Stylish and Versatile

I'm humbled to be the recipient of two blog awards, given by Kristin of Aquariann! Thank you so much! :)

By accepting these awards, I agree to share 7 things about myself... so here goes!

1. I am a Sagitarius, which means I am optimistic, good-humored, honest and philosophical.
2. My favorite thing to draw is the female form.
3. I currently optimize the stereotype of the "starving artist".
4. I believe I can change red lights to green with my mind. ;)
5. My first published artwork appeared in the local paper when I was 12 years old. I won first prize in a drawing contest and received a check for $5.
6. I am a recovering drug addict. I've been clean for 19 months and I find the strength to stay that way in my family.
7. I gave a pretty girl a hand-drawn Valentine's card in 1995. My wife still has it.

Celebrating Winter

I've joined the new Winter Blog Hop over at aquariann's wonderful blog. It's an excellent way to bring new readers to your blog, as well as find new blogs to read and enjoy. I've found all manner of interesting artisans and crafters via blog hops and I'm grateful to Kristin for setting this one up. She's generously offering to give away one of her lovely Winter Fairy magnets for every 100 blog hop entries. Hurry on over and sign up!

Autumn Blog Hop

I joined Aquariann's Autumn Blog Hop, a celebration of the autumn season. There are already quite a few awesome blogs signed up and since the blog hop runs through November, I'm sure there will be many more added. Hop on over and join the group!

The Art of Aquariann

If you haven't seen the fantasy artwork of Aquariann, you are missing out! Artist Kristin has a beautiful mix of fairies, dragons, mermaids and even a lone pirate! Her colored pencil artwork is bright, fresh and eye-catching.

Kristin attended Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, where she majored in graphic design. She considers herself mainly a self-taught artist, and says that "messy mediums such as paint and charcoal have never been very nice to [me], but the smooth glide of colored pencils is magic."

One of her most popular pieces is "Aware", a breast cancer awareness fairy inspired by Kristin's mom, a survivor of more than 15 years. "Aware" is featured in several Etsy treasuries this week, as Breast Cancer Awareness Month approaches in October. $5 from every sale goes to Women Supporting Women on the eastern shore.

She offers her artwork as 5 x 7" and 8 x 10" prints, professionally printed by DeviantArt, or as magnets, bookmarks or pinback buttons. 

Kristin is an active member of Etsy's Fantasy Artists of Etsy Team, known as the FAEteam. You can also find the art of Aquariann on Etsy, Artfire, DeviantArt, Squidoo, flickr, Twitter and Facebook!

In addition, you can also follow Kristin of Aquariann Art at her blog, "the art and tree chatter of aquariann". She regularly posts art updates, treasuries and other featured sellers, as well as interesting observations and cool Etsy finds.

One of my favorite pieces by Kristin is "Damsel" - a lovely red-haired maiden and her best friend, a large emerald dragon. Gorgeous color work!

Don't walk.... stretch your fairy wings and fly over to check out the fantasy artwork of Aquariann!