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March Madness Re-Do

March 1st, 2020

March Madness Re-Do

Apparently I have lost my mind. I was planning to take a break from editing and instead, do something fun like work on a new painting series, probably the Hauz Katz. However, the past week was chopped up with various errands and events making it impossible to have time enough to get any serious work done, so I thought; I’ll just get started with a new project on March 1. Well, in the interim between happenings, I decided to edit a few Hare Terra paintings in an attempt to leave off on break with something light and pretty to display after the stark controversy of The Feminist Ink series.

The week started off on a positive note. I finally wrote the general description text for The Legend of Hare Terra series to accompany the images. Here is the example describing the painting above:

“Castle Garden Glamour” is part of The Legend of Hare Terra Collection, an original fairy tale series created by artist and author Amy E. Fraser. The Legend of Hare Terra was inspired by the opulent fairy tales of the Golden Age of Illustration and by folk and decorative arts from numerous cultures worldwide. This series represents a culmination of the artist’s diverse interests and artistic explorations, propelled into one epic fantasy experience. The Legend of Hare Terra strongly exemplifies Amy E. Fraser’s lifelong connection to animals and nature, influenced by real life experiences in the artist’s own woodland wildflower wonderland located in the beautiful state of New Hampshire. These intricately detailed works showcase her infatuation for color and design and for creating bold floral patterns. The Legend of Hare Terra features a unique breed of magical Hares, whose somewhat grumpy personalities and silly antics are based on Amy’s own beloved house rabbits. The Legend of Hare Terra also features a distinctive human heroine, known as Hare Majesty, the Queen of Hare Terra. The Queen is where Amy’s enthusiasm for fashion, designing fun and fabulous dresses, elaborate crowns and for inventing big, over the top hair styles really comes into play. The Legend of Hare Terra has been a long term passion project for Amy; she began working on the series in 2009 and continues to work on it to this day.

To discover more about The Legend of Hare Terra, a journey into a secret world, visit Amy E. Fraser’s website: thelegendofhareterra.com

“Castle Garden Glamour” (The Legend of Hare Terra Collection) by Amy E. Fraser was hand drawn in pen and ink and painted in acrylic glaze on 140lb cold press watercolor paper. The Legend of Hare Terra artworks are one of a kind originals copyrighted by Amy E. Fraser. Any use without written permission from Amy E. Fraser is prohibited. All rights reserved.

The description shown above is presented with each Legend of Hare Terra image. I felt like it covered the basics while leaving plenty of wiggle room for the upcoming stories that will eventually be published on The Legend of Hare Terra website.

Next, after writing the description and updating all of the current Legend of Hare Terra images, I then chose a small subseries of paintings to edit as my project in between projects. It was a set of five ¾ length portraits of the Queen, Hare Majesty posing in moonlit castle gardens with her darling bunnies. So here I was, working away, editing for days, posting each painting as I completed them. I was feeling really happy to be moving forward… but, underneath, I was getting a terrible nagging sensation that something wasn’t quite right. I finally realized what my problem was! The original photographs I was working from could be SO much better. Of course when this dawned on me I had to review all of the Hare Terra painting photos right away! Once I saw that they were not all 100% perfect, I knew that was what was digging away at my subconscious.

In all honesty I shouldn’t be revealing any of this behind the scenes drama, but the thing is photos of my work that seemed pretty great a few years ago are not nearly as fabulous as the photos I am able to produce now. Since I first started this venture I have learned so much more about how to photograph the work. Technology is always improving and my techniques have been rapidly evolving through trial and error. I have also discovered that there is a real art to transforming paintings into amazing reproductions. And while, to most, the quality of the images originally posted is already perfectly acceptable (I know this is true because they have sold without complaint or return), I still want the best of “my” best for my own personal satisfaction.

What can I say? I am a perfectionist who may or may not suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder. Or I might secretly be a masochist who enjoys painful time consuming editing torture. Whatever the case, I am replacing the original files with new, better, larger files. And you will be happy to know that since this “less than perfect” epiphany forced me to haul the entire collection of Hare Terra paintings out of storage to reshoot them, it means I will be introducing additional Hare Terra paintings for prints in the very near future.

The reason I decided to share this behind the scenes story is to illustrate that the images on the screen don’t just magically happen. Artists put their blood, sweat and tears into the art, from the point of its original creation until its transformation for print and display online. This is often done and redone, more times then we care to admit. This work is my life; my livelihood, the results are pieces of my being that represent me out there in the universe; I care about the end result. So of course I want to present the highest quality imagery possible. If that means starting over from the beginning, then that’s what I do.

By the way, by the time you read this, it will be done. You will never have known the difference or that I ever had a momentary crisis of imperfection. Each file will be quietly replaced with larger, clearer, images as crisp, bright and beautiful as the Queen, Hare Majesty shown above. I’m that dedicated. I also want you to know that you are respected and appreciated and I create prints and products worthy of you and your financial investment. I want you to be completely thrilled with the art you receive so every purchase comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. I am sincerely grateful for your support. You are my customer, the whole reason why I do what I do. Thank You!

Amy E. Fraser’s art series The Legend of Hare Terra is available for purchase at AEFraser.com in partnership with Pixels.com and Fine Art America. Prints are produced on acid-free papers using archival inks to guarantee that they last a lifetime without fading or loss of color.

