artwork by mikepdx

Updated galleries at mikepdx.imagekind.com

2011-11-20T11:30:00.001-08:00

Paper & Ink Roses series coaster set

2011-10-16T17:02:00.001-07:00

I've taken the five rose images first used on a series of five water slide transfers to wood and made them available on dye sublimation ceramic tile.

Paper Ink Rose #1 2011 Art Tiles Art & Designs by Mike Brown

2011-06-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

Paper Ink Rose #1 2011 Art Tiles Art & Designs by Mike Brown

This one and four more in the Paper Ink Rose series were designed for a First Thursday fundraiser event. My original rose photographs have been altered with a filter to produce a crinkled paper and ink splatter effect. Find the complete series available for purchase as ceramic art tiles at http://www.cafepress.com/mikepdx/7839360.

little art BIG CAUSE progress

2011-06-01T01:30:00.000-07:00

Paper and Ink Roses by Mike Brown

I've narrowed my subjects down to roses in honor of the Portland Rose Festival. Over the years I've accumulated hundreds of rose photos and went back through my collections looking for interesting shapes and designs within these images. I've cropped my favorites and used an artistic filter which converts each image with paper crinkles and ink splatters.

To me this speaks volumes about our town, literacy, books, and creativity. I'm hopeful the image transfer process to the primed boards will be a success.

See http://mikepdx.com/artwork/node/73 for the main post about the First Thursday event.

Update: The process went well and I've updated the thumbnails above with the final versions after much tinkering. The quality of the photos was not up to my standards, but they turned out well. The process first involved printing each archival inkjet image to waterslide decal paper. I've never worked with this paper before, so took some time to experiment with different applications and treatments.

In the end I opted to use a mixture of archival craft glue and water on each 8" x 8" gesso prepared plywood board. The printed and dried images had been cut to size, then soaked for 30 seconds each. The image slipped off the backing and onto the board. Some required a bit more fussing and worry than others, but in the end they found a final position and were left to dry. About an hour later the glue on the sides was still just tacky enough to push down any minor overages and secure them in place.

I'm debating whether I should varnish with a protective coat as I have done in the past with all my canvas pieces. They'll need to dry overnight and there may not be time, but we'll see how they look in the morning.

Little Art Big Cause project

2011-05-23T08:59:00.001-07:00

Five plywood squares sanded and primed with gesso.

Kitchen art tiles for Jim

2010-07-29T00:05:00.000-07:00

My friend Jim is interested in some red fruit and vegetable framed art tiles for his kitchen. I resized the existing bell pepper, strawberry, and hot chili pepper images and added new tomato, radish, and cherry images. Hopefully he will find a few that work.

Find these and others over at my Cafepress shop at http://www.cafepress.com/mikepdx/3395617

Blue Tiles series

2010-07-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

A colleague of mine was interested in some of my blue botanical images on tile and I realized I only have a couple designs in this range. I attempted to shift some of my newer and existing images in the purple range over to blue with Photoshop but that was a disaster. I ran around snapping pictures of blue hydrangea and other blue flowers and plants but haven't come up with anything too exciting.

At this point my goal was to find some Creative Commons licensed works off Flickr to fill the immediate need. I came up with a few I hope will work...

The first two in the group of four will probably work best to coordinate with this one which is my original work:

Visit http://www.cafepress.com/mikepdx.104674178 for my Blue Euphorbia image on tile, or check out the Creative Commons works at http://www.cafepress.com/mikepdx/7233453.

Chopsticks For Salad Organic Men's T-Shirt

2010-03-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

Chopsticks For Salad Organic Men's T-Shirt (dark)
Buy this product at CafePress

Having fun with a photo from my camera phone

2010-03-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

I grabbed some chopsticks for a salad I had made and it hit me that this was the best way to eat leafy greens! No more fork stabbing at leaves again. So I snapped a photo with my phone and then decided this might make a neat t-shirt design...

Find t-shirts, notecards, and other items with this design over at my Cafepress shop.

