Heather Watts - Pg9 - Oasis Velvet Mini-Preview (more to come)

... amazing stuff. I've joined the mailing list.

Wow, I've never bought a painting but right when I saw 'Heart of the Jungle' I thought 'I'd buy that'.

Of course it's sold ;(

Awesome style though.

Hey all!

Once again THANK YOU for your heartfelt comments. They are always wonderful to receive and inspire me to keep painting.

I'm back from vacation in Australia, where I got just enough sun to last me until Tiki Oasis IX!

I wanted to post a few new pics here, and also preview some stuff coming next week, including my half page ad in the Spring 2009 Issue of Tiki Magazine!

This one is 10" x 20" and was a commission piece in trade to another artist who I've owed for a while!

Anyway, as per the ad, I'll be posting a number of new velvet paintings on my website next weekend (April 18). If you want a chance to pick one up you can sign up for my velvet list online and you'll receive an email notification and price list a few days before the general release.

Don't worry, if you miss 'em this time around, Harold Golen Gallery will have five of my little velvet guys on hand at the Harold Golen Tiki Art Show in conjunction with the Hukilau in June.

Or stop by Tiki Oasis vending August 15/16 and track down our booth again this year--Mike & I will be camped out in the shade somewhere, drinking zombies and toasting the tiki Gods!

Now for some art!

I finally updated my velvet gallery on my website to include much of my velvet work from 2008, including many of the pics Mike and I have posted here!

Here's one of my favs, from December:

Rongo Rongo River
8" x 10"
Acrylic on Black Velvet
SOLD

This one you may have seen in DJ Lee's posting, or live at La Luz in March, where it was in the "Everything But the Kitchen Sync" show.

Devils' Music
11" x 14" Oval
Acrylic on Black Velvet
SOLD

Okay, signing off for now (to paint more velvet!) but I'll keep you posted on lots of other stuff coming up over the next few months. And I'm counting the days to Tiki Surf City!

[ Edited by: Travellin' Tiki 2009-04-09 00:06 ]

[ Edited by: Travellin' Tiki 2009-04-09 01:05 ]

"Kidnapped" is amazing!!!

Welcome back from Aussieland,Heather!
I'm gonna have to put a vote in for "Kidnapped" as well....
the perspective/the rowers/the wahine/the movement/the lil boid
and even the tension of the paddles dipping thru water...
it's like you've hit a next level
that most folks didn't even know existed!
Beautiful!
Those lil birds on the RongoRongo River really make that one toot sweet!
and I'm always a sucker for a birdhead prow! :)
I guess the birds like the drummers rhythm

And there's even an evil little cuteybird in the Devil's Music!
Looks like you've done so many of these that they now are born effotlessly!

You're one-of-a-king,girl!
looking forward to holding up your booth!
:)

I wish I had enough money to buy ALL of them..... each one is so rich..

so unique and special... AWESOME stuff

Thanks again for the nice comments! As usual, I've only had time between painting to lurk... but rest assured, I have been lurking.

But here are some of the new velvets I promised, which I just added to my website tonight. More to come, but hopefully this will tide you over until I get them posted.

"The Reluctant Devil"
9" x 19" Acrylic on Black Velvet with Rhinestones, 2009, SOLD
[

"Gods of the Ruby River"
8" x 10" Acrylic on Black Velvet, 2009, SOLD

"Tiny Tangaroa and the Littlest Bird"
4" x 6" Acrylic on Black Velvet, 2009, SOLD

Mini Masks: "Papuan Purple" and "Grotto Green"
4" x 6" Acrylic on Black Velvet with Rhinestones, 2009, SOLD

Don't forget to sign up for the velvet list if you're interested in purchasing a piece. I can't wait to see what little characters will emerge next.

[ Edited by: Travellin' Tiki 2009-04-18 22:19 ]

Welcome back Red. Looks like you're selling black velvets as fast as you're painting them. Good stuff.

Dang-a-roonie!
at this rate
you'll have no pieces for Oasis!

stunning!
"Gods of the Ruby River"
ROJO GOOD!
:)

ride that inspiration lil missy!

"The Reluctant Devil" is my favorite.... all of them are amazing! The sense of lighting makes each one glow. Beautiful work!

Love 'em all Heather, you really capture the PNG spirit in your work.
I really dig the paddler in "Heart of the Jungle."

Wow, great stuff.

Your posts pretty much speak for themselves...
Sold
Sold
Sold...

Thanks again for all the nice comments guys!

I always feel kinda weird about posting "sold" beside everything (like I'm tooting my own horn or something) but I don't want to get emails and PMs from people who want them, only to disappoint.

