for myself in 2014, one being that I didn't want to enter my 60's overweight so I set about to loosing around forty pounds, and fortunately did it. Everything feels better now, although I'd like to have ten more pounds gone by mid-summer. Small goal, but a goal nonetheless.
Another goal, and you might think me silly for having this, was, along with the weight loss I wanted to be able to fit into a pair of jeans that had belonged to my dad, by the anniversary of his death on Jan. 26th. Eleven years ago I was back in Indiana helping to care for him when he was dying. I hadn't packed many clothes because I wasn't sure how long I would be there. I flew in Xmas eve,stayed until the first week in Feb. and had gotten really tired of wearing the same things everyday, so dad offered a pair of his pants to me. They fit and I got a little change of wardrobe to take my mind off of the saddness. After he died I took them with me and put them away. Due to some side affects from the anti-depressants I took after returning home from this life changing event, I put on some weight...and then ballooned up to a really health damaging weight.
Two somewhat related goals were set and then met. As I said in the title, now what?
A dear friend fell down the stairs and broke her ankle badly Dec. 28th and then four days later on Jan. 1, her husband, another dear friend of mine, died. I've been renting a living/studio space from them since May; after knowing them several years and working on two art books with him, it made perfect sense to me to do my best to help her recover, not only from the physical injury, but from the emotional loss. Doing this has also helped me to deal with my own grief. I've stayed busy enough to stay a few steps ahead of it.
Just recently I got back to making some artwork...little scratchboards, mostly rv's or trailers to satisfy my desire to someday own one and hit the road like a nomad. I'm also revisiting the mixed-media 'little house' series. There are a few examples shown here. I hope to sell a lot of them at the spring version of The Little Craft Show here in Northwest Arkansas. It's May 30, downtown Springdale. One day only. I'll add more information later as the date comes closer. It promises to be a great sale.

Oh yeah, I also got a new car. After almost forty years of owning trucks of one kind or another...I got a little suv. You might say, "what got into you?" Oh hell, who knows? It was a reality check of sorts, I had an older truck with 218,000 miles on it and plenty of expensive future repairs just waiting to happen. The money I'd been saving for an RV was there and willing to be spent. My days of hauling tools and lumber around are pretty much over, so a truck is less important to me than it once was.
So, here I am. Wanting to get through the memorial service for my friend on the 26th, really hoping that all will begin to heal. There's a goal worth having, mentioning, and reaching.
 What's next? Art, of course, always. And staying right where I am for a bit until I figure it all out. Keeping the weight off, would be good, of course. Mostly I do a little work and thinking about all of this everyday, so I figure I'll come up with something. If not, at least I've been working and thinking.

One more thing; I need to get some commission work going and so I'm officially declaring April half-off month for pet and people portraits. If you've ever wanted one of my scratchboard interpretations of your pets or people, now's the time to jump in and book them. Normally a 5"x 7" framed scratchboard is $150.00. All of April they are $75.00, including shipping unless you're out of the US and then the shipping is extra. So give me a holler and I'll get started on your custom drawing.

Some Things To Look At...And Think About.

The above are just a few of the scratchboard artworks I made in the latter part of 2014. People, Dogs, Cats, Birds, what's next, you might ask. Honestly, I don't know. A dear friend died January 1st and I've been dealing with the emotional aftermath of that, plus helping his widow (who I rent a space from) recover from a badly broken ankle. (she fell down the stairs, broke it four days before he died) It's has been so difficult, but I'm glad I was here to help.
Another kind of difficult event I had to deal with in November was being dropped from the big gallery that I had been with for ten years. That one stung. But, shit happens, people change and so I'm rolling with it. My Linda Sheets Art etsy shop is closed for now as well, at least until I can figure this all out.
 The only place to find my art on the wall right now is in Johnson City, Texas at Taste, Wine and Art Gallery. And directly from me of course. I'm looking for commission work for 2015. Give me a hollar and I'll send a price list and get started on your piece.
Meanwhile, I snatch moments here and there, starting and stopping pieces that appeal to me. Nothing completed so far in 2015. I'm not afraid that I'll 'lose' my momentum or stop making art, I've realized that I'm doing what's most important right now...the art is just in my head rather than on the drawing table. Check back with me later to see what pops out.
And then there's this:
Google has sent me an email saying that my blog may be 'privatized' or hidden because of 'adult content'.  I guess it's because of the nude women drawings on earlier posts? Really?  It's ART, mofo's. Jesus H. Christ.(and I say that with my 'adult' agnostic voice)  I'm just about to unleash a string of 'Adult' words...I'll try and restrain myself.  In this time period of 50 Shades of Grey, (which I didn't read because it's so fucking poorly written, not because of any prudishness on my part, because, believe me, I've danced in many of the grey shades) And, oh yeah, I have no desire to see the stupid movie that lonely housewives in overtly religious states like Arkansas and Mississippi are flocking to. Go figure that fact.
So are you saying that crap like that soft porn is ok by you, but nudity in artwork is not? I'm just trying to figure out the guidelines here.
I'm going to quit now while my head is still attached to my body (my blood pressure is high as hell from all of this government and authorities 'trying to regulate morality')and hope that a few of you are sticking around to see what's next from 'Linda-Land'.

