Posted by Nancy Tobin on Dec 28, 2008 in
Inspiration,
Ta Da! 
Sweetness Follows © Nancy Tobin
The holiday season is one of those times — like vacations — when I spend a lot of my time doing something that isn’t painting. I get antsy when I haven’t been in the studio for a while. The burning desire to create makes me anxious to get back to work.
As difficult as it is to sit still, I’m thankful for these periods of rumination. As many artists are, I tend to be hermit-like and could easily lock myself away in the studio. Being out in the world brings inspiration and opens my eyes to things I need to see.
Right now my head is swimming with ideas for the new year. When I get some quiet time to put the pieces together, I let you know what I have planned!
Tags: art, Holidays, Inspiration, painting
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Dec 24, 2008 in
Giveaways! 
Andrea Kobayashi!
There was a lot of excitement building at our house yesterday, mostly between my youngest daughter, Lily, and me.
Nine PM was the time I set for the Frosty Frieze Art Giveaway drawing. The names of all the lovely folks who came and commented on my blog in the past 28 days had been carefully written out on little slips of paper and placed into Lily’s brand-new Hanukkah hat. When the clock struck 9, Lily reached up into the hat that was held high above her head and plucked out the name of Ms. Andrea Kobayashi.
Andrea is an Australian-born artist who’s currently living in Yorii Machi, Saitama, Japan. She sells her beautiful paintings, drawings and prints on Etsy. She has a delightful blog called Dukaduka as well. As a card-carrying member of the “too much is never enough” school of art, I appreciate her ability to tell a story in such a simple and bold way. Here are a few samples of work she has available in her shop.
Standing Stones by Andrea Kobayashi
Ferdinand (detail) by Andrea Kobayashi
Not Everybody Gets to be Cute by Andrea Kobayashi
Way-cool birds!
So congratulations to Andrea, and a giant thank you to everyone else who participated! And to all the people celebrating myriad holidays this week, hope yours is blessed with peace and joy!
I’m off to wrap a huge pile of presents and decorate Christmas cookies with my kids.
xo Nancy
Tags: Andrea Kobayashi, art, Etsy, Japan, Monotype prints
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Dec 21, 2008 in
Giveaways! 
Frosty wants to warm your mantle!
December has zipped by in it’s usual way. I’d love to say that I’m finnished shopping, wrapping, baking and cooking, but I’m not.
But there’s snow on the ground and I’m feeling jolly!
I just wanted to send out a reminder to any of you who haven’t yet left their comment on my blog, This is your last day to do so. The drawing will be held Monday December 22!
For anyone just joining me, here’s a recap:
1. Leave a comment on my blog.
2. Get your name in the drawing for a free original painting.
It’s easy, it’s free to enter, and Mr. Frosty Frieze could be yours to add charm and wit to your mantle for many winters to come!
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Dec 17, 2008 in
Daily Babble 
Flesh Fruit ©Nancy Tobin
It came and went.
I wouldn’t have even known, except for a nice woman who emailed me to offer her congratulations.
And now it’s over. In the blink of an eye my fame from being featured on the front page of Etsy, has vanished, and I’m left with just the warm glow of knowing that for a brief moment I had the world at my doorstep.
Tags: Etsy
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Dec 11, 2008 in
Events & Happenings,
Ta Da! 
Vanitas by Gae Savannah with A.Kimberlin Blackburn's Garden Offering in the foreground
I went down to Newark today, to stop in to Rupert Ravens Contemporary. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have several pieces in one of the current shows going on there, Boson Exotic. I had forgotten to bring my camera to the opening, and I wanted to take a few installation shots.
It gave me a chance to take a closer look at some of the amazing work being shown there.
The ground floor is mostly taken up by huge assemblages by German Pitre in a show titled Contra Disambiguation. The pieces are made up of stuffed animals that look like they have been dunked, painted, torn, cut apart, and drowning in tar. (I don’t think it is tar, but I’m not sure?) I think they’re meant to challenge our concepts of childhood and innocence, and to make us feel a little uncomfortable. I think they do.
Upstairs is where the Boson Exotic show is taking place. I hadn’t heard of the word “Boson” before Rupert mentioned the show to me, I had to look it up. But here is the curator’s statement: “As protean transporters of invisible force, “Boson Exotic” artworks radiate phenomenological complexity. Each work becomes a saturated moment. The often arcane beauty of the exotic here trumps the arid, banal one liners prevailing in much current contemporary art.
The elusive boson particles are theoretically poised for unveiling in the largest machine ever constructed. Likewise the hard to pin down work in this exhibition, beckons discovery within a 20,000 sq ft phenomenon. In fact, acceleration of assertion posits Newark in a new art vangard.”
