I'm also super excited about their sleek new product page, it's much more streamlined than before, with everything in handy tabs:
Friday, March 27, 2009
Framed Art Sale and New Product Page :)
Imagekind.com is having a 25% off framed art sale. Just use Promo Code SPRING09B - but you have to hurry - Sale ends March 30th! Start shopping today at my Wyrdhaven Gallery where I have even picked out some framing samples for you to choose from.
I'm also super excited about their sleek new product page, it's much more streamlined than before, with everything in handy tabs:
I'm also super excited about their sleek new product page, it's much more streamlined than before, with everything in handy tabs:
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Brownie - prints now available
"The Brownie" prints now available
click here to order
Prints are now available of "The Brownie" at my ImageKind Gallery. Created in the summer of 2007 in watercolor and pastel with a touch of colored pencil for dramatic effect, this Faery is in the business of keeping your house clean and free of negative energy. If you've seen the movie The Spiderwick Chronicles or read the books, then you know a bit more about brownies than the average person. I also have a nice assembly of gifts and T-shirts available at Wyrdhaven Workshop of The Brownie as well, so you can shop for cool Brownie gear now - clickity click.
Thus ends my shameless plug for the day.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The TANSTAAFL Principle at Work
Once upon a time, there were aspiring fantasy artists trying to get noticed and move their careers forward. Then along came a book publisher specializing in Fantasy Art Books who would publish their work and "give them credit" in the book in return! Wow! Free advertising! Sound's great doesn't it? Except for the TANSTAAFL principle. Because the book publisher is selling your art and you're not getting a penny, not one dime, for the thousands or even millions of books sold. But the publisher IS. Please don't give away your art, it's what keeps starving artists starving.
I'm bringing this up because I just got an email asking me for that very thing. I KNOW this publishers from years of talking to other artists, and the artists never see a dime. Here is the email received and my response. Guess what? The person sending this email is getting paid, but the artist's will not be.
As you can tell, I feel pretty strongly about this situation. Please do not give up your power, even if a more famous artist out there does. While I withheld the name of the person who wrote to me, Quarto is the publisher in question and should be avoided by all artists like the plague. They are making a profit at your expense. So don't fall for their song and dance and give them access to your talent. You don't need it. This is really just a Con to get something for nothing, from artists who can least afford it.
I'm bringing this up because I just got an email asking me for that very thing. I KNOW this publishers from years of talking to other artists, and the artists never see a dime. Here is the email received and my response. Guess what? The person sending this email is getting paid, but the artist's will not be.
Dear Beth
I am writing to you on behalf of the editors of a forthcoming book, The Fantasy Art Bible, which is due to be published by Quarto Plc in the Fall 2009.
I have a letter prepared by Quarto containing details of the book and their request. May I send it to you please?
with kind regards
(Name Withheld)
Dear (Name Withheld),
I've heard all about Quarto and I know that they don't pay the artists for the Art Books that they create, sell, and pocket money for. I'm a fine artist and I don't give my art away for other people to profit off of. As an Empath and a Healer, I'm always astounded that people are involved in stealing the dreams of artists who have already sacrificed so much of their time and energy just to create the work itself.
Then comes Quarto to make the innocent believe that by being published in a book will make their work more authentic or find a wider market, and that they should be honored just to be included. It doesn't work that way. It's a hateful and abusive business that you're in, and if you don't change your life and leave the company, may Karma come back to bite you in the ass. In the immortal words of Isaac Asimov "There Ain't Know Such Thing as a Free Lunch" so please take me off of your contact list.
Sincerely,
Beth Hansen-Buth
As you can tell, I feel pretty strongly about this situation. Please do not give up your power, even if a more famous artist out there does. While I withheld the name of the person who wrote to me, Quarto is the publisher in question and should be avoided by all artists like the plague. They are making a profit at your expense. So don't fall for their song and dance and give them access to your talent. You don't need it. This is really just a Con to get something for nothing, from artists who can least afford it.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Wyrdhaven on Facebook
If you're anything like me, and you just might be because you are reading my blog after all, you've lost time while briefly "checking" your friends pages on your facebook account. So many Aps, So little time! As a general rule, I only friend people who I've actually met in person at some point, with few very rare exceptions. But we do have a fan page there for those who are interested in my fantay art, so with no more nonsense to get in the way:
Check out the new Facebook Fan Page!
We'll try to make it worth your while, heck you can jump in and do that yourself. It is facebook after all, audience participation required. :)
Check out the new Facebook Fan Page!
We'll try to make it worth your while, heck you can jump in and do that yourself. It is facebook after all, audience participation required. :)
Friday, March 6, 2009
A Dozen New Ways to Find Your Fantasy
That's right! We've got a dozen new ways to bring myth, magic, and fantasy into your everyday life at Wyrdhaven.com with our huge website update. Three new sections are made up by twelve new pages filled with inspiration and whimsy. The links in those sections will bring you to one of our affiliate or licensing Web sites, such as EyeOfHorus.biz, where you will be able to purchase and order the product. As a result, I will earn around 5-10% of the total price, at no additional cost to you.