Where I've Been Lately...

From the date of the last post you can see it's been more than a month since I've posted anything here. I've been busy drawing portraits for my latest little kickstarter project. There are many more than what is in the above photo, but that will have to suffice for now. They are all Ampersand Art scratchboard.
Since the last post I've; celebrated my birthday, drawn many portraits, did several dog and cat commissions, packed up my house to move, and have built over 40 picture/mirror frames from the pile of salvaged lumber that never seems to disappear. The frames are to sell, wherever and whenever I can. I'll post some photos next time. They are really nice, and I'm pretty proud of them. I especially like the vintage beadboard ones, that wood came from a monumental dumpster dive. Those opportunities unfortunately, seem to be few and far between here in NW Arky. I'm glad I stopped when I did and got a truck load. Oh, yeah, I guess that's why the pile never goes away. I'm determined this time to use it all up! All of it. The location I'm moving to will have a sweet little studio space, but not really a big wood working space so I'm trying to get it all re-used/re-purposed and done with before the house I've been living in, with the workshop is listed for sale.
So that's it. Trying to keep my spirits up. Not many sales of existing artwork, either here or at the galleries in TX. That's ok, I'm downsizing to just the basics for a while in order to be able to continue making art. Because that's really all I ever want to do, and all I ever think about doing. I'm getting farther and farther away from being that person who "fixed" things...at least as a way of making a living that is. I still occasionally will repair this and that for special folks in my life.
Well, that's all for now. I've just been busy, busy, and writing a blog post is just about the last thing on my to do list. I'll try and post on a more regular basis...or not. I guess it doesn't really matter that much, or at least at this point in my life I wonder if it does matter or not because it's more of an exercise in sharing what I'm doing/thinking etc...and of course hoping that someone out there might read it and get something from it. Happy Trails to you...

Kickstarter And Why I Won't Be Using It Again...For Anything

In the past two years I've had five successful Kickstarter campaigns; I did two books (Dog And Cat Scratchin') two sets of posters using images from those books and now this current campaign "Send Me Your Selfies" a small project to do a series of portraits. I've watched the formula shift and change, really drastically over the past year. Once a site for individuals and "mom and pop" grass-root-type business to create buzz and raise funds for sweet, even unusual projects, now it's been co-opted by large businesses who've realized that they can get free publicity and raise funds and sell their product before it even hits the brick and mortar. And even Rock Stars and Hollywood folks who've jumped in with their pet projects churn the dollars even more. Little projects like mine get lost in the corner, while big names (who I'm sure could find alternative, or conventional funding) stir the pot and make their millions. Along with all of that, the amount of "marketing" and "crowdfunding" organizations who fill my email with their offers to help me raise the maximum amount, if only I'd pay them a small fee, increase daily.  It all makes me sad. It was a nice way to fund my book projects, and I was feeling pretty hopeful about the Chicken Scratchin' book.  Between the changes at Kickstarter, and the radical changes at Facebook, (what the hell is up with that? I hardly ever see any of my friends posts because of the ads and bullshit that they put up which blocks everything else out) it was hard to connect with folks who might want to back the project. So, it ended, underfunded and unsuccessful. I put it aside thinking that I'd re-launch at a later date. Now I understand that unless I get a "Star" to back it, or pay to have a company promote it for me, chances are it would fail again. So, this little project of mine will end in thirteen days, I'll draw however many portraits (not many right now) and then go back to the drawing board and make a different plan for my life as a professional artist. Meanwhile, I'm always looking for commissions and trying to make a living, like everyone else.  There are a couple of spots on this page to check out the Selfie project, if you want a portrait, the price is much less than I usually charge...last chance, going soon.