Works in progress

2008-12-06T15:28:00.001-08:00

I have close to a dozen canvas pieces all going at the same time. They're printed and mounted but awaiting the next phase of preparation which is to paint the sides black and then apply a few coats of varnish before adding the hanging hardware. Jim, your piece is at the top of the priority list! :)

Artwork database software

2008-11-08T18:41:00.000-08:00

Today I've been scouring the Internet for an accounting program geared towards artists and their artwork. A while back I checked out QuickBooks and Microsoft Money. Microsoft is now offering their Accounting 2008 Express Edition, but it doesn't do inventory. Microsoft Money Plus Home & Business appears to offer inventory tracking and customers. Same goes for QuickBooks unless you buy their Pro edition.

I could build my own database with Access or find some Excel spreadsheet template as I had started to do months ago, but it appears there are some refined database programs out there for artists to consider first.

Flick! http://www.arawak.com.au/flick.html
Art & Craft Business Organizer http://www.jaminmark.com/acbo/tour1.html
eArtist http://www.artscope.net/eArtist/
WorkingArtist http://www.workingartist.com/
ArtWorksPro http://www.artworkspro.com/
Art Affair http://www.artaffairsoftware.com/index.html
Artlook for Artists http://www.artlooksoftware.com/pages/artists/artists.html
Data Tracker for Crafts http://www.datavillage.com/CraftTracker.htm
Artist's Butler http://www.lynndavison.com/lynnsoft/download.html

I've examined pretty much all of these above and while the Flick! interface is sleek, I'm finding that WorkingArtist 3.0 and Art Affair offer the richest features. Unfortunately they both feel like an old Windows 95 application.

In paticular I'm wanting to track not only my art and various editions, but also other products and supplies such as the frames I use to present my ceramic tiles. I'm not so concerned about getting every magnet, glass tile, canvas roll, and glue dispenser in there but I'd like some amount of breakdown to figure my costs and profits.

I think I'll give one or two of these a go and report back but would love to hear from others. I'm gearing up to sell my framed ceramic tiles and images on canvas under a new domain and business named Rose City Artworks at http://rosecityartworks.com/. The name and domain are secured, but the business plan and other components are still under construction. My goal is to get into local shops and elsewhere through buyer and artist reps with the tiles and continue with smaller runs of the canvas art.

Again, your thoughts and experience are appreciated if have other database applications to consider. Once I get familiar with some of the fields and table relationships in these artist-specific database apps I'll consider building something or configuring Quickbooks or Money, but I'd much rather be shooting photos and creating art!

Custom greeting cards from Imagekind.com

2008-09-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

You can frame my images as you please to fit a standard greeting card. Twist and turn the card and/or the image, make the entire image fit to scale, or drag it around until you are happy with the orientation. I've ordered a few cards from Imagekind.com and as with their canvas prints the greeting cards are top notch works of art.

Visit my Imagekind.com gallery at http://mikepdx.imagekind.com

Imagekind.com free shipping for the month of September!

2008-09-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

Visit my galleries at Imagekind.com where all items are shipped for free via U.S. ground. I've ordered a few of my photos through Imagekind and was very pleased with the quality of work. Here is an example of an 8" x 8" gallery wrapped canvas print that I received this week...

Produce Rainbow!!!

2008-07-25T00:31:00.001-07:00

Okay, so it's a little bit late for Pride in the Pacific Northwest, but like my website logo I thought I'd mix and match the fruits & veggies I'd photographed into a rainbow color formation. Granted the red pepper magically turned into a rare purple pepper, but it's out there. I'd even consider using this one for my groceries. It's unique, not too flashy, and a bit colorful. Check it out!

http://www.cafepress.com/mikepdx.287832297

Hibiscus Trio

2008-07-24T23:11:00.001-07:00

I must be ready for a vacation. I've been focused in on this Hawaiian flower series for the past couple of nights. First I was thinking it would make a great canvas tote; especially since I hear some cities like Seattle may start charging $.20 for grocery bags.

Check out the design not only on the canvas tote, but practially every other product offered by Cafepress: http://shop.cafepress.com/design/29172812

Everything's coming up daisies!!

2008-07-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting back to processing the last year's worth of photos. I've got about 450 good images that have potential to become canvas art, ceramic tiles, glass magnets, and who knows what else. To start I've posted a new image, one of my most recently taken photos, to Cafepress and published it for use on several of their products. I don't sell very much through Cafepress, but it's fun to create the items. Check out the new page devoted to this Summer yellow daisy!

http://shop.cafepress.com/design/29084538

Pink Flamingo!

