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Doddi Bear #4 by One Red Robin.

Jhoanna Monte Aranez is one of those women with so many talents that you could spend hours browsing through her blog, her flickr in awe and admiration at her skills and seemingly endless inspiration. But then, of course, this is what inspiration should always be about, an endless round of springing ideas and creations.

I had wanted to blog about that Doddi Bear for quite some time now - every time I came across it in my favorites it really stood out, it has everything I love - and when I settled to write about it yesterday I realized it was no longer available, and couldn’t find it in the sold items either. It turns out that Jhoanna “recently sent her off to someone as a thank-you for a wonderful thing they did for her”!

She has made 5 Doddi Bears and only one is still available in her shop :

Doddi Bear #3.

But - among other things - she also makes the most amazing doll-girls such as this one (sold too) :

Woodland Girl Ayumi.

I could go on and on and post many of her creations and really had to stop myself from posting more photos for I tell you she is such a creative woman, so I beg you, check her blog, check her flickr and of course her Etsy shop for there are wonders ahead…

Boy’s Play in Forest by The Time is Now @ Etsy.

Found this one on her Flickr the other day. Just love it.
This is a print of an original acrylics on wood painting.

Baby wuth mum by Be Happy Now @ Etsy.

I discovered this great tool of Etsy only very recently and I’ve found a great artist today using it so it has inspired me to start a series of articles.

It’s called “pounce” and you can either browse through shops that have not yet made their first sale (the official line is : “Recently updated shops that have not yet had a sale”, so I do not know if it works with shops that have been here a long time and have not sold anything…) or else browse through shops that have just made a sale. I chose the first and stumbled upon Be Happy Now and I love her sense of color. She uses watercolors a lot, but not only for there is also this amazing carving painting that I absolutely adore :

Carving.

This particular one listed there is called “Original Carving Painting” and I was confused at first with the word “original” associated with “carving” so I asked Jenny exactly what she meant by that and she replied that it was the first one made with the metal plate. So more are to come, which is good news for of course just as I was writing this article, 4 items including the ones I put photos of had already been sold !

Her prices are unbelivably cheap and I think she could really sell her original watercolors and her other artwork for more…

She also has a Flickr.

So last week I got the most crazy idea that I would compile a list of 100 artists @ Etsy and I immediately set to work.

I wanted to write a few words about the “why” & “how” of the affair, but I realized nobody would actually care, so to keep things simple let’s just say that I have discovered many great and talented artists through Etsy, and it is getting more and more difficult each day to browse through their shops since there is no way to tag or organize your favorites into categories on the site and I figured a “memo” or “post-it” article would be of great use, not just for me or for people already familiar with Etsy, but also for people who would like to discover new artists but do not have the time to extensively browse the internet or Etsy for that matter….

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TreeSpot (limited edition print) by Junkyard Sam @ Etsy.

While “searching for mushrooms” the other day, I discovered this great artist Junkyard Sam @ Etsy.

Even though I am very much attacted to Lowbrow Art, his work at first sight might not exactly be what I am more drawn to for it has a kind of “cleanliness” about it - probably due to the use of computer in the process as well as to the fact that Junkyard Sam used to work in the game industry - which might have deterred me a bit.

However, examining more carefully the works presented @ Etsy, I could not help but feel something compelling in his art. There is indeed definitely a universe here, a brand new world created and opening before us, for us to walk in and encounter strange creatures… And if you read Junkyard Sam’s introductory words which go :

Welcome to the land of “Tong Picnic”, a world where strange people befriend animals to travel across bizarre lands full of good citizens and scary monsters!

plus the titles of his works as well as the descriptions, you realize that although this universe might be unknown to you, it does exist to some and is indeed very real, since the land and the creatures that inhabit it all have names.

Meet T’nip Whirl :

A Portrait of T’nip Whirl (limited edition print).

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The Country Life - Original Painting by blueberry bandit @ Etsy.

I realized recently that age - and probably experience - has brought me a broader perspective on Art. When I was younger, I had this very ‘elitist’ view upon all things artistic, there was basically ‘ART’ and the rest of it - which could then be dismissed as not really worth looking or considering.

Of course I am an educated woman, I did go to university but my studies were not related to Arts and my artistic culture and background I had to build for myself so I think it was really important for me to have strong positions upon things and forge my own personal opinions from everything I was reading or seeing. Hence the somewhat harsh view upon most things that did not come up to my (very) high standards as to what Art is or should be.

With time, I have acquired a more flexible and I truly believe a more interesting approach to things. So while I love Rothko, Sam Francis, Joan Mitchell, Dubuffet, Chaissac and so many others, I also love that rabbit.

I stumbled upon this painting while researching “mushrooms + art” on Etsy for an article I am writing, and if you think that dots + red and white mushrooms would suffice to make anything cute, think again. This is not ‘cute’, or at least not just.

In her profile blueberry bandit writes :

My name is Sara, and I am a lover/creator of all things cute. Not too cute, mind you. I try to add just the right amount of humor and attitude into the mix when I can.

Attitude, right ! Love that rabbit’s ‘attitude’ !

Check out the description under the painting :

Ah, the country… Fresh air and polka dots all around! This surly bunny enjoys the country life so much that he just might crack a smile. If you watch carefully, you might catch him in the act!

Attitude, right ?

I can already imagine that rabbit over my desk, me waiting for him to “crack a smile”…

This is an original painting.

P.S. : Oh, and it does not show in the shop for there are none available at the moment, but Sara also makes great plushes.

blueberry bandit :: blog
blueberry bandit :: etsy

Noodle by A Small Fox in a Big World @ Etsy.

I’ve discovered some great and very artistic fabric dolls lately and will be writing about them but for the time being I’ll just post that lovely racoon by A Small Fox in a Big World available in her Etsy shop. I really like the black mask on that one !

And if you like her work but would like something really special, Sarah Day also has a listing in her shop for a Semi Custom Doll. You can look at her Flickr Gallery to see more of her creations.

A Small Fox in a Big World :: Blog
A Small Fox in a Big World :: Etsy
A Small Fox in a Big World :: Flickr