This is the official Blog for the EBSQ Self-Representing Artists Community, where you'll find news, reviews, site announcements, and of course, a generous helping of art!
Last month’s exhibit was restricted to photography only. This month we’ve opened the door! You can paint/draw/ photograph your entries but they must be naturally blue flowers, like forget-me-nots. Other examples include hydrangeas, salvias, and Himalayan poppies.
April showers make for some magical outdoor photography. Mundane objects take on a jewel-like quality when wet. This month, we challenge you to get outdoors and show us a bit of that discovered magic. This exhibit is not restricted to only roses. Show us your raindrops on anything!
Calling all EBSQ Artists! It’s time to make a choice. Chicken or Goat?
When we put out a call for show suggestions in 2014, we saw requests for both chickens and goats. Which will YOU use as your muse for this multi-media exhibit?
Deadline to enter is March 31st!
Voting is now open in the February Exhibit What a Doll. EBSQ Artist Members, login to your account, click on your favorite entry and click on the Vote button!
Patrons and non-members click on those Facebook Like buttons to show your support. The entry with the most Like’s wins the Cloud Award. Voting ends March 8th.
Calling all EBSQ Artists, now is the time to enter the February Exhibit – What a Doll. The exhibit is open to both 2D and 3D artists. That’s right! You could hand make your own doll or depict a doll in a painting. Deadline to enter is February 28th!
Calling all EBSQ Artists! The official exhibition calendar is here. Get out your easels, cameras, clay–whatever your creative tools may be–and start planning the year ahead. EBSQ exhibits are open to paid artist members of the EBSQ Self-Representing Artist Community. Not yet a member? Join today!
As a member of EBSQ you decide who wins each month. The Member’s Choice winner receives a $100 cash prize! Let us know in the comments which exhibits you plan to enter this year.
The Winter Landscape <– Entries being accepted now!
What a Doll <– Create your own doll. You can paint your design, knit your design, sculpt your design, etc.
Chicken or Goat? <– Which will you immortalize?
Photography: Raindrops on Roses (and Other Things) <– April showers make for magical images.
Naturally Blue Flowers <– No imitators!
June:
Portrait of the Artist: Famous Authors, Artists, & Composers <– I have a feeling this one will be popular.
15th Annual Ripped Off Collaborative Event <– If you’ve never participated in this annual event, you’re missing out!
State/National Flowers <– What is your State Flower?
Zodiac <– Do you know all the signs of the zodiac?
Day of the Dead <– The festivals, the make-up, remembering passed loved ones…
Inspired by Tolkien <– We don’t want to see paintings of movie stars! This is exhibit is your take on the people, places and creatures of Tolkien’s world.
Annual Better Late Than Never Show <– If you didn’t finish a piece in time to enter one of this year’s exhibits, this is your chance!
Calling all EBSQ Artists, now is the time to enter the January 2015 Exhibit – The Winter Landscape. This month, we want you to focus on the winter landscape, a time when nature is stripped back and snow makes everything new and pristine. Artists may enter up to 5 pieces.
1. This week’s featured art work is Heroin Harlequin by Jenny Berry. I invite you to explore Jenny Berry’s portfolio. It’s rich in texture and moods!
2. Free PDF Ebook: MAKING YOUR LIFE AS AN ARTIST – A GUIDE TO BUILDING A BALANCED, SUSTAINABLE ARTISTIC LIFE.
3. EBSQ Artists have you found your partner for the 14th Annual Ripped Off Exhibit?! Let us know who you are teaming up with on Facebook.
4. Have you seen the huge parrot sculpture gracing London? Well, take a look at this: Giant Art Picnic Engulfs Swiss Countryside
5. Watch and enjoy!
You can see these artworks and more in the EBSQ Think Pink 2013 Exhibit!
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EBSQ Artist Lisa Wiktorek and I have joined forces to help raise funds via EBSQ for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. When you donate at least $5 you will receive from me an ACEO of Nature’s Fairy Dust, plus, you’ll be entered to win a stunning charm bracelet from Lisa! Please see my blog post, Raising Funds for National Breast Cancer Foundation, for the full details.