Practically Snow White

February 24th, 2020

Practically Snow White

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, a young couple yearned for a clean and wholesome environment in which to raise their newborn son. The man and woman scraped together all of their savings and put a small down payment on a beautiful piece of land on the side of a mountain, deep in the New Hampshire forest. They went through many trials and tribulations but eventually they began to build their dream home. While still unfinished, the couple, anxious to begin their new life, moved from their noisy apartment in an ancient Round House on top of busy train tracks into the quiet new house in the middle of the forest. When they arrived, they imagined that the most difficult part was behind them and looked forward to the next step in their journey together.

The house in the forest represented the dreams the couple shared for their future. However, the beginning times were very hard. The couple realized they had been overly optimistic and naïve in their hopes. They were quite poor so the man was gone many long hours, from dawn to dusk, working. When he was home, he was grumpy, tired and distracted and disinterested in engaging with his family. For much too long, the only time the couple spent with each other was when they worked on finishing the house together. It was an arduous life.

Each day became more wearisome and demanding then the next. The woman was isolated and lonely and still struggling with the baby blues. Then tragically, she lost her beloved companions. Her two best friends in the world, the dog and cat, died within a short time of one another. This circumstance would be sad for most people, but the woman was especially sensitive and extremely attached to her pets. Her grief became overwhelming.

Of course the woman desperately loved her child so she forced through her grief and unhappiness to provide a show of good cheer for the now rambunctious toddler. It was exhausting, and without break because the bright and wild child refused to take naps. However there was something that would calm the child into sleep, car rides and long walks in his stroller. Unfortunately, the car was long since dead and the family was too poor to afford a new vehicle. So the woman was left at home, in the middle of the forest with the stroller as her only option.

A peaceful walk down a country lane sounds like a lovely pastime for a mother and child to enjoy. That is until one realizes at the end of this adventure the woman had to hike up the mountain pushing 50 pounds of sleeping baby weight to get back up to the house. Seems like a lot of effort for a 30 minute reprieve, but she thought it was well worth it, for both of their sake. After struggling up the mountainside driveway, the woman would then haul the heavy toddler and stroller up the steep steps and into the house, leaving the door open so she could listen. As a reward she was then able to rest a moment outside on the back porch while the boy slept.

Lo and behold, the most astonishing turn of events began during one of those quiet afternoon nap times. The Woodland Spirits who had been observing the woman for quite some time, finally agreed that she was worthy of their acceptance. So they decided to bestow upon her the great gift of the Old Knowledge where myth, magic, legend and reality become one, and all of the wonders of Mother Nature’s secrets are revealed. In the moment their gift was received, it was like the glory of the sun peeking through the clouds, the woman’s entire world suddenly became brighter and the veil of sadness had been lifted.

The wild animals began to drift forth from the forest depths to honor the newly enlightened woman. A red tailed hawk dances on one leg in the ferns. A hare pauses expectantly on his hind legs, then winks and shakes his ears before darting off into the brush. The deer gracefully cascade toward the porch in long legged elegance, keeping an eye on their spotted fawns stowed away in the tall grasses. Green frogs vie for attention, croaking loudly as they splash in muddy puddles. Ladybugs decorate leaves with their festive polka dot patterns while bees buzz diligently from wildflower to wildflower. An army of wild turkey hens parade past, puffing and clucking, proudly showing off their feathery brood. Crows wisely observe, speaking raucously, providing commentary and sharing private jokes from the trees. Skunks roll and tumble about, showing off their acrobatic skills. A porcupine waddles comically past, hurriedly about her business. A heron sails heroically above in the bright blue sky. Mourning doves nod and shuffle, while performing their eerie serenade. A handsome barred owl makes a special daytime appearance, promising to enact his concert later in the evening. The groundhogs whistle and chomp and brag to their neighbors of the good fortune found in the woman. Red squirrels chatter and scold while the more curious and friendly gray squirrels and chipmunks glide nervously about the woman. The opossum lurks shyly in the shadows, preferring to do his formal introduction under the cover of darkness. At night the coyotes solemnly howl and fox mothers scream their reprimands at fox fathers late for kit duty.

A bold and sassy raccoon aggressively addresses the woman in hopes of sharing her snacks. Much to the raccoon’s delight, the woman complies. Inspired by the easy reward of delicious treats, the raccoon soon became quite familiar, perhaps overly familiar in her rather lowbrow way. She was a forward type, but with good reason. She soon proved herself to be a mother in need, with five very hungry babies to feed. Of course the woman was charmed and delighted by the fluffy little bandits and immediately agreed to help. From then on, every afternoon the two mothers would enjoy a meal together and laugh and commiserate about their naughty children. It must have lightened both of their loads because they soon bonded and became great lifelong friends. It was in these moments on the back porch where all of the wonders of the woodland world were seen, heard, understood and deeply appreciated by the woman. She was the happiest she had ever been.

The afternoons with the animals on the back porch introduced the woman to magic and wonder and new friendships, relieving her emptiness and chasing away her grief. The man noticed the change in the woman, almost as soon as he began noticing the extraordinary visitors on the back porch at all hours of the day and night. The woman’s family had no idea she was now blessed with the Old Knowledge, but they knew something was different. The friendly animals began to provide regular entertainment and became the new normal for the small family in the forest. The woman was careful to caution and educate the child about their unusual situation, but it was his version of normal, so he never considered anything out of the ordinary.

The man never said much about the strange turn of events, but he was most likely relieved for the happier environment. To this day he still, perhaps a bit begrudgingly, picks up sunflower seeds and other snacks for the woman’s multitude of wild animal friends.
And so they lived happily ever after, The End.


