Stephanie Amos - Pottery and Paintings

I love this black and white bowl, perfect for anywhere!

These 3 green bowls are food, dishwasher, and microwave safe, so you could find decorative as well as functional uses for these wonderful pieces.



This black and white abstract would be a great piece for just about any room.



This has to be one of my favorites, a red and black pottery vase that would look great in many contemporary settings.



This soap dish would look great in my bath, how about yours?





Here is a great abstract that would be a fabulous addition to many living rooms!


In Stephanie's own words:

Abstraction is an art all in its own. Not to be understood but appreciated. For me ti comes from deep down, from the heart and soul. It is my way of expressing my emotions and feelings. The brush is my voice. The paints are my words. Color, depth, space, composition - they just appear.
~Samos

I spent most of my secondary education in the art room. Any spare time that I had I was drawing, painting, or sculpting. Not much has changed over the years. After high school I went off to college. Gave it a shot and decided it wasn't for me. So I took off for the Bering Sea to become a commercial fisherman. I fished for about five years. After a knee injury I decided I was ready for school again. This time I knew what I wanted to do. Study art. I wanted to know everything there was to know. And so began the rebirth of my art.

I work in three different mediums. I paint original abstract paintings on canvas using a brush and palette knife. I work mostly in oils, but am branching out with acrylics and mixed medias. I also create abstract figurative bronze sculptures in a female form. I use line and texture as well as simplicity to convey my ideas. The last of the mediums I like to work in is photography. While studying abroad in Italy, I learned the skills of printing in the darkroom. With education and the experience of running a local photo shop, I have acquired a taste for the darkroom and all it has to offer. I hand process images in my darkroom from time to time when I'm not in the studio painting or sculpting.

Welcome to my world of art.

And what a beautiful world it is, Stephanie! You can find her work here on Etsy, on her blog, at her web site, and on Design Style Guide.

Jean
Jean Levert Hood
My blog, my website.

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Torrie Smiley

I chatted a little with Torrie Smiley and here's what I found out!

What is your favorite color? Red, no blue…well, my favorite to paint with is Naples yellow. I think there is Naples yellow in everything I paint.Do you have a pet? Stella, my black and tan dachshund. She lays at my feet in the studio patiently waiting for play time.

What inspires you when times are difficult? I am so random with inspiration…it could be anything. In March, it was a basketball game. When the times are tough, I always paint a pear. I started with pears and they remain a favorite.



What is your favorite season? Spring in the South, when everything is blooming.

What is the price range of your work? $8.00 to $400.00.

When did you start making art, Torrie? 2001, I started rather late….I am trying to catch up!

What mediums do you work in? Acrylic, oil, watercolor, and pastel.

And which is your favorite? Acrylic.



The Martini Series came quite by accident. I had a glass sitting on the kitchen countertop with a straw in it. The light was streaming in through the window and lit up the glass with the colored straw. I began playing with different glasses and objects, working quickly until the sunlight faded, taking lots of pictures.



I love Torrie's work, it makes me smile!

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Debra Linker

Debra Linker left a career in high tech senior management to focus on the things that really mattered to her - family, service to others, and art. She spends a great deal of time mentoring others as they seek to "find themselves." Following her passion as an acrylic painter she pushes this medium to its max! Debra uses color and texture to express feeling and depth. Her focus is primarily on home and office decor art with additional lines of greeting cards, prints, and functional accessories.

Red Leaf - Kitchen Trivet - Cutting Board - Serving Plate From: Living In Full Color See Product Details Sellers Portfolio Sellers Website

This stunning piece of functional art is a collaboration between Debra Linker and LJ Mundy Studios. It is dishwasher safe tempered glass with four clear synthetic rubber feet to prevent slippage and provide lift. It is 8" x 12", heat and scratch resistant, and is ideal for serving hot dishes at the table. When not in use you can display this on a plate easel to brighten any counter top or kitchen. It is available in larger sizes and as coasters, too! Custom orders of any of Linker's art are available. This piece of functional art is available for $25.00.

