Monday, November 30, 2009

CYBER MONDAY AT ANNECHOVIE

I hope that everyone had a great weekend! I had a wonderful time celebrating Thanksgiving with family and loved ones. After a little break, I am all revved up and ready for the start of the Holiday Season!!

I am offering a special today on all of my quote prints - including the new "Keep Calm and Carry On" prints. All quote prints are 40% off the regular price - marked down from $25 to $15 a piece. The offer ends tonight at midnight EST, so don't let the opportunity pass you by! These make great gifts, so why don't you click this link and check out the selection for yourself?

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

GIVING THANKS.....



I've had some catching up to do with thanks for some very nice mentions recently. Here in the States, it's an especially fitting time as we celebrate Thanksgiving this week.
First off, I'd like to thank the lovely Vicki Archer for posting my painting of her charming guest bedroom on her blog French Essence. Vicki's take on elegant living in France is always a treat!

I also would like to thank Barbara Mangini for her kind mention on My Dog-Eared Pages as well. Then there's the talented writer Kate Coveny-Hood and her mention on Wishing True and also Skyla over at stellar design blog Sanity Fair. Last, but certainly not least, my Aussie friend and fellow blogger, Anna Spiro and her post on my Christmas Cards last week.

I am so blessed to be a part of a truly great design blog community that is so supportive of one another. I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving and for all those of you abroad who don't celebrate Thanksgiving, have a lovely end to your week! I will see you next Monday after the Holiday!

Monday, November 23, 2009

GIVE-AWAY SERIES ON BIG PIECE OF CAKE BLOG


I want to thank my talented and gracious friend Kate Coveny-Hood over at Big Piece of Cake for her very kind post on my work and the Holiday give-away I am sponsoring on her blogs. If you don't read Kate's blog(s) yet, be sure to stop by and enter. She will be running a series of great give-aways throughout the Holidays - don't miss it!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

NEW MUG DESIGNS AND SALE ON NOW!!

KEEP CALM and CARRY ON MUG - AQUA mug
KEEP CALM and CARRY ON MUG - AQUA by Annechovie
All of my mugs are on sale now, including this and other brand-new designs! Check them all out here AND HAVE A TERRIFIC WEEKEND!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

A QUESTION OF CONSCIENCE.....


Hmm, does harnessing a pet's excess energy to shred documents infringe on pet labor laws?  This is an instance where political correctness could get very messy. Is it saving electricity, going green and giving your hamster exercise OR is it exploiting rodents? What say ye? I thought it was pretty clever, actually. I hope you're having a good week!

Monday, November 16, 2009

DOGGONE MONDAY


Meet Reesie, one of my recent subjects captured here in gouache and ink and commissioned as a birthday gift for a client's mother-in-law. Pet portraits make a wonderful gift for birthdays and holidays. Contact me here for details - let's work together.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

BY POPULAR DEMAND







After numerous requests, I finally decided to create my own version of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster popular in England during World War II. It's available in my Etsy shop in aqua, chocolate, pink and china blue. I am also able to create custom colors, so feel free to convo me if you're interested.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

PARIS AT NIGHT


(PHOTO BY JOSH HARWELL)

I was looking through my files and came across this photo of the Louvre by my brother Josh. It brings back some magical memories of walking through Paris at night with both he and my sister a few years back. I was the one who insisted on the three of us walking several miles back to the hotel....they have never let me forget it, as my sister needed to find a restroom and it took us much longer than I had projected. LOL. Good times and priceless memories - the photos that resulted aren't too bad either, as my brother is very talented. Do you have any travel photos that bring back a flood of memories for you?

Monday, November 9, 2009

NEW ELKINS CHAIR PRINT


I hope that everyone had a good weekend!
It's a new week and I am introducing a new version of my Elkins Chair - it's now available upholstered in a black and white floral fabric. Available here in my Etsy shop.

Friday, November 6, 2009

HAPPY WEEKEND!!


After a very busy week, this looks like a great place to spend a little time relaxing, doesn't it? I hope you all have a terrific weekend and I look forward to seeing you on Monday!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

A NEW KIND OF REALITY SHOW



If you haven't seen this already, you may want to check it out. The Sundance Channel is featuring a program that follows Anthropologie buyer Keith Johnson as he traipses all over finding treasures for the stores. Watch a clip of "Man Shops Globe" above.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

