Elffolk and the Crystal Caves of Atlantis by Tina McFadden

Tina McFadden is launching her new children’s book today. I am always looking for interesting books for my kids - and especially ones with a message that inspires them. although I haven't read a copy of it yet - it certainly sounds like the perfect present for them. Read the press release below for more info ....

Get the fantasy-adventure novel that is delighting readers and reviewers everywhere with its tale of magic and mystery in legendary Atlantis - Elffolk and the Crystal Caves of Atlantis.

Elffolk takes young readers into a world of intrigue and wonder with its page-turning story and positive message. An empowering novel for children ages 7 to 10, it reveals the power of our thoughts, expectations and beliefs. A fast-paced, easy read, it tells the story of Enna and Nissa in the mysterious crystal caves of mystical Atlantis.

“Thousands of years ago, on the island of Atlantis, there were signs of a coming disaster. The very first omens were the earthquakes.... When an earthquake strikes the village of Elffolk, an elderly elf becomes trapped in the crystal caves. Two young elves, Enna and Nissa, must save her. But their rescue mission won't be easy. A dark magic lurks within the caves, stirring up danger at every turn and leaving nothing as it seems.”

Order your copy today: http://www.elffolk.com

Order today and you’ll receive FREE gifts from parenting coaches, children’s authors and more.

Prints and cards now available for sale online

You can now buy prints and greeting cards of Sophia Elise original artworks online at my new website www.sophia-elise.artistwebsites.com

Prints
The prints come in a variety of sizes and start from as low as $19 They are available in stretched canvas, framed or standard (unframed) If you want them framed you get to select the mat colour, style and frame. Lots of fun playing around on the site with this to get just the right look.

Cards - Greeting cards
The cards can be bought as single cards or in multiple packs. They are priced from $4.95 - the more you buy the cheaper they get. The cards are great because you can even choose to have a personalised message inside not to mention you can also select how large you want the image to be on the front of the card.

Original Art For Purchase
All the artwork on this site is organised into galleries - certain series of artworks and a special gallery of art currently available for purchase - more to be added as soon as I get some time to paint!

If there is an artwork of mine that you really love but isn't listed on my print and greeting card pages please let me know and I will add it just for you sophia@sophiaelise.co.nz

If your a member of facebook - friend me - and you will also be able to purchase art, cards and prints via my Facebook shop

Boy for Sale...bonus girl may be included!

This morning I received this email from my wonderful cousin Gretchen Andersen - great mum - all round lovely person and very talented writer - just had to share - I'm sure there are plenty of mums (and dads) out there who can identify with this and will enjoy the chuckle ... Thanks Cuz for brightening up my day and letting me share this with others ... don't worry I won't tell CYFS ;-)

Boy for sale, any reasonable offer considered!

He's got LOTS of energy, and would make a great guard boy...could easily scare off any child-unfriendly visitors you may have, along with birds, mice or other small animals. Eats almost anything you put in front of him, especially if it's previously been refused and is deemed destined for the rubbish bin. Doesn't need much sleep. Good at making train tracks, mud pies, noise and messes. Doesn't need minor accessories like tissues, as has developed an effective "self- cleaning" method (a.k.a. "sharing the slime"). Great at waking babies, cats, neighbours or the dead.

Only minor functional defects, in that the "off" button is missing and the volume control seems stuck on "loud". But I'm sure these could be easily remedied with lots of open space, or alternatively, rubber walls and/or soundproofing. Patience and caregiver-energy might also work, but I haven't got any of that to try at present and the local hardware store seems to have run out.

PLUS, if you get in fast I'll also throw in a bonus Girl for no extra cost! She's great for self-esteem, as she is always in the mood for cuddles and being carried - doubles as a great workout partner, and will tone and strengthen arms, back and stomach if used correctly. Presently also has a self-lubricating face for those extra sloppy kisses. Has an infectious laugh, but the snot isn't similarly contagious. Runs almost entirely on mother's milk still, but is happy to supplement her diet with paper, books, shoes and cat fur so weaning probably wouldn't be a problem if the right foods are chosen. Good at waking those late night partying neighbours early the next morning. Also doesn't need much sleep.

If full-time child(ren) purchase isn't possible for you, I am willing to negotiate part-time or job-share opportunities.

Free shipping available!

Please contact the manager if you'd like to arrange a viewing or trial period.

Continuing saga of worthwhile art ...

Artist: Sophia Elise
Media: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 25cm x 25cm
For Sale: contact sophia@sophiaelise.co.nz


Following on from my post yesterday about "what is worthwhile art?" - I started this same conversation on my facebook wall (by the way if you haven't connected with me on facebook already please do! :-))

I really wanted to share some of the thoughts that came through - some from artists - some from art admirers - some very interesting thoughts and some wise words ...

Pamela - "I don't think anyone has the right to sit on a pedestal and judge other peoples artwork. Because we may not like or value or have some kind of prejudice over a particular style or person does not mean the piece of work itself is not worthwhile. I think there are too many people out there who value their own opinions. I think we seek way to much validation for our art externally instead of believing in our own talent and skill and its easy to lose sight of ones path, and get caught up in what you think you should be doing rather than what you want to do."

Bernice - "Opinion is the worst yardstick one can react to in a creative endeavour. Along those lines ..... Does not having a fine arts degree make one less of an artist or an artist of note? This has been a... continuous struggle I have faced in my art career. Could I get an art degree... Yes. Do I want to... No. Am I an artist.... Yes. Do I create worthwhile art.... Yes. For many years now I have refused to placate certain factions of the 'art community' who have repeatedly recommended I do the degree in order to prove my artistic worth. It makes it harder to be taken seriously, for sure (in my experience), but i will keep on doing what I do, regardless of whether other's view my work as worthwhile or not. I have a voice. You have a voice. Every single creative person has a voice. It won't be silenced by anything as linear as an opinion."