Pears - Free U.S. Shipping From: Living In Full Color See Product Details Sellers Portfolio Sellers Website

I love Debra's pears! This 9" x 12" piece is painted on all sides and ready to hang without framing. This colorful pear painting is available for only $25.00! This little gem could be hung in any room to brighten a space and add that perfect touch of red.

Green and Orange Pears From: Living In Full Color See Product Details Sellers Portfolio Sellers Website

This large pear painting is $500.00 and measures 16" x 20". This piece is also painted on all sides and ready to hang without framing. What a colorful piece to brighten any kitchen!

Yellow Leaf - Kitchen Trivet - Cutting Board - Serving Plate From: Living In Full Color See Product Details Sellers Portfolio Sellers Website

Debra's gorgeous pieces are also available as greeting cards. She has packets available with assorted themes.

"Pears" is available in the 4 designs above, for only $14.00/set. These cards are digital scans of original paintings and are custom printed by the artist. There are 4 cards to the set. Each card is white, 4.25" x 5.5" quality card stock and comes with a matching A2 envelope.

"Leaves," below,

is another beautiful assortment of greeting cards. These cards come in a packet of three and are available for $10.50.

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In her own words, Debra says:

I am an acrylic artist, living in the Seattle, WA, USA area. After 20 wonderful career years in high-tech senior management, I left corporate life, obtained a real estate license, and began painting - first as a hobby, and then as a passion, and now as a full fledged artist. If I am not painting enough, I don't feel whole.

My work is often vibrant, full of color, and ranges through a variety of "styles" and subjects. I have been featured in NW galleries/retail stores and love hosting art shows. Along with painting, I spend a great deal of time mentoring others to help them find their creative consciousness and voice.

Website - http://www.debralinker.com
Blog -- http://debralinker.blogspot.com

Copyright: All pieces in this blog posts are copyrighted by Debra Linker and may not be used for any purpose without prior written consent.

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Vickie Silcox Designs

In 2001 right after September 11th, Vickie made a life changing decision. She gave up a 20 plus year career in construction to pursue her passion for art. She had toyed with pen and ink and charcoal as well, but had always envisioned painting glass - wine glasses specifically. She took the plunge. I am glad she did, her work is fabulous!

In addition to wine glasses, Vickie paints vases, candle holders, lamps, ceiling fan shades, mugs, and more! Her colors are strong and clear, each piece has a personality of its own. Vickie's wine glasses are lead free and guaranteed top shelf dishwasher safe - isn't that awesome? The paint used in her pieces is also heat safe and microwave safe.

This wonderful artist will customize colors to match your decor. Since Vickie's Etsy store is loaded with her wonderful items, you will probably find just the perfect color and design you need!

Here is one of Vickie's hand painted candle holders, so reasonably priced at $25.00. This would add special ambiance to any room. What a lovely contemporary style!

Here is a beautiful set of 12 ounce Iris Coffee Mugs priced at $30.00 These are so wonderfully functional and a great addition to any kitchen decor.

This tall decorative bottle is priced at only $20 and could be a wonderful focal point on a special small table. I love bottles for a home accessory.

This Tahiti serving bowl is available for $40.00. Vickie's special touch with color is so evident on this beautiful piece!

This ceiling fan shade can be custom made to match your decor. What a special touch this would add to any room! Two or more shades are available for only $22.00.

In Vickie's own words, "Glass painting explores a unique and profound paradox in art. By painting glass, I want the viewer to look at the shadow of the art as well as the art itself. Glass art is unique in that the shadow contains and expresses the composition and color of the art, a reflection, if you will, as well as a shadow. Trying to find where the shadow begins and where the reflection ends leads to the wonderfully infinite paradox that is glass art."

Vickie has a portfolio on Design Style Guide as well as her Etsy Store. All of Vickie's work in this blog post is protected by copyright. Check out her store, you won't be disappointed!