I think I'll have to do a special sale just on this thread for TCers--after all, this IS where I got my glamorous start! :wink: Maybe I'll make it an annual affair... Okay, the wheels on this are turning now in my head! Time to let that idea simmer for a while. I'll keep you all posted.

PS-I totally forgot to post this one, which I did for DJLee.

"The Mystery of Music"
9" x 12" Acrylic on Black Velvet

Oh yeah, and LLT--I figured you'd dig Ruby River! It reminds me of The Flower Canoe vibe a bit.

[ Edited by: travellin' tiki 2009-04-24 15:29 ]

Beautiful velvets indeed! Congrats

I love the melancholy mood of "The Mystery of Music" and appreciate that it is set outside of a canoe. Beautiful work.

"The Mystery of Music" is just beautiful, Heather. It's a really poignant piece that expresses so much. The birds and floating notes are perfect. Lucky Lee, but then again, we really love our little seafarer! We'll see you & Mike in a few months~!

Andy

http://www.myspace.com/tikijoesocean

OMG, the new work all looks amazing!!! love the more earthy color pallet! i particularly loooooooooove "kidnapped".

ur my hero!

I love the melancholy mood of "The Mystery of Music" and appreciate that it is set outside of a canoe. Beautiful work.

First Robb, thank you so much for posting. I was blown away by your work when I stumbled on it on TC a while ago and continue to be so--always stunning and inspiring. :) And believe me, I'm the first to admit, sure, maybe I have a bit of a canoe problem, but I've got it under control... It's not like it's a real problem or anything... I can totally handle it... I don't NEED to paint canoes, I just WANT to... I can stop any time I want... I swear...

Or maybe I should take this opportunity to admit publicly something you've all known for a while now... that I'm totally, shamelessly, remorselessly addicted to canoe imagery.

"The Blue Canoe"
8" x 16" Acrylic on Black Velvet
Not sold. Please PM me for details.

"Tiki Demon"
5" x 7" Acrylic on Black Velvet
This was a commission piece for a friend.

There's just something so "Heart of Darkness" about black velvet. The way it surrounds its subject with such utter perfect blackness--to me it just screams: hapless wanderers paddling off into uncharted realms!

For me, the image of the canoe can be a symbol of moving forward, shaking off the past, confronting the abyss of the unknown. It can denote a sense of being lost, adrift, un-anchored; or one of knowing exactly where you're going. It's paddlers can embark upon a long and uncertain journey. Or it can usher them home to the familiar safety of the tribe. If tiki is the soul, canoe is the body!

That said, I am doing my best to overcome my ritual obsession with painting canoes, and I hope to make a full recovery. In homage to that, may I present (I even set up a little altar for him):

The Cryptkeeper's Mask
12" x 12" Acrylic on Black Velvet
Not sold. Please PM me for details.

Thanks to everyone else who replied to this most recent post and also to posts past. I was in a mad dash to finish my accounting for tax time these past two weeks (Canadian tax time) but that is officially done! Of course I'm a little behind on everything else now, but I'm sneaking in a few minutes to wax poetic about canoes and post here again (finally!)

I've been really bad about not giving personal replies on this thread but I hope this post will help me turn over a new leaf and remedy that. Making art is such a remarkably solitary job most of the time, and one of the best parts is being able to break out of your little art-bubble when you finish something and share your art with other people. Thanks for being such a receptive audience!

Thanks for your encouragement Clarita!

Andy--Mahalo! I should have known you would dig this piece. :) I just realized I haven't posted the little seafarer here yet... mind if I do?

BigToe--I'm glad you like the colors, I'm definitely experimenting more now that I'm getting more used to the medium. And "kidnapped" is one of my favs too... I wish I'd painted that one to keep!

That's it girls and boys!
My canoe awaits. See you on the other side!
Mahalo,
Heather

[ Edited by: Travellin' Tiki 2009-04-30 01:28 ]

Dang Heather!
Blue Canoe's face is full of happy mystery!
and Cryptkeeper's mask is on FIYAH!
Glad your pushing the envelope on these
it's an artist's duty to push it/examine it
and fully conquer a medium/subject matter
and you have!
Always a delight to see your paintings!

I did always like the canoe series very much but the cryptkeeper is just mindblowing! This one's got it all - technique, composition, vibe...top-notch!

Simply beautiful!

The cryptkeeper would make an AMAZING ceramic tile. Mahalo for sharing - I cant stop staring at the photos!

Henrik

Thanks guys!

