The Divine Iguana Blog

Happy Solstice!

2011-12-16T08:26:00.000-08:00

Open the image in your browser to see the Yule log blaze in all its glory!

Adventure in Saugatuck Part 1- The Pines

2011-08-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

David, Colin and I spent the weekend in Saugatuck, Michigan at the annual art festival.

We knew the weekend was going to be great when we pulled up to our hotel and discovered that we had booked into the fabulous Pines Motor Lodge!

The Pines is a peaceful haven of retro bliss tucked away in the woods of Northern Michigan. No detail was missed here, from cheerful yellow gingham bedspreads to the fantastic soaps in the bathrooms.

The entire place is playful and fun, and best of all the building at night attracts the most adorable tree frogs in several different shades of vibrant green and yellow.

The owners are wonderfully sweet and accommodating, and I certainly hope to visit again soon!

New Prints on DeviantArt

2011-06-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

I have been kicking some digital collage butt the past few months and some of my favorite pieces are now available on Deviant Art.

The Military Man may well be my favorite, especially after Hogret wrote this lovely group of Haiku about him. I hadn't realized that William was such a sensitive soul.

Hogret's Haiku

The tree-perched ravens know
He uses his moustache
To make brocade blockprints

Alternatively:

He wishes he were
Edgar Allan Poe
But his mother dresses him funny

Digital Madness

2011-05-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

For those of you who wonder where the heck I've been lately...I spent a while learning some new tricks and I'm finally ready to show them off. This is my newest Digital Painting, and I love her!

The piece is loosely structured around a reference photo and then collaged together in Photoshop CS5. Hopefully there will be more soon!

I've Lost My Keys in the Great Beyond

2011-03-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

What a witty and wonderful treasury concept!

Thanks to Jessica Faber of DinkyFrooFroos.etsy.com for including me in her latest.

Treasury love...

2011-03-07T22:58:00.000-08:00

I've been getting lots of love in the Etsy treasuries lately, but this one is particularly lovely!

Thanks so much to Haleluya for including my Jasper and Rust Necklace.

Jewelry Sale on Brass Menagerie

2011-02-28T23:17:00.000-08:00

Vintage Key Talisman (Specimen n106)

I'm finally settling in to the new studio, unpacking boxes of this and that, reassessing my collections of brick-a-brack. There's nothing like sorting through your treasure trove to get the creative juices flowing, and boy am I on a creative rampage.

I've got so many new things in the works, and WAY too much old stuff sitting around. I think they call that "back inventory". Anyhow, I'm having a ridiculous sale on Etsy to try and clear some of it away. We're talking up to 75% off a lot of things.

Here's a little peek at one of the newer listings, specimen n106.

Passion Fruits Images on Art Fire

2011-02-28T13:36:00.000-08:00

Now we are two...or is that three?

We're moving on up! Just last week I opened a new shop for my digital collage sheets on Art Fire. They've been available on Etsy for a while, as well as on my own stand-alone site PassionFruitsImages.com, but I've been hearing fantastic things about Art Fire and thought I'd give it a go. Why not, right?

So far so good. Importing my listings was a breeze, and the new shop is already appearing in google search. I really love that Art Fire gives you the ability to really work with your meta tags and customize your listing for the search engines. Now if only I can find the time to make those changes!

I'm looking forward to becoming a part of this new community!

-Rena

Black Magic Gerbil on a Starry Night

2010-11-29T10:17:00.000-08:00

PattyLarkinSmith has made a fantastic Etsy Treasury based upon The Black Magic Gerbil...

The Black Magic Gerbil and I are both flattered .

Creepy Critter

2010-11-25T17:58:00.000-08:00

Starting today: Creepy and inspirational real world critters.

This one comes courtesy of my good friend, Nate.

The Squidworm

The Squidworm!

New Prints available through Deviant Art

2010-11-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

Don't know when I'll be traveling again, but I do have some good news for those of you who have been patiently waiting for new prints.

The Love Thief

The Gerbil Bandit

The Love Thief, The Gerbil Bandit, and several other Divine Iguana images are now available as prints through Deviant Art! 4"x 6" photo prints are only $5, and nicer quality 8"x 12" fine art prints are only $20.

You know you want one...

OMIGOD! I'm going digital!

2010-10-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

Sooo...early this summer I bought myself a shiny new Intuos4 graphics tablet. I quickly realized that the leap from traditional media to digital painting is going to be more difficult than I had hoped. The first few pieces were REALLY bad, but things are looking up.

Here are a few of my more recent pieces...


Trying for the look of mixed media gouache with brush and ink and colored pencil

Trying for Charcoal with brush and ink


Looking to mimic mixed media printmaking linocut with silkscreen

Getting Better All The Time!

DESTASH

2010-07-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

For those of you who weren't aware, I will soon be moving to Chicago.

I've been taking a hard look at all my accumulated crap, I mean supplies, and am more than a little intimidated by the idea of packing them all up. SO...

My newest Etsy shop has been born. DestashMyStuff.Etsy.com. Lots of stuff to choose from.

I've got a lot of cool and crazy stuff to list. Check in from time to time...Chances are good you'll find something to inspire you. And just think, if this is the stuff I'm getting rid of, what all have I decided to keep?!

