I love this painting. I almost kept it.

I got a request for a custom painting back in May. I haven't been doing custom work lately, but I liked the idea, & I made it clear that I wouldn't have time to complete it until June, which was reportedly fine.

June came. Painted gorgeous painting. Became completely smitten with it.

E-mailed the recipient. Got no response.

E-mailed again, about half a dozen times over the next six weeks. Have not heard a word.

Have attempted to page them here & on Twitter. Still nothing. Maybe they're trapped under something heavy, but as there was no deposit on this painting, their loss is your gain.

They were warned that if it was not claimed by August it would be going up for public sale on Etsy.

So here you go:


twilight fireflies


( side view behind the cut )


A shimmering festival of fireflies & stars over a twilight cornfield. The photos don't do it justice, the color is marvelous & shimmery.

Acrylic, ink, crackle medium & metallic pigment on cradled board. The color wraps around the edges.

It is 8"x8" & 3/4" deep. It is listed for $225 which includes shipping anywhere in the world.


And it is very likely the last custom piece I will be painting for a long, long time.

After a lot of pondering on what to do as far as prints of the tarot minors go, I came to what I think is the best decision.

Rather than listing all 56 (& happy squirrel) minors separately, I will be printing tarot minors individually to order.


The Etsy listing is here. Prints are $36 each including US shipping. You can specify which minor (or minors) you would like in the notes to seller at checkout.


I will only be doing 100 tarot minor prints, total. Some may be printed multiple times, others might never be printed, but when I get to 100 total I'll be pulling the listing. So yes, these are limited.





Feel free to ask any questions!

And before you ask *that* one, no, I don't have full deck publishing information yet. I'm working on it. The novel is, as always, eating my life and it gets to be the "real" job lately since it actually involves an agent and deadlines and fun things like that.

I will absolutely post here as soon as I have any information about the complete deck publication. In the meantime, I suggest you get the Shadowscapes Tarot because it is gooooorgeous. My copy is sitting on my desk right now.

ONE.

I am going to start doing very limited edition prints of the Phantomwise Tarot Minors. Limited to 100 prints total, custom printed to order. Will have this up & running via Etsy by the end of the month, will post links & details when I have them.


TWO.

If you are the person who ordered a custom painting from me in May, which I said I could not get to until mid-to-late June which you agreed to, please contact me. I've now sent three e-mails that have gone unanswered, and I have a really lovely painting languishing on a shelf.

If I don't hear anything by the end of the month, there will be a really lovely painting going up on Etsy for public sale.


THREE.

My spam filter tends to be grumpy, especially with things sent through the form on phantomwise.com. If you write me and don't heard back within a week or so, please try again (direct e-mail is phantomwise at gmail) or leave a comment here.

<3
e.

Took the week off from the internet to work on novel revisions, but mostly ended up getting everything that was *not* novel revision off of the to-do list, including one gift painting, one custom painting, and this:






postcards from the gods: kali ma



( reverse behind the cut )

5.5"x3.5" photograph of a silver skull that usually lives on bookshelves or windowsills, surrounded by white roses. Color extremely adjusted in PhotoShop, printed & mounted on "post card" board, distressed, splattered with metallic paint & varnished.

Available on Etsy for $100.


Hadn't actually planned to do this one right now, but I knew I wanted to do a skull & flowers thing, and I had the roses so there you go.

Am full-time writing for the next month or so, but I'll post images of the other paintings once they've reached their respective owners.

Firstly, Rapunzel had an accident. She fell off the shelf I was keeping her on and dented two corners, so I had to do emergency painting surgery.

You seriously cannot tell that there was ever anything wrong, the paint is so textured that the repairs blend right in. Still, I feel lousy about it so she's now discounted on Etsy. She was $200, now she's $165. If you're interested in purchasing & want to see photos of the repairs just comment or convo me over there.

Secondly, and most of you likely know this from reading it elsewhere, but as of the end of May, I have a literary agent. Details of the long strange trip are over on erinmorgenstern.com.

It is a big deal and I am thrilled to bits and still occasionally squee about it softly to myself, even though it's had plenty of time to sink in.

It also means the writing-time-trumps-art-time thing is not going to change in the foreseeable future. I am still keeping up with Etsy & I'll likely be having a print sale in July but otherwise it'll likely be quiet around here.

I am also no longer doing custom work. I have one custom order in the queue and when that's done, that's it.

I am still looking into getting a full deck of the Phantomwise Tarot published, I will hopefully have news on that front before the end of the year.

So, busy busy, happy happy. Hope all y'all are well!

I can't believe I haven't posted here since March.

