Amazing Etsy Artist -- jstephens13.etsy.com

So far I've only featured etsy shops that had photography or paintings, but this next batch of etsy artists is a varied group. The first shop is jstephens13.etsy.com, and it is home to a lovely group of totes, clutches, and other bags. The fabrics are what drew me to this shop. My favorite is "rOxy in garden trellis" for the combination of fabrics used. I don't personally use a handbag, but these designs are just about enough incentive for me to start. The Louise reusable market bag is also very pretty and I like the fact that the fabric is reversible. Take a look at her shop and see if there's anything you need. She also has a blog at jlstephenscouture.com."Designer Snappy Wallet"

"Louise Tote"

"rOxy in garden trellis"

Lithographer--Robert Riggs

An article from a September 13, 1937 LIFE Magazine about artist Robert Riggs. He created very beautiful lithographs of circus scenes. Read it here.

Amazing Etsy Photographers -- mariterecr.etsy.com

The etsy shop mariterecr.etsy.com is home to a stunning group of photographs. It features a lot of images from France which make me yearn to travel. I enjoy the element of depth in "Secret Garden" and the contrast of dark foreground against the light background of "Breaking Free." All the work in the shop is visually inspiring, so be sure to take a look. Also check out her blog mariterecr.blogspot.com, and become a fan of hers on facebook at facebook.com/MaritereCRPhotography.

Secret Garden
Paris, Je T'aime
Breaking Free

Luigi Lucioni--Painter (1900-1988).

There was an article in LIFE Magazine July 19, 1937 about this painter. He is really talented (in my eyes)--his work is tediously lifelike. He's best known for his Vermont landscape paintings, and I'm really glad I now know who he is. Read the article here.

I'm a Mom!

On Monday I delivered my daughter Joelee by emergency c-section (everything is okay--her heart rate was dropping because she was under some stress because I was going through labor too quickly). She was 8lbs. 10oz., 20 inches long, and has a beautiful head of hair already. We're home and recovering, and I'm hoping to start another batch of artists to feature really soon. Thanks to everybody for the well wishing--we're so happy she's here safe and sound.

I'm Still Waiting.

One last photo of my pregnant belly (taken today).

I go into the hospital a little after midnight Monday morning to have my water broke, so hopefully I'll be a mom before Tuesday. Just trying to get a few things done around the house and with The Gallivanting Girl before Joelee arrives. Wish me luck.

Here's an article on Renoir that I found interesting.

In that same magazine on page 21 is a little blip about a man whose Hereford herd brought in a ton of money at a dispersal sale. Quite impressive even by today's standards, and that was back in 1937!

Amazing Etsy Painters -- earthart.etsy.com

The last artist in this round of Etsy Painters is earthart.etsy.com. Her work is very colorful and somewhat gestural, but I wouldn't consider it abstracted; perhaps just simplified in a way that makes it more beautiful. You're not bombarded with detail, but you know exactly what you're looking at. Her painting entitled "Energy" is exactly that--it's dynamic with the swirling of the koi. "Changing of the Guards" blends horizontal and vertical eye lines to create a piece that you can't stop looking at. Although both of these paintings have sold from her shop since I chose to write about them, I found that she's added some new work--my two particular favorites are "Waiting" and "Birth of Crows"--so go over to her shop and see what catches your eye.

"Energy"
"Reaching"

"Changing of the Guards"

Amazing Etsy Painters -- theblackapple.etsy.com

This next shop is a very successful one--the artist has been on Martha Stewart making her neat dolls for goodness sake--and the best part is she's a young entrepreneur like me! So here's a few items from theblackapple.etsy.com. She has a blog where she talks about her work and such at theblackapple.typepad.com and a more fashion-based blog here. Her wardrobe is amazing--I wish I could pull something like that off (instead I wear work-boots, jeans, a men's work-shirt, and some form of shirt underneath just about everyday--goes with the territory, I guess--her pretty clothes on me whilst working in the barn probably wouldn't last too long). Sigh, I can just envy over hers I guess. Her paintings are very eye catching because they are uniquely hers in style. My favorites are the various animal and people paintings. The girls that she paints are almost haunting with their large staring eyes that look right through you, often with a hint of expression in the corner of their mouths. I really enjoy her work and I hope you do as well--take a look at her shop for many more items."To Ride a Black Swan""She Moves Among the Sparrows"