2008-07-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

http://shop.cafepress.com/design/24733154

Come visit my CafePress shop and check out the items you can get featuring this pink flamingo. I'm not sure which exact mold this bird came from and who to give credit for the design, but I took the photo and cleaned it up for this presentation. Notice the eyelashes. Love it!

Here's a greeting card of the original photo on which the above design is based:

http://www.cafepress.com/mikepdx.159064518

Gallery finally up!

2008-07-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

http://www.mikepdx.com/gallery/

Making progress on the portrait...

2008-05-28T23:38:00.000-07:00

Just need to varnish the whole thing and it's ready for delivery. I can highly recommend ImageKind.com for their canvas printing services after this job.

Commissioned canvas art piece

2008-04-29T23:12:00.000-07:00

Things have been off lately with the loss of a friend a few weeks back, but I'm getting back to my artwork and projects again.

A couple I know asked me to put together their portrait on canvas a while back. We took photos on a sunny weekend day at our neighborhood parks which resulted in several good shots. I would normally print my own photos to canvas but they wanted something larger than 13" so I did some research to find a good printing service in the area.

I sent a test job to http://www.largeformatposters.com/, setup a site for my images with Finerworks.com, but settled on sending this job to Imagekind.com. Each service has something good to offer depending on the size, finish, wrap, and framing options available.

I went with a 16" x 16" standard wrap canvas print. I liked that Imagekind did the stretching of the canvas for me and didn't staple on the sides but rather on the back. I plan to paint the sides black similar to my other works, and then finish it off with a matte finish acrylic varnish for some extra protection. Their stretching job was excellent and I was very pleased with the hanging hardware and quality of their shipping. It also turns out, at least from what I can tell, that the work was done right here in Portland. So, even though they are a Seattle based company it appears that I am supporting local workers which makes me feel better about my choice.

Once this job is finished, I'm excited to try some of my high resolution botanical images at 16" x 16".

Concerns about storage of art, photos, papers, and other supplies

2008-04-07T18:44:00.001-07:00

I've been replacing some of my older cardboard storage boxes with the Rubbermaid and Sterilite plastic storage bins and had some concerns about whether these products are acid-free. Some of the smaller storage bins will clearly state they are archival quality, acid-free, but the larger totes don't often have any indication.

I found a helpful posting at http://www.scraplovers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=110888&postcount=13 which includes a response from Rubbermaid regarding their products.

Back to canvas art

2008-02-11T17:42:00.001-08:00

My friend Randy has offered to let me hang several of my canvas pieces in his new business. I've been hard at work these past couple of weeks getting new canvas art pieces ready.

He bought a tanning salon in Oregon City up near the shopping center by Clackamas Community College. Tan Rio will become Tan Republic soon and Randy is redecorating the place to fit a clean and modern Zen theme.

The rounded wall across from the main desk will have seven or so 12" x 12" canvas pieces sticking to a green and white theme. The wall above the seating in the entry will have three rows of five 12" x 12" pieces with a variety of color and shapes. For this I've got about 10 pieces ready and need to create about six or seven more. Finally the main hall that stretches beyond the desk will have about a dozen 8" x 8" pieces for which I have about half of them ready.

Randy recently brought in a feng shui decorator to get some confirmation of his ideas and this person particularly liked one of my images. I've created my second gallery wrapped piece ever for this thank you gift he's intending to present to her for her help. Here's how it looks...

This image is from my Hawaii collection of bromeliads and comes from a garden along the highway around Diamond Head on the Island of Oahu. It has been very popular as a tile either framed, in my tile trays, or as a coaster set with other Hawaiian themed images. There's a framed tile up for sale now at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8519837.

I'll post an update when the everything is installed and ready for viewing. Hopefully this will generate a few sales to pay for more supplies. I'm working on a better online gallery system that will showcase all my images and allow for some custom orders. For now a draft price list is posted to http://www.mikepdx.com/artwork/pricelist.

First glass tile magnets

2008-01-18T12:55:00.000-08:00

I've spent the last couple of nights after work planning my project to turn several of my square photographic images into glass tile magents. In keeping with the same square format as my canvas art and dye-sub ceramic tile projects, I opted for the harder to find square glass tiles.

