Art-I-Fact Shirts

I work in acrylics. Acrylics dry quickly, and this fast drying is what makes all of my transforming layers possible, because I don’t have to wait more than a few minutes for the paint to dry. Once the paint dries, I can forge ahead with another layer, without the worry of having unwanted glopping textures appear on my painting.

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Me in one of my typical paint shirts.

Blending with acrylics is challenging, precisely because the drying time for acrylics is very short. In order to blend colours smoothly, I have to work very quickly, as the key to blending is controlling the amount of paint and/or water on the paintbrush. Wiping the brush is the best way to manage the amount of paint on my brush. Did I mention I have to work very quickly? My wipe rag must be on hand at all times. There is no time to search for a misplaced wipe rag.  Having a traditional wipe rag hasn’t been a reliable solution to my wiping needs, which is where my paint shirt comes in. I always know exactly where my wiping rag is, because I’m wearing it!

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Me wiping paint on my shirt.

My paint shirt has paint wiped and smeared all over it, and it doesn’t take long for a shirt to become encrusted with my acrylic paints.  If my paint shirt is relatively new from the thrift store, the shirt is also at its peak absorbency and usefulness as a wiping rag.  If my paint shirt has been in use for weeks or months, a globular texture begins to develop on the shirt. Putting the shirt through the heat of a dryer cycle repeatedly allows a bead-like texture to develop as the acrylic layers on the shirt melt and meld together. A globular paint shirt is not as effective a wiping tool as a newer shirt, so eventually, the paint shirt is retired and put away, and it’s time to visit the thrift store to find a replacement.

Because my wiping action is so ingrained and so automatic, I find that this wiping habit is very dangerous to my wardrobe. So, in order to not ruin my ‘nicer’ clothing, I tend to wear my paint shirts most of the time, and I go everywhere in my paint shirts. I get a lot of comments about my paint shirts, and surprisingly to me, most people think that the paint patterning on the shirt is intentional. I’ve often been told that I should sell my paint shirts because they look so colourful and cool.

It’s hard for me to imagine anyone wanting to wear my paint shirts, but it has also been hard for me to want to throw away these wonderfully random assemblages of texture and colour. This is what led me to preserving my paint shirts on wooden artist panels.

Much like stretching a canvas, I stretch my paint shirts over the wooden panels. Then, I position the shirt for the best composition possible, before adhering the shirt with acrylic gel and stapling the material to the backside of the panel. I give the stretched fabric a final clear coat, in order to protect the globules, and to bring out the colours to their maximum brilliance. Each shirt panel is a dynamic artifact from my process of painting, is fully unique, and is not replicable.

For the first time, these shirt panels are for sale, and will be shown at an upcoming art event, The Ferrari 500! It’s a must-go show for art collectors is coming to the Region!  The Ferrari 500 is a unique art sale featuring art from 12 of our local artists. Why is it unique?  Every piece of art in the show is priced at $500.00 or UNDER, and 10% of the proceeds of all sales go to benefit Button Factory Arts.

Print

It’s a one-day only event, and will race by like…a Ferrari…so mark your calendars:  Friday, February 24 from 4:00pm to 9:00pm at Button Factory Arts at 25 Regina St. S., in Waterloo.

 

Collecting Art?

Forget all that ‘supporting the arts’ bunk.
Why should you want to collect art?
Why should you want to spend your scarce resources on mere decoration?

Consider This Scenario:

You’re single, and your job takes up 80% of your free time and you just don’t even notice your walls. Imagine that you found an eye-catching painting that spoke to you.

Serene Yellow Spaces
Pro-Photonic Sunshine System

So you took down that old poster, and hung the painting there instead. So now, every morning as you’re dashing out the door, you catch a glimpse of the colors and forms in the painting. When you’re on your way to work, you see something that reminds you of the painting. When you come home, you may see something in the painting that helps you see the solution to a problem that you’ve been trying to solve. Weeks later, when you least expect it, you see something totally different in the painting that you really never noticed before. So you start wondering about the artist’s intent for the painting. And then you remember that the artist lives in town, and is always posting about this show or that show, and you could easily show up at a show just to ask the artist some questions. After all, talking about art is one of the things that artists like to do most. Whether the artist shrugs or launches a dissertation on the meaning of the piece, your thoughts will be enriched, because your imagination will be challenged! And then you’ll see more of the artist’s work, and you’ll realize you may have a connection to these pieces too! You turn around and are struck by the absolute truth and beauty of another painting.

