♥♥♥ GIVEAWAY! - DrenchedInWhite ♥♥♥

I have been promoting giveaways hosted on other blogs for a little while now. I figured it was time for me to jump right in and host one of my own. The big plus side of this is getting to meet fabulous new artists, and then sharing them with you.

I bumped into DrenchedInWhite in the Etsy forums back in October. I was immediately drawn to her beautiful, unique artwork and knew that she would be the perfect candidate for my first hosted giveaway. The artist, Robin Carlisle, is a relatively new face in the Etsy community. She began sharing her talent there in August of 2008.

One lucky winner will have a chance to win an 8”x8” print of one of her original paintings! Read on to find out more!

I interviewed Ms. Carlisle about her life as an artist, and I would like to share that with you now:

How long have you been painting?

Today? About 12 hours... That is only because I have a deadline to meet- I usually work in slightly more moderate stints.
In life, I can't quite remember when it all started. I first started showing my art in 1999.

What kind of space do you create in?

In my studio, an old brick laundry building, built in 1905 with cement floors, 20 foot ceilings, giant metal sliding doors with weights and pulleys, secret nooks and weird passages... My music and my art... Oh and string lights lots of those! It is pretty much the best place I have ever worked! Ever.

(note: I am extremely jealous as she has described my dream studio, especially with secret nooks!)

Where do you find inspiration for your art?

Life, people, hands, the changing of seasons, emotions, details, the way nature makes art out of every-fricken-thing! I am pretty easily inspired- I see beauty in nearly everything. From golden sunshine spotlighting newborn baby fawns in a dewy morning meadow, to the screaming of teenage lovers in a 2:am empty parking lot, all marked up with tear smeared mascara to the anthem of peeling out Camaro tires, in the pouring rain. REALLY I FIND IT EVERYWHERE!

Who are some of your favorite artists?

I really like Inez Storer (a painter whose work I stumbled upon at the San Jose museum of modern art), Sarah Cruse (she is my studio mate and truly IS my favorite artist... I also like her artwork.) To be quite honest and slightly embarrassed, I don't know many artists... Or rather I am not familiar with many artists’ works (living or dead). I am a self-taught artist... One of the drawbacks to having not gone to school for art is that I have not spent a lot of time viewing or learning about other artist's... I hope someday to have a better answer then a fancy, "I don't know".
What other venues have you used to sell your work?

Art shows: Galleries, cafes, coffee shops, restaurants, boutiques and such.
I have a website, it is called www.MotherMade.org. I made it because I am a mother and an artist and I wanted a place to feature my work as well as the work of other Mom artists... I love moms and art so it all just fit together there nicely.

I also have a blog... www.mothermade.typepad.com

Where do you promote your art? Do you use Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or other online social networking sites?

Oooo, promotion... This is something I am not to good at... I mostly just don't?... Do that. I love the making and the selling, but the promoting I am pretty much the worst at! I have a hard time even telling my friends I am having an art show with out felling like I am spamming them to death. I could use much help in this department... No really... Help me!
What do you find most difficult about starting a new shop on Etsy?

Promotion. And feeling like my shop is getting lost in the layers.

And finally: What is your guilty pleasure?

My real guilty pleasure??? Like the one that I am actually ashamed to tell people about? Like the real one???
That would be where I go through the Taco Bell drive through on my way home from the studio at 1:00 in the morning and order a Nacho Supreme (or even worse a Nacho-Bell Grande) then I park under the weird florescent blue/green light in their parking lot, and scarf it down while listen to NPR. Afterwards I drive home, get rid of the evidence (in the outside garbage can), go inside, brush my teeth and crawl into bed like nothing had ever happened.

I hope everyone has enjoyed meeting Robin as much as I did! If you would love to win YOUR CHOICE of 8x8 print from her original art, then just drop by her DrenchedInWhite Etsy shop and pick out your favorite piece. Come back here and leave a comment telling me the name of your favorite piece (please leave your email address, Etsy shop or Blogger account – you can’t win if I can’t contact you!).

For a second entry, follow my blog (link on upper left sidebar) OR link to this giveaway on your blog leave a SEPARATE comment telling me that you are a follower or the URL of your blog post.

All purchases from DrenchedInWhite between now and November 21 will get you another entry. Leave a comment letting me know what you purchased (and your etsy name).

Entries accepted until 11:59 pm EST on November 21^st , 2008.

Draw will be held on November 22^nd using a random number generator, and the winner will be notified by email/etsy/blog. Winner will have 3 days to reply. If the original winner does not respond within 3 days of notification, a new winner will be chosen.

♥♥♥Giveaway open to residents of US and Canada only♥♥♥.