Happy New Year!

Saying that this blog thing got away from me would be the understatement of the year, even on January 3rd. It's been 11 months since I last checked in. It was a year ago today that I started working for myself full-time after quitting my job in education. I'm grateful that it was a successful and very busy year, which is one reason why this blog went dormant after February 1st, 2011!

As I begin 2012, I'm in a much different place than I was a year ago, have many of opportunities to pursue, and many decisions to make about the future, both in business and personally. A lot of changes were made in 2011. I'm in a new studio, which has allowed me to work more efficiently and maintain a comfortable work/life balance. As my business has expanded in 2011, I've changed the way I work, improved my product, and allowed myself more time to draw and do creative work, instead of solely focusing on sales and production to grow the business. There was a brief point last summer where it looked like I might merge businesses with my twin brother, who does similar work a few states away from me. Ultimately, we decided to keep our work separate. Nevertheless, we are both at the point where our one-man operations need a few extra people to enable us to grow and stay focused on our creative work. We have a third brother who is interested in joining us from a sales standpoint. Still, we are all hundreds of miles apart, with no intention of moving. It will be interesting to see what happens in 2012.

Thinking about all the changes and progress that was made, it's hard to believe I've only been doing this for one year. I'm excited for the year ahead. I have a feeling this will be another year of many changes and new opportunities. I'm grateful for the support of my customers online and in stores across the country and around the globe. I look forward to all of the people I'll meet and interact with this year through my work. Happy New Year!

Snowmaggedon!

Hunkering down in Chicago waiting for the Great Blizzard of 2011! I have a lot of work to do, so as long as the power doesn't go out, let it snow. Ran to the store yesterday evening and it was craziness. I've never seen store shelves empty like they were last night. It doesn't seem like most people eat what we eat, so we we're okay. The only thing missing was the guacamole, but we'll survive. My wife's school had a shortened day today and they've already canceled tomorrow. Even adults can enjoy snow days. My dog, Marty, loves running and leaping through the snow while eating it. We give him ice cubes as treats, so he loves snow and ice. He'll sit and cry by the door to go out and eat snow. It's ridiculous. He also has allergies and licks his paws, so he often goes out with wet feet. His paws freeze up and he basically collapses in the snow. It's pathetic. They're calling for 20"+ here. If he doesn't stay upright we might lose him.

Au Naturel

Some news....

My custom framer (Cliff!) is now using Vermont Natural Coatings on all my wood frames!

"Vermont Natural Coatings protect wood with a durable shield that is environmentally safe for those who work with it and for those who live with it. By using renewable whey proteins, a natural byproduct of the dairy industry this hard-wearing wood coating meets the highest professional and environmental standards."

http://www.vermontnaturalcoatings.com/

Cool!

Free Print!

Ahh!!! I neglect you!

In the meantime, follow me on Facebook. I'm giving away a free 12x12 customized giclee print to one of my likes. Just "Like" me by September 30th, and you're entered to win!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Native-Vermont-Studio/157941047554056

And then...think about framing it up with a custom made frame. Here are some photos of my framer (and father-in-law. Hmmm.. framer-in-law?) hard at work making my beautiful black stained poplar frames.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=44028&l=2ce88fe467&id=157941047554056

Treasuries & Blogs

I've got a full day of studio work on the schedule today. Already been at it for a couple of hours. Here's a couple treasuries and blogs NVS is listed on recently. Have a visit...

http://6thstreetdesignschool.blogspot.com/

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c3b2746cff58eef56728b4b/dog-days-of-summer

http://jillianfrances.blogspot.com/2010/06/print-of-day-native-vermont-studio.html

http://www.designcrushblog.com/2009/10/artist-crush-native-vermont-studio.html

On a Jet Plane

Just got back from Istanbul. Very tired, but glad to be back in my studio. Excited to start some new illustrations this summer!

New Places

I'm back! I haven't really gone anywhere, but I've been "away". We're coming down to the final few weeks at the school where I work (my day job). In a few weeks my wife and I will travel to Istanbul, and then Greece for a wedding. We're really hoping the trip is free of volcanic ash and rioting. Actually, our last big trip like these was in Iceland, so I'm glad it's staying true to its name as the land of fire and ice.

Istanbul and Greece won't be the only new places I'll be visiting this spring and summer. Monday and Tuesday were strange days in that I was contacted by 5 gallery/stores interested in wholesale artwork. A couple of the stores were in Vermont. Others were in New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Australia. Yes, the land down under. This is good news, I'm just curious about what caused all these places to contact me within a 24-hour period. I'm looking forward to getting my work into new places--I'll list the locations on my website once the details are worked out.