Newsletters and Sugar Skulls

2010-07-07T20:36:00.000-07:00

The first edition of the Divine Iguana Newsletter just went out...Whew! What a relief!

This first issue features the art of one of my all-time favorite artists, J. Cobb. If you didn't get the newsletter, then you haven't signed up for the mailing list. Shame on you. You can do that on the homepage of the Divine Iguana website. Go there and sign up now, then check out some of Mr. Cobb's darkly fantastic art at J. Cobb's Folklore.

To the left is "The Hain't", by J. Cobb. Prints of this image and many others are available on Mr. Cobb's Etsy shop.

SUGAR SKULL SEASON!

Okay, not quite sugar season yet, but to spite the oppressive summer heat I'm starting to gear up for fall. Sugar Skull season is coming!!! I'm on a sugar skull roll, look for them on both the Divine Iguana Bazaar and DivineIguana.etsy.com.

Evanston Fountain Square Arts Festival

2010-06-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

After many trials and tribulations I am here at the Evanston Fountain Square Art Festival and having a great, if sweaty, time!

The booth is lookin' good...not sure if I love the backdrop or not...but I'm lovin' the new layout.

Best sellers thus far...DICTIONARY BUTTONS

Gonna have to get some more old dictionaries!

Black Magic Gerbil

2010-06-23T21:59:00.000-07:00

He's a Black Magic Gerbil and he's trying to make a devil out of me...

Preparing for Battle

2010-06-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

What great and unexpected news! I will be participating in the Fountain Square Art Festival this weekend in Evanston, IL...just outside of Chicago.

This is what the square looks like on a normal day...pretty, huh? I would bet that I won't be close to the actual fountain, but I will be there hiding among the 200-some other vendors. If you're in the area, stop by!

Really, I wasn't expecting to have a show this soon, so I've been frantically creating to add items to the inventory.

The Black Spiral Necklace

The Mossy Mermaid

Rusty Nail Necklace

Lots more, too, including some new insect brooches and several new Gerbil collages. Hope to see you there!

R.I.P. Butter Jesus

2010-06-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

I really can't begin to express how sad I am that we have lost the 62ft Statue of Jesus that used to greet us as we drove along I-75 near Monroe.

Butter Jesus, also known as Touchdown Jesus and, to those who loved him for different reasons than I, The King of Kings, has been a beloved fixture in Ohio since 2004. A venerable icon of absurdity, and one of the faces of the Divine Iguana....he will be sorely missed.

Those who are gleefully cheering his demise (he was struck by lightening and burned into the surrounding lake, the only fitting way he could have gone) will find themselves missing his presence soon enough. Passing the place where he once was will leave a shadow on our hearts in place of the laughter he used to bring. I, for one, will mourn his loss every time I drive past.

Not usually a Heywood Banks fan, but I do love his paean to Butter Jesus, The Big Butter Jesus Song.

R.I.P. King of Kings

Home from Hueston...lessons learned

2010-06-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

What a ride, my friends! Saturday was plagued by torrential rains and the threat of an overnight windstorm that had all the vendors shaking in our boots (or sandals, it was pretty darned hot for a rainy day).
Those who slept in tents or campers were awake all night listening to the wind and trying not to roll too close to damp canvas walls. Me, I chose to override sleeplessness with a half a melatonin tablet that knocked me on my skinny little butt. After a night of dreams in which my pretty new tent flew away like a giant white jellyfish against the inky sea of the starry sky I drove in to find my tent exactly where I had left it, if a little sodden.
My neighbors across the isle were selling these crazy fun hero masks and I bought a handful in celebration of my overnight triumph.

The Hueston Booth

I'd like to take this spot in the post to thank Amanda Louise for helping paint the floor tiles that both kept my booth from becoming a muddy cesspool and made it a visual delight. Just wait until we get the rest of the new tent painted up!

The Art

What Saturday lacked in the way of company was more than made up for on Sunday as a multitude of art lovers stopped in to say hello. Popular favorites were The Gerbil Bandit and Zombie Children (pictured Below)

No, I don't have prints of those yet. Yes, I promise I will soon.

I learned a lot from this, my first outdoor show:

Mother Nature doesn't care one way or the other about craft shows.
You can successfully set up an EZup tent by yourself without too much trouble
You cannot easily tear down an EZup tent by yourself without too much trouble
Tents need girdles
For peace of mind when leaving your tent up overnight you need:

BIG weights for your tent.
Tupperware bins for all your merch.
Rope and hefty, screw-in stakes to accompany your big weights (Thanks Sandy C.!).
2 beers and a sleeping pill.

okay, so maybe the last one is just me but after hearing all the "my tent was folded like origami and I lost all my art" stories from the other vendors I really did need a drink and some herbal supplements to get rest.

As I learn more about show tents Ill post it here. It seems there is a lot more knowledge than easily fits on a bi-lingual tri-fold instruction sheet.

Divine Iguana Goes Crafting

2010-06-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

Come see me and my new tent this weekend at the Hueston Woods Arts & Crafts Fair!

I'll have the newest pieces in the Gerbil series on display, as well as new magnets (like George the Bee Boy, to the left) and the new Wrapped Iron earrings.

Get Directions to the Festival