Category Archives: Galleries and shows

New Pastel Stretch Loops Complete Spring Note Card Sets

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stretch-loop-yellow

Matte Yellow Elastic Stretch Loop shown around a clear plastic A2-1/2BOX. The single box of 8 cards and envelopes is displayed on a Clear Acrylic Small Card/Print Stand, CASPS.

Springtime is just around the corner, and Oak Creek Printworks wants to help you with your holiday packaging by introducing the 10-inch elastic stretch loop in two new spring colors. We’ve added a matte yellow and a matte lavender to the choices for dressing the A2 size note card box.

stretch-loop-lavenderLast year, we wanted to encourage our customers to try the metallic blue, purple, and copper, and the matte pink, baby blue, black and white stretch loops, so we gave away one free stretch loop, priced at $.21, with each A2-1/2BOX.

When customers realized there was no cost for the loop if they purchased a box, they began to broaden their choices beyond the typical gold and silver, by far the more popular selling colors.

So this year, when the latest colors, matte lavender and matte yellow, arrived in time for Easter and other spring holidays, we decided to extend the offer of one free stretch loop with any A2 size box, ranging in depth from 1/4-inch up to 2-inches. Just make a separate item purchase for each color stretch loop desired. For example, if you want 100 A2 boxes with four different color loops, place an order for four individual items, 25 boxes for each color desired.

To order these ten-inch stretch loops without the A2 box, (though we don’t know why you’d want to) we’ve provided links below to each of the product pages.

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Matte colors line the top row of 10-inch stretch loops, while metallic colors are shown in the bottom row. Matte yellow and mat lavender are the newest colors in the 10-inch line of elastic stretch loops.

Choose from a wide selection of colors

Matte:

Metallic:

  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Copper
  • Green
  • Red
  • Blue
  • Purple

The single box of 8 cards and envelopes shown in the above images is displayed on a Clear Acrylic Small Card/Print Stand, CASPS.

Living My Life with New Eyes

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Angela Sharkey was an Oak Creek Printworks featured artist in the winter of 2009/2010.

This colorful image of Roman pines was printed and used as a bookmark.

BY ANGELA SHARKEY
www.angelasharkey.com

I have been a professional artist for more than 20 years now and I have worked in both graphic design and the art industry and have found my true love in painting some 12 years ago. As an independent artist, I am constantly evolving with every changing landscape, pushing my boundaries whenever I can. My family and I move around the world quite often so I am constantly trying to find my place along the way in new and often unfamiliar cultures.

My home these days is sunny, ancient, noisy, and beautiful Rome, Italy. I visited this great city some 22 years ago as an artist living on a shoe string budget, and as many before me I was captivated by “la dolce vita.” Coming back to Italy to live has been a dream for me and I am determined to live life to the fullest. The French novelist Marcel Proust sums up my attitude in life quite well in his beautiful and poignant quote:

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

With all the difficulties of moving so often and adjusting to a new life I find it fascinating how altering my vision or having new eyes can affect what I see and how I feel. This way of seeing, in turn, ultimately affects those around me—hopefully in a positive way. As I look around I see so many lives moving in different directions; everyone’s eyes are capturing a different view, giving us all our own unique perception.

Roman-pine-over-bridgeAs an artist I like to approach my work when my vision is overloaded with colors and scenes and I need to translate everything onto the canvas. I am always looking deeper, certain there is more below the surface, hoping for more clarity. In my work as an artist and in everyday life I am very drawn to color, and my art is a great way for me to express this.

Whether I am in the Tuscan countryside counting the endless cypress trees that line the country roads, or studying the rolling hills dotted with Roman pines, I envision the colors I want to capture as I sketch and study nature. Gazing upon the magnificent architecture all around me I break the images down into simple forms and shapes putting color where it once was and bringing texture into the piece. Everywhere I look I am inspired by the beautiful Italian landscapes and architecture, which I then transpose to the canvas through my own vision.