I have some work in a new gallery in Brandon, Vermont. The Park Street Gallery is a new spot in the old pharmacy building in downtown Brandon. Stop in if you get a chance. My original store, Belladonna has just undergone some renovations and reopened on the first of the month. It looks great and there is some great new stuff there (including new Native Vermont Studio pieces). If you're looking for a custom designed piece email me or talk to the lovely people at Belladonna in Middlebury for information on personalizing a design. It will be the most thoughtful gift you've ever given!

I hope to be back here on a more regular basis. In the meantime, check out my wife's work at http://www.faunastudio.etsy.com.

Thinking Spring

It's been more than a month since I last updated this blog. Something tells me this is now how the whole blog thing is supposed to go. Anyway, I'm back! I'm on my second week of spring break (I know). I should never again complain about not having enough time, but I really don't! I spent last week in Mexico, which was the first time since June of last year that I went more than a couple of days without doing something related to Native Vermont Studio. I'm not sure if it made me more relaxed or stressed out from the work that piled up while I was away. When I returned last weekend I spent a few days getting my tax documents in order. That was really exciting. (sarcasm).

Received some good news yesterday -- I'll be participating in the Art Fair on the Square in Lake Forest, IL on September 5th and 6th. If you're in the Chicago area, Lake Forest is less than an hour north and located on a train stop. Take the Metra to Lake Forest, stop into The Lantern for lunch and a beer, and peruse the offerings at the Art Fair on the Square.

Things are warming up around here and I'm thinking Spring. Hoping to work on some new sketches at the end of the week, and none will include snow!

FREE FAUNA SHIPPING

A Sunday deal for everyone....today only, free shipping at Fauna Studio with the purchase of any size canvas at Native Vermont Studio. You'll receive a shipping refund on your Fauna Studio purchase. Contact me if you have any questions.

http://www.faunastudio.etsy.com
http://www.nativevermont.etsy.com

Feature Creature

The Etsy feature has been great. I've had the chance to talk to lots of awesome people with great ideas for custom pieces and those who just love dogs, Vermont, lumberjacks, and the like. Currently, my studio is a disaster and my to do list is growing, but I'm having fun.

Etsy Featured Artist

I'm honored to be Etsy's Featured artist beginning today! I've been working very, very hard since Etsy first contacted me back in December. Still, I wish there were enough hours in the day so that I could have completed all the illustrations I had hope to make in time for the feature! Nevertheless, I'm really excited to showcase my work on Etsy, and I do have lots of new pieces and new sizes! I'm always sketching new work, so follow me on twitter or this blog (which I need to do a better job updating) for updates on new pieces! I also like to share special offers like free shipping and free pieces with my followers.

By the way, if you prefer to see work in-peron, AND you're in Vermont, you can see my pieces at Belladonna, an awesome little shop in Middlebury, Vermont. My work is also at Indigo Salon in Burlington, Vermont until March 7th. Salon? You ask, well what else are you going to do while you're getting your hair done up?

If you get a chance, you should also check out some Etsy shops that have a special place in my heart.

My twin brother's shope: http://www.geministudio.etsy.com
My wife's shop: http://www.faunastudio.etsy.com
My framer/woodworker/father-in-law's shop: htt://www.vermontcliffhanger.etsy.com
My twin's spin-off shop: http://www.lifeisahighway.etsy.com

Long Weekend -- Big Day

I have a four day weekend beginning today. It's "winter weekend" at the school where I work. The timing is perfect as I have something special next week that is going to keep me busy. I can't say anything about it quite yet. Check my twitter or blog next Friday!!!

I finished a new illustration (above) this week. A bit late for Valentine's Day, but you can love all year! It's called "I'll Share My Heart With You".

Introducing...

Some new work produce in collaboration with Gemini Studio Art -- http://www.lifeisahighway.etsy.com . Customization is free!

New Design

I just finished a new Black Dog and Black Dog Ski Company piece. Looking forward to getting some other designs finished this weekend!

Portrait Day

A publication featuring my work next month asked for a photo of me and my studio, so today was portrait day. My winter hairdo needs a trim, but since my studio was somewhat clean, today was the day! Looking at the photo, I appear a bit out-of-place in those clothes. Typically when I'm in my studio I'm clad in a holey t-shirt and pants covered in varnish and ink.

I often wonder what I did with all my free time before Native Vermont. If you look at the big black dog canoe canvas behind me, you'll notice it's hanging on a cabinet. That cabinet contains my dart board. I used to use that dart board. Being that I'm a somewhat inconsistent dart thrower, it's probably best used as a canvas hanger.

