Diane Clancy's Art Blog

The ACEO Bounty Etsy group has contests where people can win Art Cards, ACEOs (2.5 x 2.5″ art).  I am totall thrilled to be the big winner for this 2 month period – I have won 9 ACEOs and 1 ACEO mat!!  Quite a variety of different artists and styles.  The ACEO Bounty group at Etsy has a lovely blog with lots of information about Art Cards, ACEOs – The ACEO Bounty Blog.   I am thrilled to be included in this post announcing the winners!! You can see one of the 9 – yes 9 Art cards I won for FREE!! Wow!  Thank you!

Today is Blog Action Day 2009.  October 15th is the annual day for bloggers all over the world to unite together to spread the word about this important issue – of CLIMATE CHANGE!  Almost 10,000 bloggers from 150 countries have participated so far! Dealing with Climate Change is crucial to the survival of humankind.

Earth Day, Digital © Diane Clancy

This vibrant, colorful painting of Earth Day shows humankind taking the extraordinary leap that we need to take to make the changes we need.  All the personal things so many of us are doing – driving more slowly, turning down the heat, eating locally – are all important and we need to each continue our efforts!

BUT war wrecks total havoc on the environment.  Peace is much healthier for the earth – besides for “children and all other living things.”  The environmental impact of war is terrible!! The fighter jets, bombs, wreckage of buildings, transporting many troops and supplies … all take a large toll on the earth.  I KNOW it is terrible with the human cost – and I am so sorry for all of us who have been impacted with human loss by war (which includes most of us) … AND the toll of war on the earth is terrible also.

This is yet another reason we need to strive to create peace – for all of us and also  the home we call earth!!

Thank you for stopping by!

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Sue O’Kieffe of Sacred Circle Mandalas (http://sacred-circle-mandalas.blogspot.com) has a wonderful giveaway!!  Here is the post with the details.  It is very simple to enter and she creates FANTASTIC mandalas!!  Don’t know what they are?  Go check out her blog!

Sue’s Mandalas Giveaway

Sue has started selling her lovely mandalas!!  Check it out!! Sue has a great newsletter she just started too.  It is easy to sign up for it when you enter (if you like – no pressure).  Thank you for checking Sue’s giveway and mandala’s out!! How are you doing? Thank you for stopping by!

~ Diane Clancy

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Today is a Day of Remembrance in the US.  Remembering all those who have served to protect people and to bring peace to the world – who have served in the military – and who have often paid the price with their lives.  Thank you for your service that you have given over the years – that service which has protected many people. This vibrant, colorful painting seemed particularly appropriate to honor these brave men and women.  There are others I would also like to Remember today.

Remember all those peace and justice activists who dedicated their lives, and sometimes also died, in the service of creating peace and social justice, here and the rest of the world.

Underground, Tempera © Diane Clancy

Remember those who have dedicated their lives to protecting the earth and the environment – they are blessed for striving to live in harmony with the planet that allows us to live.

Remember those who protect, educate, and inspire children – those who work so tirelessly to make sure our wonderful resource of the next generations have a good foundation.

Remember those in the military who have stepped outside their official roles to touch others’ lives at the deepest level and build human, emotional bridges across differences and pain.

Remember those who dedicate their lives to providing health care to others, who assist those who are suffering from illness and pain.  Remember those who strive to make sure all receive good health care.

Remember those who grow our food – the farmers who plant and care for the food, the workers who harvest the food so that we may all eat.  Thank you for allowing us to live.

Remember those around the earth who are working to create their vision of peace and social justice wherever they are.  Remember those who struggle against tyranny and oppression and work to create freedom.

Remember those who create art, music, theater and more – to inspire us and remind us that there is more to life than living.

Remember those who heal and bring spiritual nourishment into the earth and humankind – they give us vision and help create this dream.

