Friday, February 28, 2014

#6 FACES BY PARKER KAGAN-KAUFMAN





Hello friends!  It's been a fair amount of time since the last work in my "FACES" series was completed.  Through some self imposed isolation, I finished #6 in the ever growing series.  This piece is not as yet titled. The textured and printed cardstock composition also includes some computer enhanced images and is 8.5" x 11", soon to be available on my website, www.parkerkaufman.net.

Image above, "Untitled", 2014, by Parker Kagan-Kaufman.

Interview with Author Jeanine McAdam

Jeanine McAdam
New York City



Good morning, Jeanine, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Artists.
Hi Carol!  Thanks for hosting me.  My name is Jeanine McAdam and I’m from New York City, specifically an area we locals call ‘Upstate Manhattan’.  Our little neighborhood on the northern tip of the island feels like ‘old New York’.  We actually greet each other on the street and chat with our shopkeepers. 

Sounds charming.  What have you written?  
I write cowboy/bull riding stories.  Yes, even though I live in an urban area I love the American West.  My latest release is called THE BULL RIDER WEARS PINK. 

What is your favorite genre to write? 
Contemporary romance in a sports setting.  I like writing about the problems of athletes.  Bull riders are competitors like any other football or hockey player.  But their sport can be perilous.  Bull riding is often called ‘the most dangerous eight seconds in sports’.



Favorite food?
That is a tough question, sushi I think.  I’m having it for dinner tonight so it’s on my mind.

Tea or coffee?  
Herbal tea.  What can I say—I’m married to an acupuncturist.

Pizza or ice cream?
Apple pie a la mode made by my mother.  Her crusts are divine.  It’s a word I never use but it completely describes my mother’s crusts.

Where would you like to visit?  
Since I’ve been watching the Olympics, it’s Russia right now.  I also want to go to Australia.  I have a friend who lives there and I signed a contract promising I would visit her in the next five years.



Favorite musical artist. 
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.  Love, love them!  Plus Bruno Mars, he was incredible at the super bowl halftime show, wasn't he?

Yes, he was.  Do you listen to music when you write?
No, I find the lyrics get stuck in my head and I can’t focus on my writing.

How old were you when you started writing?  
I was forty and at home with two young children.  Plus, one was sick.  I had to do something to keep my mind engaged so I started writing short stories.

Describe your perfect evening.  
I love watching television with my husband.  Yes, I live in one of the cultural centers of the world with theater, dance and all sorts of stuff offered every night but I love cable T.V.  A few favorites: Friday Night Lights, Sons of Anarchy, The Walking Dead and Modern Family.

Where do you get your inspiration?  
I’m always reading on the Internet and watching You Tube videos.  My next series of books is about hockey players so now I’m watching hockey videos.  Like the bull riders those guys are super cute!

What do you do when you get a writer's block?  
Go to You Tube and watch videos.

Who is your favorite author? 
I have more than one.  Suzanne Brockmann, Nora Roberts, Elizabeth Chadwick (historical), Paullina Simons.



Best book you ever read? 
OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon.  Now they are making it into a series on STARZ.

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?  
Eleanor Roosevelt.  She believed in human rights and she never gave up even when life got tough.


What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?  
Write short stories first.  I started writing for the ‘confessions’ market and sold my first words to them.  Those stories are 5000 words or less.  They allowed me to learn dialogue, characterization, plot and how to use a tag line.  Plus, it’s a great ego boost for a writer to consistently sell.  They were buying a story from me every month.

Do you have some links for us to follow you?
"Stories About Imperfect People Finding Perfect Love"
THE BULL RIDER WEARS PINK Sweet Cravings Publishing (February 2014)
THE BULL RIDER AND THE BABY Sweet Cravings Publishing (SSLY July Book of the
Month)
THE BULL RIDER AND THE BARE BOYCOTTER Sweet Cravings Publishing
COWBOY'S TOUGHEST RIDE Secret Cravings Publishing
www.facebook.com/jeanin

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Interview with Author Scarlett Dawn

Scarlett Dawn


Welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors this morning, Scarlett.  It is a pleasure to have you with us.  What have you written?
I've published KING HALL and KING CAVE with Escape Publishing, a Harlequin Australia imprint.  Both are new adult fantasy, and are book one and two of the Forever Evermore Trilogies.


Which do you prefer, tea or coffee?
Ice tea with plenty of sugar.

Where would you like to visit?
Australia, Greece, Ireland, and Spain.

What makes you laugh?
Dry humor and random comments.

How old were you when you started writing?
I was sixteen.




What do you do when you get a writer's block?
I stop writing and relax. The ideas come when I'm not pushing myself.

Who is your favorite author?
Nalini Singh

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life?
My grandmother.

Here are my links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/ScarlettDawn/e/B00DOAF256/ref=pd_sim_kstore_bl_1
Website: http://scarlettdawn.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorScarlettDawn
Twitter: @ScarlettDawnUSA





WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014


Hello V&V readers!! Today on "What’s Up Wednesday", I thought I’d share some photos with you. This random group of pictures is full of color, line, movement, and emotion. Take a moment to explore the story each photo presents, letting your imagination run freely...see the unseen, look beyond the surface details. Dream!!
Images below by Parker Kagan-Kaufman, 2014.