Sold
Inevitable Intrusion into the Delusion of Exclusion

You think about buying it, but your funds are too low, so you don’t. But the idea of the painting is knocking around in your brain, becoming almost as important as the painting already on your wall, because it is inspiring emotions and thoughts. It’s even altering the way you see the painting on your wall. In fact, every life event somehow gets recorded in the painting on the wall, because it will be with you, as a silent steady companion, as your life changes and unfolds.

Thermal Sensaton Detoxification
Thermal Sensaton Detoxification

Later, the very same artist posts a picture of a painting that’s very reminiscent of the painting you didn’t buy, but it’s even more evocative, so you arrange to purchase the piece with a payment plan. It takes a few months, but finally, you bring the new painting home, and hang it in a place of honor, over the sofa. The two paintings instantly connect, and your environment begins to transform into a very personal, reflective space, inspiring you in different ways. Home. Home is where the art is.

 

Another Scenario:

You’re starting a family. There’s a toddler in the house, and a baby on the way. As a baby shower gift, that artsy friend gave you a very colorful whimsical painting for the nursery.

SpWeeeee
SpWeeeee!!!

The painting is quietly with you as you comfort and nurture your child. You always hope your child will grow to have as much lively fun as the images in the painting. The painting fascinates the children. As they grow up, they ask about the painting, and you’re able to share all kinds of ideas about what the painting means.

Full Throttle
Full Throttle

The artist’s new painting manages to find it way into your social media feed, and you realize it is the perfect companion piece for that first whimsical painting. So you buy it, and hang it with the other painting. Suddenly, the stories you were telling about the first painting evolve to include the new painting. So much imagination and so many giggles! The art becomes a part of the fabric of the family, and always serves as a conversation starter, and a reminder of happy times. Family. Art serves as a type of glue that helps to strengthen family relationships.

 

And Another Scenario:

A family is going through troubled times, which is causing a family member unfathomable grief. Sometimes there are no words that are adequate for expressing that which cannot be said. This is a key specialty of art. A painting has the ability to soothe by acknowledging pain, embracing the darkness, and by offering hope, all at the same time.

The Indescribable Churning of Green
The Indescribable Churning of Green

A painting was found with graceful somber notes, and some small, but significant brighter notes, and it seemed, though somber, to have an overall positive vibe. This painting was hung at the kitchen table. The painting helped to pave the way for family members to be able to talk about profound sadness, maintaining the faith that hearts will eventually heal, and that life continues. It became a powerful symbol of the family’s strength through adversity.

Eternity Out The Window
Eternity Out The Window

Months later, a very similar, but brighter painting came along, and was hung in the dining room, and as the grief slowly subsided, the collection of paintings became livelier, almost documenting and honouring a journey through grief. Mourning. Art can serve to aid in the ability to recover emotionally.

 

And Lastly:

You’ve come through a struggle. The illness has lifted, the ex left town, the long awaited job is finally a reality. It’s time to embrace a new life with perhaps a bit of frivolity. As you forge a healthy new life of positivity, you find art that embraces positivity!

Available
Inter-Dimensional Transcendental Hop

It just feels good to look at it. This is exactly what you need to inspire creativity and happy thoughts. You hang the painting in the living room, but then the bedroom seems stark.

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Pursuit of the Pink Preservationists

So you find another painting for the bedroom, and eventually, every room has a bright reminder for positivity! Positivity. Happiness. Harmony. Art can serve to enhance a brighter attitude.


Home. Family. Mourning. Harmony.

There are countless other ways that art plays a supporting role as it sees you through your life’s journey.

Westward Yearning Tree
Westward Yearning Tree

Art provides a gateway towards understanding, empathy, and pure joy.
Collecting art is an investment in you, your family, and the betterment of living!

Not to mention supporting your local artists…. 🙂 🙂 🙂



Are You Ready?

If you’re ready to consider starting, or enhancing your art collection, there’s a great opportunity coming to Waterloo Region:

The Ferrari 500 features affordable excellence in art.
Every piece is priced at $500.00 or UNDER.
Hope to see you there!

ferrari500_poster_online


Woo Hoo!

Ferrari 500???

As my paintings continue to get painted, and new concepts are becoming expressed, I’m always thinking about ways to sell paintings, in order to make way for even more paintings with more experimentation and more expression…


500?

So, I had the idea of a show where all of the art was very affordable, which to me, means that each painting would be priced at $500.00 – or under!  And then the ideas exploded from there…

From the beginning, I knew that I’d like to have an invitational type of show, where artists that I personally know, and whose work I deeply respect, could come together to put on an event, because together, we are an amazing group of artists.  🙂  And together, we’ll be able to accomplish much more than we could individually.  I am truly honoured to have so many of my friends and local artists agree to be a part of this show!


Ferrari?

The idea for the name, well, at first, it was just a giggle…

ferrari-500-07
No, not this Ferrari 500!