Our Mystic Stitch Section features:
Faery Favorites features Eye of Horus affiliate products:
As does the Myth & Magic Section:
How's that for an update! Whew, that was a lot of work, but I love the way my little site is shaping up. :)
Our Mystic Stitch Section features:
Officially Licensed
|
Faery Favorites features Eye of Horus affiliate products:
As does the Myth & Magic Section:
How's that for an update! Whew, that was a lot of work, but I love the way my little site is shaping up. :)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Dante and Me
Everybody who knows me well knows that one of my greatest artistic influences is the Romantic Movement with an emphasis on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Not only that, but I am not alone in my admiration and adoration of this cast of real life historical characters and their art. I first heard about them not in art history class, but at a small fantasy convention in Minneapolis. Terry Windling was giving a talk on them, their creed and creativity sparked my imagination and embedded itself in my subconscious. I was hooked. 
So off the the library I went, back in the day before the internet was alive. I sought out every book I could find about these artists, and I poured over every painting. As I learned about their lives and loves, their passion for art and literature, I became entranced with them all. But one artist stood out for me: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, oil painter, watercolorist, poet and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
They all loved to paint redheads, and it became quite the fashion, picked up by other artists such as Waterhouse. Being a redhead myself, I saw myself in their paintings, part of an Arthurian Myth, or as a Goddess of old. The skillful renderings humble me, I can only hope to be that good someday. As I emerged from my pile of books, I encountered other artists, just like me who loved the PRB. My dear friend Denise Garner and I spent many an hour discussing these dreamers, and we dreamed our own dreams on the long drive to GenCon, and playing fun art games to pass the time.
It was after studying some traditional painting techniques that I was commissioned to create an oil version of a watercolor I did in art school paying homage to Rossetti. The result was La Bella Rosa, an Italian sounding name to honor Dante. Like the drawing of DGR pictured above, La Bella Rosa is a self portrait, me in 2001. The nature of art is to build upon the images you see with the images you imagine and discover yourself in the process. I am still discovering myself and my many faces as I create not only art, but a record of my inspirations here in this blog.
Writing this post put me in touch with a wonderful website: The Rossetti Archive, a treasure trove of everything a Rossetti lover could ever want. My own archive lives in my heart after years of reading and sharing with other artists my admiration for this artist and the movement he founded.
So off the the library I went, back in the day before the internet was alive. I sought out every book I could find about these artists, and I poured over every painting. As I learned about their lives and loves, their passion for art and literature, I became entranced with them all. But one artist stood out for me: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, oil painter, watercolorist, poet and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
They all loved to paint redheads, and it became quite the fashion, picked up by other artists such as Waterhouse. Being a redhead myself, I saw myself in their paintings, part of an Arthurian Myth, or as a Goddess of old. The skillful renderings humble me, I can only hope to be that good someday. As I emerged from my pile of books, I encountered other artists, just like me who loved the PRB. My dear friend Denise Garner and I spent many an hour discussing these dreamers, and we dreamed our own dreams on the long drive to GenCon, and playing fun art games to pass the time.
It was after studying some traditional painting techniques that I was commissioned to create an oil version of a watercolor I did in art school paying homage to Rossetti. The result was La Bella Rosa, an Italian sounding name to honor Dante. Like the drawing of DGR pictured above, La Bella Rosa is a self portrait, me in 2001. The nature of art is to build upon the images you see with the images you imagine and discover yourself in the process. I am still discovering myself and my many faces as I create not only art, but a record of my inspirations here in this blog.
Writing this post put me in touch with a wonderful website: The Rossetti Archive, a treasure trove of everything a Rossetti lover could ever want. My own archive lives in my heart after years of reading and sharing with other artists my admiration for this artist and the movement he founded.
Monday, November 10, 2008
The Return of the King...and Elves!
Last Friday night I attended The Lord of the Rings - Return of the King viewing party at a friend's house. 
Long ago, my sister and I played hostess to the first Lord of the Rings party. It too was held on a November night, but the movie had yet to be released in the theater, so we shared what we had downloaded from the official movie website and went from there. When we finally saw it in the theater, it was an incredibly magical event!
But before the film came out, we had the joy of reading the entire series aloud with wine and cheese at the ready. The wine was from Australia because we couldn't find any from New Zealand, where the movie was being made. I bought a copy of the sound track ahead of time and listened to it while painting Merry Meet, a portrait of an elf and fairy sprite meeting in a green wood.
When I look back on that time I remember so much that was wonderful, I loved where I lived at the time and all the memories we created for our friends. Today I still cherish this painting, though the original found a new home the first time I showed it. There are still a few prints left to complete the limited print run of just 100, and now they are available in a larger size than before. I hope the future brings many more wonderful memories of fantasy gatherings as well.
Long ago, my sister and I played hostess to the first Lord of the Rings party. It too was held on a November night, but the movie had yet to be released in the theater, so we shared what we had downloaded from the official movie website and went from there. When we finally saw it in the theater, it was an incredibly magical event!But before the film came out, we had the joy of reading the entire series aloud with wine and cheese at the ready. The wine was from Australia because we couldn't find any from New Zealand, where the movie was being made. I bought a copy of the sound track ahead of time and listened to it while painting Merry Meet, a portrait of an elf and fairy sprite meeting in a green wood.
When I look back on that time I remember so much that was wonderful, I loved where I lived at the time and all the memories we created for our friends. Today I still cherish this painting, though the original found a new home the first time I showed it. There are still a few prints left to complete the limited print run of just 100, and now they are available in a larger size than before. I hope the future brings many more wonderful memories of fantasy gatherings as well.
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