An Exceptionally Exciting Day

Some days are better than others, and yesterday was exceptional. It started with a voice message from someone who had asked me to make a necklace to wear with a pendant she already had. The piece I created for her was a single strand of beads that included both small glass beads in a variety of shapes as well as tiny "pearl" beads. The pendant was to be the star of the show, so I kept the necklace fairly simple so asto compliment it rather than compete with it.

When she received it, she was thrilled, and yesterday she left me the sweetest message on my voice mail praising both me and the necklace to the skies. Now, there's nothing more gratifying to an artist than to be showered with praise from a delighted buyer. It's music to our ears, and we never, ever tire of it. So her message left me feeling mighty uplifted and happy to know that my efforts had touched someone in such a positive way.

And THEN, just a short while later, I received an email from Artspan, my web site host, informing me that they had chosen one of my paintings to be featured in an online collection on their web site! The painting, titled "Impassioned," is showcased in the collection called "All Aflame."

"Impassioned," 10x10" acrylic on paper       ©2016 Lynn Edwards

This is the second time Artspan has selected my work for inclusion in one of their collections. Earlier, two of my paintings had appeared in "Tangled Up in Blue." From thousands of works they could select from, that they've chosen mine once again is such an honor! Both collections can be viewed here. 

Yes, some days certainly are better than others!

Text and images ©2016 Lynn Edwards

Thank you, Artspan!

What a nice surprise I had yesterday when I opened an email from Artspan, the company that hosts thousands of artists' web sites, including my own, lynnedwardsart.com.

Artspan was notifying me that they had featured two of my paintings, Ethereal Trees - Blue and A Case of the Blues, in a new online collection they'd posted on their web site's home page, blog and Facebook page. Considering the hundreds of thousands of pieces Artspan was able to choose from, to have my work selected was a huge honor. Color me happy!

The name of the collection is Tangled Up in Blue. It includes 86 works in which the color blue takes center stage. The pieces range from quirky to sexy to dreamy, and the blues range from palest robin's egg blues to azures and cobalts to blues so dark they look black. So if you love this wonderful color -- or if you're merely curious -- check the collection out on Artspan's home page, blog, or Facebook page. Please like and share, too!

©2015 Lynn Edwards

An Update on the Updates: Anybody Got an Aspirin?

Well finally my website, http://www.lynnedwardsart.com is updated. Somewhat. It was like pulling teeth until I finally got the hang of navigating through Artspan's redesigned format. I did manage to add a shopping cart (yay!) but still can't figure out how to remove watermarks from previously uploaded pieces so I can offer prints on demand. I'll just have to tackle it in small doses or I'll go crazy. What I need is a grandkid.

Where, oh where is my gadget??

Next I tried adding the Daily Paintworks gadget to this blog. When I added the Etsy Mini gadget several months ago I found that process to be fairly easy. Not so when I tried uploading DPW. I went through the step by step at least 25 times with no luck. The popup window containing the HTML/Javascript icon I needed wouldn't pop up. At 1:15 in the morning I posted a request for help on Blogger's Help Forum. A very nice person promptly responded with a couple of suggestions as to the cause of the problem. I called in a rather sleepy Hubs to help me figure out how to implement their advice. He sat down at the keyboard and in two keystrokes the DPW gadget showed up on my sidebar. Seems I had so many tabs open the popup window was hiding behind them. Stuff like this could drive me to drink.

Just shoot me!

There's lots of new work still waiting to be uploaded to the website, my Daily Paintworks gallery and Etsy shop -- at least 17 paintings and mixed media collages. I can easily scan the smaller pieces but need to photograph anything larger than 8 1/2 x 11 inches. So my next task will be creating a place somewhere in the house or studio where I can do photo shoots. I used to take my work to a photographer in Atlanta but with this many to do at once the cost would be prohibitive. I'll just have to put on my best DIY pants and pretend I'm Richard Avedon. Will let you know how that goes.

It's so easy even a child...well, you know the rest

Then it will be taking on Facebook. I do have a FB page but need to learn how to use it. If you're one of the people who has been trying to friend me or share stuff with me on FB, please don't take it personally that I haven't responded. I just don't know what I'm doing yet, so I'm doing almost nothing until I can educate myself. I don't even have my photo on there. Yes, I know even kids use FB. I told you I was a Luddite!

Anyway, I hope you'll check out the changes on the website and visit my new DPW gallery, too. Please let me know if you encounter any problems, or have any suggestions for improvement. I welcome your feedback and am grateful for it.

©2015 Lynn Edwards

More Rainy Nights -- and Days -- in Georgia

Ethereal Trees - Blue              ©2015 Lynn Edwards

It's still raining here in the Peach State. The crummy weather has an upside, though: it has allowed me to get in even more studio time than usual. (I normally spend 20-30 hours per week painting.) With the weather being so bad I just don't want to go anywhere in the rain.

Since last weekend I've been reworking a 24 x 30 abstract (I wasn't satisfied with it so now I'm treating it to a major overhaul). Today I put the final brushstrokes on a nice 11x14 grid composition abstract in shades of blue, gray, black and white. And I've also begun some smaller works that will soon be listed in my Etsy shop.

And -- drum roll, please -- I've finally gotten around to figuring out how to use Daily Paintworks, and have uploaded several pieces to DPW's gallery. Much to my surprise and delight, DPW chose to feature one of them, Ethereal Trees - Blue, shown above, on its Facebook page yesterday as one of its Top 10 picks!

My relationship with computers has been like a bad marriage: more unpleasant than happy. The desire to avoid frustration is why I kept putting off familiarizing myself with DPW for over a year. I was equally intimidated by all the changes and new features at Artspan, my web site's host service. But my web site desperately needs updating. With several more days of rain predicted, I'm going to tackle it this coming weekend. I'm hoping the updating process won't be any more difficult than learning to navigate my way through DPW was.

DPW is wonderfully easy to use. They have a new member's start up tutorial that spells out, step by step, exactly how to do everything without tearing your hair out. It's actually written in plain English! No geek-speak! If all tutorials were this comprehensive yet simple to grasp, computer-challenged people like myself would be in hog's heaven. So kudos to the design folks at DPW! If I could I would send you a dozen roses. Not because DPW chose to honor one of my paintings, but because you've made using your service such a pleasure. For me, that's even better than a sunny day!

©2015 Lynn Edwards