Monday Must-Have

Today marks the first day of my new Monday blog series titled Monday Must-Have. Each Monday I will feature a fellow talented Etsian and their phenomenal work. Each featured artist will have their own online Etsy shop where you can peruse and admire their one-of-a-kind body of work. Hopefully you will find new favorite artists and artisans whose work you MUST HAVE. :)

Today's featured artist is Tracey Gurley of Tracey Gurley Original Art. I asked her a few questions and here's what she had to say.

Who are you (actual name/and or shop name)?
Tracey Gurley / Tracey Gurley Original Art / www.traceygurley.etsy.com

What do you create?
I paint landscapes, still lifes, flowers, fruit & veggies mainly. I may expand on that in the very near future.

Where are you located?
I have a studio in my home in Raleigh, NC.

When did you start creating?
I have always been creating something ever since I was a small child. I think it really started when I would dig clay out of the creek in my back yard and scupt bowls with it. I would set them out in the sun to dry and then I would paint them. I remember even finding big rocks to paint on too. When I was in school though, I was classically trained on the piano and violin, but I still loved visual art. When my daughter turned 2 and started preschool, I decided to follow my dream. I started taking art lessons 8 years ago and haven't looked back. I took my first art lesson at Sertoma Art Center in Raleigh and now I teach acrylic painting there.

What inspires you?
My inspiration comes from a lot of things. I take notice of all of the textures and colors that surround all of us everyday. Nature is a beautiful palette.

What is the most time consuming part of your craft?
It's hard to decide the most time consuming part, because time flies when you're having fun.

What's your next project going to be?
My next project is going to be painting ACEOs. ACEO stands for "Art Cards, Editions, and Originals." They are 2.5" x 3.5" little works of art that are fun to collect and trade.

What types of things do you do to turn first time buyers into repeat clients?
I offer a 10% discout to repeat buyers.

What do you do when you are not creating?
When I'm not creating, I love spending time with my husband and daugher. In the summer, you can find us jetskiing out on Falls Lake.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?
There is something magical about painting - the way the colors go on the canvas, the way it feels, the experience to create something, that just feeds my soul.


You can also find Tracey and her work on her blog and her main website.

MIA - Where Is Allover Art?

I apologize for disappearing for a while, but there's a good reason for it. If I wasn't 25 I'd probably start to develop a complex about now and think that I was getting old. First I hurt my knee running during Thanksgiving and I'm still a bit gimpy. Now there's this!

For the past couple months I've been battling off and on headaches; headaches that do not make painting or sitting in front of the computer very much fun. Within the past week the headaches have grown worse! Amidst the uncool jokes from my husband saying that I had a brain-tumor, it was suggested to me that maybe I should get an eye exam. I thought "That's crazy! I have fantastic, almost super-human vision! I don't need an eye exam." I always had great vision growing up; never needed glasses or contacts. I always loved to play "The Alphabet Game" on long car rides with the family growing. You know "The Alphabet Game," right? It's the game where you try to be the first person to get through the alphabet by spotting words on billboards, bumper stickers, and the like. For example you see a billboard for Applebee's, there's your 'A'; now you move onto 'B.' 'Q' was always a tough one. If you got to 'Q' first you prayed that the car would pass a Quality Inn, otherwise you'd be stuck there and everyone else would catch up to you. 'Q' was the worst. Anyway, I digress.

So I started thinking, "Well...it has been at least 11 years since I've had an eye exam;" so I called up the eye doctor and scheduled an appointment. When I arrived I had a seat in the waiting area where I enjoyed a short educational program on cataracts. Did you know that there are three different kinds of cataracts? I know all about them now and I am well prepared to recognize the symptoms when and if they begin to appear in about 50 years.

Pretty soon I was called back for my exam. I've got to say, that first puff of air that they blow into your eye really catches you off guard. They also took pictures of the inside of my eyeballs, which was really cool to see. Well, when they take the pictures you really CAN'T see for a minute or two. That is one bright light they flash in your eye. What's really fun is trying to walk and follow someone down a hall right after they take the picture, and you can't see where you are going because all you have is that after-image in your field of vision from the flash so you're temporarily blind. There's a photo of what the inside of your eye looks like. Mine looked pretty similar to that.

Anyway, it turns out I need glasses. The doctor asked me about how much time I spend in front of the computer. I told him not as much as someone who sits at a computer all day at a desk job, but then I told him I spend the time that I'm not on the computer painting with my face close to a canvas or tiny wooden tile. Apparently I have trouble focusing on things up close, which I had no idea that I did, and with all the extra paintings and pendants I created in the months leading up to Christmas it really put a strain on my eyes which led to my headaches. So the doctor asked for some of my business cards (score!) and gave me a weak prescription for some glasses. He told me I should paint a portrait based on the photo of the inside of my eyeball, and I said that yes, it would make for an interesting self-portrait.

I'll spare you the details of the painful experience of picking out frames. I felt like Sarah Palin was watching me the whole time. There was a big smiling poster of her beside some glasses that looked like hers. I also have a larger than normal head, which made almost every pair of glasses I tried on look like glasses that belong to a child. It's embarrassing and oh so sad.

So my point in sharing this story with you is that if you are an artist who works up close with your art all day and you are having headaches or eye pain, go get an eye check up. You may need glasses or a change in prescription. I think technically you're supposed to get an eye exam every year, but I won't tell anyone.

A Bittersweet Farewell

Say 'goodbye' to my Peaceful Puppy original oil painting on gallery-wrapped canvas. It has found a loving home in Indiana.

I am sad to let this painting go, but happy that someone else will have the joy of owning it. :) It is one of my favorites.

Welcome 2009!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that 2009 finds you well and happy.

There are great and wonderful things happening for Allover Art this year, but of course I can't reveal them all to you now. ;) I'm looking into selling some on my hand-painted pendant necklaces to local boutiques, but before I can do that I need some logo and branding help. I'm currently working with Allie Jocson of Allie Jocson Design to create a logo for Allover Art. I'm excited! Check out her website and you'll see why; she has some fantastic work!

I'm also working on building up a portfolio of work. Since so many of my oil paintings are commissioned, I only have a few pieces that I wasn't asked to create. I'm looking into putting my work in galleries this year. I already have a month-long show planned for the Holly Springs Cultural Center in December.

I also have a number of fun new designs and unique acrylic paintings coming out soon! I've previously kept my acrylic paintings confined to the tiny wooden tiles used for my pendant necklaces, but I have some cool new tricks up my sleeve that I'm excited about, so stay tuned.

And so, what better way to welcome the new year than to have a sale? I'm offering free shipping in my Etsy shop through January 4th. See my Shop Announcement for more details. Also, check out this article in The Storque, Etsy's blog. The article features a select number of Etsy sellers who are having special sales this weekend, and mine is included. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Happy New Year!! :)