on the fox’s back

I loved this little gocco print (from ‘les chose imprimes’ by Lea in France) so much so that I couldn’t resist treating myself to it last month. It is the most lovely gocco print that depicts a gorgeous little fox carrying a cabin and woodland scene on his back. So cute! This furry friend, and his precious cargo, now rest safely in Canada.

tradesies

One of the many benefits of being a printmaker is the opportunity to trade with other printmakers. Because our images are created in limited editions, we can easily swap prints with each other if we feel so inclined. I have the most amazing collection of artwork from my BFA peers because of trades, but most recently struck up an exchange with a fellow printmaker and twitter friend Elise Towle Snow aka Argyle Whale. I was perusing her etsy shop last month and fell hard for two of her quirky, clever and adorable gocco prints pictured above and below. I was lucky enough to have her take interest in one of my animal call silkscreen prints, and so we traded addresses and the rest is history. I love these new art additions in my home and was thrilled to hear Elise adores the print she received as well. If you are interested in doing some trades, let me know! And to collect some more artistic treats, whether you are a printmaker or not, you should check out this awesome call for submissions from one of my favorite non-profit print studios, Alberta Printmakers aka A/P. Every year they do this “postcard” exchange: send in ten 4 x 6 limited edition prints or ten 4 x 6 one of a kind works of art (just no digital reproductions), and have your work included in an awesome exhibition. When it’s over A/P will keep 2 for fundraising or archives while 8 random postcards from other participants will be mailed back to you. Happy trading!

framed feather giveaway

In July, I had a solo exhibition and created a large installation piece titled “framed feathers” which featured original feather inspired images mounted in found frames of wood & faux gold. I sold 5 of the feather pieces at my solo exhibition, and the others I will be listing in my etsy shop / promoting on the blog, this entire week. In conjunction with posting these new originals, I also wanted to do a little feather GIVEAWAY to my lovely blog readers, twitter followers and etsy shoppers. You could win this incredible mail art package and have it sent straight to your post box! Entirely bird themed, the package features a hand-made envelope and contains loads of goodies like an original altered book page, a limited edition hand-pulled gocco screenprint, found ephemera (red rose tea cards, vintage magazine pages & feathers), decorative stamps, stickers and more! I’m also gifting away THREE 25% OFF coupons for my etsy shop too, so there’s 4 prizes up for grabs here people!The contest is running until Sunday August 21st. Heres how you can enter to win either the feather mail art goodies or one of THREE 25% OFF coupons: 1. Leave a comment on this blog post, or any of the following framed feather posts that happen this week (each post gives readers a new opportunity to enter, so go ahead comment on more than 1 post and gain more chances to win). 2. Promo tweet or Retweet the framed feathers giveaway info with a  URL to my etsy shop or my blog (make sure to include either @jessicagowling or @naturesmyfriend so I know you’ve tweeted. One tweet entry allowed per day). 3. Purchase one of the original framed feather pieces that get listed and gain 5 automatic entries! Thanks in advance to all of those who participate, and again a big thank you to all of you who follow me, purchase artwork from me and read my blog! Your encouragement and support means the world to me! GOOD LUCK ON THE GIVEAWAY.