Author’s Note: The House in the Meadow pictured above is a painting of the house discussed in the story. Practically Snow White was inspired by my real life experiences surrounding the first year or two building our new house. I wrote this tale intending to illustrate my deep connection to our land, my family and the animal’s kind enough to share this wonderful, beautiful, magical place with us.

The raccoon in the story was a very real part of my life. Her name was Rachael and she was a welcome visitor here for many years until she passed on. Her children and grandchildren are all still regular visitors to our little house in the forest.

My husband and I are happy with our decision to move to this woodland paradise, as nothing worthwhile is given. I truly believe the best rewards are those earned with hard work and perseverance. Life is often more difficult then we anticipate but we are made stronger for having lived it. We survived our early years and are doing quite well. Our house is still unfinished but I no longer care. And if you are wondering, I have had numerous cars since those early days, so technically I can leave whenever I want, but I hardly ever do so since most of my closest friends live right here in our back yard. Okay that, and Tonka, my 18 pound diabetic cat keeps me close to home, as he requires an insulin shot every 12 hours.

The boy in the story is 16 years old now and much less rambunctious, but still a delightful pain in the ass when he wants to be. He is loved beyond words, even if he does think his mother is completely crazy. He turned out to be a kind and gentle young man who is sweet and sympathetic to both animals and people.

Additional beloved pets have come into our lives since we lost Loki and Kitty, the dog and cat featured in the story. Sadly, we’ve lost more friends along the way, and each pet’s death breaks my heart deeply but I like to think I deal with my grief a bit better now.

So that’s my Snow White Origin story, and of course it’s all (mostly) true. I’m not completely sure why I associate Snow White with the forest animals except for that part in the movie where they come at her command when she starts singing. Obviously I was deeply affected by this as a young (practically Orphan) child. I might have desperately wanted help cleaning my bedroom or I might have just needed someone there to listen to me. Whatever the case that’s one Disney moment that profoundly shaped my psyche for the rest of my life. I still believe that animals know exactly what I’m saying and I will never give up trying to engage them in conversation. However, I am kind enough not to sing to them because, ah, how shall I say this? My singing to the animals could be seen as cruel and unusual punishment.

I hope you enjoyed my story and that you are living your best happily ever after!

As you can see from the paintings accompanying this story, I have honored my New Hampshire Woodland Animal friends by creating this Portrait Collection

As you can see from the paintings accompanying this story, I have honored my New Hampshire Woodland Animal friends by creating this Portrait Collection

Here is the Woodland Animal Portrait collection description: Adorable oval shaped animal portrait paintings inspired by the amazing animals that live with Amy on her New Hampshire property. The Woodland Animal Portrait series is prominently featured in her home. All of the animals represented are beloved friends. Each one has their own story to tell. However, the humorous antics that happen in the backyard, stay in the backyard. If you are picturing Snow White, it’s basically true.

The Woodland Animal Portraits are just the thing to bring warmth and personality to your magical Woodland Getaway, Forest Lodge or Secret Cabin in the Woods. Super cute in wall art sets, as cuddle worthy throw pillows and perfect as greeting cards!

Mixed Media. Border hand drawn in pen and ink. Portrait image painted in acrylic glazes. By Amy E. Fraser. All images copyright Amy E. Fraser. All rights reserved.

Click the link to see Amy E. Fraser's collection of New Hampshire Wildlife Drawings
For more Art and Information on Amy E. Fraser go to Aefraser.com

For Images and Active Links Go To: https://aefraserart.blogspot.com/2020/02/practically-snow-white.html

Feminist Ink Favorites

February 23rd, 2020

Feminist Ink Favorites

Okay, I know, you are SO over hearing about the Feminist Ink series, but just one thing more, I promise. Since I forgot to include additional links and images for Feminist Ink in yesterday’s post I thought it might be fun to share the top ten Feminist Ink picks so far on Pinterest:

To see images go to: https://aefraserart.blogspot.com/2020/02/feminist-ink-favorites.html

I swear I’m not bragging, but I can’t deny that I am completely thrilled that people are showing an interest in these works. They may just be looking at it in horror for all I know, but whatever. I’m happy! I’ll take an honest reaction any day. And as they say, art doesn’t exist until someone sees it. So hurray, the work has escaped the confines of the basement storage and exploded into the universe. My editing efforts were not for nothing! The work is out there for better or worse and I am positively chuffed. Oh dear, please immediately disregard the UK slang; I binge watched/listened to Downton Abbey for the last stretch of the Feminist Ink edits. My poor darling pets had to listen to my dreadful British accent for the last week or so. Thankfully I was able to curb it when the Mr. came home from work. I’m sure he would have thrown himself out in a snow bank if he’d been subjected to too much of it. Although, my grandmother was a war bride from England, I feel as though I should have a genetic right to sounding posh. How did I get so far off topic? The gerbil that functions as my brain must have fallen off his wheel again…

So, what’s next? Now that I’ve completed the Feminist Ink series it will have to get tucked away into the middle of my Fine Art America image display where hopefully it won’t scare off too many more viewers. At least it shouldn’t be front and center to hit them over the head at first glance anymore. I have been experiencing some guilt because my small group of followers on FAA seems fairly conservative, creating mostly decorative paintings and nature photography. As they should, because ladies ripping their guts open to spew forth piles of ugly melting faced babies is hardly popular or mainstream. Certainly not art to sell on tea towels and shower curtains! But obviously, it remains an option and I welcome it with open arms if anyone wishes to purchase such fabulously unique items! I am proud to say that I have had a few good sports that have been supportive and willing to comment no matter how harsh or offensive my subject matter may be. I was extremely impressed by some of their interpretations and responses. Those nice enough to take the time to comment are the brave open minded few who seem to get it, and me, and I am unbelievably grateful for their kindness. In fact, I feel even guiltier because I really do owe those amazing artists some decent comments back.