ARTIST'S PORTRAIT * KELLEY MACDONALD















Kelley MacDonald is a talented painter based in Tiverton, Rhode Island. I first caught sight of her pretty landscapes and colorful still lives as I was perusing the Daily Painters Website. As you all know, I am drawn like a magnet to COLOR and Kelley's brand of eye candy drew me in. I was soon transported to the beautiful seaside in New England and found myself leaving a comment on her blog. She responded with a great deal of warmth and seems like a very spunky and upbeat sort of person, both pluses in my book! She has a keen knack for capturing scenes and objects in a very textural and colorful way. She often paints in and around Cape Cod. I thought she would be a person I would definitely like to learn more about, and she has kindly obliged me with answering some of my questions about herself and her unique gift.
Where were you born? Falls River, MA, a tired old mill town in Southern Massachusetts.
What is your artistic background/training? I was an Art History major at Wheaton College, in Norton, MA, then I've been taking classes pretty much continuously for 30 (gasp!) years. Lately I've been taking workshops with artists who have reached a certain level of success, and are nationally known.
When did you first demonstrate artistic leanings? When I was about 4 years old my Nana and I used to sit on the front steps and wait for Papa to come home from work. She'd always bring a clean fresh pad of white paper and super sharp pencils for each of us. She taught me to draw houses (triple deckers) and birds in the air. She'd laugh hysterically if she were still alive to read that this is what got me 'juiced up' to become an artist! But once the bug bit it never let go, and despite family and school discouragement ("Artists can't make a living... choose something PRACTICAL.") in my heart I was always an artist.
For my 25th Anniversary, my husband took me to pick out a big easel. I was so thrilled. When I selected one, he said "Now the REAL present is that I figured a way to live without your income... you can quit your day job and just BE an artist!". I stood there and cried like a baby! It was better than any gift I ever received, and more validation than I ever hoped for. (sorry to go on about this, but for me it was HUGE)
What subject matter seems to inspire you most? Does living on the Coast influence you a great deal? Landscape and skyscapes are what first drew me in. The one wonderful thing about growing up in Fall River was that it is situated on a huge hill facing west, and going to see the sunset at the park was common, and pretty spectacular on a daily basis. The more I learned about painting the more I 'saw' - such as the reflected light on clouds, and the further reflection of light on the water. And for the past 5 years I've lived right on the water and have a sunset view which is spectacular - it's such a hook - every day, every hour of the day, a different view. I've always been partial, spiritually, to where the water meets the land. It seems holy, but I don't mean it in any particularly 'religious' way.
What about your family, tell us a bit about them? My husband and kids are very supportive. And my sister's support is important to me, too. They all turn out for Openings, and say really nice things about the work. Friends are super important, too, colleagues who are all pushing ahead with their art and willing to share. Fortunately for me, I have some really good ones!
Do particular locations inspire you? Location is not supposed to matter, but it does to me, and sometimes just a change of location gives me a jump start on the creative process. Like I'll go to Mexico and the colors leave me breathless, and I cannot wait to dip brush into color and translate what I see into a painting. I love both US coasts, and Europe, too, and Sedona... All these places inspire me to put 'my take' on them onto a canvas.
What do you feel is essential to your well-being and success as both a person and an artist? Well, for one thing, peace in my life. So I'm not stressing about this or that. So I try to let go of control over relationships and the people around me. It's easier to be happy that way, and people tend to live UP to your expectations, if you let them know you love them no matter what. And, this is probably revealing a shallow side, but I have to be in a place that 'moves' me visually. I used to live in Brighton in Boston right on the trolley line, with apartments and sidewalks as far as the eye could see. The trees were really struggling, I hardly consider them trees.. no grass or natural areas... I was depressed for the entire year we lived there. Since then we've been careful to live in areas where there was green...
You recently spent a while in Europe, painting. Where would you live if you were free to live anywhere? Oh, this is killing me! OK. Paris :), or Petaluma, CA. ... or Laguna. ...Sedona, or... Wellfleet, MA, on Cape Cod... maybe NYC... OR..... right here where I am, in the Tiverton, RI area. Sorry... this changes minute by minute - I have a gypsy soul!
What are the most challenging aspects of being an artists for you?
By far and away- time management. Sometimes procrastination is a huge issue, if I'm self doubting, I'll put off starting a project. Rejection comes with the territory, but when it first hits, my response is to be furious! Imagine them not wanting my work! But then, usually, I grit my teeth and go forward. Because I know in my heart that if I keep working, I'm going to get where I want with my art, and I really don't care deep deep down, if anyone else 'gets it'. :)
Thank you, Kelley, for sharing more on your life and work with us! Why don't you take this opportunity to check out one (or all!) of Kelley's sites??

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

SOPHIE DAHY DESIGN GIVE-AWAY



Don't miss it! Verdigris Vie is hosting a Sophie Dahy Design give-away. The prize is your choice of a beautiful arrangement at a value of up to $300. Enter now through November 15th here!

Monday, November 2, 2009

NEW CHRISTMAS CARDS



I started a holiday tradition last year of debuting at least one new set of Christmas cards a year.  My new "Merry Christmas" cards are available now in my store. The new card features a classic French chest topped with a marble bust, rose bouquet and gift packages. Above it, an old-fashioned banner reads "Merry Christmas".
They come blank inside, but custom printed messages are available for an additional fee. Contact me here for details.


Also available is last year's design that remains a classic Annechovie favorite. Both are available here.



I'd also like to thank my friend and fellow blogger, the ever-gracious Courtney Barnes for her mention and post last Friday.
 
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