My hope was to find some recycled glass tiles that would work, but after having spent way too much time searching local shops and the Internet, I settled for getting my supplies from Wholesalers USA. They have a great selection and decent prices. If you have suggestions for local sources around Portland, Oregon, or recycled products, please let me know!

I'm currently using 1" square glass tiles for this initial run, but have a supply of two larger sizes at 1.6" and 2" square. The 2" tiles will make a nice paper weight with a piece of felt on the bottom.

My images are printed to good quality photo paper using an inkjet printer with archival inks. Hopefully these will not fade over time.

[Update 11/30/09: Over time the glossy photo paper I used appears to be turning milky with the clear glue. I'll be picking up some new glass tile projects in the future, but at this point recommend a good matte paper over glossy photo paper for this application.]

The images are cut out by hand now, but I'm looking around for some craft punches or die-cut shapes that I might use. At this point I'd be happy with one of those punches that rounds a sharp corner.

[Update 7/16/08: I did find a rounded corner punch and that has worked quite well over hand cutting the corners. I do recommend you print the image slightly larger than you need to make trimming easier.]

I'm using clear non-toxic craft glue of some variety but plan to find some Weldbond glue for the next batch.

[Update 7/16/08: Weldbond might work great to hold on the magnet to the back, but I don't recommend it for attaching the photo to the glass. Instead, try a clear glue such as Aleene's Clear Gel Tacky Glue. That worked well for the items in this project.]

The glue is applied to the back of washed and dried glass tiles, and spead thinly over the entire surface. The image is layed down on the tile and smoothed over from the center out while wiping away excess glue as it squishes out from the edges. Watch for bubbles and check the positioning of the image from the front of the tile - if you're interested in trying out this craft project.

Once the images were dry, I went ahead and glued on 3/4" ceramic magnets and let them dry overnight. Make sure you leave the stronger side of the magnet facing out.

Once the magnet has dried, brush the remaining exposed photo paper on the back side with the some clear, non-toxic, acrylic varnish. This will seal out moisture from entering through the back of the remaining exposed photo paper.

I'll try my hand at more over the next few weeks and hopefully start making some available for sale on my Etsy shop.

Glass marble magnets

2008-01-02T01:23:00.000-08:00

Having visited some of the craft shows in town recently and poking around Etsy, I noticed many people are creating glass marble magnets. I was thinking I could take my own images and create some of them too along with push pin versions.

Here are a few of the better how-to posts I've found related to creating marble magnets:
http://www.roxycraft.com/marblemagnets.htm
http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/marblemagnets/
http://www.littlecabbage.com/diy/marbles.html
http://junkyloveinfreehand.blogspot.com/2007/10/glass-marble-magnets.html (some great examples of completed work)

I'm thinking since my primary format for displaying my images is mostly squares, then I might try some square glass tiles instead of the round glass marbles. Time for a trip to a local craft store. See http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8584677 where one Etsy artist has done what I have in mind.

A few more tile projects finished up!

2007-12-16T11:11:00.000-08:00

Here are several ceramic tile projects that I've finished up as of yesterday. The tiles had been set a couple weeks ago, but the messy job of grouting had to be completed.

The Hawaiian images for the coaster set and tray were commissioned by a friend as gift items.

The magazine holder was my first experiment with creating a two-tile mosaic where the tiles were sized to be set next to each other without grout lines breaking up the image. Each side is the same agave plant from the yard of my friends Tony & Randy.

Finally, the blue euphorbia was my first six-tile mosaic that was spaced with the grout lines in mind. This one turned out well though the image quality isn't super sharp. Still, I'm pleased with it and may just keep this one for myself rather than trying to sell it with the others on Etsy.

All of these tiles are available for purchase from my CafePress gallery shop.

Etsy Gallery Shop now open!

2007-12-09T23:05:00.000-08:00

I had tried posting some of my first canvas art pieces on Etsy about this time last year. I've since learned to make better photos of the resulting artwork and decided to give selling online another shot. Etsy is a great option for artists when compared to sites like Ebay. Etsy only charges a 20 cent listing fee and doesn't nickle and dime you to death with options. Items remain posted for several months and if sold, you pay them a 3.5% sales fee. Not bad at all.