It’s nice to know that some people in the art world appreciate the “more is more” school of art!
If you haven’t checked out Rupert Ravens Contemporary yet, get down there before January 18th. My seven paintings are in the best of company with over fifty other artists work. As always, it’s a delight!
Four of my paintings, feeling honored to be next to Vadim Katznelson's luscious Don't be Blue
My painting Second Breath has a crush on Sam Stone's intriguing Black Splash Mirror!
* This Sunday, December 14th, there will be a panel discussion followed by a holiday party. Click here for more info:
Tags: Boson Exotic, Gae Savannah, German Pitre, Rupert Ravens Contemporary, Sam Stone, Vadim Katznelson
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Dec 7, 2008 in
Inspiration 
I’ve decided that I should include a semi-regular posting about the music that I love.
I have a different relationship with music from many people I know: I don’t listen to music on the radio, I rarely surf environments like iTunes and YouTube, and our house doesn’t even have a music playing device except for in my studio.
But oh, my studio! That’s where I have my beloved Bose-iPod-playing-device. There, I must have music. Music is one of my greatest inspirations. In fact, sometimes I feel like the music has inspired me and propelled my work so much, I’m practically stealing!
So here’s to the songs (or the albums rather, I really hate chopping up music that was so thoughtfully arranged) that are in my head and my studio these days:
Radiohead. OMG, where have you been all my life? Seriously, that’s how media-stunted I am, I never really heard this exquisite band until recently, when my brother Dave was visiting and introduced me. So for the past few months I’ve been listening to the two CDs I have: In Rainbows and more recently, The Bends. (I’m hoping Santa brings me another!)
In Rainbows is a weird and dreamy CD. It makes me feel like I’m being taken somewhere strange, wonderful, and maybe underwater (?)
I got The Bends later (not as painful as it sounds). I didn’t like it as much at first, but now it’s grown on me and I love it, too. It’s jam-packed with great songs; from the heartbreaking Fake Plastic Trees, to the dreamy (Nice Dream). I don’t think the whole thing comes together in one great-big-beautiful-chunk-of-sound the way that In Rainbows does, but I love it, too.
Check out this video that was done by jthelms on You Tube: All I Need. I found the similarities that this video has with my paintings very interesting! What you think? What songs are in your head these days?
Tags: Bose, In Rainbows, ipod, itunes, Music, Radiohead, The Bends, underwater, You Tube
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Dec 6, 2008 in
Ta Da! 
It feels so good to finish work and be able to post it on my blog. It’s like checking items off my to-do list. So it gives me great pleasure to introduce Sucratic System! It’s a 10-by-10-inch piece executed in acrylic and painted paper on a 2-inch-deep, cradeled panel. I worked on this piece for a very long time, in fact, I’m not quite sure what lies on the very first layer, so it’s very thick with layers and jam-packed with visual goodness!
I thought the final layering of purple looked like melted sugar when it’s pulled, or some sort of organic system of veins or nerves, I like how the purple draws you in, hopefully you’ll stay for a while!
Sucratic System �2008 Nancy Tobin
Tags: art, Nancy Tobin, series of tubes
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Dec 4, 2008 in
Giveaways!,
Shop Talk,
Ta Da! 
Don’t forget to sign up for the free art giveaway! You have until December 22 to leave me a comment, and you’ll be automatically added to the drawing for this original painting. See more details here!
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Dec 4, 2008 in
Ta Da! I just finished a few more “smalls” that I will post in my Etsy shop this morning.
Starting out, I hadn’t intended to make them feel so related, but they ended up looking like siblings! I love how the two relate with each other, so I’ll be offering a discount if they are purchased together. Please check them out, and let me know what you think!
Stirring ©Nancy Tobin
Quiet ©Nancy Tobin
Tags: aquatic, ocean, smalls
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Dec 3, 2008 in
Inspiration 
My mother use to say that it was never to late to say “thank you”. Since I missed doing this on the big official Thanking Day, I decided to go ahead and give a few excerpts from my very, very long list of things that bring me gratitude:
- Sharing holidays with the people I love
- Having the world’s cutest squirrels living in our backyard (I know, I know, everybody thinks their squirrels are the cutest)
- Having too much food on Thanksgiving, when many people don’t have enough
- All the new people I’ve met from all over the world through my new blog and through my Etsy shop
- Feeling hopeful for my country, a feeling I hadn’t had in quite some time
- Having time to paint, even when the days get crazy busy
- Spending a rainy and cold Saturday making gift tags with my family – Quack?
Tags: gift tags, hope, squirrels, thank you
