"I Love Maine", ACEO Challenge

I don't typically get involved in these types of challenges, especially since I had never really done an ACEO** before. Since I try to support my favorite ETSY team as much as I can, I thought I'd give it a try. How FUN!!!! The challenge was to create one (1) ACEO with a “Maine” theme using recycled or upcycled materials. It did not have to be 100% recycled materials, but as much as possible.

Here's my entry, which it simply titled "I Love Maine". It's made entirely of found and recycled objects. I started with real Birch bark as the background, then created a pine tree using leftover silk flower petals. The blue fabric across the bottom depicts Maine's coastline, along with a few seashells. I then added a few autumn leaves stickers at the bottom, and a gold snowflake as the sun.



This was so much fun to make and assemble - I hope I've captured the full essence of what Maine means to me (lush forests, gorgeous coastlines, and the four seasons). You can read more about this challenge, which ends on February 26, 2009. Good luck to all the other participants! :)

** What is an ACEO you ask? A.C.E.O. stands for: Art Cards, Editions and Originals. An ACEO is "always" 2.5 x 3.5 inches in portrait or landscape orientation. Small collectable pieces of original art or a signed "Open" or "Limited" Edition reproduction print by the artist. Designed on the Artist Trading Cards (ATC) which are 'traded' ...ACEO's are for sale to collectors. They allow people all around the world to collect and sell art because of their affordability and that the miniature size provides ease of shipping.

Tomato - 4 x 6"

I love painting Tomatoes, almost just as much as I love painting apples... for some reason, I tend to gravitate to these to food items the most. But the thing I love most about painting tomatoes is the variety of color you get, especially in the stem and leaves! And the nice cast shadows that they give on the curved shapes...

This painting can be purchased through my Etsy shop.

SOLD - Green Apple - 2.5 x 3.5" (mini)

I've painted apples before, and I'm particularly fond of my "Sunlit Grannies" watercolor painting from a few years ago (which recently sold, thank you very much!). After getting these cute little blank canvases, I wanted to try a different take on those apples.

Here, I focused the attention more on the stem, and strong complementary colors of the green apple, and pink background. I really like this one, and it's even nicer when it's sitting on the little mini-easel I bought for it :)

SOLD - Orange Half - 2.5 x 3.5" (mini)

While at the art store one day, I came across the most adorable blank canvases I've ever seen! They came in packages of 5, and each one was about the size of a business card. They also sold mini easels, if you wanted them... of course I wanted them!

So I splurged (yes, that was intended to be sarcastic...) on a few packages. I finally took some of them out and tried my hand at painting on these really, really small canvases.

Here's the first - a close-up of an orange cut in half. People who know my work, know that I love painting fruit (particularly erotic-looking fruit, which this one isn't... although I'm sure someone will find something erotic about it... anyone?