Please take a look at the framed ceramic tiles and tile trays I've posted at http://mikepdx.etsy.com. I'll give the canvas art another try there in the next few days.

Another coffee shop show and sell

2007-10-11T23:49:00.000-07:00

My most visited coffee shop, on the ground floor at Vue (the old Ione Plaza)...9th & Park downtown Portland, has allowed me to display some more art starting this past Monday. Since the remaining 45 pieces were not taken down from the Utopia Cafe show until Tuesday, I used some newer pieces. I've spent more time working on framed ceramic tiles lately, so put up six tiles and two of the 12" square canvas art. The new pricing levels will hopefully drive some additional sales. The 6" x 6" framed tiles are $19 each and the 12" x 12" canvas pieces are $75.

Also, I'm looking to pick a couple pieces to donate to the Cancer Care Resources event "Bid for the Cause" to be held on 10/27. I probably can't attend the auction dinner but will be happy to contributed in some way. Check it out!!

Greeting Cards and Note Cards from CafePress.com

2007-08-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

After creating my first batch of greeting cards and note cards for sale through CafePress.com, I decided to order a few to check out the quality first hand. I am pleased to report that the weight of their paper stock and envelopes is excellent. I'd go as far to say that their cards are of higher quality than most you would buy in the store.

Each greeting card comes with a nice white envelope and very simply includes "Printed by CafePress.com" on the back. To date I have chosen not to include any markings on the inside, so all are blank. When ordering, I'll recommend you opt for the glossy surface. It's not too glossy, though I can't speak to the matte finish since I haven't ordered any of those yet.

I ordered a variety of cards at once and all nine of the greeting cards came in a nice plastic case that can be reused with your other stationary and store-bought cards. You can see in the image below that the note cards came in their own separate case, which is nice since my plan is to give these as a gift.

You can't beat the print on demand market if you can wait a week to stock up on some very unique greeting cards.

Watch my CafePress gallery shop for more items in the coming weeks. I'm experimenting with t-shirts as I perfect my skill of making transparent backgrounds with Photoshop using my original images.

New greeting and note cards available

2007-08-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

Having finished up several canvas pieces and framed tiles for the show and sale at Utopia Cafe, I've turned my attention to some other products available through CafePress.com. I've created several new greeting cards and note cards going beyond the plants and flowers theme.

CafePress offers individual greeting cards, so you can purchase just one or stock up on several unique designs. Here are a couple, but please come and visit my CafePress gallery shop!

Utopia Cafe show and sale

2007-08-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

Utopia Cafe in SE Portland is now showing 45 of my canvas art pieces and tiles. I just hung the work tonight which will be there on display for the next month. Check it out over some breakfast or lunch!

Some nice reviews and listing of hours for Utopia Cafe as follows:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/VPX7CyIpdRk_tsAcs_xl3Q

http://www.portlandlogue.com/places-to-go/portland-restaurants/utopia-cafe.html

Cafepress wall clocks a very good deal

2007-07-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

I decided to place an order for one of the wall clocks I created for my CafePress gallery shop. It arrived and I just want to share some first hand photos of the end result:

I am very pleased with the quality of construction and the quality of the printed image. Not a bad deal and it's made in the U.S.A. to boot.

Check out this and other clock designs at my gallery shop.

Restaurant art display in August

2007-07-08T23:24:00.000-07:00

A friend turned me on to a call for artists at Utopia Cafe in SE Portland. I stopped by on the way to work one morning and left my card. The owner called last week and I'm on their schedule to hang my artwork up throughout the cafe in early August.

My partner and I went there for brunch today so I could survey of the available space. I had been there in the past, but it had been a while. They are very popular on weekends but we arrived after noon, and while they were still very full, we got seated promptly.

Once the six pieces come down from the art wall at Starbucks later this week and I finished up two larger pieces in progress, I'll still need to complete a few more to have enough for the space. I'm going to see about including some of the smaller tile trays and miniature canvas pieces on easels. This is a great opportunity and more than enough motivation for me to spend more time "doing art."

P.S. We also visited my friends Tony and Randy to take lots of photos of plants and flowers in their yard. Their front yard is one of many to be showcased in Metro's Gardens of Natural Delights tour next Sunday. It may not be too late to register, so check it out!