New, New, New

It's been awhile. One resolution for this year is to be more on top of this blog! I'm still recovering from a busy holiday season. Things were slow on Etsy last week, but the downtime has been nice to get organized and plan for some new work.

So I'm starting the new year off with some new things. I went ahead and purchased a new mac computer and Epson giclee printer. I'll be able to work faster and do my printing in-house. Looking forward to be increasing my productivity and getting some of these new designs created in the new year. The main issue now is space. My kitchen is my studio and it was already crowded to begin with. The computer and printer will take up quite a bit of space, so we'll need to be creative with the setup.

In other new news, my wife has setup her Etsy shop, Fauna Studio (http://www.faunastudio.etsy.com ). Currently the shop carries here fused glass pendants with iron oxide graphics. The materials are really nice and I love the natural color palette. Her goal, like mine, is to offer affordable, well-crafted artwork. I think she'll have great success on Etsy! I'm looking forward to getting some of my images made into pendants using resin. Look for those in my shop soon!

The Physics of Snow

It's finals week at the school where I am an arts instructor. We do not have any exams in the arts, but are assigned to proctor other exams. I'm watching students take an Advanced Physics exam while a heavy snow falls outside the window. After today I'm done and can turn my attention to filling holiday orders and even putting some new work in my shop. It's amazing how time has flew since I opened my Etsy shop in July.

It's also amazing how tolerant my wife has been about the transformation of our kitchen into my studio. The island is now my work area and I've drilled many screws in the walls to hang pieces to dry. My previous work area was an unheated sunroom away from my computer and sketching area. It's nice to have everything in one place with easy access to the coffeemaker when my midnight stopping time ends up being 4am. I'm looking forward to creating some winter pieces and then focusing less on the seasonal work and making some of the illustrations that have now filled several sketchbooks.

December

Ugh! This blog has gotten away from me. I've been extremely busy as of late, which is great. I had a great November with my artwork on Etsy and looking forward to a busy December. I've basically hit a ceiling on the amount of work I can produce while still maintaining a day job. I had a couple of nights before Thanksgiving when I was up past 4AM. I used to be able to do that every night when I was in college. I'm not even 30 and it's painful now. The several days I was away from the studio for Thanksgiving put me further behind and has left me wishing I would have spent Thanksgiving at home. My wife and I had planned to travel over the holidays and how we're wondering if we'll be able to. I'm very glad to be busy with my work, but discouraged that I've had so little time to create new pieces. It makes me wish I had worked faster in the summer. I want to have my cake and eat it too. This is our final week of classes at the school where I teach. Looking forward to the long winter break we have an hoping to get ahead!

Hello Blog

I've been away for awhile. Not on vacation or anything like that--my studio has been so busy I almost forgot I even had a blog! October was an extremely busy month, thanks to, ironically, people who actually maintain their blogs. The more blogs that featured my work, the more people I had visiting my website and Etsy page, which, in turn, would include other bloggers who would include me on their blogs. It's interesting to see how the blogosphere is playing such an important role in helping independent artists get their work out into the world. I enjoy interacting with buyers, and not having a middleman allows me to keep my work affordable. That said, I think the galleries/stores are great to give people a chance to see the work in-person--I think that experience is important and I'm glad to support it.

Fire & Ice

Finally (almost) finished my leaf peeper print and hope to have it framed up before all the leaves are gone! Actually, it needs a few small tweaks and then it will be ready. If it were actually ready I'd have it as the photo above. Instead, due to the chilly weather, I posted my Constellations print.

I had a local fire department contact me Friday about shooting a bunch of portraits and group shots. Then tonight, I had a person contact me today about buying several of my fine art photographs. I almost forgot that I used to be a "photographer", if only because t I made photographs frequently. I've been focused on drawing since early in the summer and making and selling graphic art and illustrations has kept me busy. Would love to get back into making photographs on a regular basis.

That said, I have several drawings I'm excited about finishing up and it's my goal to have a series of kid's room/baby nursery illustrations ready for the holidays.

I had hoped to have some prints available in Stowe, but the gallery I was working with was not a great deal for me. Especially since my framed work is custom framed in Vermont using frames handmade by my father-in-law, I can't see giving 50% to a gallery right off the top. I love Etsy and using the internet and blogs to sell work. It allows me to keep my work affordable, and I like that I actually get to interact with those buying (or looking at) my work (if only via email). Did I mention my Etsy site? http://www.nativevermont.etsy.com.