pixels, light and hot wax

This Monday was the combined k-2 musical performance for the year.

Miss E demonstrates her stunning modeling “patient waiting” pose with the rest of her kindergarten class.

And Olivia, the experienced and worldly 1st grader, knows that the proper time to throw the double goat is right before the rousing “I’d like to teach the world to sing” finale.

Plus, bonus playing in the snow picture:

(That was the final test for the new camera body; it definitely needs a visit from the calibration fairy.)

Because a little peace is a good thing… I was charmed to open my inbox this morning and discover I was part of this peaceful collection curated by Emma of Sovereign Sea Designs

Redbubble.com (where I, and many other fabulous artists of my acquaintance or far-off admiration, have work up) is doing 15% off t-shirts, hoodies, canvas, and framed prints as their Black Friday special. (discount good through Monday)

So on Friday, I recommend it to your attention, in particular the work of these fine artists

And, of course, in other venues, both Tammy and I are doing free shipping sales on our respective Artfire.com shops: Steampunk Jewelry and Accessories by T.M. Originals and Photography, photoillustration and photo jewelry.

Gladiola:

(Okay, probably some of this February’s work with tulips is the most vivid, really, but I’ve already *posted* those, possibly even to past Photo Fridays.)

I am so excited — in conjunction with Sovereign Sea Designs, I had a dozen pendants made from my some of my photographs. They need to be properly individually photographed and strung before I list them on artfire, but here is a quickie pic (well, scan. It was faster than grabbing the camera) of what’s to come.

A baker's dozen of adorable photo pendants

One of the poppies is already spoken for; if you want to call dibs on one, speak quickly. They’ll be  $15 + shipping/tax as appropriate.

UPDATE: They have all been added to the shop (except the anemone bracelet, which still needs it’s bracelet constructed) and you can check them out here: Jeliza’s Photo Jewelry. Free Shipping (in the US and Canada) until Dec. 20th!

…. that I had taken the time, several years ago, to pull everything from my original hand-coded version and made a new, spiffy, wordpress version of the Gilbert and Sullivan Parody Archive back before I really understood much about wordpress sites.

And then, this week, someone e-mailed me with some new parodies. So I’ve gone in, cleaned up the place, and will start listing new material next week. (Um, and probably prettify it, and do the rounds of the G&S groups to find new stuff, and all that.)

(Because I need a project to get my head out of obsessing on the perils on entrepreneurship, but I don’t feel well enough to dig out the drawing table right now.)

I have been accepted into a new regional stock agency… specifically for work I pretty much never show anybody and tend to shoot as potential photoillustration backgrounds (city shots). Who knows if it will go anywhere, but better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, eh?

Also, I have been invited to be a pro at Norwescon this coming year. What that will mean in terms of panels, I’ve no idea at this point, but it does mean I will definitely be in the art show, hopefully with some mixed-media originals and some jewelry based on space art.

Now, if I can just manage the concurrence of myself, some of the fabulous people who have volunteered to model for me, and a studio rental I can afford, we’ll be good to go on the “making serious new art” front. But it’s looking like that isn’t going to be happening this month.

(found via Victoria and Tammy)

The artisan at the art fair:

I had originally planned to do the more traditional “starts Cyber Monday” holiday sale in my ArtFire shop, but, well, I spent the morning at the auto body shop.

SO I’ve changed the dates. From now until December 15th Free Shipping (in the US and Canada) on everything but albums. Use coupon code FREESHIP2010 (there is a reminder widget at the shop itself.)

Also, I will be adding new work over the next week, and if you would like to buy a print of an image not yet in the shop, just e-mail or convo me, and I’ll set it up.

And if you were hankering after one of the large framed pieces I’ve been showing recently, they are still available (local buyers only: King and Snohomish county), except Dandelions in Blue Vase (but I’d be happy to make another one for you, it will just take a few weeks, and I cannot guarantee the same frame style!)

It is excessively frustrating how many of the affordable, effective ways to promote a small business involve giving money to unethical corporations. I’m trying really, really hard to approach my business from a “Right Living” perspective, and it is hard, sometimes to tell where the right trade-off between “not giving money to evil” and “not doing things the business needs to survive” are.

I don’t want to give money or traffic to Facebook. I don’t really want to advertise with major players in the Wedding Industrial Complex. But I also need to reach the people for whom my services would be a life-improving thing. Offbeat Bride, vendor directories and twitter, while a decent start, does not a sufficient advertising plan make, and while I try to make helpful and useful and non-intrusive-vendor comments on the blogs I love that I think my “Right People” also hang out at, I fret about it a lot AND abandon 90% of them unfinished; I’m a visual artist, NOT a writer, I barely comment on my friend’s blogs most of the time because I’m afraid of saying something wrong. (I’m probably only going to hit publish on this because it’s 7 am and I’ve had almost no sleep.)

I want to pay my bills without compromising my ethics.