Canvas art on display!

2007-06-15T11:54:00.001-07:00

So, I learned how to wire up a canvas for hanging the other night. It was far easier than I expected. Great advice at the bottom of the page at http://www.biddingtons.com/content/mrsframingpaintings.html.

Today I hung up six pieces at the nearby coffee shop. The staff there are the best, and I would expect nothing less from what appears to be one of their busiest locations.

I was going to choose six flower themed pieces, but ditched one of them for the detail of Frank Lloyd Wright's "Garden Sprite" statue detail. I think the mix of colors and shapes for the selected pieces works well and hopefully I'll generate some more traffic to the website with this, my first exhibit!!

Friends are planning to meet up for the farmer's market in the park blocks tomorrow morning. This will be my first impromptu artist's reception.

Time to get crackin' on a full gallery display for my website to bring all the images of the pieces together in one display. Anyway, email me for details if you're interested in seeing the exhibit!

Art to show at coffee shop

2007-05-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

A coffee shop near Portland State University will be displaying a wall of my artwork this June 15th. I haven't picked out the exact pieces but showed the manager several and got the specifics I'll need to prepare to hang my work next month. I expect to show about six of my 12" x 12" canvas art pieces along with tags and a short bio. These items will also be up for sale.

This showing will be my first since I picked back up my interests in arts and crafts while looking to bridge my newer interest of digital photography and experience with computers, design, and graphic arts. This will be the little push I need to finish up a redesign of the website hosting my art gallery and a main menu that will link all of the online interfaces.

Canvas art on display

2007-04-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

Tony & Randy's personal collection. Each piece here is an 8" x 8" unframed stretched canvas with the archival inket image on canvas fused to the surface, sides painted black, and then varnished.

A gift piece to my step-mother, Sharon. This is an 8" x 10" canvas art piece of an image from Sharon's garden. She and my father later framed this piece where it now hangs in their family room.

New larger canvas art

2007-03-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

My new Epson Stylus 2200 printer can produce 13" wide by up to 44" long archival inkjet prints on canvas. Over the past couple of weeks I've created several new pieces that are 12" x 12" on stretched, wrapped canvas...

Summer Lily

Bloomin' Artichoke

Projects using one or more ceramic tiles

2007-02-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

While you can order my printed ceramic tiles directly from CafePress mounted in either a nice wooden frame or hinged box, you might consider ordering the tiles alone and mounting them to other products of your choosing. Consider some of the following items that are designed for 4-1/4" tiles:

A letter box, cork board, key box, shelf, trivet, 2-tile tray, or frame. The base for a wire basket, a magazine box (six tile mosaic here!), a metal trivet/frame, a napkin holder (kinda tacky) or a rack to simply hold your tiles for use as coasters.

Many suppliers offer the wood products in alderwood, rosewood, and black. Some are available unfinished so you can stain or paint them as you like.

Here is a list of suppliers I have located on the Internet who offer reasonable prices and carry the items pictured above. Just make sure you purchase products that will work with 4.25" tiles as other sizes might be available.

Tile mosaics for trays and other projects

2007-02-14T23:39:00.000-08:00

I began by exploring the use of printed tiles grouted into some 9" x 13" black wooden serving trays. The resulting pieces can be seen in my recent posts. Now I am experimenting with turning single images into a tile mosaic.

The following tiles are available for purchase direct from my gallery shop. Incorportate them into a craft project of your own to create a one-of-a-kind gift, tray, wall decoration, back-splash, or other unique item.

Many stores offer wood trays that fit six 4-1/4" tiles that will work perfectly for these images above. Simply glue the tiles into the base of the tray and you're done. Here are some on-line stores selling these wood products to help get you started:

Slightly larger trays will work too. I used trays with an inside area of 13.25" long by 9.16" wide. As long as the space between tiles is reasonable (I used 1/8" plastic spacers), just fill in the gaps with a non-sanded grout. It helps to cover the tiles with a painter's tape for the initial grouting to avoid major scratches. Remove the tape at a point the grout is being smoothed about half way through the process. Grouts come in a variety of colors to coordinate with your image and/or the color of the tray.

