Prints! The art formally known as an original.

While my Dharma series is on exhibit at the Oolong Tea House in Calgary I don't want those not in snowy Canadia to miss out. If you'd like to order a print of any of these pieces you can do so through my website:

www.faunawolfcreations.com/dharma-art.html

I promise to do my damndest to get them delivered to you in time for Christmas!

You can click on the images to be taken straight to them on my website:

A lovely swallow

Another of my art nouveau animal designs! 

Sourcing an effective way of providing these as prints is difficult. Whilst I am full-time employed in a creative job my job is in a specific charity, so most of what I post on here is posted as a 'starving artist'.

In the future I can see my art sustaining me entirely, between the freelance design work and this sort of stuff, but at the moment the demand is sporadic so I can't just go around ordering a bunch of cards and prints easily. No storage, no guarantee of sales and my time is stretched so shipping orders would be added pressure on my already very full schedule.

That being said, I have been posting a bunch of my designs to my Zazzle shop for some months now and finally sold something a few weeks ago. Whilst the downside is that the minimal or rather, non-existent sales, mean I'm not exactly turning a profit, Zazzle DOES do all the printing, packing and delivery for me. People can order many different products with the same design. I only see 10% but then, they're doing all the 'grunt' work and I got the joy of designing something just because I could.

I'm not certain if I will take my non-digital works and post them to Zazzle as well. I know it's probably the most straight forward solution but I don't mind doing the work and the research to find out what else I might be able to use.

Keep watching my blog and my website and Facebook page. I'll keep you posted on when these and other bits I've been drawing will be available for purchase either as the originals or as prints.

And if anyone has any ideas or tips for other ways to get prints done up I'd love to hear them!

You're Invited!

Mixed feelings

I got my first sale through RedBubble!

At first this was just a hugely exciting thing because I've been promoting it like mad and eagerly awaiting the moment when that email notification would come through:

You've sold work on RedBubble!

I was thrilled to go check my account and see what had been purchased. It turned out not to be a single sale but two sales. Someone has bought the posters of 'You Are Worthy' and 'Untitled Buddha'.

This double hit seemed extra exciting until I scrolled down to see what I'd made. My heart sank.

Thing is, I pay for my art out of my own pocket and a lot of why I have to work for someone else is because art is expensive. There's the cost of supplies: Brushes, paints, pallets, an easel, canvases, pens, pencils.

After that there's my time, which can be five to eight hours per painting. Got to factor that in.

When the painting is done there's the fact that not everyone can afford an original so giving them options is a good idea. Why not have posters, canvas prints and cards available? Of course this means getting a high quality photograph of the work which can be reproduced easily. This is another cost and one which made me see the reality of why some art is so expensive. Unfortunately a lot of artist undersell themselves out of a sort of desperation and as a result they just never make enough for their art to be more than a hobby.

I want my art to be more than a hobby and I want people to be able to buy it easily and I thought I'd done my research properly and RedBubble was the way to go.

Before moving to London I found a company that took high quality photographs but also provided prints upon request. It meant I didn't have to pay for the print until I'd sold it and I could put it at a price that meant I got a reasonable profit. It also meant I needed to be able to pick up the prints and transport them to the buyer, which was fine when I lived in Calgary and I was only selling to people who lived in Calgary.

I've made myself a bit 'international' and I liked that RedBubble offered the ability to sell work in most major currencies. They also take care of the printing and shipping, which seemed like a bonus. Then I saw what it really means. Those posters have earned me a total of $11.

*sigh*

I guess we all have to start somewhere but this revelation has me thinking that Redbubble might not be the way to go after all since the cost to get those paintings imaged so they could be available as a poster was five times as much as I made from that sale. Of course I don't make enough off my artwork to have the time to make these sort of sales myself. And thus I'm stuck in a circle. The profits from RedBubble aren't enough to live off of, or even to purchase a single canvas with. I have to give most of my time to a job that has nothing to do with creativity whilst also keeping me from having the time needed to commit to getting more of my work sold and more of my stuff out there.