Art Is A Hard Way To Make A Living--But It's Worth It...

I've been making these little 1x2" scratchboard chicken necklaces for the past month. (They may be a reward for backers of the chicken book I want to do) Meanwhile, I'm trying to 'will' this kickstarter project, Chicken Scratchin' book into being. It's hard work. I've only raised around $1200+ and need to raise $9500.00 by March 6th. So far every project I've done on kickstarter has raised the amount needed....this may be the first failure. I'm not too worried though, it can be tweeked and re-launched in March or April.  I am not getting rich doing these book projects, just a steady small stream of money(well, maybe more like a trickle). Really, that's all I need to keep going. I don't need the big bucks, I just want to contribute, bring folks a little joy, and pay my bills. When I'm not making art I'm a pretty unhappy human. Lately I've been creating a series of bird art on Ampersand Scratchboard, just to keep me busy and happy. Sold a couple already, even posted a bunch on the social networking sites, hoping for the best. Here's an example of one of the sold pieces.

I had a great time making this...left it black and white for the new owner. It's been a while since I've not used color on a piece, it was hard to restrain myself.

Ok, done for today: Here's the kickstarter plug (and let me remind you, you don't have to have chickens to back this!) Click HERE to see it.

Pricing Artwork And Other Confusing Things

Today I'm thinking about this whole 'making a living from my art sales' mystery. I do make sales, and I also give a lot of work away during my "Linda's Big Art Giveaways" on my Linda Sheets Art facebook page.  While making art I'm not thinking about how much this piece should cost, or keeping a time-clock on the hours I put into it. Mostly I'm thinking about where should the next line go and what color do I want to put here, and there, and uh oh...is that line right or wrong! I try to keep my prices consistent so that a 5"x7" at the gallery in Austin is the same as my studio in Arkansas. It's just good business to do that. Below is a 5"x5" Two Little Birds scratchboard. It's finished and ready to go out the door at $70.00.  Now considering I put about 4.5 hours (probably more because I really don't keep track) in that, and not even counting costs of materials that's about $15.00 an hour.  Above minimum wage of course, but my hours are not that consistent. I don't get a paycheck from some corporation every week, and I pay a lot of overhead out of that $15.00.

I'm on this subject today because I wonder sometimes, should I lower my prices? Will that equal more sales? Or will that undermine the value of the artwork? I know I'm not the only artist who struggles with this. I see artwork sold in stores that is a giclee or in other words a print on canvas etc...that is mass produced and sold for $59.99 or less, or more, and I get more than a little bothered. Although if I licensed my images to a big company and got a payment every time they sold a piece I would be happy. So, see the conflict for me? I'd rather folks buy original art from the artists.
 I want to be as successful with my art business as I was with my repair/remodeling business. Folks gladly paid me $50.00 an hour to fix their plumbing. Why can't I (we artists) be paid that much to bring joy or whatever we bring with our art into your lives? Is plumbing more important that art? (sometimes it is....)
This piece below is not finished yet, or maybe it is, if someone wants to buy it as a black and white scratchboard. It's a 6"x8" and it's $140.00. I've got at least 7 hours into this one...so somewhere around $20.00 an hour. Why it's the price it is? My set price for 5"x7" framed pieces, commission or not is $140.00. This one an inch more each way, no frame because it's 'cradled' so that's how I get to that number. Ok. My head hurts now. Math and numbers have never interested me.

Oh yeah, I'm still trying to fund the Chicken Scratchin' book at kickstarter. Maybe it will go, maybe not. I'll deal with it after funding ends in 27 days. See it HERE.
So what is it that most artists want? For people to see our art, love our art, (or even hate our art), and to buy our art. And to buy it because it brings something special into their lives...not because it's a good investment. (unless of course the 'investment' is one of your joy and love of the piece)

