Displaying Miniature Artwork

ACEO's - Art Card Edition Original, miniature artwork measuring 2.5 x 3.5 inches are an affordable way to collect artwork from your favorite artist. They can be matted, framed as any art piece and beautifully displayed in just about any space.

Here are some of the art cards I've collected including my own work as it's displayed in my home.

I offer original works of miniature art as well as high quality archival prints for sale at my website and Etsy shop. All at very reasonable prices.

Not So Feel Good Art...

I can't always do "feel good" art. And, this piece reflects a little bit of what's on my mind. I have a name for it but I think I'll let the viewer decide. So for now, it'll be untitled.

The art is done with ink, markers and digitally enhanced.

Nobody Loves Hillary?

A while back I did this artwork, Hillary as Liberty, graphite and colored pencils on 9 x 12 inch drawing paper. I thought all things considered, I did a relatively decent job in portraying Hillary in a positive light.

Only recently, I decided to play around with the artwork using a digital application. I cleaned it up a bit with digital enhancement. The image is sharp and "clean".

It's now offered at my Etsy shop as a PIF - Pay It Forward. Basically, PIF is a "karma key" as I like to call it. I list the artwork for the meager listing fee of .20 plus the cost for shipping/handling of only 99 cents. I'm barely getting by as I'll need to compensate a little bit for the S/H. In total, I'm not making any profit which is what a PIF is anyway. In return for the PIF an Etsy shop owner who receives this great artwork will list a PIF in their shop. Or, if you're not a shop owner, the recipient does some nice thing like buying a cup of coffee for the person in line behind them.

I'm tapping my chin because it seems no one loves Hillary!? How can that be when there were/are so many people who have/do support her. It blows my mind because I'm giving this great artwork away and so far no takers.

By the way, Hillary as Liberty is an ACEO - Art Card Edition Original. That's a 2.5 x 3.5 inch format. The print is archival quality which basically means it's printed on professional quality (67lbs) paper which has a luster finish. The end result is an excellent print that will resist fading and water for many years to come.

Is there no one out there who values this great art print? It might actually be worth real money one day because who knows where Hillary's political career will take her. That has yet to be determined. Aside from that possibility, it's a great collector's item.

And, the lucky person who decides to come forward to show Hillary some love - please come back to this blog and tell us about the free Hillary art card you received.

The Team for Interior Designers: Add Your Etsy Mini#links

The Team for Interior Designers: Add Your Etsy Mini#links

Raccoons - Jack & Sophia

This is Jack and Sophia Raccoon. The photo is courtesy of Amanda Smith, Etsy shop owner. Amanda does wild baby animal rescue. I saw this great photo in her shop today. I asked Amanda permission to use the photo as reference for a painting as I'm always looking for challenges. Below is my interpretation of the these cute critters.

My vision for these adorable raccoons in this painting is for their liberation. I named the piece "Bandit Love". It's 9 x 12 acrylic on canvas.

Art-O-Mat Artwork in a vending machine - how cool is that!

I'm very pleased to announce my original artwork is now available for sale from ArtOMat.org , kurplunking at it's best!

These original works of miniature art on cigarette size wood blocks are vending at various locations in re-cycled cigarette machines.

You can find my name, Barbara Giordano, on the list at ArtOMat. For more information about the artwork and finding a vending machine near you, visit the artomat website for more information.

I'm so excited to be part of this unique opportunity.

Happy vending! :)

What is the value of an ACEO?

ACEO - art card edition and original are miniature works of art no more than the size of a baseball trading card. It measures 2.5 x 3.5 inches. This is considered the standard size to qualify for an ACEO.

These little works of art are highly collectible. It's a relatively inexpensive way to collect artworks from favorite artists. If you have a group of friends who enjoy collecting these great pieces of art, they are fun to trade as well.

The more expensive ACEO's are the coveted originals. They cost more because of their individual value as the original work. It's a greater challenge for the artist to create original art on a small platform. All the more reason for the greater value.

Many artists enjoy creating prints in ACEO form from their original artworks. These prints are highly prized as well. It's an affordable way for the ACEO collector to gather art from their favorite artists. I especially enjoy offering prints of my work in ACEO form at very reasonable prices.

When I reproduce my artwork in the ACEO size, I use my Jasc software to help out. I can get the right pixelation for excellent printing results. My work is digitally resized and printed on my Epson R1900 pigment ink printer.

The value of my ACEO is fully worth the value of the paper it's printed on. Right now, I'm getting excellent results printing my art on Epson photo quality paper. The print quality and color replicate the original artwork. I use a backing for the printed work. I find acid free Bristol to offer a good, stable support for the photo paper. And, I use only an acid free adhesive to mount the art.

I recently shopped for artwork supplies. I was happy to see Strathmore offering acrylic and watercolor papers in the exact size for creating ACEO's art with matching envelopes. It shows the art world is starting to embrace the "collectability" of these miniature art forms. And, offering a time saver for the artist who would otherwise need to cut the papers to size.

ACEO's can be matted and framed. A 5 x 7 inch frame with a mat offers a beautiful display for the wall or desk. And, don't stop there because they can be arranged in as many ways as your imagination and decorative ideas will take you.

If you enjoy collecting artworks but your budget is limited, ACEO's offer an affordable way to decorate just about any space.

ACEO's as well as original paintings and drawings are available for sale at very reasonable prices at both my Etsy shop and my website: Off The Cuff Art

PIF - Pay It Forward on Etsy

On a random selection, I'll be offering a PIF in my Etsy shop. What is a PIF? PIF = pay it forward which means, I list an item which I'm giving away in return, the person (if another Etsy shop owner) lists a PIF item in their shop. It's basically a karma key so to speak. I do a random act in turn the recipient does one too!

On the subject of good fortune, I only yesterday completed this miniature painting. It's 5 x 7 acrylic on heavy acid free acrylic paper. It's known as a hex sign and here is how Wikipedia defines it:

• Hex signs are a form of Pennsylvania Dutch folk art, related to Fraktur, found in the Fancy Dutch tradition in Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Today some non-Pennsylvania Dutch people use the signs in a talismanic nature, although others see it as purely decorative, or "Chust for nice" in the local dialect.

Years ago, I made a trip to Lancaster, PA and became fascinated with the hex sign folklore and artwork. My family on my mother's side is of German descent so I guess it's no small wonder my interest in this form of art. Although I lived in an apartment at the time, I bought one for my home as a decorative piece.

It recently occurred to me to take the symbolism and create a work of art for wall space. Ordinarily, hex signs can be seen on the side of houses and barns. Why not bring the beauty and good fortune these hex signs represent in the form of artwork inside of our homes.

BOGO at my Etsy Shop

Good Morning, Henrietta - ACEO Art Card

4th of July sale special at my Etsy shop only. BOGO - buy any aceo art card and receive any aceo art card print free.