Calaca IV featured

My monoprint titled Calaca IV will be part of the Featured Artwork rotation on the homepages at World Wide Arts Resources and absolutearts.com. The feature will be on August 23, 2008. The duration of the feature is one day and the rotation changes every few minutes. Please stop by at http://wwar.com and http://www.absolutearts.com on the 23rd of August and take a look at my featured artwork, let me know what you think. You can see my Premier Portfolio in progress at: http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolios/p/pharecamp/

You may also view more of my artworks at:

My website: http://www.imp-s.com/
My Etsy Shop: http://www.PhareCamp.etsy.com
My flickr photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pharecamp/

IF: Detach

I had no ideas for this week's Illustration Friday theme Detach and had pretty much given up on coming up with something. Then Wednesday afternoon when I was feeding the critters that make my backyard their home I noticed the three pullets were not following their Mama around anymore. When chicks reach a certain point in adolescence the mother hen, with the help of the horny old rooster, chases them off. There is usually much drama and these chicks are no exception. Now on their own they are more timid than usual. All teenagers are hungry yet they are too frightened by the sudden change that they wont come near me. If a bird flies overhead they run for cover and hide. It came to me that these chicks are not too please with their sudden state of detachment...

I may need to draw a new avatar...

Fuzzy Ponytail GONE!

Well I finally did it. I cut off the hair and sent it into Pantene Beautiful Lengths so it can be used toward making a wig for an adult woman going through chemotherapy.

I had originally committed to cutting it on the 27th of July as a tribute to the memory of my mother. Lung cancer took Mom in 2006, July 27 was her birthday. Well I got around to it late. I was out of town on the 27th of July so I waited until I got home to get the hair cut.

I chose Pantene Beautiful Lengths because they only ask for 8 inches of hair as opposed to other charities that demand 12 inches. Also I like that they give the wigs to adult women. There are plenty of charities that give natural hair wigs to children but not so many that give natural hair wigs to adult women.

Well that extra few weeks wait to do the cut must have made a difference because the entire ponytail was pretty darned close if not 12 inches.



Both pink shirt photos on the right show my hair in 2006 shortly after Mom's passing. The red shirt photos on the left show the new do with the one on top showing the donated ponytail.

Eight months ago when I made the commitment to cut the hair it was several inches longer but still layered (see the 1/3/2008 posting: Pledge to Cut Hair on Mom's Birthday).

For more info on Pantene Beautiful Lengths go to: http://www.beautifullengths.com/en_US/about.jsp

NFAC: A Dog's Life - contest submission

NFAC: Gracie & Austin an Original Etching by Phare-Camp Opening Bid 99 cents

This print is my entry in the eBay Nibblefest Art Contest, a themed art contest beginning on the 20th of each month. The theme for the month of August is "A Dog's Life." The winner of each month's contest is the work that recieves the highest number of bids.

This image size of this etching is approximately 4x6" on fine art printing paper that is approximately 6.75 x 9.75"

The subject of this etching is from a photo of of my grandson Austin standing in a field of wildflowers hugging my sister's dog; a mini Aussie Gracie.

This signed print is also marked A/P which indicates it's an Artist's Proof. In this case since I hand pull my prints it's a working proof that has few if any variations from the numbered edition prints.

In addition to this print I submitted 4 more works that feature dogs. A color version of this one, another dog etching with a boy and a color version of it and one of my Year of the Dog cards for 2006

Gracie & Austin a Mixed Media Etching by Phare-Camp

opening bid $25.00

Four color mixed media print edition of 75: The black line work is intaglio (etching)and the color fields are block printed.

An original print of a boy and dog by Patricia B. Phare-Camp

This is a print of the artist's grandson Austin being kissed by Gracie, her sister's little miniature Australian Shepard, in a field of Texas wildflowers.

Honey I Think One of the Neighbors is Stealing My Tomatoes Opening bid 99 cents

Hand colored open-editioned block print of my golden retriever Keya. 4" x 6"

There was this one summer where each morning as I watered the veggies I'd note which tomatoes would be ready in time for dinner. I'd go to work & return to find all the ripe tomatoes gone. I told hubby I thought someone was stealing my tomatoes so he came home early from work to investigate. As he stepped on the deck he noticed Keya running away and shaking her head violently. Worried he ran over to discover she had a tale tell tomato hooked to her fang, She was trying to shake off the evidence before he discovered her thievery! I'd have never suspected as she was arthritic and I didn't think she could cross the two foot fence around the garden. Only goes to show that pain is no barrier to a juicy tomato at the perfect peak of ripeness! Keya left us later that year and I remembered our love for her in our hand printed holiday card.

Chris & Keya; Original Dog & Boy Etching by Phare-Camp

Opening bid 99 cents

Black and white etching. 4x6" on laid print making paper. edition of 100

This is a print of my son Chris when he was 12. He and his fuzzy friend Keya were cooling off in the shade of an old mulberry tree after a rousing game of soccer.

Years later Keya left the planet a week after her boy Chris left home for basic training in the Army.

Chris & Keya; Hand Colored Dog & Boy Etching by Phare-Camp Opening bid $25.00

Mixed media print:

intaglio/etching & monoprint

4x6 edition 25

In this edition I scrape the intaglio ink into etched lines of my printing plate. After wiping the plate clean of most of the ink I hand paint ink thinned with linseed oil onto the un-etched areas of the plate. I then print the hand colored plate through the press to transfer the whole onto a sheet of print making paper.

This is a great opportunity to collect some of my animal prints at a great price and help save the environment at the same time. All of these prints were created using non-toxic printmaking technology and 20% of the sales for these items will go directly to Ducks Unlimited a non-profit wetlands conservation organization.

Please be sure to search eBay for NFAC to see more great entries from many other artists, each starting at just $0.99."

IF: SAIL

This is my entry for Illustration Friday. The theme this week is Sail. I used various decorative and handmade papers to create this collage ACEO (2.5x3.5"). While sketching this image I remembered the poem by Edward Lear titled The Owl and The Pussycat. I vaguely visualized then sketched the following ACEO.

The Owl and The Pussycat
an unfinished posthumous poem by Edward Lear

I

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

II

Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?'
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

III

'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.'
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.