We did the online version of sitting down with Zombie Apocalypse juror Robb Padgett to get his take on all-things zombie. Since the world might sort-of possibly end soon, we decided to make things fun–just in case.
What for you epitomizes the pinnacle of High Zombie Art?
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo – If one defines “Zombie Art” as art created by zombies. If you’re talking about “Art in which the subject matter is zombies” then I’d have to say Night of the Living dead by George A Romero. Sure, that would mean the genre peaked early, but when dealing with Zombies as metaphor, what else is there really to say that George didn’t? Of course, he popularized the genre so much that George himself went on to make a bazillion more zombie movies. But I like to think he made those movies ironically in order to illustrate the point of the first film.
What do you think most influenced the our current zombie aesthetic?
I’d have to say George Romero again. Although, 28 Days Later by Danny Boyle seems to have taken the zombie genre in a slightly new direction. If “faster zombies” can be considered a new direction.
Vampire. Zombie. Werewolf. Who wins in a mud wrestling match?
Werewolf. Absolutely. It would be a long battle since zombies have stamina. But werewolves are scrappy and smarter. They say a dog is about as smart as a toddler. They say zombies are about as coordinated as a toddler. Any vampire worth his bejeweled medallion wouldn’t be caught undead wrestling in mud.
What’s your favourite side dish to serve with fresh brains?
Is “more brains” an option? I think if one is committed to eating brains, it’s best to avoid distractions.
What is the one non-essential food you’re going to hoard prior to Friday’s Apocalypse now that Twinkies are off the menu?
Fluffy Stuff. It’s cotton candy in a bag. It’s delicious and filled with preservatives so it will last long enough for it to become “essential” again. I plan to live well past the apocalypse so I’ll need to hoard a lot of Fluffy Stuff. My horticulture skills are abysmal. If you ever need to find me after Armageddon, I’ll be the guy on the permanent sugar high. Also, my skin will have probably turned pink and blue from the colorants.
What is the single most important tip you could give someone facing a horde of zombies?
Acquiesce. I’ve never heard a zombie complain.
~ . ~
About the juror:
Robb Padgett is a new-media potentate living in Los Angeles. His webseries Vampire Zombie Werewolf and Life from the Inside have been viewed millions of times and have been liked by dozens.
Entries for Zombie Apocalypse are being accepted through the end of the month, or the end of the world. Whichever comes first. There is a sliding-scale fee per entry, and you could win a $150 cash prize!
Looking for an unusual collaboration opportunity that comes with instant inspiration? Boy, have we got your covered! This month we’re hosting our 11th annual Ripped Off show! (Yup, we’re into our second decade! We can’t quite believe it either!)
If you haven’t done a Ripped show in the past, here’s how it works: you pair up with someone, and go through their portfolio and “rip off” a piece of their artwork. It can be one piece or a combination, your interpretation of their work, ideas, medium, technique. We invite you to check out past years’ exhibits to get an idea of the sort of things you can do. You must pair up with someone from EBSQ. Rip-Offs of non-EBSQ art, like redoing the Mona Lisa or ripping off Picasso, are NOT allowable for this show.
We’ve extended the deadline twice now (it’s been a weird summer, folks!) but this time is truly it. All entries must be in by 30 September 2011.
So, go ahead and pair up! If you’re looking for a partner, sign up in the EBSQ Forums, or feel free to contact someone privately and see if they’d like to partner with you, then post it in the sign-up thread to let us know you’re paired. Have at it!
Huge props to our sponsor who is offering the following awesome prize to the winner:
| Aletta de Wal, Artist Career Training |
 “Balance: How to Make a Better Living Making Art & Still Have a Life” coaching-package for artists from Aletta de Wal of Artist Career Training, valued at $245 |
From our juror, the ever-lovely Emily Levenson, co-founder of Pittsburgh Craft Collective:
Repurposed: Art from Recycled Materials
Upcycling is the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value. The art of using found materials to transform them has always been at the center of crafting.
Shows like Repurposed: Art from Recycled Materials take this theme and highlight the creative spirit that exists in the handmade community. Each entry was inspiring, showing that anything is possible when it comes to making art.