Online gallery shop is open for business

2007-02-12T23:45:00.000-08:00

Come visit my updated CafePress.com gallery shop where you'll find select designs professionally printed to ceramic tiles for use as coasters, your own tile tray, or other project. Many of the tile designs are available framed or in the top of a hinged wooden box. In addition to the tiles, you'll find framed prints, colorful wall clocks, notecards, journals, and more.

This little side venture has been great fun as well as a good learning experience for me. Next, I plan to share instructions about cementing and grouting tiles into trays and frames, some cool software programs for creating image mosaics, and good sources for supplies for your own crafty tile project.

Adventures in grouting tile!

2007-02-10T17:29:00.000-08:00

This was my first experience cementing and grouting tile and I now have a great appreciation for those who take on entire bathrooms and countertops! Here are the results of grouting my custom ceramic tiles from Cafepress into three 9 x 13 black wooden trays and two smaller bamboo dishes:

With two more trays on hand, I'm thinking of making a mosaic tray where the six tiles create a single image. I'm thinking the green sedum image will work very well for this project where the original image is cropped to new dimensions for the tray.

Tray with CafePress tiles

2007-01-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

This example tray design was created using my tile designs available from CafePress.com. For the completed project I'll create two more tiles with a Hawaiian theme to replace the lily and globe thistle tiles.

Since the tiles measure 4.25" square, you'll want to find a tray with an interior that is roughly 12.75" x 8.5". The tray shown here has inside dimensions of 13.25" x 9.125" which will leave some space between tiles showing thin grout lines. I'll be using a black grout which should work very well.

Available Ceramic Tiles from CafePress

2006-12-18T23:17:00.000-08:00

Here is an assortment of my images printed directly to ceramic tile coasters. Click any image below to purchase from CafePress.

Generally, expect to pay about $6.50 per tile. Shipping may vary by location but for me was just $5 total for a shipment of four tiles.

Hawaiian Series

Rose City Park in July Series

To view some photos of actual tiles I have ordered, please see my general information about the ceramic tiles.

Ceramic tiles from CafePress.com

2006-12-17T10:01:00.000-08:00

I've had several of my images transferred to CafePress ceramic tiles and have been quite happy with the results. While these tiles are marketed by CafePress as tile coasters, the felt pads can be removed and the tiles can even be used for construction and craft projects. Consider working them into a mosaic table top, a backsplash, or locate a wooden serving tray that accepts 4.25" tiles and glue six tiles into the base.

Here are some photos of actual tiles ordered through CafePress:

The printing process requires a portion of the image be cropped away in order to achive a borderless tile. Also, the colors tend to darken a bit, but overall the resulting product is high quality and durable. From here on out I'll be adjusting the size of my images to account for the cropping as not to lose any of the composition intended with of my original images.

Many of my images will be available for purchase as tiles through CafePress. Watch for future posts or visit my primary CafePress shop for links to images I have posted.

The ceramic tile product information from CafePress reads as follows:

"Liven up any room or party with our fun, hip tile coasters, measuring 4.25” x 4.25” and 1/6-inch thick. Images are applied with a polyester resin that accepts dye as part of the coating. Four felt pads protect your furniture from scratches. Dishwasher safe. Not for use with abrasive cups and mugs."

Globe Thistle

2006-12-16T19:14:00.000-08:00

Another close-up from a walk through my neighborhood this past summer. I had seen this plant before but never taken the time to really inspect the flowers. Amazing color and quite interesting. Reminds me of a Dr. Seuss plant.

Size: 8"h x 8"w x 3/4"d

Materials: Inkjet image on fabric, fused to stretched gallery-wrapped canvas, white acrylic hand-painted border, semi-gloss acrylic varnish

~~Price: $75 + shipping~~ SOLD
Contact Me if you are interested in similar versions of this image in 6" x 6" ($45) or 8" x 8" editions ($65)

Happy Dahlia

2006-12-01T23:34:00.000-08:00

This sunny dahlia is so bright and colorful I decided it was necessary to sign it on the back and paint the sides white rather than black as not to spoil the composition.

