Figure with Flowers ~ Diadem ~ Wotartist ~ Facebook ~ Art Blog

NFS
18" x 24"
Acrylic on watercolor paper
This week I was notified that my art work been accepted from the http://Wotartist.com site. Wotartist was voted one of the top 50 web sites in the Times poll, a roundup of the most interesting sites of the year. At Wotartist you can search for an artist by genre or by the artist's name. For a ex-librarian this is hard to understand but their entries are alphabetical using the first name. So I would look for me by Nancy Standlee instead of Standlee, Nancy. Here is my listing http://www.wotartist.com/directory.asp?Author=Nancy%20Standlee

When you mouse over the painting an image will appear. If you click it takes you to the blog site. If you’re interested in looking at art of any kind, it can probably be found at Wotartist.
My big objection to the Times site was that I could never find a way to print their poll off. I ended up doing a print screen to get them down on paper as I think this would be a very good list to refer to.
If you want to vote for Wotartist you can here. You can rank the Times' picks.

This elegantly designed portal is a beautiful introduction to artist websites from around the world. Listings are organized by region (Americas, U.K., Europe, Australia, Asia/Middle East) and directory pages list types and genres (sculpture, painting and photography; Figurative, Surrealism and Expressionism). They are clues that are to be explored—moused over, really—so you can discover who, and what, lies beyond. Trigger the pop-up windows to see the artist's name and a sample piece. One click takes you to that artist's website, where you can see more images of their work, learn about gallery shows and get other information. Whether you're a serious collector or just plain curious, it's fun to hop from Nick Milliner's animations (listed as "Weird" on the U.K. page) to bright clay pots by Pippin Drysdale (ceramics, in Australia). But if you're looking for a particular artist, just Google him or her, as there's no search-this-site option. If you're an artist who needs help designing a website to showcase your work, Wotartist has a Wotdesign team for hire. Another site that can quickly suck you in: Getty Images' 10 ways, 10 separate, uniquely structured virtual paths through one immense collection.

Who could resist reading about the 25 sites we can’t live without?

Scroll down and you’ll see the 5 worst web sites. Wouldn’t you love to have the time to explore the 50 best, 25 that we can’t live without and yes, even the 5 worst.

From the Wotartist web site:

About wotartist

Wotartist is unique in being an artist directory run voluntarily by artists themselves. It is a non-commercial site, with the sole aim to promote some of the best artists currently exhibiting on the internet. Designed with ease of use foremost as a consideration, we hope that the buying public, publishers, art students and art agents will all find wotartist a useful tool. Please contact directly with individual artists if you are interested in their work and send selective artists e-cards - which can be used for all occasions. New artists are actively sought out and added to this site daily, so please visit frequently to discover new and exciting art work.

Locate an artist

• Use continent region links to browse for artists.
• The drop down list of genres allows for a more specific look at the artists listed.
• A further detailed search can be made by using the search box. Try searching by using the first few letters of a name, or a specific location and e-card to select all artists with e-cards to send.

I found it interesting that FaceBook was not listed in Time's top 50 web sites but it was included as #9 as the 25 we can't live without. Some of us from Canvas by Canvas have joined Facebook and we would welcome you as a friend. To find more information about Facebook, click HERE:

Other blogs where I post:

http://artistfoodnetwork.blogspot.com

http://canvasbycanvas.blogspot.com

http://myspace.com/nancystandlee

TO VIEW MORE PAINTINGS OR PURCHASE: Go to Paypal on http://nancystandlee.blogspot.com

Eat Well ~ Paint Your Food ~ Laugh Often

Yellow Rose, Red Boot Painting ~ Nancy Standlee Art Blog

"Yellow Rose, Red Boot"
11"x14" Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, 3/4" profile