Chicken Scratching And Other Thoughts

I approach the art business pretty much how I ran my contracting business; there's a job to do, a right and wrong way to do it (I choose the right way, of course), a length of time it will take, amount of money, expected final outcome, etc...etc... This makes me very focused and 'project' driven. For the most part I have commissions or jobs to work on daily. If I don't, I try and 'make up' work that must be done, that's the creative challenge for me. Sometimes what I make is just a bunch of crap and it gets tossed into the trash...or it is given away on my Linda Sheets Art page at Facebook. Usually someone likes it a lot more than I do. Or I go out into the little woodworking workshop in my garage and cut and sand lumber which is very satisfying and often results in a fun piece of furniture or decorative box or what-not.  Right now, this is my project;
Chicken Scratchin' Book. I'm trying to raise the funds at kickstarter. I know exactly how much it costs, and how much work it takes to 'build' this book. So far though, I have not raised enough or attracted attention from the backyard chicken community. I still have over 30 days to make this happen, and I believe in the project, so we'll see if I can blog, tweet, instagram, facebook, pinterest, this enough to find folks who want a portrait of their chickens and a place in the book. Plan B, if it doesn't fund? I'll tweak it and re-launch soon after. I am persistent. So here it is, share and share again, please. I can't do this alone. I already do so much alone, I need your help. Thanks for stopping by.
Click HERE to see the project.  This is a sample two page spread. 

It's Chicken Book Time!

Today I launched my 5th kickstarter project: Chicken Scratchin' A Collection Of Good Chickens And Their People.The videos look good, fun even. Hey it's a chance to see me with a red cock's comb in my hair...
I've been ready for this for months, got the videos and site built in record time and now I'm ready to hit it. The funding process will go for 45 days and I hope to raise $9500.00, which is the least amount I need to make this happen. We shall see if folks with chickens want me to scratch out a portrait of them, and if they have a story to share. I'm sure hoping they do. Would be a huge bummer if it doesn't fund.
I'm also continuing a Linda's Big Art Giveaway at my Linda Sheets Art facebook page(if you're on face book look for me, like the page and watch for the giveaway.  Free art, mostly scratchboard, and mostly older work of mine that needs a home. All I ask is that folks pay for shipping and packing, and that they give some $$ to a shelter of their choice(human or animal). Am I crazy for giving my art away? Maybe, but maybe not. I do like spreading the wealth and get a real kick out of sharing these pieces rather than tossing them, or worse, packing them away and hanging on to them like an 'art hoarder'. Would I rather sell art? Uh, well, yes I would, thanks for asking. But what I've found in doing this is new people come along for me to share it with, and I've even gotten some commissions out of it all. So not a bad thing this giving it away, letting go. Try it sometime. It really does feel good. In the meantime, do something that makes you happy!

Here's the chicken project link:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1547701634/chicken-scratchin-a-collection-of-good-chickens-an?ref=home_location

Feeling Kinda Twitchy

Those who know me well might say I lack patience, and I would agree with them. This waiting to launch to Kickstarter Chicken project is just about killing me. The site is built, ready to go and approved by them. I am waiting until January 20th because that's when I decided to launch,--but is the waiting easy? Oh no, it is not! I'm so used to putting something together, bang, bang, bang, and then just pulling the trigger--boom, go. I will survive this, and I'm probably going to learn something about life and myself, in spite of my resistence. Tick-tock...suffice to say, check back in with me on the 20th.
The two chickens above are 5x7 scratchboards. They will go into the mix of the big art giveaway, which coicidently will begin the same day as the Chicken project. So come back for that too. That happy event will take place on my Linda Sheets Art facebook page so if you haven't gone there and clicked to 'like' it you might lose out. Stay tuned. All is good in Linda-Land. Went to Crystal Bridges with a friend today to see the Stieglitz/O'Keeffe collection again. Pretty fabulous. Feeling lucky to have such a great place here in NW Ark. Ok, over and out for now...things are a fixin' to heat up soon!

Let The Art Fly Out The Door.

The above, "Big Black-Bird" is available, for free, for the next 36 hours. It's early Linda scratchboard with acrylic work, 16"x20". If you want it, go to my facebook page Linda Sheets Art and first, like my page and then like this photo and say, "Hell yes, Linda, I want this!" If you don't want this piece you can still like my page, ya dig?You will pay for packaging and shipping, simple as that. I'm clearing out the old so I can continue to make new. The thing about this is it's a fun walk down the path leading to where I am today. This is from 2008 (I think) and while I'm so much better/different with my technique now, it does give me some perspective. Would I rather be selling art? Of course, and I am selling newer stuff. I'm just of the mind that either it should go to someone who will appreciate it or it must go to the dumpster. (I'm not going to be storing or carting these things around forever) So I'll be posting these free-bees until I run out of old work that needs a home. Mostly around noon, but don't hold me to that, because I might get a wild hair and put up two or three a day.
I love seeing these go out the door. A couple stopped by today to get the "Monkey Stack" and I'm glad they got it because they love it.  They were kind of shy about asking for it online...please, don't be shy, these are first come, first served and I really mean it.
And if you're worried about me getting rid of these, don't be. I love making the art, but when a piece is done, I'm done with it and would much rather have it be gone than just hanging around. That's how the process works for me.
The other request I have is, if you do take one of these pieces, please make a donation to your local animal shelter. Whatever amount you can give, and I don't need verification, we're on the honor system here.