"Amelia Bumble"

Amazing Etsy Painters -- rozart.etsy.com

Another artist who grabbed my attention a little bit ago was rozart.etsy.com, she also has a website drunkencows.com. What draws me to her work is two-fold, I really enjoy the subject matter she chooses because I live on a farm and can relate, AND I am very envious of her application of paint. I'm too calculated when I paint--for some reason I can't just loosen up and put in that playfulness that she achieves. The three that I've chosen to illustrate this post are all so beautiful I can't even begin to choose a favorite (although she's after my heart with the "Cow 177" because it looks an awful lot like a Brown Swiss). The colors in the landscape are breathtaking and the painting of the bees is very dynamic with the movement of the paint; you expect them to swarm at any minute. Her shop is filled with works all as wonderful as these, so I hope you will stop by and take a look."Landscape 87""Cow 177"

"Bee 9"

Amazing Etsy Painters -- thebrilliantmagpie.etsy.com

I found this artist quite a while back, and was immediately smitten with the women portraits that she created. The artist behind thebrilliantmagpie.etsy.com is a genius at manipulating watercolors (that's one medium I really struggle with). It was really difficult to select only three of her items to showcase--each character has so much life behind them that you want to know them all--but I was drawn to "She was Like a Queen in Her Palace" because of the emotion captured in the woman's eyes, and "She was Full of Revolutionary Ideas" because she looks to be a very happy-go-lucky girl who would probably have a ton of great stories to tell. The two women in "Sisters in the Dark Days" have such a bond that you can see, although it is probably caused by hardship, but they are close just the same. The artist also has a lovely blog amyabshierreyes.blogspot.com, so I recommend checking her shop and her blog out if you get a free moment."She was Like a Queen in Her Palace""Sisters in the Dark Days"

"She was Full of Revolutionary Ideas"

Amazing Etsy Painters -- obsoleteworld.etsy.com

This next shop I'm going to feature is really intriguing to me. The shop is obsoleteworld.etsy.com, and the originality of her pieces is definitely what draws me. They have a surreal quality that I truly enjoy. My favorite is "Beyond The Faint Glow Of A Tired Sky" because of the beautiful depiction of the tree and the colors of the background. I also really like "Ships Glide Over Newly Created Seas" because of the whimsy of the ship and the saturated colors as well. The artist also has a blog; obsolete-world.blogspot.com, and a website at obsoleteworld.com. Definitely look at the other work in her shop--it's all very magical and the world it is derived from looks like a wonderful place to explore. "Ships Glide Over Newly Created Seas""Building Oceans Over Vacant Fields"

"Beyond The Faint Glow Of A Tired Sky"

Amazing Etsy Painters -- paintallnightstudios.etsy.com

The unique art of paintallnightstudios.etsy.com brings a smile to my face because so much of it is lighthearted and sweet. My favorite would have to be "High Hopes" because I remember how freeing it was to swing as high as you could as a child--plus you always seemed to daydream on the swing set--you didn't have to think about the action of swinging--it came natural and would allow you to think about whatever you wanted to. Also "All God's Children" is a nice piece because of the gracefulness of the giraffe and the sweet gesture of the little girl. The artists also have a blog--howtobuyartonline.blogspot.com. Make sure you take a look at their shop and see what else they have created.

"Joy"

"High Hopes"

"All God's Children"

Amazing Etsy Painters -- amberalexander.etsy.com

Here is another really impressive artist's shop on etsy--amberalexander.etsy.com. She also is the author of the blog amberalexander.typepad.com. Her work is very imaginative, and I think that's what draws me to it. You know there's a great story behind each one. "Tilly's Journey" is probably my favorite and in the description of the piece the artist gives a glimpse of the story behind the painting--I really enjoy when an artist does that. "Byron" is also a favorite just for the shock value of a black bear sitting with tea and a newspaper, but at the same time she makes it seem like a natural sight. Please look at the other work in her shop; you won't be disappointed."Tilly's Journey""The Royal Taffeta"

"Byron"

Found an Article on Edward Hopper.