These sassy boots have seen some good times but they are worn now only if there is someone to assist is removing them or a photo opportunity comes along where I need to look like a cool cowgirl.
And talking about artists and photos brings up another matter. If you want to photograph people it is necessary to use some stealth techniques. If you ask for permission to take their photo for a possible painting, you get one of two results. First they give you a flat out no or they look all smiley/cheese (with all teeth showing) directly into the camera. (I don't do teeth so that makes for a very elongated chin area when I try to paint a chin/lip combo minus the open mouth/teeth. (We like people to look like they're really not present ..for some that is easier than others.)
On a Santa Fe photography trip last year, I saw the dreamiest guy, long dark ponytail, white open neck shirt, with a big chunk of turquoise around his neck and he would have made a painting that would have gotten me into any area juried show. My biggest mistake when my Canvas by Canvas girl friends were at his booth was to ask his permission. He gave a little hands under the chin head bow and I got the NO- answer #1. I spent the next 30 minutes with my 12X zoom across the street behind pillars and adobe columns and trees and bushes trying to get something, anything but he was busy selling and wouldn't stand still. I even tried a friend as a shill to approach him but that didn't work either neither did slowly cruising by his booth, slinking down in the back seat. You're always afraid you'll get reported for stalking. And I've followed a few interesting looking people trying to get a good candid photo.
But I have found a fellow blogger's post, Dave Silver Creek 78250
that you will love and it has to do with his love of photography as a way to relieve his shopping excursion boredom. Read it and wouldn't you love to join him for a day of people photography. You would come away with some awesome people shots, no cheese/smiley's..just a fun day to remember. A diversion like getting a new telephone that has a button on the base unit that when pushed will generate a beep from the phone. I was fascinated with this possibility and kept hiding my phone and pressing the button and see if I could find it. I found the phone every time.
This stealth photography is one of those fun activities that might result in a good people painting. I would like to hear other suggestions for getting good candid people shots. I think my next photo op might be Garden Ridge as I take 2 allergy pills every night. Or I would look cute sitting in Dave's Texas flag tub with my yellow rose/red booted leg dropped over the side for my next publicity shot. Maybe for a 71 year old that would need to be a jeans covered yellow rose/red booted leg.

Other blogs where I post:

http://artistfoodnetwork.blogspot.com

http://canvasbycanvas.blogspot.com

http://myspace.com/nancystandlee

TO PURCHASE PAINTINGS: Go to Paypal on http://nancystandlee.blogspot.com

Eat Well ~ Paint Your Food ~ Laugh Often

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Polka Dot Dates ~ FaceBook ~

Sassy Shoes Series

6" x 6" Acrylic on canvas

$40.00

This painting is available from Canvas by Canvas, a collaborative group, I belong to. There are many benefits of being a member and one is becoming really good friends with 11 people, and it's my feeling you just can't have too many friends. One member, Cindy Yandell, has made a great post on telling about how we work, in the Canvas by Canvas, LLC - Our First Birthday.

This friendship connection topic took me to Technorati to do a search on FaceBook and it's popularity. I found 346,856 blog posts listed when I searched for FaceBook and I looked at several them. I thought this one was particularly interesting at Southeast VC. Jason Caplain has given some surprising statistics. I tried to sign up but so far haven't gotten my confirmation. When you sign up you choose between College/graduate school, At a company, In high school, or None of the Above and your email address and they will send you a confirmation. (I chose None of the Above since they didn't list a 70 or above category) About 3 hours later, my invitation hasn't appeared in my inbox. I looked in my Spam folder and the only thing there was more emails to consider enhancing anatomy that I don't even have. In their Q&A section they give specifics to send an email in regard of your confirmation. I've sent 2 that the Barracuda Spam Firewall has fired back to me. Ok, I give for today and I'll stick with my Canvas by Canvas group.

CALYPSO JUDGE Series #5 of 10 More BLOG and PING

7.5" x 5.5" image
Acrylic on 140 lb. watercolor paper
The Calypso series #5

This figure reminds me of a judge. What do you see? I have the bright colors, and lots of splatter, and the addition of the black and white squares suggests a checkerboard. It is dramatic when you have your darkest dark up against the lightest light in a painting and it will tend to draw the eye to this area. I don’t want an exact likeness but just an impression that does not bore.
In yesterday’s post, I reported on a ping site. Today I have another site to add to our arsenal and instructions on how to put it on your blog so as to ping several blog directories to possibly cause some indirect traffic to appear at your blog site. My painting buddies at Canvas by Canvas are calling us "Nancy and the Bloggernuts" and these instructions are directed more at the Bloggernuts than anyone else.
Autopinger is a free and convenient service for all bloggers. Just set it and forget it. It relays your blog updates to blog search engines every 30 minutes or you can add a button and ping after you update. Disclaimer! I’ve been blogging about 2 weeks now (a baby blogger trying to find my way in the blogosphere). Please read your directions for your Ping Me button as given on http://autopinger.com/ as the ones given below are only suggestions.

Gadzooks! Batman!...go for it.
Go to: http://autopinger.com/

Register- Sign up is free
You will receive an email notification, follow
instructions
Sign up by clicking
Go to My Account
Add new blog
Type in the url of your blog - ADD
Set ping services (on the left)
All are set automatically
Get the: Quick Ping Button
Copy the html
code generated (scroll down, left click inside the box, control C to copy
(Here I paste it in a Word document in case for some strange reason I lose
it?) Paranoia?
At Blogger Template, add a page, HTML, and paste in the code
(I had a box at the bottom of my page that I’d put in a stat counter (the long
skinny one) So as not to add another box on my page, I used the stat counter box
and pressed enter several times to put some space between the html code and
added the Ping info into the same box.)
Paste into the Blogger template
(Here grab you a glass of iced tea and bring it back to your computer...Be
careful of spills! or some Sweet tea, sometimes known as Southern Table Wine.
View and Ping the PING ME button...Fun! and Watch what
happens in the pop up window…Drink you iced tea and WAIT and WATCH as your site is pinged to death. Autoping will do this automatically every 30 minutes.