Denita - "passion, talent, and love makes worthwhile art and art worthwhile"

Ross - "I'm always asked this by my school students. We live in an age of Post Modernist who's-to-say mentality. They are always trying to pin it down to $ signs. Like "what's the most you've sold a work for sir?". That's because they have been taught that this is a way to value stuff (we are now doing that more and more in dear old NZ. I reckon there are a whole host of questions like - Is there an honest voice there? Is there some good mark making going on? (I mean that in a 3d and 2d sense) Is the person demonstrating some sort of control of their media? In contrast to these and there are heaps more, that we could go on about, we have unmade beds, beer crates, piles of rubbish, all winning prizes. So the ideas (and some of them are quite clever, whilst others are plain grandstanding like Damien Hurst's over hyped, over priced nonsense. I reckon the best guy to read on the subject is Robert Hughes. "Shock of the New" is a goody but it's a bit old. I would love to know what sort of spirit Bazaleel and Aholiab had in the Old Testament"

John - "Many things in this world are subjective. Movies, books, music, art, likes, dislikes etc. It is a combination of ignorance and arrogance for one person (often from their own perception of academic superiority) to suggest one thing is worthwhile and suggest that your particular taste is not. All these subjective likes and dislikes come from the heart, they can't be and shouldn't be found in books, internet or otherwise."

Brian - "Good art in my opinion elicits an emotional response in the viewer"

Colin - "If the artist likes it, its worthwhile to them, if the viewer likes it, then its worthwhile to that person and if your lucky both artist and viewer like it therefore making it worthwhile to both. In some cases the artist will not be happy with the finished article and few viewers like it making it worthwhile to few. A piece of arts worth both monetary and visually is a very individual thing....Some people see arts worth in relation to monetary value (So IS a factor to them), others see art purely for the aesthetic value i.e. like the look of it, or sound of it, feel of it (Myself) and others for some perceived meaning behind it all. No one motivation or trigger for an individuals impression of a given piece or form of art is any more valid than another. With art there are no more rules to the appreciation of art than there are to the creation of it or form it should take."

Stan - "who is this person to cast a judgement on the marks of a fellow artist? Certainly no one with any academic background in the profession. From the first crude paleolithic markings on the walls of caves until the present, art is a reflection of human labour and a catharsis of the imagination. To attempt to discredit one artists work as not worthwhile is to deny individualistic creative processes."

Ross - "Again though, we're coming back to the very thing that prompts this debate. There is an opinion that if something provokes emotion then if it good. I don't think it's that simple. Like a Swastika for many people would provoke and emotion, but it is not art it is an offensive icon. So there has to be some sort of conceptual underpinning. Oh for the days when we were told what was good and what was rubbish! (that's tongue in cheek). It's not just technical ability either is it? Think about the beautifully produced kitch sold all over the world."

Leo - "it took me the standard 4 years plus a post graduate year, but that did NOT make my work art, nor did it make me an artist. That came later. What it did - and that made it worthwhile after all - was break down all my pre-conceived ideas, thanks to excellent tutors, and give me a lot of useful technical knowledge. But that was all it did. There are countless great artists who never had any formal training. And Sophia, thanks for starting this discussion!"


I think my favourite quote from all the posts though is Colins - "With art there are no more rules to the appreciation of art, than there are to the creation of it or to the form it should take."


Thanks to everyone for joining in this discussion - sharing your thoughts and feeling - opinions and insights - to follow this more go to my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/sophiaelise.artist

What is worthwhile art?

Artist: Sophia Elise
Media: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 25cm x 25cm
SOLD




Today I'm pondering the question - "What is worthwhile art?" This question was provoked by an email I received today. Not an email directed at my art - but a general comment about worthwhile art having a specific voice and means to be heard.

I had never thought of art being classified as "worthwhile" before - well more precisely that some art wouldn't be considered worthwhile in some peoples eyes. Ok, admittedly, some art is not be to my taste - or maybe it doesn't have the technical finesse of other artworks - but I never thought about it not being worthwhile. At the very core of it - at the very least - it is a worthwhile artwork for the person who has created it surely. It is something they have enjoyed, felt compelled to do, have expressed an emotion or shared a scene - to them it was worthwhile.

To me - It is worthwhile if that artwork has helped someone in some way - be it the creator or the viewer. If it has put a smile on someones face - made them feel something within - evoked a conversation - created a connection - then that is worthwhile to me. A child's artwork is worthwhile to the parent who receives it and the child who has created it with love. The artwork that we see as a "mistake" is worthwhile to that child that loves it and retrieves it from the junk pile to hang in their room. Or the artwork that is donated to charity to raise funds for a cause. Or simply the one that is beautiful - which of course is in the eye of the beholder.

Perhaps my art may not be termed worthwhile by academic circles but to the hundreds of people that have purchased my art and who enjoy hanging it on their walls it's worthwhile. It was worthwhile to me to be able to create it and share part of my spirit on canvas. It was worthwhile to my children who hang it on their walls and proudly tell their classmates that their mum is an artist on google (how cute is that! lol) It was worthwhile to the artists I have swapped artworks with. It is worthwhile to the charities that have benefited from the artwork donations I've made.

So - Who is the judge of what is worthwhile? What is the criteria? Is there criteria? Is it arrogance to state some art is worthwhile and other art isn't? Is it an intellectulisation born out of academia? Or is it a real life issue? What are your thoughts?