Meet Etsy Artist Alannah Naber of Sutturn Designs

Alannah and I have know each other for a couple of years. We often crossed paths while visiting FlameTree Glass in Roswell GA. Alannah visits to purchase artisan beads made by Maureen McRorie, while I shop for glass supplies. Her two adorable boys quickly nestle into the couch to watch DVD’s while their mother shops. Over time we became acquainted, and I have become an admirer of her work.

One thing that always stands out, as I watched her scrutinize the artisan beads, is the precision of her eye. Subtleties in color and design which have gone unnoticed by most people, are always detected and analyzed. Alannah spends a great deal of time examining each piece of glass. Her visions are always very precise, and until she finds the lampwork and the accents to complete her vision, the piece remains unfinished.

After completing the piece Alannah puts the creation through tests to make sure it will hang the way she expects, and that it is durable. Alannah calls her creations “Garbage Necklaces” for the eclectic blend of materials and colors, but these beautiful creations are far from trash!

“I have been an artist all my life, but I have found my passion in jewelry making. To be able to combine different materials and metals in such a way to highlight or compliment the beautiful work of a lampwork artist gives me great pleasure and satisfaction! In fact, I feel that the lampwork beads sometimes talk to me and guide my selection in complimentary bead and metal choice. Some lampwork beads have remained in my cache for over 6 months because the necklace for each has not been designed in my head yet.”

Alannah is a talented artist, her work is available in her new Etsy Store: Suttern Designs or her website SutternDesigns.com

Please Help My Friend Help Her Child

I have a friend that needs your help to help her daughter.

Last week she was given a diagnosis and a treatment plan. These are her own words:

" Just wanted to share that my daughter finally has an official diagnosis for her speech delays. She has something called Childhood Apraxia of Speech. A fairly rare diagnosis, it is a neuroprocessing disorder. She understands and comprehends everything you tell her, but her brain cannot recall the "files" necessary to form muscle movements to respond back to you. She has a hard time establishing neural pathways to her facial muscles to form words. She just had another evaluation on the Rossetti scale(standard speech evaluation). At 21 months of age her receptive language- what she understands- is that of a 27-30 month old child, with some skills posting at 30-33 months. Her expressive language-what she can communicate is that of a 3-6 month old child. She borders on 6-9 months and has one skill at 15 months. She has major holes in her speech patterns. Just major lapses. She is extremely frustrated( I know I would be), but her long term prognosis is good. She will not grow out of this, she will have to have speech therapy 2-3 times a week for the next couple of years, is being taught sign language and will continue with occupational therapy 1x a week. I will do therapy with her every day at home as the speech therapist teaches me new activities and exercises. WE don't know what the future holds for our dear girl-will be a long road, for sure. But I wanted you to know why my participation comes in bursts. When she isn't buried in doctors and therapy I am here-trying to find a creative outlet and do my glass....... If you have read all of this, bless you. Thanks for everything- Laura"

So as you can imagine, the family was quite relieved to have a diagnosis, and a treatment plan. But then today we get this news:

"Keelin was denied for upcoming occupational therapy as her condition is "congenital" and not due to an accident or surgery. We will be paying out of pocket for upcoming therapy that she HAS to have. I can't not do this for her. I am sick, sick, sick. "

So, what am I asking of you all. Laura has drastically discounted her work to raise funds. Nobody is asking for a handout. Just purchase one or more of here beautiful pendants and you have done a little girl a world of good. Laura's glass work is beautiful! To purchase one of the these art pendants at $11.00 is amazing. I own one of Laura's pieces, and I can't tell you enough of how beautiful it is. But more importantly, you can help a little girl get the therapy she needs. Laura is fighting the insurance company. Please visit Laura's Store: Talisman Art Glass

If you would like to learn more about this disorder please visit: http://www.apraxia-kids.org/

Thank you for your help. Hopefully Laura can get the insurance company to come around, until then every sale counts towards getting this little girl the help she needs.

thank you all!
Michael

A Taste Sensation you shouldn’t Miss!

Culinary arts are a form of art that tends to be ignored. The job of art is to satisfies the mind, spirit, and senses. The culinary arts are capable of satisfying all of our senses, and our mind and belly better than any art that I know of. That is why I wanted to share the culinary skills of Etsy artisan Back Yard Bakery.
I have experienced three different items from Vicki’s wonderful etsy store. The Worlds Finest Fudge Sauce, Cranberry Pear Anise Sauce (not currently offered) and the Poppyseed Rum Cake.
The Worlds Finest Fudge Sauce is true to its name, rich creamy chocolate fudge Sauce that is truly a chocoholics dream! I don’t care for Cranberry, Pear or Anise, but Vicky managed to create a combination that I loved. Subtle light flavors that combine to create the most delectable taste sensation!

