Ohmigosh, it's almost Earth Day!

With all my recent training and fundraising and being out of town and getting ready (sort of) to move again.... I haven't planned anything for Earth Day! Earth Day is a very special day to me not only for obvious reasons... but it's also my anniversary :)

As of right now I know we're going to a nice local restaurant to eat. And if I remember correctly from last time, they get almost all of their food locally so I can feel good that it's one of the most eco-friendly dining establishments in town. Oh, and it's only 2 blocks away... so we'll DEFINITELY be walking there!

In the spirit of being GREEN, I'll try and come up with a few posts this week!

For now, here is a neat article on 7 things you can do for Earth Day that actually matter :)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/19/7-things-you-can-do-for-e_n_541165.html


Another eco-friendly suggestion... Mother's Day is next month. Why not buy your mom something lovely and handmade from Etsy? I saw this adorable hat today, and it's one of those kinds of things that I always see girls my age (and younger) wearing, but was never quite sure if I could pull it off... or where to even find one. Well now I know, they're in SturmDM's shop on Etsy!

It's a great gift for ladies of all ages since this style is timeless (and the flower is even removable):

Buy this hat Here!!

That's all for now... I'll be back with some more eco-friendly ideas for Earth Day!

Commission Piece Finished!

Pollinators Diptych

A friend of my husband's contacted me last month about creating a couple of paintings for her baby twin girls' bedroom. I love doing art for kids, so I jumped at the opportunity!

She was able to give me a lot of great information from which I could work. Things like: the colors she was looking for (pinks, greens, and purples, with touches of yellow and white), and a couple of photos of the existing decor in the girls' room. She also expressed a lot of interest in the style of art from my fire hydrant- so more illustrative and cartoony rather than realistic. I had a great time painting the hydrant (taking a break from my usual style), and knew I'd have fun doing something similar again!

Starting with the background blends. You can see my digital rendering on the computer screen behind me...

Surprisingly the paintings didn't go as quickly as I had hoped- it turns out I had to do a lot of double or even triple coats with the paint I was using. I also noticed that when I'm painting something in my usual way, like a big flower, I can be more messy and no one is going to know :) I blend the colors and then go over and over them with watery coats of paint to perfect the blend. It's a very, VERY forgiving process! When you've got precise outlines and shapes you're working with, you don't have as much wiggle room. It wasn't a bad thing, just different, and now I have a better understanding of how long things will take if I embark on one of these kinds of projects again.

Kleenex Extending Middle Finger toward Earth

Hooray!...

Just in time for Earth Day! :)

As if we needed another way to generate useless garbage, Kleenex has now introduced *new* disposable hand-towels!! Yeah, like you see in public restrooms. But for your home! Because I know the closer I can make my home bathroom to a public restroom, the more fulfilled my life will be.

I'm guessing these ads are targeting the germaphobe-paranoid-about-swine-flu-audience. A little late on that one, but whatever. The ad on TV says something along the lines of, "Your hands are only as clean as the towel you use to dry them. Why use the same one over and over?"

WHY?!?!?

Because using a brand new one each and every time is a waste of paper? (And every other resource that went into making it.)
Because using a brand new one each and every time is obviously more expensive?
Because using a brand new one each and every time just feeds into this disgusting mentality of "everything is disposable! let's constantly have all new stuff!!" that most of society is so obsessed with?

From their "Sustainablility Efforts" page... hehehe.

"Our cartons are fully recyclable with the poly insert attached. They are accepted at recycling facilities across the country."
Gosh, we can recycle their boxes- how very green of them!
....Why not make the boxes FROM recycled materials to begin with?

More on their efforts...
http://www.kimberly-clark.com/aboutus/sustainability/sustainability_home.aspx

But of course, it's almost always a more ecofriendly choice to reduce, reuse, and recycle- which means to NOT have to use new stuff at all. Encouraging this throw-away culture with a brand new product just seems so wrong.

My apologies that this isn't art related, but it's been a while since I did a Green Post (or today LACK thereof). This got to me today.

.

Oh Hai!

If you didn't know, Earth Hour is this Saturday, March 27!

Read all about it here:

https://www.myearthhour.org/home

Addendum to LLS Fundraiser!

I'll be working until at least Mid-May to help raise funds for cancer research!

I'm now also offering *just prints* (no frame) for this fundraiser, too! You can get any of my "30 Bugs in 30 Days" series for a $5 donation per insect! :)
Pick out your bugs by clicking HERE!

The printed bug graphic will be standard ACEO size of 2.5" wide x 3.5" tall, with a printed colored border all the way around, as shown to the left.

To order a print (or 2 or 3...) you can comment on this post or send me an email to:
samanthasartstudio@verizon.net



Please let me know:
1. Which bug(s) do you want?
You can give me the number or the name of the bug- if I'm unclear I'll send an email back to confirm before I print!

2. What color border would you like?
There are a couple of ways you can tell me the color of your choice.
#1: You can specify a color in the image that you want the border to match (for example in the cicadas print above, you could specify the border to be the same green as the leaves.)
Or...
#2 See the color chart below and use the color code written in each block to specify a color. For example, if you want a light lime green border, you could tell me "99FF66". If the color chart is fuzzy, just click on it and you'll see it more clearly.

If you're ordering more than one print, let me know if you want a different color border on each print or I can make all of the borders the same color for a good sense of unity, if you're hanging the pictures all together!

3. What size would you like?
You can get either a 5"x7" or a 4"x6", both standard "off the shelf" frame sizes easily found at almost any store!

4. Go to my Team in Training/LLS fundraiser page and make your donation.
Using this page to make a donation ensures 100% of your contribution goes directly to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!
http://pages.teamintraining.org/cpa/nervetri10/sgallagm0a
Please be sure to include an email address where I can contact you when you make your donation :)
When I receive an email notification that the donation has been made, I'll send you an email to confirm the order, address, and anything else!