Just Keep Making Art

Today finds me struggling with an almost migraine headache. Not a good thing, and yet, I still want to be making my art product. I've had way too many migraines in my life and they really knock me silly for a bit. Is this a sign that I need to take a break? Or just a bit of weirdness that I have no control over? Who knows? Not me.
Well, anyhow I'm pushing onward. The above are some not-so-great photos of my latest Little Originals series. These are 2"x2" Ampersand Scratchboard that were originally their white 'Stampbord' that I inked with Speedball Super Black. Voila, scratchboard! They have pins on the back so they can be worn on shirts, caps, backpacks and what have you. I also added a small loop at the top so they can be hung on your Xmas, or Festivus or what-you-may-call-it tree. Fun stuff. I can sit and watch (or not watch) TV shows on my laptop while knocking these out. And the packaging helps make them look 'real' I think. I'm looking forward to seeing how these sell at Eye of the Dog Home show November 29,20, Dec 1 in San Marcos, TX and at The Little Craft Show Saturday Dec. 7th here in Fayetteville.  I hope they do sell because I made a whole heap of these in a variety of subject matter. (see just a few above)
I will be launching a new Kickstarter project next week to make a limited series of Cat Scratchin' posters. I just picked them up from Moxy Ox in Tontitown, AR and they look awesome! It's going to be a quick, small project. I'm only asking for $500.00 (but I'll take more if folks want them) and it will run for 13 days to fund. It's all a crap-shoot doing these projects. At first I thought I didn't want to do anymore Kickstarter projects...because it can be stressful putting them together and then working the crowd to fund them. This one will be a grand experiment to see if doing a shorter funding period works better. Usually after 30 days, I'm exhausted from having to 'beat' the facebook/instagram/pinterest/twitter bushes to get backers. Plus if they don't fund right away I lose sleep and get all bent out of whack. This project will launch next week and will end during the dreaded Mercury Retrograde!! If you know me, all new things and contract signing, communication etc screeches to a halt during MR. I'm kind of superstitious, but also in my defense, I've experienced major mishaps during MR. (usually occurs about 3 times a year) Google it if you don't know what it is. Astrology thing, believe it if you wish. I may be flirting with disaster doing the project during this time period, but there's no way around it if I want to ship to folks before Xmas. Boldly I go, eyes cranked half shut hoping for the best!
The Cat Scratchin' book continues to delight. I've gotten some really sweet emails from folks who participated and love the book and their artwork. I look forward to spreading more joy in the coming months.
The next event will be a signing at Wally Workman Gallery in Austin Thursday, November 21st 5:30-7:30. A portion of sales will go to Austin Pets Alive and there may even be a few kitties representing them that night...hope so. Contact me or them if you have questions.
Ok, I was hoping that writing this would make the headache go away and it has not. Have a happy weekend whoever you are and whatever you do!

Feeling Kinda Krafty

I know I've not been true to the blog lately...it's been over a month since I've posted, but I've been a busy gal. Above you can see the little 2x2 inch scratchboard originals I've been making(these are just a few of the over 100 that I've made).They are pins, but also can be hung on a tree as an ornament (thanks Richard for the idea) or if you are especially creative you can put a jump ring on them and wear as a pendant.  These can also be mounted and framed if you're into the whole small art thing. I'll be selling these in Austin (San Marcos) November 29, 30, Dec 1st at the Eye of the Dog Home Show. If you live in the area and have never been, you need to go. This art center is an amazing place, hard to describe....just go.  I'll also be at Wally Workman Gallery November 21st from 5:30-7:30 signing Cat Scratchin' books. This event will give a portions of funds to Austin Pets Alive (two of the cats in the book came from that shelter) and it should be a fun night.
I'm also waiting to hear about a couple of December Gift shows, one here in Fayetteville, and the other in Tulsa. I haven't done many shows, they are a lot of work and sometimes not too much moola in return. We'll see. I'm feeling like the kid on the playground waiting to be picked for the volleyball/kickball whatever ball game. I hope they pick me. If they don't (please, pick me) many of these pins will be posted for sale in my etsy shop in October/November. There are birds, monkeys, chickens, dogs, cats and a snake or two. I even made a few of my favorite little house theme pins. They will retail for around $12.00. A bargain for a little original I think....you tell me what you think.
I'm also waiting for the Cat Scratchin' books to be delivered to me. Sometime in the next week or so I hope. It seems like forever since I finished the drawings and edits and all the other stuff that goes into making a book.
The above are all Ampersand Stampbord that I turn into Scratchboard by inking with Sumi or Speedball Super black ink.

