HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone!

I decided to host my first giveaway over at my Facebook Fan Page. 

I am giving away 2, 5 x 7 inch prints of my paintings "Goddess Of Moon & Stars" & "Wood Spirit"

If you would like to enter just read my latest update on the Fan Page, its really easy to enter. You just have to join if you haven't already and then leave a comment - either the word FAIRY or GODDESS under my giveaway announcement to say which print you would prefer to win.
Two winners will be chosen by the end of next week! 

Here is the link
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Susan-Rodio-Art/60863462155

xo
Susan.

Hi all,

Its been a while, I have had so much going on it's been a little crazy!

Anyway I have decided to put up for sale some of my Original paintings on canvas.

Even though I have sold originals before this is the first time I am putting them up for sale online. I am starting with a handful of earlier Fairy themed acrylic paintings, some are on canvas panel and some are on stretched canvas and I will probably slowly add more soon.

Here are a few, to browse my store here is the link and just click on "Original Paintings" section on the right side panel of the storefront http://SusanRodio.etsy.com

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade SusanRodio.etsy.com

I'm very excited to announce that one of my paintings "Fairy Gathering" has been selected for inclusion in 
THE MAGICAL FAERIE CALENDAR for 2010, put together by Magical Festivals UK.

It is very exciting to be part of the calendar which includes internationally known artists who's work I admire greatly, such as Josephine Wall, Judy Mastrangelo and Linda Ravenscroft!

If you would like to take a look at all the lovely faerie art included CLICK THIS LINK!

Here is the front cover of the Calendar

Just a quick update. I have just added some new 5 x 7 prints of Goddess Of Moon & Stars, Mermaids Sunset & Clamshell Mermaid to my ETSY store. http://SusanRodio.etsy.com

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade SusanRodio.etsy.com

Title: Goddess Of Moon & Stars
Medium: Acrylic Paint on canvas panel
Size: 16 x 20 inches

About the artwork:  She represents the idea that we are not merely of the earth but the moon and the stars, in other words the belief that our souls are connected to so much more than the everyday experience of life. I feel with this painting it is also more of a personal aspect of my psyche where usually I feel I am painting more as an observer, this feels like it has come from a very personal place.

 Just a quick post. I painted for the second day in a row today for another 5 hours on my latest painting and have now finished it. I had forgotten how exhausting a larger size canvas can be.

I'm too tired to photograph her today, but I will post her tomorrow. I'm not feeling too well disposed towards her today, I think it was all the detail in her hair and face that took forever to paint and just left me feeling drained, sometimes it happens like that though. 

Hopefully after a good rest tonight I will like her better in the morning. 

 Hi Everyone,

It feels like its been way too long since I have posted. A lot has been going on and I have been busy working away on lots of things, but still needing to make that space to start a new painting. I will get there, hopefully very soon.

In the meantime it took a fair bit of work to get this one together, a couple of times my computer was playing up which mean't that it took a bit longer to come together, but finally it has. Phew!

So here is my 2010 Magical Mermaids Calendar, which is now available via my zazzle store! It features a different mermaid for every month of course and I even have a couple of my earlier mermaid paintings in there that have never been released before as prints or otherwise.

Here is a preview of the Front & Back of the calendar. To see in much more detail visit my Zazzle Store here.

 Where have I been? I have been wondering to myself of late.

After the last few weeks of almost full time hours at my office job having some time off for more than a week feels like pure joy & freedom! 

I'm hoping the next 10 days will be a combination of major relaxation time and painting!  I'm looking forward to catching up on all  things art related that I haven't been able to attend to or follow up on etc etc and I plan to start a new painting too. So we'll see.

Also some other news, very exciting.... finally the release of The Magical Times Magazine, is out NOW, featuring some of my paintings! YAY!

You can purchase a copy via their website here, its the one with Linda Ravencroft's art on the cover.

Finally got her finished, I think the detail in the water and other bits mean't this one took a bit longer to complete - I think it took about 3 - 4
hours longer than my usual time.

"Mermaid Sunset"
Acrylic paint on canvas panel

Mouse Pads & Postcards available from my Zazzle store


.

 I have spent all of today painting and I have finally finished this latest mermaid painting (this one seems to be taking longer than usual), however I have taken a number of photos but they just aren't looking right, being that its night time and there is no more natural light. I will have to re - photograph her in the morning.

Sometimes the photography part of this process can be really frustrating and I think I need to get myself a tripod too because I sometimes move the camera.

Anyway hopefully she will appear tomorrow, all going well. 

 After a very busy day yesterday I managed to get some sketches happening for a new mermaid painting and this morning I started working on getting the drawing onto canvas and laying down the first acrylic layers, as I was getting the image from my sketchbook onto canvas I realised my method of doing this is somewhat unorthodox because I don't have a technique of transferring the image exactly from my sketchbook to the canvas I just redraw it by looking at it, so far I have found that in doing this some natural changes occur in the feel of the drawing, but for me I feel it is neccesary to allow for that shift and let it go to another level in a way as I bring it onto the canvas.


Anyway I wondered what other artists that work in acrylics or oils do, im sure there are a variety of ways that people have with the process (of transferring the initial drawing onto canvas etc.)

At the moment the painting is in its "ugly phase" actually almost coming out of that some pretty things are starting to happen, so hopefully she will be finished in the next week or so, depending. Fingers crossed.

I t  feels like all I have been doing of late is working at my office job, which explains why you haven't seen any new paintings from me since April.

I really want to start a new painting but have been a little too exhausted lately. At least I have the day off tomorrow though its my birthday so I will be doing birthday stuff. :)

One cool thing that I found out recently as a result of spending so much time at my office job was that someone that works in my office runs and ETSY shop!  A lovely lass by the name of Jordanna and her shop is called Mankie&Frankston. It's cool having someone at the office that I can chat about blogging and selling stuff on ETSY with. 

I saw via her blog that she had created these cute little make up bags made out of different fabric designs and I had commented to her that I thought they were very cute. The next day I arrived at work and she had left one for me at my desk, which was very sweet! So I thought I'd share a link to her blog and shop because she is very clever at what she does and I like her stuff.

Here is a pic of one of Jordanna's purses.




And here are some Links:

Mankie & Franskton ETSY Shop
BLOG

Anyone that knows me, knows that I am very much into astrology, not just sun signs or what is commonly referred to as Star Signs, but , more in depth stuff like analysing natal charts to understand one self or another on a more in depth level.

When I began studying astrology years ago now I think it was back in 1999, I was amazed to find that there were reasons people behaved in certain ways or displayed certain tendencies which could be understood if you look at the archetypes and deeper meanings within astrology and I couldnt believe how indepth, intricate and accurate it was. I was finally able to understand why certain people I knew had certain moods or ways of interacting it was like a whole new world had opened up to me.

That said I  do think that your sun sign is a big influence too, I am a Taurus and pretty typical of a Taurus in many ways, when I was asked to write about how being a Taurus influenced my art and artmaking process for Luludesign's blog, I thought cool, I know exactly how I do this and went about attempting to explain it.

Kathy Crabbe (Luludesign) does "soul readings" and I have had actually had a reading from her myself which was very accurate - you can check out her blog here and read about how being a Taurus influences me in my approach to my art and life.

I received my complimentary copy of Pagan Magic's Beltane Edition of Witches Digest  which is out today, the one featuring my art.

There are some great articles in there, I highly recommend it if you are interested in mythology, astrology, crystals, herbs etc.

Here is a link 

Wow Im up early today..
 
Was checking my emails this morning and received a message that one of my Fairy ACEOs was put is this STUNNING treasury. I LOVE this one as its all blue (one of my favourite colours) and its just put together so beautifully by this clever person. She has featured my work in a treasury before so I thought Id add a link to her too.

Here is the link if you would like to have a look


Speaking of ETSY, I love etsy by the way - I have found it a great place to shop online for cool things that you wouldn't normally find elsewhere, I was never really a big online shopper not that I am now either but I have bought some lovely things on etsy and its just such a fun and easy experience.

If you like make up but DON'T like all the gross chemicals that most brands put into their make up these days check out this brilliant shop on ETSY, it is called PURE MINERAL SOURCE,

All her make up is natural Vegan & MIneral make up (no chemicals) and I have bought myself a few little pots they last for ages and they go on so smoothe and light, it feels like your not wearing any but it stays on all day and you dont have to apply lots to get the colour showing, so far this is the best eye shadow I have ever tried better than any of the supposed top of the market brands that I have tried before and its all very affordable too. 

well I have to get ready for work and eat some brekky too :)




 

Hi,

I mentioned this news on my Facebook page recently but forgot to update here too.

My painting 'Twilight Eclipse' is the cover art for the Beltane edition of Pagan Magic's "Witches Digest" Magazine and they are doing a feature with my art inside the magazine too.

The magazine is a UK based print magazine which is also available online as a PDF. The magazine features articles about crystals, environmental news, folklore, mythology & more.

If anyone is interested in a copy you can buy the magazine online here is the link where you can also see the cover!

Well I finally got her finished!

Title: "Wood Spirit"
Acrylic on canvas panel
Size:  "12" x 18"

A lonely fairy falls into a deep sleep near a large oak tree. As she dreams away, the wood spirit watches over her making sure she is safe & protected.


Some products (Mouse Pads, Postcards & Stickers) now available at my zazzle store

 I have been working on my latest faery painting on and off for the past week. She is almost finished, just refinining some last bits and I'm hoping to have her posted at some stage today. Fingers crossed.

In the past few months I have noticed I have been getting more and more friends requests on facebook from people that are not neccesarily friends but appear to be interested in my art so I have put together a separate page specifically for people interested in my paintings.

Here it is  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Susan-Rodio-Art/60863462155


Feel free to join, if you are on facebook. :)


Things have been quiet on the art making front of late for mixed reasons, I think it is mainly because I have been a bit distracted, my partner has been in and out of work ( yep feeling the recession bite) so I have had less time to focus on painting, he is very distracting, in a nice way though :) 

I really want to get into a new painting sooner rather than later, I have lots of creative energy pent up, needing to be channelled, times like these I wish I had my own studio space to paint in, or even a small spare room would do!