Finally Back Yard Bakery’s piece de la resistance is the Poppy Seed Rum Cake! Again, I don’t typically care for Poppyseed. But this cake is amazing. It is the best Rum Cake I have ever tasted. It is worth twice its price. I will be ordering one of these for every special occasion from this point forward. Truly amazing.
A little about the Artist:
I asked for a small Blurb From Backyardbakery and I think she summed herself up quite nicely.
“I used to have a bakery in a mountain town and it was the happiest time of my life. I am 51 now. Ever since then, I extract great joy in pleasing people’s palates. I look for recipes and always altar them based on my gut feeling and make them fabulous or at least I try. Many of my recipes are altered ones that I find. One of my most famous cookie recipes came from the neighbor of my childhood and she always fed me these cookies with milk. My fudge sauce recipe is again from an old woman passing it along. The rum cake recipe will remain a secret. It has its own mystique wouldn't you say. Unbelievably good!!!! One doesn't care where that one came from, they just want more of it. I decided that whatever I do from now on as far as earning money, it has to bring me joy first and foremost and bring joy to others.”
I can’t say it any better than this! Please visit Vicki at her store http://www.backyardbaker.etsy.com
Tell her Protégé Sent you!

Vote for Me!

The Etsy Street team I belong too had a little challenge. Hearts. And one of the artists decided it would be fun to put together a little contest to see who's heart the Etsian liked best. So we put together an official contest. All you have to do is be a registered Etsy User (not an Etsy user click here) Make your pick from the blog, and send a "convo" (etsy version of private message) to the user Etsy Glass Artists . Click on the link that says "contact EtsyGlassArtists"

Three people will be selected at Random from the voters, and those lucky three get their pick of one of the hearts absolutely free.

Some of my favorites an mine:

I am featured in a Blog

Hi, Just a quick note to let you know that I have been featured in the Art of Craft Blog and in their myspace blog. They have a store on etsy. My favorite items are their bears! I am very excited to be featured by them!

Kitsch and the Art of selling

I was attending the gallery opening of artist Charles Ott, one of my beloved art teachers. I could not help but notice most of the paintings, prints, and drawings that were selling, although very good, were not his best. His true brilliance still hung on the wall. I had to ask him, “Why?”

“Michael, you have to paint a lot of unicorns to make any money in the art world. After all, the kitsch is what people want to buy. If your lucky, every once in a while someone buys your art. In the meantime, produce a lot of butterflies and mushrooms.” Charlie smiled as he added up his sales.

Kitsch, cliché, current fad, producing art that falls in these categories is what pays the bills. Thomas Kinkaid and his paintings are some of the best examples of modern day kitsch. His popularity has waned, but the public loved his superficial paintings. In fact we all love kitsch. I have a huge collection of Hallmark ornaments, which are tacky, mass produced pieces of over-priced plastic. I love them. They make me smile. “There’s nothing wrong with that.” (I had to squeeze in another cliché)

“The absence of kitsch makes life unbearable”—Friedensreich Hundertwasser

“Art for art’s sake,” Is yet another cliché in the art world. In other words, art produced for profit or gain is an abomination, for art should only be created for the love of creation. Michael Angelo hated the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church was the biggest financer of art in his century, so Michael Angelo had to paint and sculpt images that he would prefer not to. So did this make him a sell out? Does this make his work less significant?

Or is it our job as artists to take the kitsch and turn it into art? My good friend Lance, owner of Flametree glass, makes the most beautiful borosilicate dragons, fairies, mermaids, and medieval knights that I have ever seen. Depictions of this type are considered kitsch. However, he creates them with so much flair and personality that they have a presence. When do our creations move from kitsch to art?

“Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.” Andy Warhol

Regardless, of the public perception of our work, each artist has strong emotions to selling their work.

For myself, I have never been able to sell a painting, quilt, doll or sculpture. It is not because nobody was interested, but because I am too attached to them. Instead, they are either in storage, or I give them as gifts. But it is easier that way. Now with lampwork, for the first year I hoarded every bead I made. I was not willing to give them away, throw them away, or sell them. It didn’t matter how horrible they were or how beautiful, I had to keep each and everyone.