(I can’t believe computers all over the world are being pinged every 30 minutes but then I don’t understand electricity either or even how my coffee pot works!) OR and this is the fun part you can press your Ping Me button when you have an update. BLOG and PING!! Scroll all the way down to the bottom of my page and you can see my Ping Me button and yours should look just the same. I hope so. Happy Pinging!

ANNOUNCING ...Our New Mini Series CUPCAKES

CUPCAKE CELEBRITIES

Cupcake Love by Nancy Standlee

6" x 6" Acrylic on canvas Gallery wrapped canvas 7/8" profile

For purchase go to http://canvasbycanvas.com/ Custom frames are available in single, double, triple or quadruple and can be viewed along with the shoes on our website. Canvas by Canvas

We hope you love these little gems as much as we have loved creating them. All things small and wonderful. These are our newest paintings. We look forward to your responses. When our collaborative painting group began talking about the cupcake series it generated hundreds of emails over night. One CBCer woke up to 150 new emails after thinking the topic had waned and went to bed. She wrote to me “You sure talk slow but type fast.” Others not involved in blogging – YET-- tend to call the rest “Bloggernuts” and I may have to agree. But we’re just “baby bloggers” excited about cupcakes and blogging. I did a “cupcake” blog search on Technorati and oh, well, HELLO! So I need to add a disclaimer here. “No, we’re not cupcakes. We’re painting cupcakes.” Most of us have a history with cupcakes. I don’t think I remember my Mom making them but she did make her share of 3 layer chocolate cakes from scratch: however, I’ve made my share for school parties, but none as cute as our fancy little acrylic cupcake numbers. I found a delightful article in the San Francisco Chronicle by Amanda Gold, called Cupcake Cravings: These irresistible confections bring out the kid in all of us. For a great cupcake blog try Chockylit Cupcake Bakeshop. Now Johnny Cupcakes is another story. Here is part of it about how he started a very successful t-shirt design company
“I began poking fun at pop culture by replacing familiar icons with cupcakes! A Statue of Liberty holding a cupcake instead of a torch, a jet plane dropping cupcakes instead of bombs..and at the time the skull and crossbones was all over the place, so I thought it would be funny to replace the skull with a cupcake. That t-shirt seemed to be the most bold, memorable and admirable t-shirtout of the random shirts I continued releasing.”

So everyone seems to have a cupcake connection. Our cupcakes paintings are whimsical plus a bit of nostalgia, and trendy and we hope you like them. We’ve had a ton of fun painting them.

Sold ~ Calypso Carnival Series #2 of 10 by Nancy Standlee

SOLD to an art collector in Austin, TX

7.5" x 5.5" image
Acrylic on 140 lb. watercolor paper

This Calypso Carnival was painted over the weekend and is presented as the second in the Calypso series. To see how our workspace was set up go to the Canvas by Canvas site.
I posted some photos and decribed our new project that will be presented on Tuesday on our collaborative web site, Canvas by Canvas.

Calypso Family Series #1 of 10 by Nancy Standlee

7.5" x 5.5" image
Acrylic on 140 lb. watercolor paper
The Calypso series was begun this play and paint weekend at a Canvas by Canvas members' home. Scenario: Member's husband goes to Europe, 6 painter friends arrive with cars loaded down with art supplies and food ready to work on Friday. It was late Saturday evening when my CBC work was completed and I began to think about some personal paintings. This series is the result of an intense focused weekend of painting. It is impressionist and painted more from emotions than photos. So as not to suffer from girl friend withdrawal, some members will paint together on Monday at the Upstairs Gallery. Watch our sites and blogs for an exciting announcement of new work to follow after our weekend of painting.

Saturday Synchronicity

$100.00 in the FWCAC Show during December.
11” x 7.5”
acrylic on watercolor paper
unframed, no mat
I had not planned to post today but a little Saturday Synchronicity intervened. Today I’ve joined a group of 149 painters, Daily Painters Marketplace, who are interested in sharing their art. Talented groups of artist’s band together to share their love of art and develop a market for sales. If this is a new concept to you, Google “daily painting” and you will be amazed to find 86,000 results. Will our works be found? We hope so and we hope you will subscribe to our daily painting email feed. If life gets in the way, as life is prone to do, I may not post daily but daily is the goal. If I’m not actively posting, be sure I’ll be planning the next post. Today I did have a mysterious lady waiting for the synchronicity. And daily I agree with Georges Braque “With age, art and life become one”.