Tuscany-landscape-2011Alongside my work as an artist I am currently working as an art curator for the Mel Sembler Gallery at the US Embassy in Rome. My job allows me to show my art once a year at the gallery while the remainder of the year I scout American or international artists, along with the curating team, for those interested in showing at the gallery. Every month we show a new artist’s work which includes sculpture, painting, photography, textile art, and mixed media. I have had the privilege to meet many talented individuals and enjoy sharing in their excitement as a distinguished artist showing at the US Embassy Mel Sembler Gallery. For some artists it is their first solo show and I am honored to help them show their work in the best light possible, giving them the exposure they deserve.

In the month of March we have a special show dedicated to children’s art. The children of embassy employees submit their work which is then displayed in the gallery much to the pride of the young artists and the admiration of the adults. It allows the children a sense of confidence and accomplishment that they are able to publicly display their works. I have always enjoyed children’s art as it is uninhibited and free. This March 2012 we will be happy to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Girl Scouts of America as the Scouts submit their artwork to our gallery for the children’s art show.

I have seen firsthand the Mel Sembler gallery is more than just a venue for showing art, but a real-world setting for joining Americans and the international community. Through our art we are bringing people together to share ideas and connect our lives and families. I believe we all have the possibility to see with new eyes, regardless of the landscapes we are navigating, and bring forth positive new visions for our world.

roman-pines-bookmarkAngela Sharkey
Roma 2011

Call for photographers & digital artists

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2011 WIDE OPEN Photography & Digital Open Juried Art Show

Open to all photographers and artists who create works derived from photographic processes, the third annual Conejo Valley WIDE OPEN Photography & Digital Art Show will be held during the month of June at the Thousand Oaks Community Gallery, 2331-A Borchard Road, Newbury Park, CA 91320.

Entry forms are available at www.wideopenphotoshow.com and at the Thousand Oaks Community Gallery. Entry fees are dependent upon entry date. Applications postmarked by February 28 will enjoy the lowest entry fees. Postmark deadline for entry is April 15, 2011 with acceptance notifications announced on or before May 1, 2011. Take-in of accepted works will be June 1, 2011.

As a juried show, only the strongest entries, as determined by the jury based upon digital images submitted, will be invited to hang at the Thousand Oaks Community Gallery in June 2011. At that time, the Show will be judged and the Reception and Awards Ceremony will be held on Sunday, June 12, 2011.

This Show is made possible by the cooperative efforts of representatives from the Ventura County Camera Club, the TOPCC – Photo SIG, and the Westlake Village Art Guild. For more information, visit the Show’s website www.wideopenphotoshow.com or contact Craig Morton, Show Coordinator, at (818) 991-6158 or E-Mail to craignmorton@sbcglobal.net.

Display greeting cards on 3-tier rack

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A7 card rackMore card and print displays are arriving here at Oak Creek Printworks weekly. We recently added a 3-tier clear acrylic card rack to our existing displays in order to provide an alternative to the larger, more expensive greeting card spinners. The 3-tier rack provides pockets that measure 5-5/8″ wide, and are 1-1/2″ deep.

If you want to display standard A7 greeting cards and an A7 envelope packaged in a clear plastic sleeve, each pocket comfortably holds 18 individually packaged cards, for a total of 54 cards in the entire rack. With an outside dimension of only 10-3/4″ high, 6-5/8″ deep and 5-3/4″ wide, the card display occupies only a small area of counter or table space. Its modular shape invites a companion rack. Place two, three or more racks side by side for more display space. Because of its versatile sizing, the display works equally well for 5″ x 7″ or 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ postcards, booklet, books, brochures, DVDs and more.

During this holiday season, artists and crafters are preparing greeting cards, note cards and a wide range of stationery items for boutiques, craft fairs and art shows.  Selling small prints, greeting cards and bookmarks gives artists and crafters a way to market their work and provide visibility to a select audience of people, and a lightweight, compact display is a great way to show your cards.