Scratching Out A Living

These are little 2"x2" Ampersand Art Stampbords that I've turned into scratchboard using black Sumi ink. I packed a bunch of these into my suitcase before taking off for a 'vacation' in the Boston area. Really good friends needed a house/dog sitter and so they flew me out here (awesome!) to spend a week with Ruby (who one of many dogs in the Dog Scratchin' book) All I have to do is walk/feed/love on her and make sure the house stays intact. I'm staying an extra week to hang out and visit with them, such a bonus. I've been scratchin' away while watching my friend's most excellent collection of videos and TV shows...binge watching ho! I used to live in Boston so there's not that much that I haven't seen here--I'm just hunkered down in Revere, reading, scratchin' watching movies, walking the dog. It's a really nice getaway with no pressure to go anywhere or be anything. That's my idea of a perfect vacation.
I've got 28 of these laid out. I'll add color when I get back to the home studio.
Mostly what I've been doing is trying to figure out a better way to make a living doing what I love.  I used to love construction/plumbing and I made a pretty good living doing that. The past twelve years I've focused more on the art and while it has been extremely satisfying, the money part has always been a scramble with some years better than others. Last year was good, mostly because of the Dog Scratchin' book. I expect this year to be as good via the Cat Scratchin' book. Next year, there will be a new book, new art. And I hope to be doing it in a little Minnie Winnie or some other RV type vehicle. I'm ready to sell the house, release myself from some possessions and hit the road, while I can. I plan to keep a few home base cities, because, let's face it, I need a bank account and some kind of address. Plus there's the whole health care thing. I've got a good doctor and with the thyroid cancer history, I must be just a bit responsible. (and I need the damn meds)
Besides all that, I've got to make money, honey. These little 2"x2" original scratchboards will be made into pins or magnets or both. Fun little, inexpensive art pieces that I hope to sell at a few art shows and in my etsy shop. My friend here thinks more galleries is the answer. What do you think? I can't keep up with the two I'm in. What I've found is if you're not in the same city or area and don't make regular visits, your art isn't displayed or sold. So unless I can pop from one gallery to the next (and maybe I can once I get the RV) I must find a way to promote and market myself, which is something I really would rather not do. Oh damn it...

Funding Art Projects and Other Stuff

The above are earlier works of mine using Ampersand Scratchbord and mixed-media. There is nothing wrong with them. In fact I'm pretty fond of where I've been and where I am now with my art journey. Putting together the Dog Scratchin' book, and now the Cat Scratchin' version has helped me to become better at my chosen trade.  Below is one of the dogs in the book that shows how much better I became as I drew one after another. Practice is good.

All this is to say, I'm running a project at kickstarter right now to create a limited series of posters using 80 of my drawings from the book. If you will please take a look and see if any or all of them interest you. I'm not asking for money for nothing (hey, that could be a song), I have a product to offer for a fee. And I think it's a pretty cool, fun, and lovely product. If you can think about art as part of the commerce stream (and we are) we are just as important as the plumbers who fix our toilets. Believe me, being a former contractor, I am coming at you from both sides of that world.So take a look here to see what it's all about. It will be up for 28 more days and it's already going well. Thanks. Buy art, fix your plumbing, and enjoy your world.
The first artwork shown above is available (size is 16"x24") the title is "Big Dog In The Backyard", and I'll make you a deal and a half. Contact me.