As each bead came out of the annealer, I would compulsively string them up on to long cords of jute. When the cord contained about 6 feet of beads, I would tie it off hung them from the post of my 4 poster bead. As time went by the posts became completely obscured by string after string of beads hanging from the posts. Rolling over at night caused such a clatter that you didn’t dare move.

It wasn’t until I walked into a bead store to buy supplies for Carl that the owner of the shop asked if I was making beads too. I pulled 4 or 5 beads out of my pocket. The other women in the store went nuts. All my beads sold except one. This one bead was not going to go anywhere! It was mine. Kathy the store owner took my bead and strung it up into a necklace for me right then and there! Since then I have been selling my work. I realize now, that it wasn’t the letting go, it was the fear of rejection.

What if nobody wanted my work? What if people were only buying it to be nice? Those fears still live on, but they are easier to push back now. But I think it is those fears that will continue to push me on from here. As far as kitsch goes, have you seen my flowers?

Putting it Out There.

In life we struggle to hang on to things we cherish. A childhood pet's collar, a deceased loved ones favorite chair, a wedding gown, a cheap souvenir of a favorite vacation— these are just a sampling of items that we surround ourselves with. Artists, especially have trouble letting go of their work.

The investment of time, experience, vision, creativity, and skill create a powerful attachment for the artist. This isn’t an easy attachment to break. Most of my work through the years has become gifts, simply because it is easier to part with them in this way than it is to subject myself to the ferocious world of the open market. It isn’t the work that's being subjected it is the creator. We are afraid of what the world says about the work, which for an artist is an extension of the self. Fear of criticism, and the process of letting go block us from selling our work. Yet it is the sell of the work that enables the next work.

Nadejda, painter and photographer does a wonderful job of illustrating the attachment:

“You work so hard on a piece and it is literally born out of your imagination and onto canvas - you already know it's there on canvas as you create it, it just happens to be using you as a vehicle because it wants to exist! That's how I feel. I think I need to start thinking more about my IDEAS being like children, rather than actual physical paintings, manifestations of those ideas. I need to be less attached to the actual paintings, because the ideas will always stay with me.”

The Sacred Scarab

Harlequin Beetle

Visit Nadejda’s shop: Ocelot Eyes Art

And for more of her work visit her blog

Some feel that selling their work is a perversion of the work. Production of art, for the sake of capitalism, is destroying art. The open market leads to creation based on profit, rather than on vision and self expression. Michael Svoboda interviews Dennis Earl Fehr on NPR. The article entitled Art education, Capitalism and Censorship. The transcript in its entirety.

“Van Gogh's Purple Irises sold for $54,000,000—we will never see that painting again. The owner can't risk showing it. It has disappeared from our heritage, except for slides and so on. Curiously, some members of the art community seem favorably impressed by this event. I call it a tragedy—capitalism run amuck!”

So actively selling your work, is that contributing to the downfall of art due to capitalism? Others are angered that if their art survives that it will only have value after their death. Again, capitalism falls into play here, due to supply and demand. A dead artist is not going to produce more art, so their art becomes more valuable.

The open market, leaves the artist vulnerable to direct criticisms. Regardless if it is a critical write-up of your work, or an art and craft show attendee making insensitive comments, it is difficult to take.

“Don't pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches.” ~Andy Warhol

So negative or positive, you are eliciting a response. What you do with that response is up to you. Carol of Glass Cat Stained Glass, likes to turn the negative responses into a positive by using that moment to educate the public in her art.

"In order to sell my work, it is my job to educate the public." ~ Carol of Glass Cat

Over the Rainbow

Black and Turquoise Abstract Pin

Education is key to understanding art. There is a large movement in art to talk about art. People are not talking enough about art. To get the public interest and support you have to talk about it. How can the public get excited about our work if we can't take the time to invest in the potential buyer?

Geeta, of Geeta75 writes about what it means to her to sell here work. Her attitude should be an inspiration to us all.

“When a creation of mine goes out the door, a small piece of me goes with it. At times it is difficult, especially if I was extra proud of that particular piece. But at the same time, I am spreading a little bit of me all over the country, and who wouldn't want that?”

Ice Princess

If we are not grieving the loss, we may be feeling guilt due to capital gain. This is a confusing position to be in. Why do we do this to ourselves? If the rest of the business world felt this way about their products we would still be washing our handmade clothes on a rock. As artists we need to work at taking pride in our work, celebrating its sale, and educate the public. Let's share ourselves with the world and talk about art!

Until next time!

Michael