LLT--you're like a bottomless well of encouragement, you know that? Your prolific creation of a seemingly endless line-up of tiki characters in every conceivable scene (not to mention your colors and your totally fluid, dynamic animated sense of style!) is a total inspiration! And if that weren't enough, you leave thoughtful posts like this on my thread!

Markusk & VanTiki! Thanks for the nice comments on Cryptkeeper. He was a really time-intensive piece, but totally worth it. Mahalo! (VanTiki--your stuff also blows me away. I gotta get back in that thread again and do some more lurking...)

Okay that's it for now. I'm wrapping up a small hula girl velvet tonight for a local show here in Vancouver, and I'm in the process of making some greeting cards again and new earrings to post in a shiny new Etsy store! Never a dull moment. Anyway, I'll keep you posted, especially with the hula girl when she's done.

Heather:

Thanks for taking my comment the right way. I think your using the same imagery is a good idea. Gallery-level artists like you do especially well if you don't frantically experiment all the time - a la Sas Christensen, Fafi, Dalek, etc.

I'm personally addicted to deep, deep jungle - it touches the deepest part of me and makes my work personal in a way most people probably can't see, but hopefully feel.

I appreciate the design of your tikis - very fanciful but tightly done at the same time. And that soft, soft, glowey light....

Robb--I'll reply to your post next time I post... right now... must... sleep. But first I'll post my hula girl piece, which I just finished. She's going in a local show here in Vancouver tomorrow night as part of the burlesque festival. I'll edit this post with a better scan and add a framed pic later.

Enjoy!

Flower Drum Dance
8" x 10" Acrylic on Black Velvet

MINE!!!

The Hula Girl has to be one of my favorites!

Geez LaRue, Heather. The Hula Girl is crazy good. You should get paid for doin' this shtuff.

Absolutely, you may use the lil' Seafarer. Spread the Love~

Whattya got up your sleeve for Oasis. Hmmm?

& BIG congrats on doing the cover for the Skip Heller CD. Can't wait to see & hear it.

Cheers

Andy
http://www.myspace.com/tikijoesocean

Wow! I can't believe I drifted away from here for so long again--I don't know where the time goes (well... I guess a lot of it goes into painting!) Here's a few new pics for you--three of these were at Hukilau on the weekend put on by Harold Golen Gallery: http://haroldgolengallery.com/index.php. The little hot-rodder was at a local show here in Vancouver and is sold, but I'm hoping to do another car for tiki Oasis!

I'll be posting a preview of some of my tiki oasis work here soon (should be next week sometime!)

Heather

"Speed Demon"
7" x 7" Acrylic on Black Velvet

"The Rainmaker"
5" x 7" Acrylic on Black Velvet

"The Flower-Keeper"
5" x 7" Acrylic on Black Velvet

"Living Idol"
8" x 10" Acrylic on Black Velvet

Oh yeah--and by the way, there will be one more velvet email with new paintings available before Tiki Oasis. You can sign up for the velvet list at the link my signature leads to below. The next email will be Monday, July 13--hopefully 5pm-ish pacific time.

[ Edited by: Travellin' Tiki 2009-06-15 16:10 ]

Got to see your stuff at Hukilau. it always amazes me how you get the paint to jump off the velevet. My carving had the pleasure of being placed next to your paintings. I was soooo happy!!!

Beautiful again Heather. Awesome frames. I cant wait for Oasis.

Very Nice...The lighting in your velvets is extraordinary!!! I love the nice glow they possess!!

These new ones are amazing, Heather! Speed Demon is my fave, y'know, like, just in case my birthday was coming up (which it isn't) but if it was, then you'd know what I wanted and stuff. :D See you at Oasis.

How do they cram so much awesomeness in such a delicate creature?

Hi again guys & dolls!
Thanks so much for your splendid comments--I'll reply individually to them soon. I'm in a mad dash right now to take care of a bunch of other stuff, but hopefully by tomorrow I'll be back serenely painting more velvets for you to enjoy!

But without further ado, here's a preview of what I've been working on for Tiki Oasis--I've only got photos of three posted, but lots more to come over the next month or so. If you're already my Facebook Friend http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=555211882&ref=profile you might have caught these this morning already--a preview of some of my velvet paintings for Tiki Oasis! Just Click on the first picture below.

Also I FINALLY got my Etsy store open, so there is now an official online residence for "Handmade-by-Heather" tiki treasures. Here's the marketplace thread with the dets http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=32850&forum=12&1] and a few pics to start off the store in spreading some aloha spirit!

Back soon with more!