But, to my surprise, it seemed to have staying power!  Well… why not?  Why not capitalize on having a very recognizable last name, that also is synonymous with the highest quality and undeniable aesthetics?  It also makes sense, because all of the artists involved are top-notch (Ferrari quality!) local artists – and – a big part of the point of the show is to move art!


But Wait!  There’s More!

 

I very much wanted to have a percentage of the proceeds go towards our local community.  So, an important component of the Ferrari 500 is to help out a local nonprofit or charitable foundation by means of donating 10% of all sales to the community organization.


The Event

My vision for the Ferrari 500 is that it becomes a series of pop-up style shows, recurring 2 to 4 times a year, with changing venues, and changing community beneficiaries. Happily, my idea is beginning to transform into a reality.  The Ferrari 500 Debut Exhibition is at hand!

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Button Factory Arts

The venue and the community nonprofit are one in the same, our own local arts hub, Button Factory Arts.  We in the Waterloo Region are so fortunate to have a facility where arts programming can happen, art classes can be taken, and art of all types, and artists from all levels of experience, are nurtured and appreciated. Sadly, due to unexpected structural renovations last fall, Button Factory Arts had to be closed, and therefore, lost a month’s worth of revenue from events and classes.  So the proceeds raised by the Ferrari 500 will help towards restoring funds for operations and events.  Yay!

Venue:       Button Factory Arts, 25 Regina St. South, Waterloo
Date:           Friday, February 24, 2017,  from 4:00pm to 9:00pm


The Artists….

In the first rendition of the Ferrari 500, these 12 artists will take the starting gate:

Cathy Amos
cathyamos.blogspot.ca

Gary Barnett
garybarnett.ca

Dominique Cinq-Mars Delay
dominiquecinq-marsdelay.com

Amy Ferrari
amyferrariart.me

Jennifer Gough
mindseyestudioart.com

nik harron
nikharron.com

James Nye
jamesnye.com

Roslyn Ramsay
roslynramsay.com

Jax Rula
circleworks.net

John Rula
rulart.ca

Julian van Mossel-Forrester
julianvmf.com

Raflar (Ralf Wall)
raflar.com


Get Revved-Up to Become an Art Collector!

The holidays have come and gone. It’s the dead of winter. In Canada. So why not focus on refreshing your home, cottage, or office space with a new splash of colour and lively expression?   The prices will be, by design, low enough, and the atmosphere will be charged with artistic creativity.  Come out and meet and support your local artists, see and support your local arts hub, enjoy some tasty nibbles and drinks, and find some unexpected treasures to cherish for years to come…


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E-Commercializing Amy Ferrari Art


Happy Art makes a Happy Heart!

Most people who are aware of my work know I have original paintings and for sale…  (See my new Buy Original Art! Store)
Many of these people realize that I have limited edition archival prints for sale…
But only a handful of people know I have imprinted merchandise for sale!  So now I’d like to introduce my Buy Imprinted Merchandise! Store!
This online store features my selection of four companies that offer print-on-demand products for sale:

 Fine Art America       Zazzle        Art of Where      Blurb 

With each company’s websites listed below, I have descriptions of the specific products I’ve chosen to focus my designs upon. The links will take you directly to the Amy Ferrari Art page on their website.

The process of adding new images to new products is ongoing, and I’m open to putting most any of my images on any product, if the pixels allow.

If you can’t find the item you’d like imprinted with the image you’d like, please let me know, and I’ll do all I can to make the item/image combination available.




fine art americal logo

Fine Art America

I’ve chosen Fine Art America as the main provider of my unsigned and unlimited edition art prints. Why?
•they have a good reputation and a high level of dedication to artists
•they have a good user interface
•they offer a wide variety of high quality prints
•they provide a Facebook Plug-in (prices are listed in Canadian Dollars!)

The comprehensive range of print possibilities allows for a size and framing option to fulfill every need!

•Art prints on Paper:
     a large selection of sizes, papers, framing, matting, and mounting possibilities 
•Art prints on Canvas:
     a large selection of canvas sizes, canvas framing, canvas sheen, and wrap treatments
•Art prints on sheets of Metal or Acrylic:
     a large selection of sheet sizes, and a nifty stand-off mounting option
•Art prints on Greeting Cards:
     customizable greeting cards available as singles, packs of 10, or packs of 25

For easy reference, all of the varying sizes of art prints I have available from Fine Art America are listed in a free PDF Catalog.   

Fine Art America also offers other select quality items:

•iPhone and Galaxy Cases   •Tote Bags   •Throw Pillows   •Duvet Covers   •Shower Curtains

If you can’t find the item you’d like imprinted with the image you’d like, please let me know, and I’ll do all I can to make the item/image combination available.






