art blog

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Galleries and Shops!

I’ve been meaning to update where my range of art and jewelry may be found in the tri-state area of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Currently I have my products in 7 great shops and galleries in the area:

The Left Bank Shop & Gallery in my hometown of McGregor, is wonderful shop and gallery featuring a broad range of products from the areas finest artisans.

The Planted Tree Gallery across the river in Prairie Du Chien is a delightful little store packed with unique treasures you will not find anywhere else.

Guttenberg Creativity Center is a nonprofit organization that provides high-quality community arts experiences and a fabulous range of artistic gifts.

World’s Window in Cedar Falls is a non-profit Fair Trade shop hosting an amazing range of unique items from artisans all over the world.

Viroqua Public Market is Wisconsin’s oldest public market bringing great shopping to the area by working with local vendors from Amish crafters to jewelry and candy makers to antique dealers.

Outside the Lines Gallery, one in Dubuque and one in Galena offers high quality yet affordable handmade items from artisans around the area.

Enjoy the rest of your year and if you are in the area hope to see you at one of these amazing shops!

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Art of Love and Romance a visual mosaic in painting

Revisiting the beautiful energy of Romance from an earlier blog:

It’s coming up to that time of year again ~ Valentine’s Day. But to me, all days should be filled with romance – just the simple feeling of being in love with Creation is a beautiful way to exist in grace, knowing everything in the Cosmos is essentially inspired by an attraction to live, to connect and relate with one another in some way….this is the Mosaic of Love!

 

Here are some of my paintings dedicated to and inspired by the Love between people.

You can view the entire range on my Lovers section in my online shop: Lover Art

 

“When we love, we are like Angels…”

 

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Thank you for visiting, and have an inspiring day!

mermaid art liza paizis

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I wish it need not have happened in my time…

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.

“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times.

But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

J.R.R. Tolkien – The Fellowship of The Ring

 

 

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Blue Bird and Fairy painting Little Friends inspired by Victorian fairy art

I’ve always had a deep love for the whimsical children’s book fairy art of the Victorian era, and have a lovely collection of classic stories illustrated by Arthur Rackham, Kate Greenaway, Beatrix Potter and Walter Crane, to name a few.

Arthur Rackham remains my biggest inspiration for his inimitable style, his illustrations being rich in whimsy, detail, lyricism, with gothic darkness and fantastical elements blended in…

 

 

I recently discovered a gorgeous Australian illustrator of a slightly later time, Ida Rentoul Outhwaite, whose  illustrations are just as delightful. A contemporary of similar Australian artist May Gibbs, Ida’s art is utterly charming, featuring the sweetest fairies and sprites all in beautifully imagined settings amidst trees, flowers and butterflies. I immediately fell in love with her way of depicting little folk in relationship with nature elements, often showing fairies with frogs, birds and rabbits.

 

Image result for ida rentoul outhwaite

 

Her work inspired me to paint a little whimsical picture of a Bird and a Fairy, similar to one of hers, sitting together in cosy friendship on a branch of cherry blossoms.

We get BlueBirds occasionally at our birdbath, and they are so bright and magical to see, so I thought it would be fitting for such a bird to have an equally enchanting friend to cuddle up to.

 

 

It started off with a pencil and pink pen outline on my favourite Stonehenge paper, keeping note of the movement and flow that I wanted with the blossoms and branches.

 

 

Then, lightly colouring it with layers of watercolours and coloured pencil: this stage in itself could have been the finished painting, but I wanted a bolder more detailed artwork.

 

 

The finished painting has been further layered with colored pencil, gouache and watercolours. I kept the color palette fairly simple with corals, blues, pinks and greens. It measures 4 x 6 inches, and is available as a lovely art print, perfect for a children’s room, in my online shop here.

Thanks for visiting, take care and stay well!

 

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Edgar Allen Poe Raven and Little Chickadee Art !

I love trawling through second hand and charity shops, and recently found this tattered old vintage music book dated 1901.

The book was falling apart, but I have a weakness for old books of any kind, so took it home to see if I could salvage something and use it for art.

I felt that the pages, laden with music notes, would make a perfect backdrop for a little bird painting.

I decided to experiment using a stencil, so as to create a similar artwork many times. Because one of my favourite birds here in midwest America is the chickadee, this is the bird I chose.

They are such cheeky, busy little creatures, but also have the most adorable lilting song and gorgeous markings with the little black cap and beady, bright eyes.

I’m doing many versions, including a stylized one, and a more natural one – depending on the layout and type of music notes.

I’m putting them into these just-as-cute frames, and they are for sale in my online shop: LizaPaizis.com

They have been very popular in the galleries, so much so that I’ve explored doing another type of bird: The Raven, and what better backdrop than Edgar Allen Poe’s dark narrative poem of the same name?

Using a base outline giglee print of my raven sketch over an excerpt of the poem, I paint an original artwork of Raven, Moon and Flowers. Again, each one is different, and comes in a budget frame, available in my Shop.

This, and the Chick-a-Dee art, would make wonderful gifts for bird lovers, or an Edgar Allen Poe aficionado!

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A Beautiful Poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

~ Mary Elizabeth Frye ~

snownight-e1569617467784.jpg

 

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A Summer Butterfly Design

I’ve recently created this pewter butterfly moth jewellery piece inspired by Folk art and Art Deco. Last year, I developed the concept of a stylized butterfly – moth hybrid design as seen in a previous blog post

 

I wanted a fun, quirky design that I could make into bracelets, pins, necklaces, chokers and keychains.

 

Butterfly Statement Necklace

 

As with all my pewter jewellery pieces, this started life as a delicate wax carving, from a special hard green jeweller’s wax.

The rose coloured bits is wonderfully versatile repair wax that is used to fill in and fix parts of the sculpture: Wolf Wax 

 

The carving is then cast into bronze via the lost wax process into 8 master pieces.

Bronze is a very hard metal and withstands the vulcanization process of making the pewter silicone molds in the next step.

 

 

These bronze pieces were sent to my centrifugal / spin caster to be cast into the lead-free pieces. The spin cast circular mold is typically 8 inches in dimeter.

 

Once I received the pieces back, I assemble them into my various jewelry items:

 

 

 

 

To celebrate my new butterfly design, and also the arrival of the beautiful Monarch butterflies to our area in North America, Please visit my butterfly themed jewelry & art on my brand new website LizaPaizis.com.

Thanks for visiting !

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A magical portrait of a beautiful Lady….

I love doing special portraits for people, and last month I was asked by a wonderful customer if i would paint a portrait of her as a fairy, with unicorns and surrounded by magical, elvin inspired elements.

                      Of course, I said I’d love to!

Painting portraits do take quite some time, and seeing as we were working to a budget I suggested that we use a photo that she really liked of herself, and I could use that as the basis upon which to paint the fairy and magical theme.

I used photoshop to print her photo portrait onto the Stonehenge watercolour paper I always use to paint on.

Then, I outlined the portrait composition with all the elements she’d like, including special flowers and majestic dragonfly-fairy wings, and filled in a light colour wash.

 

…..I included two flower fairies placing a garland above her head….

 

…..and some little nature spirits (hidden – you need to look closely!)

 

She was thrilled with the end result, and I was absolutely delighted to have captured the essence of this lovely woman whom I have come to know as a friend.

If you would like a magical portrait done, please contact me. I can work around any budget starting from $75 – and can do couples, pets and children as well.

Thanks for stopping by, and have an magical day!