Winner: “Abrahams Crow” by Jason Lyons
“Abrahams Crow” stood out among the other entries with Lyons’ creative use of materials. The pieces that he chose are unique, though work together in a very cohesive way. Lyons was truly able to repurpose his items into a new, and better, form.
Honorable Mentions:
“la Senora de Maravillas” by Melissa Saint
“Spawning Greenback Cutthroat” by Robert Wolverton Jr.
About the Pittsburgh Craft Collective:
The Pittsburgh Craft Collective was started in 2008 by Emily Levenson (Subu, Inc), Carrie Nardini (Zippull and I Made It! Market), Cosette Cornelius-Bates (Cosy Knits Literally), Jennie Stephens (Jennie Stephen’s Art), and Kelly Del Greco (Spooky Kelly). We are a group of 60+ crafters and continue to grow and expand with each new member.
Our mission is simple: to be a central and inclusive collaborative for crafters in the Pittsburgh region. Our goal is to create a strong and vibrant craft community through social and resource networking, education and workshops, and information sharing. All in all, we hope to help others achieve new heights in their craft, help each other succeed, and just plain socialize. Our members run the gamut of crafting: craft enthusiasts, hobbyists, professional crafters, and those that are still trying to figure it out. We also have several shop owners as members.
We run regular classes (wordworking, bookbinding, fiber arts – knitting, crocheting, fused glass, jewelry making, letterpress demonstrations) and will be starting to offer round table workshops on topics like starting a business, social media, selling online, and copyright. We also organize a charity-based craft show called Crafts N’At. Each year we partner with a local organization to help raise money and awareness. Finally, we organize several social networking events like Sunday Crafternoons (held on the second Sunday of the month at Wildcard in Lawrenceville) and Crafty Happy Hours.
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If you’re in the Greater Pittsburgh area, we’d absolutely love to see you at The Chocolate Shoppe for the opening of CANDY, our very first brick-and-mortar curated exhibit. There will be plenty of eats, libations, a sampling of some fantastic chocolates, and of course, some awesome artwork. C’mon down! We’re earlier in the evening than most First Friday Artwalk events, so make us your first stop of the night!
You can get the address and other pertinent details on our events page at Facebook
Plan to take pictures? Please use the tag #ebsqcandy when you share on Flickr.
And now, a little music to get you in the mood:
Today is your last chance to add work for consideration for our very first brick and mortar event in conjunction with The Chocolate Shoppe. Candy entries will be accepted through 11:59pm EST tonight. It’s a fantastic looking show online and I for one cannot wait to see how the selected pieces will look in the space when they debut to the public on March 5, 2010. Wanna come to the opening? RSVP here on Facebook!
Also, while I have your attention with Vicky Knowles‘ lovely art, I’d like to remind you that we’re also accepting entries through the end of the month for our Red Cross fundraiser to benefit Haiti Earthquake relief. Yes, there’s a $10 fee per entry, but half of your fee goes directly to the Red Cross, and the other half goes in the kitty for prize money for the show winner to be voted upon by you next month. It’s a win-win, and we like win-wins here at EBSQ! Please consider entering Art from the Heart to benefit Haiti today!
February’s big date on the calendar is St. Valentine’s Day. Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is going to be everywhere you look. Not one to buck tradition (at last not this time), EBSQ is presenting a heart-themed show–with a twist. Because the need in Haiti continues to mount, we’ve turned this show into a fundraiser for the American Red Cross’s earthquake-relief efforts. There will be a $10 fee per entry. Half will go to the Red Cross. The other half will go to the Member’s Choice Winner to be selected by YOU at the close of the show. In additon, EBSQ is encouraging show paticipants to donate part (or all) of any proceeds that come from the sale of your entries to the American Red Cross (or another charity working to aid Haitian earthquake victims), although this is purely optional.
All entries in Art for the Heart should be heart-themed and may be any media or combination of media that the artist chooses.
We strongly recommend all artists include in their statement information about why and how they chose to create their piece, as statements can enhance the experience for the online viewer. We also encourage you to include detail shots of your entries. This will allow the viewer to fully appreciate your work as small details can be lost in an online environment.
Eligible entries must meet all points of the prospectus. If you have any questions regarding the prospectus and its requirements, please send them to edu@ebsqart.com.