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Zazzle

I’ve chosen Zazzle as the main provider of my general merchandise selections because Zazzle has a good reputation; most of the items allow for customer customization; and they have an irresistibly large range of print-on-demand merchandise. Though the Zazzle possibilities are vast, I’ve narrowed my Zazzle focus to the following items:

•Mugs
Happy Art makes a Happy Heart… and a great start for the day!
•Throw Pillows
•Tote Bags
•Blankets
so nifty to be able to wrap yourself in art!
•Fabrics
a wide range of materials and customization options
•Journals
•Post-It Notes
a cool collection of some of my doodle figures
•Calendars
Customizable Flower painting calendar; customizable Tree painting calendar
•Onesies
a very cute collection of Snarkle Tarts!
•Ties
if you’re required to wear a tie, it may as well be unique!

If you can’t find the item you’d like imprinted with the image you’d like, please let me know, and I’ll do all I can to make the item/image combination available.





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Art of Where

Art of Where is a Montreal-Based Canadian company specializing in creating unique apparel from custom printed fabrics.  I’m so excited about this company because their high quality sublimation printing process allows for the art to be imprinted on the entire piece, not just sections of it.  And the flexibility of their online design tool allows for many versions of a single item from just one image file.  The variations are too much fun to come up with!  So far, I have chosen to focus my designs on:

•Leggings and Capris   Are you funky enough for these leggings?!  Oh My!
•Scarves   For when you need that extra pop of color!
•Skirts   Are the skirts tamer than the leggings?  Hard to say….!
•Beanie hats.   So cute!  These beanies come with a choice of linings.

If you can’t find the item you’d like imprinted with the image you’d like, please let me know, and I’ll do all I can to make the item/image combination available.





Blurb

Blurb is specifically dedicated to the on-demand publishing of books.

I wrote a book!  Well, actually, I just wrote silly poems to accompany my Snarkle Tart images, and turned it into a photo book!   Hopefully, you enjoy fart humour….

A Big Number 2‘ features my Snarkle Tart characters presenting different ways to talk about poo’s.  The characters are captivatingly cute; and the poems that accompany each image will make you snicker!

So far, I only have one physical book version (softcover) available for printing on demand. ‘A Big Number 2‘ is also available in both iPad and PDF e-formats.

Softcover Version     PDF Version     iPad e-book version

I have ordered and received all 3 versions,  and I certainly recommend them all!

S

This e-book has been submitted to i-books.  Crossing my fingers!

 

 





Amy Ferrari Art –  Buy Original Art!  Store

My Buy Original Art! Store is where you can peruse and purchase all of the available original paintings and drawings that I’ve created, as well prints (Artist-signed, limited-edition archival prints produced by Amy Ferrari Art).

Original art purchases can be made either by checking out my website’s  Buy Original Art! Store, and then emailing the me directly, or by ordering items from the Amy Ferrari Art Store on Etsy by using the ‘Buy Now’ buttons.

Please consider art ownership, as these original works are in need of a forever home!
“Happy Art makes a Happy Heart!”




Stay tuned…. Art Prints will be highlighted in my next post….!

Woo Hoo!

 

 

Just a Little Blurb

Smelly Nellie

Thanks to Blurb.ca, The Snarkle Tarts have found themselves in a book!

You can order a paper-back version, or you can download a PDF.
You can also order the e-book for your I-pad.  Woo Hoo!

Some very cute googly-eyed characters are presenting funny ways to talk about poo’s. Wonderful images that will wow the little ones, and the poems that go with the images will make make most anyone giggle. Who doesn’t like fart jokes!

All images are from my photographs of original art paintings of my Snarkle Tart series.
All the these images are available as artist-signed archival prints; and some of the original paintings are still available!

A Big Number 2
A Big Number 2
Presented by the Go…
By Amy Ferrari
Photo book

 


 

 

 

The Etsy Shop is Growing!

The number of items that I’m offering on Etsy has just grown!

In addition to small landscapes, you’ll now find Snarkle Tarts and some Pure Abstracts!  Woo Hoo!

 

Happy Art makes a Happy Heart!


 

New Hoosmaller copy

 

MUKsters at Artists Alley

********  MUKsters are on Sale!!!  ********

MUK
Joe Cat

On Saturday July 18th from noon to 8:00pm, check out the wares of local artists and artisans in the alleyway between the Uptown Parkade and Button Factory Arts (between King and Regina) as you’re checking out the Jazz Festival

My booth will feature a Once-Only Sale of my MUKster paintings at specially low prices.
These irresistible characters want to come home with YOU!!!

MUK
Zaaagwood

More about MUKsters!


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