Callie Art on Etsy!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CallieArt Just sold!

I opened my Etsy store in hope that it would expose my art to a wider audience and be an easy way for people to have access to purchasing my artwork. As the years went by Etsy became more and more infiltrated with other "Callie's". Putting Callie into the search did not bring my store into view, but rather a vast array of other Callie artwork. How does one become more successful in showing up on top of the list I pondered. Apparently key words are essential in your descriptions. Also posting your etsy store on other platforms, such as your website and blog. Which brings me here, to this day, writing about my Etsy store to make people aware of its very existance.

Last night, much to my surprise, I made a sale! It showed up as an e-mail informing me of the purchase. Last time I made a sale on Etsy was the night before my father passed. The buyer's name was Ceila, my dad's mother's name. I took this as a sign, and I ran with it. First thing the next morning I ran to the post office to send the purchase off. Right before getting into the subway to visit my dad in the hospital my younger brother called my cell to tell me of dad's passing. Etsy was the conduit to my Nana, telling me everything was going to be alright, she was there for my dad. Strange story I know, but this is a blog of free expression.

And so I am back to believing in my Etsy shop and will be adding new work to it as much as possible. I acutally love shopping on Etsy. It allows you to work directly with artists, cut out the big stores, and find some incredible one of a kind pieces. A great place to scour for gift ideas. I highly recommend it!

Cheers! Callie CallieArt.com https://www.etsy.com/shop/CallieArt

Experimenting with art

Playing in photoshop one day, I started taking parts of the painting and rearranging them. This one above is one of my favorite outcomes. It is gentle, gives the hint of architecture and people hiding behind windows. Taking a creation one step beyond, or in today's terms, painting 2.0. I was happy with the outcomes, but not so sure that they warrant showing as a new photoshopped painting. What they do offer me is an analysis of my work and allow me to re-create how I am presenting it.

I find myself still in isolation after a year, working from home, and learning how to keep healthy, happy and to cohabitate with patience.

Be safe, stay sane and enjoy what you have. Cheers, Callie

Being an Artist - Enter juried shows!

My submission for keeping masks out of our seas. Using art as a social message, utilizing photoshop to keep the integrity of the original piece.

To have your art be seen, you need to get your work out there. Find lists that have open calls and choose work that suits your focus. Make sure to read through the rules and weigh out the application costs of some. Free submissions are best, but many galleries curate group shows to help keep their galleries afloat. The benefits of group show are a wider audience for your work. Exposure is your best friend when starting out, but focus on shows close by, you do not want to also have to deal with shipping and insurance costs. Search on visual artist open calls. I found a few that way:

TheArtGuide.com
Artist.callforentry.org

Happy searching! CallieArt.com

Happy New Year! 2021 can not come fast enough!

Life vs Death, taken at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY. 2020

Choose life, stay masked, get your vaccine, and slowly we will return to a time when we can see our friends again. I miss my peeps. My nieces and nephew are showing zoom fatigue more then the adults. I hate that I can not visit my neighbors without an uncomfortable mask on. I do not believe in safe pods, we are out and about too much to be truly safe.

We all have a unique view on our ideas of risk, it is challenging to sometimes understand how some think that they are invinceable. I have all my necessities delivered if I can, wine being my favorite. I realize how much I really am a social animal, even though I am always seeking isolation to paint, I require a balance. Extremes in anything is unhealthy for the human mind and body. So do what works for you, but remember, we are all in this together and just because you think you will not get covid, does not make it reality. Magical thinking only goes so far when science is involved.

Stay safe, looking forward to seeing you in the new year! Cheers, Callie

Pandemic Photography, Dec. 2020

This year has been a strange pivot in reality. Staying in my home and painting is like I was handed a artist residency! (I was able to do my day job from home, so was lucky that way financially). I created the series titled: pandemic daydreams, and it has already been shown in LIC, NY. Shown to whom, who knows, but it was a two month show in May. 2020. I was granted the space a year ago, and was not about to give up my time slot due to some pandemic. I dropped the paintings off wearing a mask and gloves, and the manager took on the job of hanging the show in the hip youth hostel. They remained open to customers, and have a lounge and coffee shop type storefront. So, who knows who is still traveling about and staying in Long Island City during the pandemic. Originally I had been so thrilled to secure a two month show, and in warm weather months! That was before the pandemic hit and changed life as we know it.

I also went out walking, almost everyday. I live by Green-Wood Cemetery, and can easily make my way out to Rockaway beach via car. The photograph of WSQ Park, in NYC, was taken on my trip in to do three doctor visits in one day. Yes, quite proud of being able to arrange such a feat. This is my life during the covid-19 pandemic of 2020-2021.

Stay safe, wear your mask and stay away from people as much as humanly possible. Cheers, Callie

A visit to Shirley Chisholm State Park, Brooklyn NY

Such an amazing park created on a landfill site. Right on the water, it allows for both land and sea strolls.

Prints are available at: coronavirus seawall, fall 2020 @Shirley Chisholm State Park. Available for purchase at Imagekind.

The Sphinx Moth caterpillar discovered.

And a wonderful array of types of crabs.

Thank you for viewing. Cheers, Callie

Inculsion in the Feminist Studies Journal, Fall 2020

pandemic daydreams was created during the period of March 2020 thru July 2020, and continues on. Encouraged by the series, I hope to work on a larger scale and really push my comfort level. Funny thing is, my comfort level is being pushed most everyday due to the pandemic. Remembering to put a mask on whenever I leave my apartment, not seeing friends and family, and doing my day job at my living room table. I am learning to adjust and be ok with things being different, uncomfortable. As we move forward my skills at finding less crowded places to go and getting good deals for food staples on line are benefiting me greatly. Zoom calls are becoming more comical and I am getting to do yoga and pilates!

We all must find a comfort level in all this madness. Stay safe and vote!

Namaste Callie CallieArtcom