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Room With A View - Jean Levert Hood

Today is my birthday, and one of my most memorable past gifts received was a fine art painting from a dear friend. I had admired it on one of our weekend shopping-and-latte trips, and I even returned to the gallery several more times to visit my new love. The painting was an impressionist still life of potted geraniums, colorful and elegant, with sweeping strokes and stabs of color that softened with distant viewing. It beckoned me to step closer, to be among the flowers, to enter the canvas. A treasured element of my home decor, it gives me joy each and every day.

Arroyo Seco Gate

The original oil paintings of Jean Levert Hood, a Design Style Guide artist from Texas, contain her own striking style of impressionistic magic - I am compelled to take a walk behind the gate, jump the fence, wander the waterline, or just breathe in the scent of a lovely bouquet.

Ranch Road

Quiet Creek

Tranquil Day, Nueces

Plumbago

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Affordable Art for Your Walls

I've found some beautiful art selections for you from the Design Style Guide! There are so many affordable items on this site for home decor. Here are some that you don't want to miss!

Museum Quality Pears

Carol Schiff Studio from Melbourne Florida brings you this 14 inch x18 inch original oil painting. Carol paints this piece in an impressionistic style with juicy paint and many layers of glazing. The painting depicts a bowl of pears in a dark and romantic atmosphere. This painting is available for $439.95.

Teapot and Chopsticks

Carol Schiff Studio

Here is a smaller piece from Carol, this one is a 10" x 8" original oil painting on canvas panel. In this piece she depicts an oriental style teapot, chopsticks, and a tangerine. Her impressionistic style brings juicy, thick paint, and bold brushwork. Teapot and Chopsticks is available for $245.00.

Schiff has been painting in oil and pastel for over 20 years. She seeks to give opportunity to everyone to have original, one of a kind, affordable art in their home or office. She is happy to do commission work for you in your size, color, or design. Although she paints all subjects including portraits, her specialty is landscape, seascapes, and still life.

Pink Peony

Laurie Balla

Laurie, an artist from Indiana, finds her inspiration in nature. She grew up surrounded by cornstalks, woods and wildflowers, and embraced that rich, rural setting. Feeling at home in that environment spawned a natural fondness for places like Botanical Gardens and State Parks. Watercolor is her medium of choice because of its infinite possibilities.

The peony is not only Indiana’s state flower, but has always been one of her favorites. This popular giclee floral will brighten up any space in your home. This beautiful limited edition (edition limited to 100), hand signed and numbered giclee is printed on 8.5 x 11 Canson Watercolor Digital Fine Art Paper. The ink used is by HP and is made to last 100 years. It comes ready to frame with a small white border, available for $25.00.

Lotsa Hosta II

Anyone who has hosta has lots of it! This is another of Laurie's giclee prints. The emerging hosta have an abstract feel, yet these are painted in a realistic manner. It is a piece that will give you the energy of early springtime all year long. This beautiful limited edition (edition limited to 100), hand signed and numbered giclee is printed on 8.5 x 11 Canson Watercolor Digital Fine Art paper, available for $25.00.

Twins-Original Photography Print of Morning Glory

YankeeGirl has some beautiful watercolors, as well as this delightful photograph. This photography print is of two blue Morning Glory flowers overlapping. This composition would look wonderful in a large print. You can purchase this piece in a 5" by 7," an 8" by 10" or larger. Prints from YankeeGirl are all matted for delivery. This piece in a 5" x 7" is available for only $15.00.

YankeeGirl is a watercolor artist living near the Jersey Shore. Besides absolutely loving creating art, she also enjoys gardening, decorating, entertaining the beach and all animals.

Plumeria the Beautiful

Elizabeth Graf Fine Art

Elizabeth Graf brings you this oil painting, a 16 x 20 inch gallery wrapped work with dark green painted on the sides. Her love for Hawaiian leis and all things tropical inspired this piece. Her summer birthday party was always a "Hawaiian Luau." There was a mimosa tree in her New York backyard that bloomed during the summer. Party goers always sat under mimosa in muumuus with leis! This is the first in a series of plumeria that Elizabeth has completed. It is available for $115.00.