And yes, I’m dodging the real question of what’s next because I don’t actually know what I want to tackle next. Yesterday I was sure if I slept on it; I’d wake up with a definitive answer and be excited to start working right away. But I’m afraid I had a terrible night’s sleep due to another skunk death match in the middle of the night. I’d had enough melatonin to dose an elephant so I couldn’t drag myself out of bed to see what was happening exactly, but the painful high pitched screaming was sufficient to paint a horrifying picture. I hate that they fight and much to my family’s dismay, I’ve actually stepped into the middle of a few screaming skunk battles. And nope, I haven’t been sprayed yet but I know my odds are lessening with each encounter and that I’m bound to be sprayed at some point. That’s the consequence of believing I am the New Hampshire equivalent of Snow White. By the way, if you think my husband’s concern is for my safety, it is, sort of, but in the case of the skunks, it’s mostly that he doesn’t want to be subjected to the stench. I won’t mention the times he’s encouraged me to go pet the new fox kits or stand next to the bear. It’s fine, really. It’s totally okay that our “friends” have suggested more than once that he take out a bigger insurance policy on me. I just hope my rabies shots are still good?

Well… looks like it’s time to put an end to this roundabout ramble and close this post. Here is a link to the Feminist Ink Gallery

The Feminist Ink collection is a series of dark, surrealistic, female focused, stylized figurative art, depicting Feminist, Womanist and Humanist subject matter from the perspective of the artist in 2000. This body of work explores Western Cultural ideals of gender, female fertility, feminine intellect, and societal constructs of strength and beauty. These black and white works are hand drawn in pen and ink. The original drawings were created in 2000 and digitally enhanced in 2020. This drawing is part of a series of 32 concept sketches created in 2000 for Amy E. Fraser’s Dartmouth College, Master of Arts and Liberal Studies Thesis: “Dissecting The Western Woman Artist; An Artist's Dialogue”.

The final paintings that evolved from these works were published in Amy E. Fraser’s book “Dissecting The Western Woman Artist; An Artist's Dialogue” and featured at Amy E. Fraser’s solo exhibition entitled “Confronting Femininity” Recent Paintings, October 2001, at Gallery Alexie, 529 West 20th Street, New York, NY.

“Dissecting The Western Woman Artist; An Artist's Dialogue” by Amy E. Fraser is conceived as a symbolic autopsy discussing both the societal as well as the personal meaning and intention of the artist’s figurative work from that time period. The entire book is available to read online at the Amy E. Fraser Art Blog. Original Hard Copy Publication by Dartmouth College, Copyright 2000. All versions of related art and text, Copyright Amy E. Fraser. All rights reserved.

For more Art and Information on Amy E. Fraser go to Aefraser.com

Feminist Ink Completed

February 22nd, 2020

Feminist Ink Completed

The Feminist Ink series is complete! I just finished and posted “Guardians” today! It was the last of the drawings from my Dartmouth Thesis project. Wow! Was that a task and a half! What a relief to finally have it finished. I feel like I need a reward for all of that incredibly hard work, or perhaps even a vacation? Ok maybe not, it’s not like I got paid to do this project. Whatever the case I am elated that I actually stuck with it and completed the entire series of 32 drawings (at an average of 10 hours each). Oh did I mention that there were 32 drawings? Yeah, excruciating to edit, but yay me! I did it.

So not only was this project a major time suck but I must admit it has been pretty difficult traveling back in time into my old head space. However, now that I’ve made it to the other side, I get to decide what project to tackle next! The only problem with that being, I have so many projects on the to-do list that I don’t know where to start. I was positive I was going to “pounce” on the Hauz Kat series I mentioned I’ve been playing with in between the Feminist Ink edits, but now I’m not so sure. I kind of want to experiment with something new, like try a new medium or do something completely crazy! But, I still have piles upon piles of art to photograph and edit and I can’t even count how many unfinished works I have lying about. I mean, should I really start a new painting series? What I should do is try to be more goal orientated, but I seem to have a limitless stream of new and exciting ideas I am compelled to try and I am learning that I am much more ambitious then realistic.

Speaking of realistic, I get the feeling that despite my warnings about doing as I say, not as I do, especially when it comes to my art advice, you might not be listening. I really am proving to be a truly terrible example. Don’t do as I do! Honestly, while I do know exactly what I should do to market my work, I am not bothering to follow my own advice. I have tons of helpful information to offer from my decades of research and experience, I know all about Artist Branding, the importance of creating and targeting a niche, blogging and social media… but… I’m just having a hard time giving a shit about any of that at the moment.

In my current frame of mind, if I were to flesh out any of the “How to become a Successful Artist” post ideas I have filed away to share with you, I would come off as very unauthentic. In part because I’m not currently following any of my own advice, but also because my definition of what a Successful Artist is, waivers. Frequently. And let’s face it, I would like to get someone else to do all the marketing for me so I can just have fun making pretty things. Not to mention I’ve practically become phobic at the very thought of Instagram and Facebook. I dare not dip my toe in the social media pool for fear that I will be sucked in and pop my precious bubble. Don’t make me elaborate on that or you will find out I am a horrible human being.