Remember each of those that touch our lives, each day, in so many ways.  Thank you to those who touch my life by reflecting to me that I make a difference to you with my art, writing and vision.  Thank you!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Diane Clancy, vibrant colorful painting, tempera, love, peace, justice

The Artists of Franklin County, a local group that I coordinate, have been having Artists Window Exhibits (AWE Project) since 2006.  We have a current one going on for the month of May.  Local artists are putting our artwork in local windows and on indoor walls to beautify Greenfield and to help build the Creative Economy.  Last time we included work by the students from the local high school.  This time we included people who are receiving services in the community.

Bryant Stewart at Opus, Photography © Susan Elkin

We sent out lots and lots of press releases and here is a great writeup in the weekly paper.  They took most of it word for word from the press release which is great (that they used it, not that I wrote it great)!  Here is the link I could find to show you the whole article.  In the print paper they also included 4 of the images that I sent them.  Now that I have seen it, of course I need to write them a thank you note. Some of it is below:

<Quoting from the Town Crier (and our press release)>

The Artists of Franklin County are presenting Greenfield with their extraordinary art for the entire month of May. Storefront windows up and down Main, Federal and Miles Streets will offer amazing artwork as local artists share their work with the community. The exhibit will begin on May 1 and run until June 1. This display of art is presented free of charge to the community by the Artists of Franklin County in conjunction with the Greenfield Business Association and Fostering the Arts in Franklin County. Anyone interested in purchasing art on display is asked to contact the artists directly.

The Artist Window Exhibit (AWE) has been showcasing artwork in Greenfield since 2006. AWE brings together area artists and local businesses to enhance the experience of Greenfield by seeing artists’ work in downtown windows. These exhibits have been very successful in the past, with positive feedback from artists, residents, visitors and shop owners.

Margaret Soussloff is displaying her work with AWE for the first time. Margaret says, “I work in Greenfield and walk down Main Street almost daily. While I walk I gaze in the windows, looking with my artist’s eye. I’ve enjoyed immensely the artwork displayed in store windows. It occurred to me, I could show my own art. That prompted me to take the plunge and have my art on display as part of AWE.”

<End of Quote>

It is pretty exciting to see our AWE Project in the paper!! Really fun! Particularly such a large spread!  This Wednesday Susan Elkin and I are going to be doing another TV piece at the local access TV station (GCTV).  Luckily it will be short since each of the people who received grants from the Local Cultural Council will be doing a brief piece.  All this is fun, exciting, frustrating, tiring and rewarding.  Thanks for stopping by!!

~ Diane Clancy

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This vibrant, colorful painting was created for the 2009 WWAO Swap (Worldwide WOmen Artists Online).  It is an Art Card, ACEO (2 1/2 x 3 1/2″).  This one is called Shimmering Fields. It is a different style from the other flower pastels … I was playing around.  The original is gone, but prints are available.  Do you have a preference for one style over the other?

Today Susan Elkin and I went to the offline, real life meeting of the Western Mass (US) Street Team.  It was cool to meet some of the other Etsy sellers.  Search for the tag “WMass Team” if you want to see some work from this dynomite group!  Here is my shop and here is Susan’s shop.

Shimmering Fields, Pastel © Diane Clancy

WWAO on the site says “Worldwide Women Artists is an international collective of women artists showing and selling our work through the worldwide web. As women artists, we give birth to our ideas in a variety of styles and media. We embrace the diversity of each other’s work, celebrating the joy of creating our art and sharing it with the world. We welcome female visual artists from all over the world who create and sell their own original art.”

Thank you for stopping by!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Diane Clancy, vibrant colorful painting, pastel, ACEO, Art Card, WWAO, Etsy, Western Mass Etsy Stret Team, Susan Elkin

Painting Paradise has a fantastic newsletter – and Marionette featured me and my vibrant, colorful paintings in this current issue.  Here is the issue so you can read it – this is the online version of my personal copy. Marionette has  a wonderful site also! You can read all sorts of information in the newsletter about Marionette’s different painting and creative ventures – well worth the read.  Keep reading to hear some of what Marionette said about me.