[ Edited by: Travellin' Tiki 2009-06-23 21:34 ]

Soooooooo cool Heather! Youve got mad velvet skilz.

I'm so excited to see all of your stuff at Tiki Oasis!

that last blue one is IT!
it captures soooo many diff feelings and movement and aaaaaaaaaaaaa!
true art indeed!

who rocks the velvet?
you rocks the velvet!
:)

YIPEE!.....er' WOW!
you really are velvet !
great work!

BEEEEEEEEEE You Tea FULL!

I lov da speed Demon!

Yay! Back again... emerging from a cocoon of tireless painting... thank you for your kind replies again! I will, someday (hopefully soon!!!) reply to them personally. But until then--Mahalo everyone!!!! :) Here are a few recent pics! Hope you like. :)

Dreaming (9" x 12" black velvet)

Exploring the Volcano (8" x 11" black velvet)

Earth God (5" x 7" black velvet w rhinestones)

Rain God (4" x 6" black velvet w. rhinestones)

Little Skele-Tiki (5" x 7" black velvet)

I'll be painting again after dinner, but for now I get a break to eat. Will post again soon!

[ Edited by: Travellin' Tiki 2009-07-28 22:36 ]

Awesome as always...I totally dig the softness in your velvets!!
You are nailing it!!!

[ Edited by: Meheadhunter 2009-07-15 09:37 ]

Dreaming is too sweet for words
soft and sleepy
Just the gentle sound of water slapping the sides of the boat
and the flitting of the fireflys!

You've stepped out of the cocoon
and emerged a butterfly!
yet again!
:)

I finally took the time to go through your whole thread and I am just awed by your work! You've made characters that exhibit the tiniest expressions but they say so much! Your style is playful, and I love the plumpness of the shapes and the monochromatic color palettes. And I also love the way the framing is unique to each piece and well thought out to complete the overall image. Really gorgeous lush pieces!

UPDATE: I've created a marketplace thread for the countdown. Enjoy!
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=33158&forum=12&1&PHPSESSID=198a05991913d6a0b997eb64971d2ced

More thoughtful comments to fuel my inspiration! Mahalo guys!!! More later--I'm just whizzing by for a lightning fast post between photographing, scanning, lunching and painting... Here's a copy and paste from the tiki oasis thread http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?forum=17&topic=31706 where I just posted this! Enjoy!

There are now exactly thirty days left until the exotic wares of all us hardworking tiki vendors go up for sale! I've got a lot of painting left to do, so I thought a countdown would be a good way to keep me on track, and it just so happens I'm hoping to bring thirty paintings with me this year. Let's see... thirty days, thirty paintings... I think I have an idea.

Starting today my goal is to post photos of one painting per day that I will be bringing to Tiki Oasis. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'll be able to pull this off or not.. but no harm in trying! And you'll get to see a bunch of new work along the way. The good news is I have a lot of the pieces already done and ready to post. You should all see my living room right now... it looks like an art gallery exploded. I'm also going to include in the mix the few paintings I've already let people preview, so you may see some familiar faces along the way if you've been to my website lately.

I'll be posting these to flickr here. There are some detail pics on flickr that I haven't posted here as well if you want a closer look.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherwattsarts/sets/72157621432327127/

They will also be on myspace & my new facebook fanpage--I don't have these links ready to go yet but will post them soon to this thread for anyone that wants to follow my progress!

I think I will create a new thread for this on TC too where I will post every day, since I don't want to overdo it on this thread, I'm just not sure weather to post the countdown pics in the events section, marketplace or other crafts? Any suggestions?

Mahalo! And enjoy

Today's piece to kick everything off is the aptly titled...

"New Beginnings"
8" x 10" Acrylic on Black Velvet
Frame hand-carved by Patrick Robinson

Only 30 Days to Go!!!

[ Edited by: Travellin' Tiki 2009-07-16 13:47 ]

[ Edited by: Travellin' Tiki 2009-07-16 13:48 ]

[ Edited by: travellin' Tiki 2009-07-18 00:23 ]

Love those velvets Heather.

Did you say 30 days? Yikes I'd better get my ass in gear.

Good luck with the painting a day.

Heather, your designs are awesome.
I love your work soooooo much.
Each tiki head/mask/skull is soooooooo beautiful and unique.
And the rendering is equally gorgous. Everything has this lovely glowing light.
You're good.
"Kooky Pants" good.
Er... wait, that's LLT.

Your good "Canadian Pants" good!

Good luck on your journey to 30 paintings!!

I know it's been said before, But..
Your art definately raises the bar for everyone!!

It will be really exciting seeing all your new pieces come to life!!