"Magenta" now serves a larger cause

Magenta, one of the acrylic sheet paintings I had listed on Etsy, will no longer be available online. Instead, I have decided to donate it to a charity auction sponsored by my alma mater, Harrington College of Design, to benefit DIFFA, Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS. So if you've had your eye on it and are in the Chicago area, come by the Marshall Field's building at 111 N. State Street this Friday, October 2 from 6-10 p.m. to place your bid.

Though I posted it before, here is a photo of Magenta, along with a description of it:

Dimensions: 8"x10"
Media: Acrylic on Canvas
Year: 2009

Pink stardust shimmers in a bright pool of magenta and white.
The effect is like a cross between candy and stained glass.

I am so glad to have an opportunity to use my artwork to benefit an organization that reaches out and helps people whose lives have been affected by HIV and AIDS.

Links:
More information on DIFFA:
http://diffachicago.org/home.html

Information on the auction:
http://diffachicago.org/images/savethedate_corrected.pdf

It's a steal: Free Shipping

Starting today and through the weekend I am offering free shipping on all the items in my Etsy shop. So if you've always wanted to get a print from The Doll Project or even one of my original paintings, now is the time to visit http://tjgholar.etsy.com if you want to get a great deal on my artwork. But hurry! You must place your order before Monday to get this deal.

And if you like the mini paintings featured in the photo above, buy them! They're only $12 each.

My Etsy shop is back

I let it lapse by accident, but now my Etsy shop is up and running again. I've got paintings, photos from The Doll Project, and even a few Doll Project rejects. So visit tjgholar.etsy.com today!

Recessionism in the University of Chicago Magazine

Guess what, everyone: my Recessionist artwork is being featured in my alma mater's magazine! They are using my artwork to illustrate this month's issue because it focuses on the economy. To see the article, click the link below:

Peer review: Tiffany Gholar, AB’01

Widget Wednesday: The "Thank You, Mario" generator

Depending on when you started playing video games, you may remember the Super Mario Brothers games for the original Nintendo or Super Nintendo consoles. They all were a quest to rescue the kidnapped Princess Toadstool (who you'd think would have hired better security after her first misadventure) from the bad guys of the game. Of course, to keep you playing, you'd go from castle to castle, only to get the message, "Thank you, Mario, but the Princess is in another castle" from a little guy in baggy pants and a funny looking polka dotted hat. This generator from WigFlip.com lets you create your own "Thank you, Mario" letter so you can imagine other "thanks but no thanks" scenarios for the game's plumber protagonist:



If you make one, let me know. I'd love to see yours!

See my work at the Governors State University Center for the Performing Arts

Five pieces of my artwork are now on display in the lobby of the balcony at the Governors State University Center for the Performing Arts: Smother, Adaptive Reuse, Adaptive Reuse 2, Fever Dream, and Solar Storm. I am so glad to have the opportunity to share my work with a wider audience, in this case, an audience during intermission.

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

The composition of this piece was definitely inspired by the work of Hans Hofmann, one of my favorite painters.

It's purple because I don't have a whole lot of purple pieces in this series. I like this shade of purple. But perhaps I am biased because this is the hue of purple that I think compliments my skin tone the best.

I have learned from trial and error (numerous errors, actually) that because purple is such a difficult color to mix, I'm better off just buying tubes of it. This color just happens to be a fortuitous mixture of all the purple paints (and inks) I had in the studio.

I am happy with the result so far.

I was listening to Michael Jackson songs in the studio while I was working today, hence the title of this post. The painting remains untitled at the moment.

Stranger In Moscow

I've been contemplating the idea of creating a white painting in the Post-Consumerist style for a long time. I actually started on this onein 2007 during my very first graduate painting course. It's another one that I abandoned in a corner of the studio for a long time. Coming back to it I realize what it needs is more cardboard. So I am working on it, adding more pieces to give it texture.

I was listening to Michael Jackson songs in the studio while I was working today, hence the title of this post. The painting remains untitled at the moment.

Stars and Infinite Darkness: work by emerging designers

Did you miss out on the Renegade Craft Fair over the weekend? Can't wait until December's One of A Kind Show to get your indie shopping fix? Stars and Infinite Darkness is a great online destination for home decor and fashion by emerging designers.