Size: 8"h x 8"w x 3/4"d

Materials: Inkjet image on fabric, fused to stretched gallery-wrapped canvas, white acrylic hand-painted border, semi-gloss acrylic varnish

Price: $75 + shipping Contact Me

For CafePress.com products using my "Happy Dahlia" image, please visit http://www.cafepress.com/happydahlia/

Green Sedum

2006-12-01T23:12:00.000-08:00

This was one of the first images that inspired my interest in close-ups of plants and flowers. While not the native variety of sedum I like to plant, these hen and chick varieties are very nice for stone retaining walls similar to the one where I found this image.

Size: 8"h x 8"w x 3/4"d

Materials: Inkjet image on fabric, fused to stretched gallery-wrapped canvas, black acrylic hand-painted border, semi-gloss acrylic varnish

~~Price: $75 + shipping~~ SOLD
Contact Me if you are interested in similar versions of this image in 6" x 6" ($45) or 8" x 8" editions ($65)

Blue Euphorbia

2006-12-01T22:33:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon this spiral blue plant during a walk through my neighborhood. It took some research to find out the name of this one!

Size: 8"h x 8"w x 3/4"d

Materials: Inkjet image on fabric, fused to stretched gallery-wrapped canvas, black acrylic hand-painted border, semi-gloss acrylic varnish

~~Price: $75 + shipping~~ SOLD

Contact Me if you are interested in similar versions of this image in 6" x 6" ($45) or 8" x 8" editions ($65)

Firey Lily

2006-11-29T01:37:00.000-08:00

Size: 8"h x 8"w x 3/4"d

Materials: inkjet image on canvas, fused to stretched gallery-wrapped canvas, black acrylic hand-painted border, semi-gloss acrylic varnish

Price: $75 + shipping Contact Me

General information about the artwork

2006-11-29T00:34:00.000-08:00

I use high quality materials for my work. In selecting canvas, paints, inks, protective coatings and other materials I look for archival quality, acid-free, and non-toxic environmentally safe products.

The majority of my art pieces involve printing original digital images directly to canvas or fabric and then heat fusing to a pre-stretched gallery-wrapped canvas. The sides of the canvas are usually painted black. All pieces are coated with a clear acrylic varnish for durability. The resulting piece is suitable for display with or without a frame.

Most pieces will be discreetly signed on the front in the lower right corner, but sometimes I will sign along the lower side or even on the back as not to interfere with the composition.

I continue to experiment with new techniques and materials related to image transfer and embellishment as I explore colors, shapes, and textures within my compositions. I will generally produce several resulting art pieces based on a specific image, but I consider each piece to be a unique work of art. When posting an item for sale, I will represent only the exact piece for sale.

If you are interested in a new version of any particular piece, I can generally accommodate requests. Contact me using my web form to discuss any details.

Multicolor Bromeliad

2006-11-29T00:02:00.000-08:00

This cluster of bromeliad plants lives on the grounds of the visitor center at the Dole Pineapple Plantation on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The base image was taken while vacationing in January 2006 as we toured the grounds.

Size: 8"h x 8"w x 3/4"d

Materials: inkjet image on canvas, fused to stretched gallery-wrapped canvas, black acrylic hand-painted border, semi-gloss acrylic varnish

Price: $75 + shipping Contact Me

Red Bromeliad

2006-11-28T23:57:00.000-08:00

This piece is based on an image taken on the island of Oahu, Hawaii in January 2006. A large clump of striking plants sat near a roadside lookout along the southeast shore.

Size: 8"h x 8"w x 3/4"d

Materials: inkjet image on canvas, fused to stretched gallery-wrapped canvas, black acrylic hand-painted border, semi-gloss acrylic varnish

Price: $75 + shipping Contact Me

Beginnings

2006-11-26T15:28:00.001-08:00

This will be the new location for posting my new artwork for sale with links to various other outlets. I am modeling this initial site after Andrea Pratt's blog where she is showing her art.

I was looking for artists selling works of a similar size to mine on Ebay and discovered Andrea's work. This also led me to etsy as another outlet. Furthermore, I've also taken the dive into cafepress rather than attempt to print my own greeting cards as another way to get started. Time will tell if any of these endeavors are successful.

If nothing else, this helped me realize I have been signed up for both Blogger and Flickr for over two years and have only now had a good reason to start using them. Time to hop back on the Web 2.0 bandwagon! :)