Anyway, so I mainly just popped in to say Hi and to let you know that Feminist Ink is finally finished. I don’t actually have a good reason to explain why I felt the need to reintroduce this project to the public. I have no agenda for what I hope to accomplish by sharing these new “old” works, as I have no plans to continue to pursue this avenue of art in my future. In fact, I am well aware that presenting this “Feminist” work is probably detrimental to my future Artist Branding efforts as I plan to focus on The Legend of Hare Terra as my primary niche, eventually. But these drawings from 2000 are part of me and my development as an artist and I strongly believe that Real Artists (not Brands) are the sum of their creations. Being one thing is boring, one dimensional and not at all realistic. I personally do not believe in limiting myself, my art or my interests in any way, especially for the sake of fitting into an easily marketable package. I think the most remarkable art is created from artists who have lived, dreamed and experienced diversity. I have a whole snarky list of my very strong opinions on what makes someone a Real Artist versus who I see as pretenders and posers, but I will refrain from that tangent for now as I have plans for the evening.

In the meantime, here is the collection description: The Feminist Ink collection is a series of dark, surrealistic, female focused, stylized figurative art, depicting Feminist, Womanist and Humanist subject matter from the perspective of the artist in 2000. This body of work explores Western Cultural ideals of gender, female fertility, feminine intellect, and societal constructs of strength and beauty. These black and white works are hand drawn in pen and ink. The original drawings were created in 2000 and digitally enhanced in 2020. This drawing is part of a series of 32 concept sketches created in 2000 for Amy E. Fraser’s Dartmouth College, Master of Arts and Liberal Studies Thesis: “Dissecting The Western Woman Artist; An Artist's Dialogue”.

The final paintings that evolved from these works were published in Amy E. Fraser’s book “Dissecting The Western Woman Artist; An Artist's Dialogue” and featured at Amy E. Fraser’s solo exhibition entitled “Confronting Femininity” Recent Paintings, October 2001, at Gallery Alexie, 529 West 20th Street, New York, NY.

“Dissecting The Western Woman Artist; An Artist's Dialogue” by Amy E. Fraser is conceived as a symbolic autopsy discussing both the societal as well as the personal meaning and intention of the artist’s figurative work from that time period. The entire book is available to read online at the Amy E. Fraser Art Blog. Original Hard Copy Publication by Dartmouth College, Copyright 2000. All versions of related art and text, Copyright Amy E. Fraser. All rights reserved.

Here is a link to the Feminist Ink Gallery where all 32 images are now available on display.

For more Art and Information on Amy E. Fraser go to Aefraser.com

Editing Feminist Ink

February 3rd, 2020

Editing Feminist Ink

Where does the time go? So much for my intentions of consistent blogging, apparently that’s NOT happening. Instead, I’ve been consumed the past few weeks with editing my “Feminist Ink” series. I found my collection of Thesis drawings over the winter break and thought cleaning up the 20 year old concept drawings to make available on AEFraser.com would be a fun little challenge. Challenge, definitely yes, fun, not so much. I scanned in the hefty stack of 32 [11” x 17”] pen and ink drawings, thinking Hey! These are cool, they will add some interesting depth and dimension to my “getting to know your artist series” that I started here on the blog a few months ago. I don’t know if you are realizing this about me or not, but nothing I ever do is fast or easy. The quick clean up that I imagined was going to happen ended up being a major rework on each image, some taking as long as 10-12 hours respectively. What was I thinking? You decide. Here is the before and after example of “Moon Blooming”:
So you can see what I’m talking about? Yeah, I probably should have left the original drawings as they were and called it a day but curiosity (and maybe OCD) got the best of me. I must admit, while I can’t say whether or not the effort is “worth it” (by whatever standards), I am much happier with version 2. And that’s all that matters, uh, right? Anyway, I’ve completed 16 so far but I still have 16 left to edit. That will probably kill another few weeks, the thought of which pretty much leaves me dying. But you know, worth it. There has been some encouragement; I am pleased to say that the first few Feminist Ink drawings have already received a bit of interest on Pinterest. So that’s kind of thrilling…?
As of today, I’ve burnt through all of my tablet nibs and killed the protective screen on my XP-Pen device so I’m being forced to take a break while I wait for the Amazon fairy to deliver the replacements. In the meantime, I went back through the “Dissecting The Western Woman Artist; An Artist's Dialogue” chapters posted last month and added the new completed Feminist Ink images. They weren’t all a perfect match but the chapters look so much more inviting with their snazzy new illustrations! Yes, it’s probably silly for me to be excited about it, but I do feel optimistic about my book being of consequence again. Especially after finding many current bibliography references still linked back to the older version. I feel terrible I broke the links when I had to take it down a few years ago, but it couldn’t be helped when my website was updated.
Hopefully they find the book again here on the Amy E. Fraser Art Blog when they need it. However I kind of hope students don’t start writing to me again in the guise of wanting to interview me, while secretly attempting to manipulate me into writing their papers for them. Back in the day I was so flattered by their sweet requests that I actually fell for it! Not any longer, being a mother has severely jaded me (LOL). I’m sure that will no longer be the case anymore anyway as the content is a bit dated after twenty years. I think a wave or two of Feminism has passed me by while I’ve been hiding up here in my magical fairytale forest. Whatever the case, I think that while opinions, concepts and politics may evolve and change, the art stands alone and remains timelessly relevant because its true meaning is discovered and narrated by each individual viewer.
So anyway, that’s what I’ve been up to. I’ll be busy with editing the second half of the Feminist Ink series for a few more weeks but I do already have another new project on the horizon. Remember at the end of my last post, how I joked about the Feminist Ink drawings not being a hit with the puppies and kittens crowd? It got me thinking and drawing in-between edits. You probably won’t believe this but for some reason I was compelled to create a bunch of Cat drawings! Oh my! I have to say I adore them! I liked them so much I’ve decided to turn them into a painting series. Ridiculous right? But I couldn’t help myself; I’ve already named the collection “The Hauz Katz”. But, you know, they will have to wait until I finish this project. And I really shouldn’t be thinking of new paintings, especially because I already have all of those other projects that still need editing… like the Parsons Paintings, the Exalted Beauty portraits, the Sourdough photos and The Legend of Hare Terra… But the muse leads where it leads. Wish me luck!
Here is the official “Moon Blooming” description from the website:
Moon Blooming by Amy E. Fraser. The Feminist Ink collection is a series of dark, surrealistic, female focused, stylized figurative art, depicting Feminist, Womanist and Humanist subject matter from the perspective of the artist in 2000. This body of work explores Western Cultural ideals of gender, female fertility, feminine intellect, and societal constructs of strength and beauty. These black and white works are hand drawn in pen and ink. The original drawings were created in 2000 and digitally enhanced in 2020. This drawing is part of a series of 32 concept sketches created in 2000 for Amy E. Fraser’s Dartmouth College, Master of Arts and Liberal Studies Thesis: “Dissecting The Western Woman Artist; An Artist's Dialogue”.
The final paintings that evolved from these works were published in Amy E. Fraser’s book “Dissecting The Western Woman Artist; An Artist's Dialogue” and featured at Amy E. Fraser’s solo exhibition entitled “Confronting Femininity” Recent Paintings, October 2001, at Gallery Alexie, 529 West 20th Street, New York, NY.
“Dissecting The Western Woman Artist; An Artist's Dialogue” by Amy E. Fraser is conceived as a symbolic autopsy discussing both the societal as well as the personal meaning and intention of the artist’s figurative work from that time period. The entire book is available to read online at the Amy E. Fraser Art Blog. Original Hard Copy Publication by Dartmouth College, Copyright 2000. All versions of related art and text, Copyright Amy E. Fraser. All rights reserved.
Here is a link to the Feminist Ink Gallery
For more Art and Information on Amy E. Fraser go to Aefraser.com