 










By Parker Kagan-Kaufman, 2014. 



PARKER KAGAN-KAUFMAN, The "Handy" series 2007.





 
In 2007, I created a series of art cards featuring images made from hands.  The series, "Handy", has been on my website for a number of years.  Each one tells it's own story, interpretation open to the viewer.

The cards will no longer be offered individually, but rather only as an entire set of 10 and only upon special request.  Each art card is  5.5" x 8.5" , card stock composition, computer enhanced images, and colored pencil.

The art cards will remain a feature on my website, but only as a history of my art work.

Images above, "HANDY", 2007, series of 10 art cards by Parker Kagan-Kaufman.













Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Monday, February 24, 2014

GLORIA VANDERBILT, THE ARTIST







 
 
 
Most of us are rather familiar with Gloria Vanderbilt.  She is a member of the famous Vanderbilt family of New York.  She is an actress, an author, an heiress, and socialite.  You may also recall her foray into the fashion scene as a designer of blue jeans. And let us not forget that she is also the mother of television celebrity, Anderson Cooper.  With all of this to her credit, she is also an artist, and a rather accomplished one at that.
 
Vanderbilt studied at the Art Students League of New York, where she gained notoriety for her watercolor and pastel paintings.  In 1968, her artwork was adapted and licensed by Hallmark for use on greeting cards and also by textile manufacturer, Bloomcraft.  Vanderbilt then went on to design specifically for linens, china, glassware, and flatware.
 
In the 1970's here artistic talents lead her to venture into fashion design of linens, scarves, jeans, dresses, and other couture.
 
Her first art exhibition was in 2001 at the Southern Vermont Arts Center.  The exhibit, titled "DREAM BOXES", was acclaimed a critical success.  In 2007, she displayed 35 more paintings at the arts center.
 
A number of her famous "portraits" will be on exhibit Feb 26 - Mar 23, 2014, at 1stdibs Gallery, 200 Lexington Ave, NY, NY.
 
Paintings, clockwise from top, "Autumn",  "Joyce Carol Oates", "Lavender Wedding", and "Aurelia with Cat" by GLORIA VANDERBILT.


Sunday, February 23, 2014

Thank You Raffle Winner



Yesterday I drew the name of the winner of the $20 Amazon Gift Card in my Thank You Raffle.  I put the names of everyone who had ever taken the time and effort to post a review of any of my eight online books in a box.  There were twenty-nine reviews posted.  I am happy to announce the winner was Rebecca Kavalesky.

A big thank you to each and every one of you who posted a review.  In this online business, reviews are very important to the indie author community.  We have no big companies backing us up, and in my case, no knowledge of marketing and promotion procedures.  I only like to write them.  That's all.  

Saturday, February 22, 2014

THE BASLICATO






When neurologist Dr. Brook Wilson agrees to take on wild celebrity Italian race car driver Jason Maxwell, known as "The Baslicato," as her patient, little did she realize their relationship would turn her calm, pleasant, well-ordered and well-planned life upside down, sending her off on dangerous adventures in southern Italy and personal journeys into her family's history in northern Ohio. As she prepares him for his big race, she must deal with his demented wife while driving her boyfriend, Dr, Garrett MacEgan into acts of criminal desperation in a attempt to hold on to her.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Interview with Artist Katy Kerr



 Katy Kerr
Ionia, M

Good morning, Katy.  Welcome to Vision and Verse.  How would you describe your artwork? 
I do a variety of artwork from charcoal work to acrylic painting, murals, mixed media in the form of custom mailboxes, hand painted patio stones, glasses and tiles. I tend to do a lot of animals but have done portraits and other subjects as well.




What is your favorite medium? 
I enjoy creating with my charcoals best as they just pop and have such life when they are done.





Favorite food.
Seafood, almost any kind.


Where would you like to visit? 
I would love to visit Italy and Greece someday along with Ireland.



Favorite musical artist. 
I can't say I have a favorite artist as I listen to a variety from Christian to rock to country and everything in between.

 Do you listen to music when you work? 
Yes almost always it makes me happy and that always helps produce better artwork. What? A mixed play list with a variety of artists and genres.

What makes you laugh?
Goofy people...

How old were you when you started creating art? 
I have been drawing as long as I can remember but as far as building my portfolio I started pretty much in 2008 when I was laid off from the civil/survey CAD drafting field.

Where do you get your inspiration? 
I tend to have ideas that seem to just be meant to come to life come to me and work from there.

What do you do when you get artist's block? 
Listen to good music and talk to my friends.

Who is your favorite artist? 
I love to look at artwork from all other artists, can't say I have one “favorite.”

Favorite work of art. 
My favorite work of art at the moment is my steam punk angel I did in charcoal.

Best book you ever read. 
The bible :p

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why? 
Everyone that has been in my life has built me to the woman I am today. Each taught it's own lesson I was meant to learn.




If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why? 
Sandra Bullock, I think she would be down to earth and is an inspiration
to me.


What advice would you give someone who aspired to be an artist? 
Find something that captures your soul.

Do you have any links so we can follow you?
Katy K
freelance artist, Rodan and Fields Rep