Or maybe this is just the first step. It's tiny and it's seemingly disappointing right now, after a long day in an office, but in a few months time it might be something entirely different. It could be a moment of 'I've come a long way from that first sale of RedBubble now that I've made my fiftieth sale on RedBubble.'

That is the thing about life. We can't really judge what's good or bad until the very end and even then, I suspect we might just realise that binaries don't work and life just Is.

The Magician Revisted

Announcement!

Thanks to George at DigitalArte and to RedBubble, I now have posters, prints and cards of my Magician tarot card design available!

I've gone the route of RedBubble for a few different reasons. Whilst before my prints were done by a single imaging company in Calgary (They did a fantastic job and I extend many thanks to Heather for all her fab customer service.) this only worked if all my customer base was in Calgary and I was there too. As I've had interest internationally and as I am currently based in London, a solution needed to be found.

Through RedBubble my work can be printed as a poster, greeting card or canvas print. As the customer you can choose the currency that works best for you and pay securely with PayPal.

As of right now I don't have all of my work imaged, so not all of it is available in a print. When looking at my website you will see a 'Buy Now' button to the left of the image of a piece. Below that, if prints are available, it will say so in purple text. Just click on that text and follow the simple steps through RedBubble to choose how you want the image reproduced for your personal collection.

Easy peasy!

If there is a piece you're dying to get a print of and it doesn't have a RedBubble link, just drop me a line at faunawolf@gmail.com.

You Are Worthy of Love (Green Buddha)

In December I painted a blue Buddha piece that incorporated my writing into my painting. Painting it was an extremely mindful process and I couldn't have been happier with the result.

It was well received by you, my wonderfully supportive fans. So well

received that the original was snatched up in 24 hours and I was rushing to have prints made and delivered right up to the day of my flight to London.

Upon my arrival in this magnificent city I knew I wanted to do another one. I'd enjoyed the entire process and the idea of sharing my art and writing in a single piece is wonderful for me.

Not only that, but it's reflective of my own continued exploration of the world around me and how each of us is seeking to live our lives well.

An important part of that is our ability to love who we are in any state we find ourselves. We must be our own best friend when we are miserable as well as when we are joyous. The smiling Buddha seemed the right choice to convey this with an image and my accompanying words are my own interpretation of the things I read and contemplate on a daily basis.

Prints, posters and cards now available through my website.

3 months in London, 3 paintings completed

I've had two more paintings imaged. You can purchased various prints for as little as $2.59 CAD!

Currently my website is more of a portfolio as it features the work I've been doing. Not everything featured is available as a print (yet!) so, to simplify things, I've decided to make this entry with images of what is currently available. Simply click the image and follow the link!

Remember, almost all of my originals are available for purchase and I'm more than happy to do custom work.

And then there was Death

In the story of Tarot, Death signifies the end of something that once was and the birth of something new. As a Buddhist I practice letting go of attachment. In western culture I find this is misinterpreted. People take it to mean you shouldn't own anything or want for anything. This is not the case. A lack of attachment simply means you accept the inevitability of change and the impermanence of all things.

The Death card represents this for me. Without change we become stagnant. Without an end there can be no beginnings. These endings are occurring all the time. Each moment that passes we are reborn as someone new and different because each moment we know more than we did the moment before.

I began painting this card ages ago but only finished it recently. Suitably, I finished it right before my ten day journey to London.

In the last year I found my own inner wisdom, faced an unknown path and have found a new beginning.

I have fifty 16X24 reproductions of the Death Tarot Card available for $50 each before January 6th.

Contact faunawolf@gmail.com to order one today.

I was once The Fool

The entire story of Tarot begins with The Fool. The number on The Fool card is zero, representing infinite possibilities, a clear plate, new beginnings and a sense of openness and potential. As Delirium was new in my life, she seemed the perfect subject for the central focus of The Fool card.