20 Year Old Artist's Dialogue Resurfaces

January 22nd, 2020

20 Year Old Artist

Sounds SO dramatic right? In all seriousness it really has been 20 years since I wrote my Masters of Arts and Liberal Studies Thesis: “Dissecting The Western Woman Artist; An Artist's Dialogue”. Much has happened in the two decades that have passed since I graduated from Dartmouth College. Sometimes it feels like that was forever ago and at other times, like it was only yesterday.

So, you may have noticed if you have been reading my blog posts over the past few months, I’ve been feeling a bit nostalgic. Although I’m not sure nostalgic is exactly the word for it. Maybe its melancholy, mostly I think I’m just suddenly feeling old? Without even realizing it, our lives happen along. We often set aside our original dreams and goals for, well, reality. This usually means that we work toward smaller, more practical accomplishments. We learn the art of compromise and we tend to whittle away our existence to getting through each day, losing track of the big picture. Anyway, life, it happens to the best of us.

But sometimes we pop our heads up from the harness of the daily grind to re-evaluate. I think that’s what’s been happening to me. I’m re-awakening; that inner feral child has been clawing her way back to the surface. Through reviewing my older works of art I am relearning and remembering a lot about my younger self. The good, the bad and the what the hell was she thinking? So while I’ve been telling myself I’m starting over, perhaps I’m just picking up where I left off? But now I’ll be coming at it from the perspective of a few more years under the belt, with wisdom, grace and maturity. One would hope. Whatever the case, I think it is important to honor our younger selves, to revisit our early dreams and ambitions to see if they still inspire us. With that in mind, I decided to re-release my fairly opinionated and controversial, and definitely dated, TMI tell all “Dissecting The Western Woman Artist; An Artist's Dialogue” on the Amy E. Fraser Art blog today. You are welcome!

Here’s a fully linked Table of Contents (https://aefraserart.blogspot.com/2020/01/20-year-old-artists-dialogue-resurfaces.html)
Introduction
Part 1. The Autopsy

- External Examination -
Chapter 1. Skin. The Truth and Power behind Female Nudity
Chapter 2. Muscle. Feminine Strength
Chapter 3. Vagina. Creativity and Feminine Multiplicity
Chapter 4. Breasts. Beauty, Power and Desire

- Internal Examination -
Chapter 5. Lungs. Breathing From the Artist’s Soul
Chapter 6. Heart. The Female Artist’s Emotional Center
Chapter 7. Intestines. The Primordial Being
Chapter 8. Stomach. Eating and Self Identity
Chapter 9. Uterus. Sacred Sexuality And Feminine Symbolism
Chapter 10. Menstrual Blood. A Woman’s Ancient Magic
Chapter 11. Skeleton. The Matrilineal Legacy of Feminine Knowledge

- Final Examination -
Chapter 12. Brain. Gendered Thought, Female Intellect and Feminine Consciousness
Conclusion
Bibliography

Also, I am currently in the process of editing the black and white, pen and ink, concept drawings created for the Thesis project. I have every intention of releasing them on Aefraser.com in the near future. They are fabulously dark and surreal, I’m sure they will be a big hit with the puppies and kittens crowd! Wish me luck! Happy reading!