Entry Instructions:
There is a $10 entry fee per piece entered and payable via our Chipin widget. $5 of each fee will go directly to the American Red Cross. The rest will go directly to the Member’s Choice winner which will be voted upon by registered site visitors between March 1-7 2010. All entrants which have not paid their fee by the end of February 2010 will have their work removed from the show.
To add an entry to any show:
Just in time for our 10th aniversary year, we’re very pleased to announce our very first joint online/brick and mortar curated exhibit! We picked a very simple theme: CANDY. Any kind of candy you like, whether retro, exotic, or just plain tasty.The brick-and-mortar portion of the show will be held at The Chocolate Shoppe, a hand-crafted gourmet candy shop featuring fine chocolates in Greensburg Pennsylvania’s Cultural District. This portion of the show will be co-curated by Chocolate Shoppe proprietor Melissa O’Brien and the staff of EBSQ.All entries in Candy should obviously relate to the candy theme and may be any two-dimensional media that the artist chooses so long as it’s 12 x 12 or less, ready-to-hang, and ready to ship by 22 February 2010 if your work is selected for the brick-and-mortar portion of the exhibit.We strongly recommend all artists include in their statement information about why and how they chose to create their piece, as statements can enhance the experience for the online viewer. We also encourage you to include detail shots of your entries. This will allow the viewer to fully appreciate your work as small details can be lost in an online environment.Eligible entries must meet all points of the prospectus. If you have any questions regarding the prospectus and its requirements, please send them to edu@ebsqart.com.Entry Instructions:
This show has special entry requirements
To add an entry to any show:
Artists may submit up to 5 pieces per show.
Not yet an EBSQ Member? Join now!
Banner photography by Bernard Gagnon under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 Unported License
October is drawing to a close, and we’ve seen some tremendous support for our Susan G Komen fundraiser, Think Pink. At present time, we’re at 56 awesome and thought provoking entries. We’ve asked for a suggested donation of $10 per entry to EBSQ’s Think Pink Team, but right now we’re only at $245 (that’s 16%) of our $1500 fundraising goal– and I personally donated 10% of our goal to our total. We’re doing slightly better with our prize money goal with our Chipin widget. We’re trying to raise $500 in prize money for our participating artists and we’re doing fairly well with $130 (that’s 26%) toward that goal.
How can you help? First and foremost, if you’re a show participant and haven’t donated directly to the EBSQ Think Pink Team on the Susan G Komen website, please do so now. It’s a very worthy cause AND it makes you eligible to win the prize money being collected.
Secondly, we hope you’ll consider supporting our artists by donating to our chipin for the Member’s Choice award. Right now, we’re at the largest monthly prize amount we’ve seen in quite some time. I’d dearly love to see us reach our $500 goal, or even surpass it by month’s end.
Last but not least, PLEASE help promote the show. The clock is ticking and I’d really love to see us make both of our goals before October ends.
Thanks for your consideration!
It’s something that impacts us all in one way or another. Whether it’s a mother or a wife; a sister, a friend, ourselves – someone in our … more
-Amie
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Join Muriel Areno and the Pahrump Arts Council for an Artist’s Reception at the Pahrump Community Library on Friday, May 22nd from 1 – 3 pm.
This show featuring the work of Muriel Areno opened Friday, May 15th at the Pahrump Community Library in Pahrump, Nevada and will run through Friday, June 9th. The exhibition is free and open to the public during regular library hours.
For more information please contact:
Pahrump Community Library
701 East Street
Pahrump, NV 89048
775.727.5930
Have member news you’d like to share? Drop us a line!
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If that last piece of overdue art is on your easel or worktable, now’s the time to wrap it up and get it entered. T-minus 30 minutes. Grab hold of your redemption show while you still can!
Who said there isn’t a second chance in life? Here’s one last chance to show off work that was done specifically for an EBSQ themed show … more
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Member’s Choice: Daddy’s Girl by Vicky Knowles
Juror’s Choice: Tee Design by Heide Reed Hibbard
Member’s Choice: Behind the Veil of Lace by Pam Tanzey
See the rest of our September show winners at EBSQ!
Art & News from EBSQ 