This live steam garden railroad is amazing!

(c) 2012 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

Alex Koll was great last night on Conan!

(c) 2012 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

So Cool and So Creepy!

Old Self: Portrait of the Artist as He Will (Not) Be Variation #2

 

 

During a recent visit to Crystal Bridges I came across this sculpture by Evan Penny. It was so fascinating, I spent a lot of time with it.  The description card says it is made with silicone, pigment, hair, and aluminum. Yes, I said hair. Up close and personal you can see the stubble on its faces and the eyebrows look very lifelike. Okay, so who is Evan Penny?

He was born in South Africa as a Canadian citizen, and now lives in Toronto. So what is his work doing in the premiere Museum of American Art? Not sure but he did attend some American schools.

(c) 2012 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

Postcard Art Prevails

George Wittenberg's Postcard Art 

The Summer 2003 issue of Watercolor Magazine featured a 6-page spread, featuring artist George Wittenberg's Postcard Art. The story focused on his artistic techniques as well as how he mails the postcards he paints from the many exotic locations he visits. I was the author of that story, and since that time nearly a decade ago, George has been to many more places and painted many more images. He just got back from Costa Rica, and we look forward to seeing the results of that trip. It has been an honor to work with George through the years! To view more of his work available online at buyoutsidethebox.com please click on this link.

(c) 2012 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

"Favorite French Village"

Just in new work by Ann H. Aldinger. Check out her work here.

(c) 2012 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

Pennies From Heaven

The government prints a lot of $1 bills. But it turns out that minting $1 coins is much, much cheaper. Over the course of 30 years, the government could save $4.4 billion by switching from dollar bills to dollar coins. Conversely, the cost of making the pennies (1.26 cents each) is higher than face value, and the melt value of pennies ranges from more than 2.4 cents for the pre-1982 copper pennies, to nearly a full cent for the zinc pennies.

Jennifer Adams of Kentucky Cutting Boards Introduces New Designs

Jennifer Adams of Kentucky Cutting Boards has introduced a whole new line of cutting boards that will make your holiday shopping a lot easier. These beautiful handmade cutting boards feature inlay designs from exotic woods and they soon become a favorite in the kitchen as well as a family heirloom because of their quality craftsmanship. To view all the newest designs available click here now.

(c) 2012 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

Welcome to Ann Hadaway Aldinger

"Where Two or More are Gathered"

Ann Aldinger

"In my work, I try to convey my excitement for color, light and shadow, and the paint itself. Just preparing my palette gets the creativity flowing. Squeezing the tubes, seeing all the colors arranged on the palette, smelling the paint, visualizing a new work--it is a new and exciting experience each time," says the artist.

Ann likes to combine her passions for painting and traveling. She has painted the landscape in France, Italy, Australia, Portugal and in many of the United States. She has twice been selected as one of 50 painters to participate in the San Luis Obispo, CA Plein Air Festival.

(c) 2012 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserve

We wanted you to know we have a new way of checking out that makes your transaction even more safe and easier than ever. Going forward we will be using PayPal. Not to worry you can still use your credit or debit card, just like before,and you don't have to have a PayPal account to check out. Our credit card processing will now be provided by PayPal, one of the world's safest ways to process your transaction. Happy Creative Consumerism™.

(c) 2012 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

"Make the Planet Better™"

Inaugural "Make the Planet Better™ T-shirts

We are so pleased to announce the first "Make the Planet Better™" T-shirts are now available. Featuring inspirational figures that have forever changed the world, we now offer our own brand of socially conscious products. In the model of Tom's shoes and others that have gone before us, we will donate one T-shirt to someone who needs clothing for every T-shirt sold. We feel that this indeed is the highest form of Creative Consumerism™ we can offer. Our expectations for this program are high, and we hope you will help support us in our endeavors. This sturdy T-shirt may be found at the following link, and we look forward to bringing you many more "Make the Planet Better™" products in the near future.--Ruth Mitchel