Well, yeah, I can. Haven't had much new on the art front, been sequestered in writing land and trying to keep Tessa from chewing electrical cords, which is more or less a full-time job (I am actually doing so as I type.)

Mostly still over on erinmorgenstern.com, stopping by here because I have a new postcard from the gods.

postcards from the gods: loki


( reverse behind the cut )

3.5"x5.5", distressed photograph of my artist's model hand & playing cards mounted on board with metallic paint. It is available on Etsy for $100.


Still working on finding a publisher for the tarot deck, still writing more than painting, still trying to get Tessa from chewing on the electrical cords.

<3
e.

Having very appropriate lousy Smarch weather for the Ides of March today. Still kind of soggy from the South Boston St. Patrick's Day parade yesterday, too. Curling up in my coffee cup today to listen to the rain.

And I am having a teensy little Ides of March sale. I dug out some very old paintings the other day and I've listed a few of them on Etsy at extremely low prices.

• bast & sekhmet, originally from 2006 & showing some wear are available as a set for $66
  
• suspended in teatime, originally from 2007, is available for $85.
  
• meditating with thoreau, originally from 2006, is available fr $115.

All prices in USD, and they'll stay at those prices until they're sold. Perpetual Ides of March Sale, but hopefully it will stop raining eventually.


In related news, I am now a proud member of the best-smelling team on Etsy, TeamBPAL! Yay! I'm on a team!

We're an eclectic bunch of BPAL-adoring Etsy sellers & we're only just getting started but there's a TeamBPAL blog & twitter up & running already. It's making me want to paint things inspired by my favorite BPAL scents.

Which reminds me I should really order a back-up bottle of Saint Foutin de Varailles, cause I'm in wine-y frankincense beeswax love with that scent.

I know, I said I was going to do this in December. Lately I'm a lying liar who lies, have you noticed? I think I need to make a new rule that states I will never ever specify *when* anything will be completed. Ever.

But the aces, having sat on my table waiting patiently to be re-detailed for weeks now, are all shiny and polished up.

Here are the all smooshed together versions, old:



(Damn, my worktable was clean back then. It took me a minute to figure out that photo was indeed taken on the table and not on the floor.)

And new:



The tarot minors gallery has been updated with the new versions.

Mostly I just wanted them to pop a bit more, for some reason I can't recall they were all fuzzy-edged and not particularly sharp. And I never liked the cup for the ace of cups, so that got a big old stripey makeover.

Much more pleased with these now. Will be pursuing full deck publishing options as soon as possible, but I am currently stuck in the Revisionland Hotel trying to fix my poor broken apart novel and that has to take priority right now. Rest assured that any & all tarot news will be posted here as soon as I have it.

Valentine Sale


<3 <3 <3




rainy day lovebirds print normally $25, on sale for $20
the phantomwise tarot lovers print normally $33, on sale for $28
love letters from the queen of hearts to the king of hearts and vice versa - a set of two moody mixed media paintings, was originally $265 for the set, was on sale for $165, now on ubersale for $115


All sale prices valid through February 14th

I knew from the beginning of the Phantomwise Tarot that I wanted to do a Happy Squirrel. I mean, it's a tarot card invented by The Simpsons, so how could I not?

Seems an appropriate day to have finished it, too, what with the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons tonight.

The Happy Squirrel originated in the "Lisa's Wedding" episode, when she encounters a fortune teller. Exchange as follows:

Woman: I've been waiting for you, Lisa.
Lisa: (gasps) How did you know my name?
Woman: Your nametag. Would you like to know your future?
Lisa: Heh, sorry, I don't believe in fortune telling. I should go.
Woman: What's your hurry? Bart and Maggie and Marge are at the joust, and Homer is heckling the puppet show.
Lisa: (gasps) Wow, you can see into the...present.
Woman: Now we'll see what the future holds.
[turns over a card from what looks like a Tarot deck]
Lisa: (gulps) The "Death" card?
Woman: No, that's good: it means transition, change.
Lisa: (relieved) Oh.
[turns over another card]
Lisa: Oh, that's cute.
Woman: (gasps) "The Happy Squirrel"!
Lisa: (timid) That's bad?
Woman: Possibly. The cards are vague and mysterious.

And since then a number of tarot decks have added a Happy Squirrel to their ranks. What does it mean? Well, I don't really know. The cards are vague and mysterious. But personally, I think this squirrel is up to something.

the happy squirrel


He's more of a red squirrel than a grey, because the red ones have those fabulously evil-looking tufty ears. And he has an acorn, but it's difficult to discern. So perhaps he only thinks he has an acorn. Or wants you to think he has an acorn.