Decorative Wall Stickers by Valéry Goulet

Pillows by Clare Nicolson

Slinky Bangle Bracelet by Jessica Phillips

T-shirt Baby Doll Dress by Angela Johnson

Bonfim Bangle by Karina Matias

18th Century Filigree Revival Ring by Danielle Noyes

Artists you should know about: Bryan Butler

I had the privilege of hearing Bryan Butler give an artist talk yesterday and was amazed by the incredible talent he possesses. He is skilled not only in two dimensional art, but in sculpture as well.

His portfolio encompasses a broad spectrum of subject matter, from jazz musicians to Biblical themes. During his presentation, Bryan shared the way in which his Christian faith inspires his work, and unveiled a sculpture that he created as a visual aid to illustrate a sermon series on the life of Joseph. Visit his website to see more examples of his exemplary work:
http://www.bryanbutlerart.com

My first public art project

I've been keeping this a secret, but now I can finally unveil my first public art project: a painted rain barrel! And when I took this picture of it, the sprinkler was on and a little rainbow appeared in the mist.

At first I had no clue what I was going to paint. Then it hit me: why not paint water? Like it says on my card, sometimes the simplest solutions are the most elegant.

It's the first representational painting I have done in a long, long time. This is a style I developed a long time ago, all based on a single high school art class assignment. The continuous flowing lines give the pattern a sense of continuity while the dotted lines fill it with energy.

Once I know where the rain barrel will be displayed, I'll announce it on here.

Artists of the smART Show

The smART Show was held at the Flat Iron Arts Building. This iconic wedge-shaped building, with its maddening zigzag maze of hallways that dead-end unexpectedly, makes a great setting for an art show. This weekend's show featured three stories of art, both from artists who keep studios in the building and from artists renting wall space along the meandering, labyrinthine corridors. And so at every turn I was surprised by the art I found. Here are a few of the artists I liked:

Jessica Joy

Laura Etheredge

Penny Boedigheimer

Steve Kush Ruiz

Deva Suckerman

Emmy Star Brown




Jerry Newbrough




Kathleen King

The show ended today, but you can still go to First Fridays at the Flat Iron each month.

Renegade Roundup

I feel like I've come full circle now, since the Renegade Craft Fair was the first event I ever blogged about on here. Fortunately, it didn't rain this time like it did last year. Men, women, children, and dogs alike were able to enjoy the fair without the festive mood being dampened by inclement weather.

I was glad to see many of the vendors I highlighted last year, like My Favorite Mirror and SwallowKisses. And these are a few who caught my eye this year:


The handcrafted soap from Boh Bon Soap Company makes me wish there was a scratch and sniff application for Internet browsers so you can experience the enticing aromas. In the meantime, you can feast your eyes upon their lovely packaging:



I am quite enamored of this handmade lampworked glass and sterling silver jewelry from Kristin Perkins.




Starving Artist Bazaar also has a lovely array of handmade glass jewelry.




And I think this skirt made of reclaimed fabric remnants from Orangy Porangy looks as cute as their name sounds.




I am also quite smitten with the ethnic print dresses from Les Enfants Sauvages.




I was fascinated by the feather fascinators from Tara to the T.


And the ones from Love Lulu Mae were quite enchanting as well. This one has silver origami cranes.



Chicago-based Blue Lala makes some of the most exquisite polymer clay jewelry I have ever seen.




Krista Peel makes delicate pieces like these Castaway Shells earrings.And of course I also love her miniature photography.




I also liked the mixed media pieces by Dolan Geiman.
Art Reco Design took me by surprise with their clever concept and packaging for these pill magnets and pins.

I also had a chance to meet the people behind a couple of the many sites I frequent. Of course, Etsy had a booth there. They were giving away free stuff, like this adorable postcard:

and this humorous bumper sticker:

And I also got a chance to meet an artist who keeps a blog that I follow, Jessica Gonacha Swift. She is a very talented designer with a gift for coming up with beautiful patterns. Among the lovvely patterned goods for sale at her booth were sets of coasters like these:

The show continues tomorrow, September 13th. For more information, visit http://www.renegadecraft.com/chicago