The card itself has many elements, much like the High Priestess. The Fool can be depicted carrying a satchel or pack of some sort. Occasionally there will be a dog, following along, the Fool's only companion. Because I wanted the card to be showing a sense of unknown I chose not to include these elements. I did bestow my Fool with a 'staff' in the form of a feather toy. I also put in the dice as a representation of the unknown future the Fool faces. Life is a roll of the dice and we cannot know where we might end up. The path extends into the horizon, past purple mountains, re-enforcing how undetermined the future is. The Fool stands alone on this path, full of delight at all the possibilities she might face. The four suits of cards represent new beginnings.

But the Fool is still foolish and whilst it may seem positive, it's also a card that represents a need to be aware. We stand alone, just as the Fool stands alone, but we must remember not be lost in a daydream or fantasy. Between The High Priestess and The Fool we can find balance. Be open to the future and all our potential, but have the wisdom of our experiences to guide us on our unknown journey.

The Fool is available in a 16X24 reproduction for $50 for a limited time. Order yours today through faunawolf@gmail.com.

Why Tarot Cards?

I realise that I have a pretty expansive artist's pallet. I dabble in sculpting, painting and costume design. This might seem a bit much and I've been told time and again that I should 'specialize', which I balked at initially. I figured, if I can do it all, why not? But I keep an open mind and am always prepared for change and the lessons we learn as we explore our talents and abilities.

I've come to a very interesting realisation about my art and the things I'm truly passionate about versus the things that I can do well, but don't necessarily enjoy. I know I've got an eye for sculpting and perhaps in the right context, it might be something I'd pursue, but I don't really feel creative when I sculpt. I feel more technical about it. I think it's something I'd be better suited to teach people, than to use as a creative outlet.

When I paint, however, I feel like it's a true expression of myself and what I love to do. The exploration I did with painting has been ongoing and I've found myself really enjoying my Tarot card series. The initial one I did was years ago, as a gift for someone. It was the first time an idea I had for a painting actually looked how I'd imagined it would upon completion.

Over the next few years I did more, but they became an assembly line sort of project. I did them on smaller canvases since I couldn't afford the size I wanted and because I felt, if I did them on smaller ones, I could complete more. I was also doing them for someone else, which became difficult as I found myself disconnecting and I found my creative energy blocked by depression and anxiety.

After a series of what could have been devastating events, I woke up. I took control and I found myself with a new blank canvas, in the size I preferred. My first choice of card was The High Priestess.

This card was my choice for several reasons. My cat of 21 years had died the summer before I painted it, and I'd wanted to immortalize her in a painting ever since she'd left this mortal coil.

I wanted to do a tarot painting that was just for me.

I actually do read tarot cards and I find them beautiful and fascinating. They don't tell you anything you don't already know and the art in them is intricate, interesting and fun to study.

When doing Tarot readings, I often get The High Priestess. She represents wisdom, instinctual knowledge that helps us to make decisions and reveal the truth behind any situation, thought or idea. Generally it is representative of the Tarot Reader her or himself, so I suppose it makes sense that I identify so strongly with this card.

In painting it I looked at several different designs done by many others. I always go to classic decks first as they generally have the most basic symbols and seem to be a good starting point. In my depiction of the card I included symbols I felt were most important. She is cloaked in the night, shown with a scroll and cauldron. This represents her mysterious nature as well as her ability to just 'know'. She represents balance and understanding and has strong connections with the Earth. Instead of the traditional pillars I chose to do twisted, tall trees climbing on either side of her.

This was the first card I painted in 2009. I have a very limited quantity of 16X24 inch prints available. I'm offering them at the special Holiday price of $50. To order contact me at faunawolf@gmail.com.

Limited Edition Reproductions Available!

E-mail faunawolf@gmail.com to order a limited edition 16X24 inch reproduction of one of three of my Tarot Card paintings.

Reproductions cost $50 each (Holiday pricing! They go up to $70 each January 6th.) so order yours today through faunawolf@gmail.com.


Availability:


High Priestess - 10 prints





The Fool - 10 prints







Death - 50 prints