Marionette then continues with the interview, some very kind words about me, my vibrant, colorful paintings and then shares some of my shops. You can see it online and connect to any of the links.  Thank you, Marionette!! Thank you for stopping by.  Thank you for being part of my life!!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Diane Clancy, vibrant colorful painting, Painting Paradise Newsletter, Marionette

This Earth Day vibrant, colorful painting shows humanity taking a leap into our next level of awareness so that we may live more in harmony with our environment.  Today is Earth Day – let’s all do what we can to make this planet and ourselves healthy for humanity and all living beings!!  Each step we make helps ourselves and all others!   Many of us are in the process of being more aware, concerned and thoughtful about multiple issues.  It is amazing all the wonderful groups and concerns that come into my InBox at Facebook.  Pretty incredible and inspiring.  Many of us are working to make our foot print on the earth smaller … and looking for more ways to reduce our impact.  Yay for all of us participating in this consciousness!  And there is so much left that we still need to do.

Hopefully with the new leadership in the US taking a role in leading the way with these environmental realizations, there will be lots more progress.  It is so important that we do this at the micro and macro levels!!  Thank you to everyone who contributes to caring for the earth!  What do you do to contribute to caring for the Earth?  What do you want to do in the future?  What would you like to do but just can’t imagine doing?  Any thoughts are appreciated!

Earth Day, Digital © Diane Clancy

Today most of the day has been spent resolving the stressful situation.  I think now it is clear what the issues and outcome are – I don’t like them but they are set.  Some things could get changed and some not.  After knowing, it becomes necessary to accept what cannot be changed and move on to creating and living a life of joy as much as possible!  Thank you for stopping by!!  I would love to hear how YOU are!

~ Diane Clancy

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Quoting from the site “In an effort to remember them, Holocaust Museum Houston is collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies. The butterflies will eventually comprise a breath-taking exhibition, currently scheduled for Spring 2012, for all to remember. As of Summer 2008, we have already collected an estimated 400,000 butterflies.”

You can read about and participate in this incredibly powerful and important project.  You can read the details on the site or at the site of Staci Rose of Staci Rose Designs. Staci is a creative artist and she is coordinating the contributions to the Butterfly Project from WWAO (Worldwide Women Artists Online).  Here is her post where she shares details that any individual or group can send their creations to.  Anyone, anywhere in the world is welcome to contribute … and the guidelines are simple and clear.

Butterflies I, Digital © Diane Clancy

These are 2 of the contributions I am making.  I have 5 digital paintings of butteflies that I am giving and 4 little ones in traditional mediums.  They are all ACEOs.  I felt pretty clumsy using the watercolors, markers, pastels, ink and crayons that I did use, but I figure that what really counts in something like this is the intent.  And I wanted to really contribute to this Butterfly Project.  Sometimes I do create in a naive style I guess … but that is often what comes out.

Butterfly Project IV, Sketch © Diane Clancy

As I mentioned, we of WWAO are going to make a contribution toward the Butterfly Project.  Here is some information about us: WWAO on the site says “Worldwide Women Artists is an international collective of women artists showing and selling our work through the worldwide web. As women artists, we give birth to our ideas in a variety of styles and media. We embrace the diversity of each other’s work, celebrating the joy of creating our art and sharing it with the world. We welcome female visual artists from all over the world who create and sell their own original art.”

I would love to hear your thoughts about how you might honor this process of acknowledging this event to recognize all these children perishing.  Such pain to the soul of this earth and humanity! The deadline isn’t until June 30, 2011 … so you have plenty of time to get involved.  I want to thank the museum and people for giving us all this opportunity.  I would love to hear from you!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Diane Clancy, vibrant colorful painting, Staci Rose, Butterfly Project, Holocaust Museum Houston, Holocaust, WWAO, Worldwide Women Artists Online, naive style