A life long artist, Elizabeth is now living in Florida. She has a large body of work with paintings in private collections in New York and Florida.

I hope you've enjoyed this month's look at affordable art for your walls!
Jean

Jean Levert Hood

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Going to the beach.....more artists

Still planning my trip to the coast and I found these great artists here with interiordesignteam and etsy.........

Seagull Original Oil Painting
This is an original 8x10 oil painting. Framed in an oak frame, ready to hang. I started this painting when my brother wanted to whatch me paint. Copyright remains with the artist, Brenda Thour. All rights reserved. http://luvs2paint.etsy.com

Glorious Skies - ACEO Edition
Glorious Skies is a celebration of beauty, life and hope. This image is to uplift and inspire you and remind you of all the beauty that can be found in the oddest places. Glorious Skies is in honor of that feeling of enchantment. This bubblescape is to delight you and bring you joy!ACEOs (Art Card Editions and Originals) or ATCs (Art Trading Cards) are collected as an inexpensive way to own original art. They are always 2.5" x 3.5" which is the size of trading cards. http://dianeclancy.etsy.com/

Heron, original watercolor painting

This Heron is painted colorfully, the way I like to see inside and transfer to my artwork. It is composed of many layers of blues, violets, magentas, some texture, and a touch of yellow.Heron is painted on 140 pound arches watercolor paper. It is sized to fit either an 8x10 or an 11x14 standard mat and frame. It measures 8 inches tall by 10 inches wide. http://jeanhood.etsy.com/

I hope you will visit these artists at etsy or at least search for your favorite artists with using the team tag of interiordesignteam the next time you visit etsy. Well I had better get back to painting...you may visit my etsy shop at http://paintwithbarb.etsy.com/ for all types of oil paintings.

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"Enhance Your Life"

Diane Clancy creates vibrant paintings that feature color and vision to inspire and uplift people. Diane says, "I feel very blessed to have this opportunity to express myself through painting. I love that people say my artwork enhances their lives."

It is easy to see Clancy’s work enhancing decor in a variety of settings.

Conundrum

These “Bubblescapes” are delightful. She often incorporates her favorite colors of aquas, pinks, and purples into these digitally created scenes.

Evening Stroll


Ocean Dreams

Peach Fantasy

Diane works in a variety of traditional mediums creating radiantly colorful paintings. Her variety of mediums, styles and sizes give you a huge selection to pick from.

Diane also has a line of "Fanciful Animal Images." What an imaginative way to celebrate your special animal, and enhance your interiors.

Freckles

Lady

These "Fanciful Animal Images" would be adorable in any children’s room with a special pet, or look quite wonderful in sitting areas.

I find Diane’s work to be energetic and yet peaceful. Her color choices, design and composition show a sharp eye for a creation sure to grace your walls! With work priced from $4.00 to well over $1000.00, you easily find something for every budget, any room, or that special gift.

Diane Clancy, a long time resident of Western Massachusetts, is active in peace, environmental, health, social and economic justice issues. In addition to her artistic pursuits, Clancy is a graphic designer and web designer who enjoys working closely with clients. She is gifted in understanding clients needs, and as a painter she brings an artistic eye to projects.

Her blog features an original work each day both in digital and traditional mediums. Discussions involve her tools, techniques and inspiration. She is a member of WWAO (Worldwide Women Artists Online), an international collective of women artists showing and selling original work online. Clancy is also a member of the Interior Design Team at Etsy, as well as the Visual Artist Street Team, and the Boomers and Beyond Street Team.

Check out these links to find more of Clancy’s wonderful art:

Diane's Etsy Store
Enhance your Spirit at Diane's web site
Diane's Cafe Press store for fun, colorful mugs and totes
Diane's Blog

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