Whilst reading LIFE Magazines on books.google.com I found an article talking about one of my favorite artists--Edward Hopper. I found it in the May 3, 1937 edition--you can read it here. I've always enjoyed his use of light--it always seemed to me that his canvas was illuminated internally. Below are some examples of his work. Be sure to read the article too--he almost didn't paint because he wasn't well received at first--imagine if he would've just given up..."Self-Portrait" (1925-1930)"Nighthawks" (1942)"Early Sunday Morning" (1930)"Chop Suey" (1929)

"Cape Cod Afternoon" (1936)

(all images via here)

One of my favorite things.

I love anything from the past--books of course are my weakness. Since my house is overflowing with books, I was elated when I found books.google.com a few years back. It is a search engine with tons of books available for full view--many of which you can download and read as a .pdf file. My favorites are the photography magazines (such as the Photographic Times--whose editions start in the late eighteen hundreds and end in the early nineteen hundreds), and a new addition to their site Life Magazine (starting in the mid-thirties to the early seventies). There are also lots of wonderful novels (featuring a lot of the classics) and poetry to peruse. Also I've found a lot of nonfiction books dealing with agriculture and housekeeping that are a lot of fun to browse. So if you have some extra time I highly suggest taking a look around that search engine--I know I don't get a lot of things done because I end up over there for hours. Not so bad when you're just waiting around to go into labor (which, by the way, I've been trying to keep my mind off of for a while). It's hard to stay focused when the doctor tells you it could be at any time and then NOTHING HAPPENS. Alas, I'll just keep myself busy working on little things that need to be done and let nature take its course. I hope everybody has a wonderful weekend!! Oh and please be sure to tell me what you think of books.google.com--I hope you like it as much as I do.From a 1936 Life MagazineFrom Cyclopedia of Farm Animals (1922)

From The Photographic Times (1905)

Amazing Etsy Painters -- californiaabstract.etsy.com

The work of Ryan Ross of californiaabstract.etsy.com is really unique. "The Traveler" is my favorite because of the beautiful combination of colors that he used, and the way that the eye travels across the piece. "Thinker IV" also stands out to me because of the way my eye travels the oval shape finally arriving at the various shapes in the middle canvas. All in all his work shows great strength and the fact that many of them are very large paintings makes them even more powerful. Why don't you go take a look for yourself, and I think you'll agree."Thinker IV""The Traveler"

"In Dream World"

Amazing Etsy Painters -- modernartstudios.etsy.com

Here's another shop that houses beautiful works of art: modernartstudios.etsy.com. Her abstracts really caught my eye for their use of color and just the application of the paint itself. My favorite is "Connection" because it gives me a feeling of 'something is about to happen'--whether that something is good or bad is yet to be seen in the painting, but that's what makes it enjoyable (the possibility for excitement). Her other paintings evoke a similar feeling in me as well--"Daydream" reminds me of the way your vision looks when you open your eyes after having them closed in the sunshine--a little blurry, a little chaotic, but still the shapes of life are there. Please check out her shop and see what other wonderful works she's created."Daydream""Connection"

"Botanical Gardens"--must have already sold.

Amazing Etsy Painters -- weathergirlshop.etsy.com

Today I'm going to introduce you to weathergirlshop.etsy.com. The artist also has a website: aimeesicuro.com. Her images are whimsical, yet sophisticated. There's a quality there that evokes childhood memories, but the artwork itself is anything but childlike. I enjoy "Reading List" because it produces wonderful thoughts of springtime. "Plant Your Own Happiness" is a favorite because it sends a message that everybody should embrace and that is nobody can guarantee your happiness but yourself. Please stop by her shop and see her other works as well."Reading List""Late Bloomer"

"Plant Your Own Happiness"

Quite the Shock.

Seems like just yesterday I was reading this test, and now...

I had a routine doctor's appointment yesterday and they checked to see if I was dilated and where the baby was positioned. The doctor was just as shocked as I was when he felt that I was already 2 centimeters dilated, solid zero station (meaning she's not floating around but is engaged in my pelvis), and my cervix was very soft--he told me to make an appointment for next week, but he said I'd probably see him before then. We might be meeting our baby earlier than the due date.

I figured he'd say "Oh, you've not started to change much, but you've got plenty of time." At the same time, I knew she'd changed position because my belly disappeared overnight, and I was feeling quite a bit of pressure. Just never would've imagined that I could be close to giving birth. Today I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my body continues to change nice and smoothly and active labor starts in the next couple of days.

So, if you don't hear from me for a bit--I'm bringing another life into this world, but I've got lots more amazing artists to show you when I get back. Keep me in your thoughts!!