New Dog Scratchin' Poster Project Is Funding

These are number 1 and 2 of the four total posters in the project. You can go here to see it. It will be up for 30 days. I wonder who will be the first to jump in?? Click on 'here' or down below. #dogs #dogscratchin
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1547701634/dog-scratchin-limited-edition-posters-for-your-wal

2 Sweet Dogs Commission

This is the work in progress from the previous post about "choices." You can see I've made quite a few, choices that is. There is some tweaking to finish, and a frame to build before I deliver it. My clients already approve and like it very much. I'll change the collar to red and make some other changes. This is a 16"x20" ampersand scratchboard with colored inks.  Lots of scratchin' going on there. In addition I've been scratchin' out cats left and right for the Cat Scratchin' book, and getting ready to launch a kickstarter project to create posters with the artwork from the Dog Scratchin' book.
Along with all of that, my truck which I love so much hit 200,000 miles last week. It came and went without the fanfare I had expected--no parade or confetti. I looked down and whoop there it went. Oh well. I personally put 160,000 of those miles on the truck in eight years of owning it.  I had always used 200,000 has a sort of milestone, although I can't remember what I thought would happen afterward. I'm in no hurry now, to sell or trade it in. I'm in no hurry to do anything right now. That is an unusual condition for me. I am always moving ahead, often quickly leaving folks in the dust. My movement forward has not always been in the 'right' direction, or should I say, sometimes in my haste I leap before I look. Like a cat though, I most often land on my feet. Or my ass, and then I have to pick myself up and dust off and try to make the best of it. Waiting and patience is not something I'm known for. But, here I am, waiting and studying to see what path is next for me. I will say I hope to be in a small travel trailer or rv type vehicle in the next year or so. Free of the responsibility of owning a house...and all the things that go with that. I can do what I'm doing, ie. the books the scratchboards, anywhere that there is a table to work on. I don't need stuff...There you have it. This time next week I hope to be raising some money to print dog posters. Don't worry, there will be plenty of notice about it.
 Until then, be happy. Really, that's it.

Choices

Today I'm thinking about choices. I hate to simplify things down to "this or that", but isn't that kind of what life is all about? Do I want this? Do I want that? Well, that's how my life works. I've been drawing cats in scratchboard for the kickstarter Cat Scratchin' book project for the last 3 months and I'm just about done with the 68 total cats. In the meantime I also have a few dog scratchboard commissions that I need to jump on. It gives a little break, a chance to head off in a different direction for a bit. I'll get to the above photos in a minute, I just thought I'd share a glimpse into the Linda-brain with y'all. Brace yourselves...I'm about to ramble on.
I woke up feeling isolated and alone, which is how most days are for me; usually this doesn't cause a problem for me, it just is my reality. Anyhow, I thought maybe I should push out of my comfort zone and go to a big outdoor street fair,  to have some human interaction and join in with the collective human-ness of such things. I drove slowly by and promptly decided it was too hot, too many people, and not much parking, so instead went to Wal-Mart. Please forgive me, judge if you must, it just seemed 'better' to me. Air conditioning, plenty of parking and a chance to maybe find some clothes and food. Not much human interaction though, and I didn't find clothes, but made some good food choices that will reward me later.  I've convinced myself that I'll try to stop by the street fair later in the day, early evening when it's cooler. We'll see if that happens. I'll report my experiences here if it does happen. I wouldn't hold my breath, at least not for too long if I were you. Ok, enough of that, the above photos are just to give you an idea of my working process. The commission is a 16"x20" Ampersand scratchboard drawing of two dogs together, with poppies and sunflowers. I'm excited to get going on this; it will be a heap of scratching. The owner sent photos of her dogs and I put them together in one place, I'm still working on the background concept, a pulled out of my head made-up environment. I finally bought a projector/enlarger to make my life easier. I basically start with a line drawing that I then transfer to the black scratchboard using white chalk rubbed on the back of the drawing. The big fun for me is then scratching away the black to white to create textures that resemble the dog or cat or flower, whatever it is I'm trying to render.  Nothing wrong with having good tools to make art folks.
I'm also working on an idea for a future kickstarter project to produce some full color posters of dogs and cats. More on that later.
In the meantime, be happy, make art!

On The Drawing Table

Sorry I've been missing in action for a bit. Working on the Cat Scratchin' book and other commission pieces has kept me at the table scratchin' away for days. In fact everyday is an art day for me. Not a bad thing, I'm happy. I've found that I post less here and more on Instagram so if you are interested in following me at the profile blueyemonkey, that would be super cool. In the meantime, the above is the current cat on the table. Got to get back on it. Have a day!