For more Art and Information on Amy E. Fraser go to Aefraser.com

The Night Garden

January 21st, 2020

The Night Garden

What adventures we will have in this fairy tale garden filled with moonlight and flowers. The night is black and the stars are bright, the wildflower meadow is mysterious, dark and deep. Come in, follow the shine of moonlight on the circle shaped steps; let the meandering stone lined path lead the way through the gloom, take a journey into this Queendom of dreams. Discover a magical place that exists between waking and sleeping, a place of reality and imagination, where the boundaries blur between the conscious and waking worlds. Drift away on the heady scent of night blooms and drink in the musk of hidden wild creatures. They wait with you, relaxing calmly in quiet anticipation for the evening’s entertainment to begin. Are you ready? Can you hear it? Listen to the enchanting music emanating from the trees above, a choir of night birds singing in perfect harmony. Look higher! Watch as the stars fall and turn into flowers, which bud and open, like unfolding wishes. Close your eyes tight, quickly tell them your deepest desires, they may just grant you. Now observe as the butterfly dances so gracefully and kisses the flowers, causing them to grow. Watch out, you better duck! Hearts race as hummingbirds buzz by, brushing your skin with a fast feather soft caress. How you will laugh as lizards lounge in lazy latitude while the dragonflies deliver aerobatic flights of delight. Pass into this dimension of mystery and magic and give yourself to the realm of the Goddess Flora. This is the world of Amy E. Fraser’s Night Garden. You are most welcome here.

The Night Garden Paintings by Amy E. Fraser. These works have been hand drawn in pen and ink, tinted with colored pencils and finished with layers upon layers of translucent acrylic glaze. Final effect: interesting detail, textural depth, and rich, luminous color. All images copyright Amy E. Fraser. All rights reserved. For more Art and Information on Amy E. Fraser go to Aefraser.com

Winter Botanicals

January 21st, 2020

Winter Botanicals

There is something magically atmospheric, almost sacred about the freezing cold days of winter. Those days where it is so cold that the forest is dead silent; not a single creature dares to move in the bitter air, air so harsh it steals the songs from the birds. The only sound is the pounding of the heart and the crunch of each step. Every breath is captured by the Winter Queen, she jealously wicks moisture from the heavy snows, destroying dreams of building snow women, turning joyous potential to useless grainy sugar. Within moments, cold chills every inch of the body, the one piece of exposed flesh becomes numb, eyes sting. More than ready to turn back on this piercing arctic journey, wondering what possessed you to embark on this glacial expedition in the first place. Then it happens, a precious fairy tale moment where the sun shines her distant cold yellow light in the hushed silence. The world sparkles and you become witness to an unlikely beauty peeking through the snow in the frozen wildflower meadow. Dry, brown, and brittle as they may seem, they are a glimpse of life to come, proudly announcing their power and potential. They are the vessels, the glorious keepers of the magic that patiently waits as winter yields to spring. These mighty beings hold the seeds to bring forth the rising of plants and flowers. They are there to welcome back the sun and all of the birds and woodland creatures. These Winter Botanicals, elegant in their humble beauty, remind us all that even in our darkest, coldest hours, light and hope are about to bloom.
The Winter Botanicals are part of the Woodland Wildflower Meadow Photographs by Amy E. Fraser. Images captured in the woodland wildflower meadow surrounding Amy E. Fraser’s home in the beautiful state of New Hampshire. All images copyright Amy E. Fraser. All rights reserved.

Lipstick On. Prepared For Battle.

January 19th, 2020

Lipstick On. Prepared For Battle.

