Dust Bowl Glimpses BOGO promotion

 

Last summer I unveiled six original paintings in a series called Dust Bowl Glimpses. Today, I am adding two more paintings to that series, "The WPA Promise" and "Security", and announcing a Buy One Get One FREE offer to celebrate their arrival.

"The WPA Promise" and "Security" are artistic renditions of symbols from government programs that provided relief to millions of Americans during the Great Depression, including migrant families displaced by the Dust Bowl. I wanted to include these symbols in the series because I believe they represent a time of healing and provide a continuation of the stories told in the original six paintings.

Because I think "The WPA Promise" and "Security" paintings would be best paired with one of the originals, I want to give them away to the next two buyers of my Dust Bowl Glimpses paintings on cradled wood panels. Yahoo!

How my BOGO offer works: 

1. Purchase any of the remaining Dust Bowl Glimpses paintings (8"x8" acrylic on cradled wood panel) from my Etsy shop. Note: Purchases must be one of the 8"x8" original acrylic paintings on cradled wood panel.
   
   Here are the 5 remaining paintings at post time:
   Taking the Mother Road
   Waiting
   Worldly Possessions
   Fryin' Pone
   Ruthie's Red
   Faded Clover - SOLD
2. Indicate your preference for the free painting, either "The WPA Promise" or "Security" in the "Note to weatheredsilo" field on the checkout screen. If the field is left blank, I will assume you do not have a preference and I will choose for you.
3. I will send you a confirmation of your FREE painting via Etsy convo and email provided on your PayPal account.

Please note:

• This offer expires once both free paintings have been awarded.
• Awarding of the free paintings will be determined by the date/time of the buyer's purchase on a "first come, first serve" basis. In other words, the first buyer gets his/her first choice of free painting. If no preference of free painting is indicated in the "Note to weatheredsilo" field, then I will make the choice for him/her.
• If one free painting is awarded then the remaining free painting will automatically go to the next buyer (based on the date/time of purchase)
• If the first buyer purchases two paintings then he/she will receive both free paintings.

More about my new paintings: 

Just like the originals, "The WPA Promise" and "Security" are:

• 8"x8"x1"
• Acrylics on birch plywood cradled panel with protective UVLS polymer varnish topcoat
• Washes of brewed coffee atop titanium white paint on sides
• Wired for hanging (may sit on flat surface)
• Titled and signed on back

"The WPA Promise" -- the story

The Works Project Administration (WPA) was the largest FDR New Deal agency. For eight years, the WPA employed millions of unskilled workers to carry out public work project, including buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media and literacy projects. Visit here for more details. 

"Security" -- the story

The Farm Security Administration (FSA) was a part of FDR's New Deal. It was an effort during the Depression to combat American rural poverty. It stressed "rural rehabilitation" efforts to improve the lifestyle of sharecroppers, tenants, very poor landowning farmers, and a program to purchase submarginal land owned by poor farmers and resettle them in group farms on land more suitable for efficient farming. Visit here for more details.

new art in the shop + poppytalk coupon

    

"A Collection no. 10 - Navajo"

I've recently added a handful of fresh acrylic paintings to my Etsy shop. These paintings on paper + cradled wood panels are based on doodles of late and have been arranged in various groupings and color combinations. Perhaps one catches your eye? 

"Shapes of Blue" - Original acrylic painting on cradled wood panel

My Poppytalk promotion: 
As a participating vendor in the current Poppytalk Handmade "Paper Pops + Affordable Art" market, I'm offering 10% off all items (not just the paintings on paper) in my shop through June 1st! To save, enter "POPPY10" at checkout. Cheers!

"A Collection no. 8 - Black + Ochre"

Close up of "A Collection no. 7 - Silver"

"A Collection no. 6 - Cancun"

Close up of "A Collection no. 3 - Deep Orange"

for Clover

Faded Clover from my Dust Bowl Glimpses series

I recently had the joy of shipping my beloved "Faded Clover" to a little girl in San Francisco. The painting was a gift to Clover from her grammy and grandpa, Ema and Biggie, to celebrate her 1st birthday. 

I recognize how fortunate I am to know the back story of this purchase and I never want to forget what grammy Ema had to say about my artwork:

"I see this painting being part of a special series of stories for sweet Clover on many levels in addition to being a delightful display in her room. Your paintings draw me in and wanting to linger to consider their tales."

Thank you Ellen. I simply couldn't ask for a higher compliment. 

my woad weekend

Kathy Hattori, Sophie Boss, Denise Lambert, me 

I don't have much time to "chat" here but I couldn't wait to post these photos from the amazing woad workshop I attended on Saturday with Kathy Hattori of Seattle-based Botanical Colors along with master dyer Denise Lambert of Bleu de Lectoure of France and her charming assistant Sophie.

For those of you who missed it, I previously blogged about my obsession with woad here: "mad about woad". I find this "black blue" to be exquisite and cannot wait to use my freshly dyed fabrics (and woad oil paints I purchased from Bleu online) for some upcoming art projects.

According to Denise, woad is a very rare blue that is finicky and demands a lot of patience. It is earth-friendly (requires no mordant) and uses oxygen to complete the color transformation. To achieve a uniform dye color, one must slowly lower the item into the dye vat so as to avoid trapping any air (oxygen) bubbles underneath the surface. Each dip takes anywhere from 3-4 minutes and each item should get at least 2 dips. My biggest challenge will be making my own vat at home -- wish me luck!

Watching the color transformation of the garments as they were being pulled from the various vats in the amphitheater was purely magical. I will try to post the video I captured of one woman's sarong as it changed from yellow-green to vibrant woad.

Perhaps the most important takeaway from the day was something Denise said about working with woad: "You must accept what you receive". What an amazing way to approach life, don't you think?

Woad treasures from the morning session.

Dyed items were hung on makeshift clothes lines at the top of the garden amphitheater which made for a beautiful sight.

Sophie + Denise restocking the vats at lunch time

I experimented with dying my spool of 100% organic cotton thread. I knew the under layers wouldn't dye, but all the better. 

Yarn skeins and canvas shoes of woad blue.

In closing, the workshop was a dream! The weather couldn't have been better, I got to "play" alongside other artists, and I walked away with a hefty bundle of woad-dyed textiles, some for wearing and some for future art projects. One thing's for sure, it was the perfect way to kick start my Mother's Day weekend. Cheers!

sneek peek of new work

It's been far too long since I've posted any news here. Please accept my apologies. I've been helping my mom recuperate from a serious health scare that all began on Valentine's Day. I could not have done it without the help from my sister, in-laws, neighbors, and dear friends from both school communities and karate. Thankfully mom's health is improving and she is regaining cardio strength through rehab. A break from kidney dialysis is an added perk.

Thankfully I've been able to squeeze in some studio time here and there which has produced a few new paintings. I plan to unveil them on Monday when Poppytalk's Paper Pops + Affordable Art begins. I'll be adding some abstract paintings and drawings later in the week...spending this weekend in Spokane, WA cheering on my daughters and their karate classmates as they compete in the Washington State Karate Championships. ;-)

I can't wait for Poppytalk Handmade to start! I'm always grateful for the opportunity to make connections with fellow vendors and soak up inspiring works of art and artisan crafts. Won't you join me?

Cheers,
Mandy

And now for that sneek peek I was talking about: