Suzie Q

Here's little Suzie Q. She went up for auction on Sunday night and sold within a few hours of listing her.  I really had fun with her pictures and wanted to show them to you.

Another Lizard, Chewie, Bullet and a View from one of my Walks

Here's some pics of a little side-blotched lizard.  He was most co-operative.  Not  like the chuckwalla that I tried to get a photo of.  He saw me walking up and made a dive into the boulders.  Included in this set of pictures is one of Chewie. He's our neighbors dog that we dog sit occassionally.  He's a real big teddy bear. And of course, I had to include a picture of Bullet relaxing on the couch.  I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend and Happy Mother's Day.  I'll be posting pictures of my next little piggy soon :0)

Close-up of my Mousie

This picture was edited with some effects using Picasa.  Lately, I've been looking into ways to improve my photograpy skills so I can get some decent shots of my little guys in a setting. I'm hoping that once my pictures improve I can use them for sets of greeting cards or maybe a book. What do you think?

More on Inspiration

I've seen so many little felted mice a top wooden spools with nary a mention of Beatrix Potter or the Tailor of Gloucester.  She has long been an inspiration of mine.  Her ability to create realistic yet anthropomorphic animals is superb. That is what I try to achieve in my work.  So from time to time a make a little Tailor of Gloucester as a reminder and as a way to hone my craft.  I like to give credit where credit is due. Thank you Beatrix for my fond childhood memories and for the inspiration for my art! I would also like to thank the artists of CDHM that so graciously share their knowledge. Without them I doubt I would ever be able to make the little goodies that accompany some of my critters.

My little tailor will be up for auction this Sunday. I hope you all like him.

Here's a link that explains about copyright and such when working from other's as inspiration:

http://painting.about.com/cs/artistscopyright/f/copyrightfaq12.htm

Horned Lizard & Desert Flowers

Mini Muffin

This is one of the things I've been working on for my next little feltie.  He is inspired by Beatrix Potter. I've revisited this theme a couple of other times and will have pictures of him soon. So here is a little taste of what's in store. Plus. of course, some more desert flowers.

Inspiration, Art & Felting Tips

There has been something that has been weighing heavy on my mind  for sometime.  For as long as I've been keeping my blog and have been listing on eBay, there have been occasional requests for information and tips regarding felting.  I'm more than happy to help where I can. But have been disappointed in the past to find that some of those who request the info only do so in order to make replicas of my work.  I know times are hard and money is tight.  It's tempting to copy what you see as successful. But in the end it demeans your work and devalues mine.  Since my work is more skilled due to the number of hours I work on each piece and the years I've devoted to this art form, your newly acquired skills don't shine as they should. Plus, the  duplicate piece of lesser quality and price makes my work seem ubiquitous. Neither of us wins in that situation.
I firmly believe that it is best to consider what it is about another artist's work that inspires you and to try to replicate those feelings and thoughts into your work. But not replicate the exact image. It neither helps you as an artist nor does it help the art.