My husband and I have been binge watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Last night’s episode where Abe exploded about the opulence and excess of Midge having an entire room dedicated to her dresses reminded me of one of my best friends from Parsons. She had a sweet three bedroom village apartment (in New York City) that her parents gifted her, only requiring her to have a roommate for safety reasons. So of course she had the biggest bedroom, the roommate the smallest and her shoes lived in the best bedroom in the house. Yes, you read that correctly, an entire room for her shoes! She was a fashion major at Parsons, so of course, an entire room for shoes made perfect sense.
Oh my, how I loved that girl! She was able to get up and get ready for school in 7 minutes flat after a wild night of clubbing! She said the secret was to not fall asleep on the makeup. I don’t know how she did it, but she looked fresh and phenomenal in record time. She was amazing, completely crazy and I absolutely adored her! Sad to say, we lost touch after my son was born. I had postpartum depression and unfortunately cut people from my life. As much as I missed her, I didn’t try very hard to reconnect again because I was never really the same person again. Our lives had grown in completely different directions and I’m afraid my new house frau existence shamed me into silence.
Anyway, long story short, I was thinking of her and her hilarious mother this morning on the treadmill. For some reason Kathy’s voice popped into my head announcing: “Put your Lipstick on Ladies and Prepare for Battle!” Honestly, I have no idea if she actually said that but it was so like her, I had a fit of giggles. After spending two weeks on a whirlwind trip to London and Paris with Julie and her mom, I came home with countless gems of wisdom from that incredibly sassy woman. Examples being, never weigh more than your age, which I failed miserably at, don’t marry him, he’s swarthy, never trust a bow legged woman and always know your best feature and accent it. I am so thankful I didn’t marry that pirate, but I still have no idea what my best feature is? I do recall she said her best feature was her shoulders because she still proudly retained her "swimmers physique". Well deserved confidence I might add because of course she was still stunning and stylish.
Um, so what was the point of this post you ask? Well, I was feeling fairly bummed out yesterday afternoon after doing a search for my flower images in the Fine Art America database. I don’t normally do that to myself because I am fully aware of the futility of this act but sometimes the inner sadist kicks in. Apparently that’s what happened after I wrote yesterday’s Floravased post. It suddenly dawned on me that while my new works might now show up yet, that I already had more than a hundred really good floral paintings available for sale. I had anticipated seeing at least some of them... but Shocker! Not one of my flower paintings showed up in the top 100 pages.
The explanation for this of course is that I am not properly marketing my work. I haven’t contacted my friends and family, I haven’t stepped back into the local gallery scene or entered any contests and I have not posted a single image on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. However I do sporadically post to Pinterest, I do have good keywords and descriptions for most of the work and I do attempt to participate in the FAA community when I can. It has been suggested that the likes, favorites and comments do provide incremental status. However I can’t possibly devote the time needed to garner the significant amount that would make a difference. Anyway I can’t even imagine what ridiculously large amount I would need to surpass those images that have been grandfathered to the front of the line since 2010. OMG! Don’t even get me started on the filthy basement nudes ranking in front of my stunning sourdough bread photographs, not a loaf of bread in sight! How do snapshots of naked skanks even remotely qualify as Bread? Where were the keyword police for those revolting pictures? Anyway… as you can see from my vivid description, the whole thing is a frustrating situation; a catch 22, no exposure equals no sales, no sales equals no FAA ranking. If you want to sell online, you have to be the one to sell online! Duh, we all know this but it is hard to kill that dream of some super amazing entity swooping in and doing all the dirty work for you.
Picture this; they say to imagine FAA as an enormous warehouse full of brown cardboard boxes housing your works (that and the work of another 500,000 artists!). No one can see what’s in the boxes unless you bring them into your section of the warehouse and open up your boxes to show them your work. So as a Fine Art America print on demand artist, it is my job (not theirs) to suit up and bring those potential buyers in. My mission, since I’m not interested in pounding Instagram, Facebook and Twitter 300 times a day, is to stick with the plan and continue on with the slow version of social media, the blog. A successful marketing campaign will entail writing individual posts about each and every one of my painting series. I’ve known this, I’ve stated it here repeatedly, I’ve made some headway, but I just haven’t really dug in. It's daunting. But, after detoxifying some rage and frustration on the treadmill, I am much more prepared to face this mission like a lady; with dignity, refinement and grace. Who am I kidding? As Susie says to Mrs. Maisel before the show, “Tit’s up” and in the possibly imagined words of the great sequined Kathy K “Put your Lipstick on Ladies and Prepare for Battle!”

Best of luck to you in your future battles! For more Art and Information on Amy E. Fraser go to Aefraser.com

The Floravased Paintings

January 18th, 2020

The Floravased Paintings

Today I am introducing my brand new floral painting series entitled Floravased!
The Floravased (Flowers in Vases) painting series are fabulous fun floral arrangements displayed in a variety of vibrant vessels. They embody the tradition of floral still life paintings but with a folksy, fresh vision. These paintings exude cheerful sophistication and stylish whimsy in a contemporary classic color palette. The Floravased collection is modern floral elegance with a dash of vintage mystique.
The Floravased paintings began as pen and ink sketches that evolved into colored pencil drawings, which were then carefully sealed in acrylic medium and then painted with layers upon layers of chalky matte acrylic washes on cold pressed 140 pound archival watercolor paper. This technique is something I’ve been developing for some time and results in interesting stain effects and textures that bring depth and richness to these bright and colorful flower paintings.
Still life paintings depict mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects such as food and flowers. Still life painting emerged as a distinct genre and professional specialization in Western painting by the late 16th century, and has remained significant since then. One advantage of the still life art form is that it allows an artist freedom to experiment with the arrangement of elements within a composition of a painting. Still life, as a particular genre, began with Netherlandish painting of the 16th and 17th centuries, and the English term still life derives from the Dutch word stilleven.
I remember working on still life paintings throughout high school and College. We all used to moan and groan to the art professors when we couldn’t have live models. This was largely due to art school snobbery; still life art carries the unfortunate stigma of occupying the lowest rung of the hierarchy of art genres. This spoiled brat reaction was of course ridiculous; still life studies are an extremely underrated learning tool. Not only are still life paintings an excellent way to keep your skills in check and explore new techniques but to this day they remain the most popular works purchased by buyers. Artists often forget that they need to make money in order to keep making more art.
Lucky for me, I am extremely passionate about flowers! And true to popular belief, they too have been my biggest sellers. And lucky for you, in addition to this brand new series of flowers in vases still lives, I also have numerous variations of more floral fabulousness available for your print on demand pleasure. Your choices of Fraser Florals are practically limitless! Here is a list of Amy E. Fraser Flower Art Galleries:
Flowers in Vases
Poppies
The Flower Garden
Tapestry Florals
Whimsical Florals
Flora and Fauna
Alien Bloom
Tapestry Squares
Floral Icons
Woodland Wildflower Meadow
Yeah, I know what you are thinking about the Floravased painting series title. I was super excited when I came up with it and then was mildly disappointed when I discovered the word already existed. But I loved it and my similarly titled works couldn’t be in better company right? The original Floravase artwork is a gorgeous baroque garden sculpture in the palace garden at Fulda. It is considered one of the most important garden sculptures in Europe and is located on the landing of the large orangery staircase in the castle garden. It symbolizes the flower goddess Flora on a vase, decorated with flower tendrils and surrounded by angel figures. In her raised hand she holds a golden lily, the symbol of Adolf von Dalberg, Prince of Fulda. Flora is the Roman goddess of the flowering of plants.
Okay, well, that’s all I have for today’s Floravased blog post. Have a fabulous flower filled day! Happy shopping!
For more Art and Information on Amy E. Fraser go to Aefraser.com

 

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