What was Hot in 2008???

What a strange, wonderful, scary and challenging year it was. I got married - so that was fun! The election was inspirational and exhilarating and the theme for this year was......hand crafted items. Cheap knockoffs from China are out and the individual craftsperson/artist was in. Etsy had a lot to do with this so I wanted to highlight some of my favorite artists on Etsy. First we have Kareem Rizk - a truly sublime collage artist who takes thinking outside the box to a whole new level.

Then we have Leah Giberson who's mid-century modern paintings and prints have a Hockney feel. Then there is Polarity with charming industrial style lockets not to mention eco-friendly as well.
Then there is Dada Dreams with retro collages are a must for the ACEO collector. So what's in store for 2009? I'm thinking more handcrafted items. Suuport your local artist! These pieces are great, they are original and creative and they encourage the artist in all of us to continue our craft because maybe, just maybe everyone is tired of that contrived product right out of a factory and what we want in our life is the personal items that were made for the love of it. So right now I am going to contine working on the four paintings I started last week for the love of it. Wishing all of you peace in the New Year.