Ugly Stepsister: Artwork by Kirsten Ashley

Winter 2021 Updates

Hello winter holiday season 2021. It’s been a while since I updated this corner of the internet. I’ve been more active on the usual social media (Facebook, IG). Mainly because it’s easiest. With various censorship for artists and server issues, I’m trying to keep this thing more up to date.
On to what’s I’ve been up to!

ART SHOWS

I have 2 pieces in this year’s Big Little Art Show up through December at Talleyville Frame Shoppe in Wilmington, Delaware.

Opening reception for Big Little Art Show 2021

VENDING

This autumn/winter I wanted to get work out before things began closing again. I vended at the September and October Oddball Art Hall events at Oddity Bar in Wilmington, Delaware. They have a live art model each session. Below are a few pastel drawings of the October model session.

October Oddball Art Hall model drawing 1

And my last vending event of the season was the Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market’s Wreck the Halls holiday market. Thank you to those who stopped by and picked up stickers or prints.

In closing, here is a cute little Baba Yaga house.

It’s Autumn Good

It’s Autumn here on the East Coast. I just completed a post-vaccination/mid-plague mini-tour of sorts. I participated in a few shows in September- early October including Oddball Art Hall in Wilmington, Delaware, a Mabon Celebration in North East, Maryland, and Bellefonte Day in north Wilmington/Bellefonte, Delaware. For those who stopped by, chatted, and of course helped support my work through BUYING ART, thank you! (If you bought some of my art please share photos of how you decorate your walls/sticker things/send love notes by sharing via Instagram. You can find me at instagram.com/stepsisterugly or by emailing info@uglystepsisterart.com. ) Doing shows is a lot of stress, a lot of work, and a lot of energy, but after not being able to go out safely for the last year it was wonderful to connect with people. This was also my first time debuting brand new bookmark and greeting/mourning cards, which were very well received. (Look for them in my next shop update on Storenvy.)

Take a look at some highlights from recent shows below.

There are some more shows and exhibitions in the works, so stay tuned…

It’s That Time of Year Again- 12 Days of Ghosts

Fall is here. With it comes all the spooky art challenges. I’ve kept busy with commissions, submitting work for shows, and creating products for my newer work. This weekend I was able to fit in a painting for the #12daysofghosts challenge. The prompt was “seaside.” I’ll be doing a few of these quick pieces when I can. (Follow my social media for process photos and video.)

Without further adieu, I present “Seaside.”

"Seaside"
Watercolor painting
9x12" on paper — “Seaside”
Watercolor, ink on 9×12″ bristol

New Holographic Stickers Available- Ribcage Garden

Brand new stickers are available now! I painted the watercolor and tea stained piece “Ribcage Garden” as part of an online art challenge #hauntedgardenartchallenge. It’s now available in a holographic sticker in my online shop and retail space at Bellefonte Arts in Wilmington, DE. Stickers measure 3 inches. Take a look at these beauties!

Purchasing information at the bottom of this post.

CLICK HERE TO BUY ONLINE

Buy in person at Bellefonte Arts at:

803-C Brandywine BLVD, Wilmington, DE

Bellefonte Arts

New Piece- Ribcage Garden

I’m sharing my post recent piece, Ribcage Garden. It was part of the #hauntedgardenartchallenge. (Use the hashtag to see the prompts for the month of June.) The prompt was “bones.”

What better part of the skeleton to house a dark garden than a ribcage?

TITLE: Ribcage Garden

MEDIUM: Watercolor, tea staining, ink.

Happy Halloween! Drawlloween Pieces Released!

It’s my favorite day of the year- Halloween! Happy Halloween, witches and ghouls! Since it’s the most spooky time of the year, my treat to you is….I’m officially releasing all the pieces completed for the Mab Graves Drawlloween challenge! This year has been nuts, so I chose to do 1 challenge per week rather than the daily challenge. The “vampire” piece has a special place in my heart. Halloween 2020 is the 20th band anniversary of the Dresden Dolls. Those of you who know me in person know my love of this band runs deep. One of their albums gave me strength during an abusive partnership. My love for them is such that I have one of their logos tattooed on my wrist. In short, the vampire piece in this challenge is also a love letter to this strange, magical, wonderful band.

Top Left:
Prompt: “Cryptid”
Title: Mugwump of Lake Timiskaming
Medium: Graphite pencil

Top Right:
Prompt: “Werewolf”
Title: Graveyard Transformation
Medium: Acrylic on birch wood

Bottom Left:
Prompt: “Frankenstein”
Title: The Bride
Medium: Graphite pencil

Bottom Right:
Prompt: “Vampire”
Title: Half Jack
Medium: Graphite pencil, colored pencil

Getting into the Halloween Vibe

I’m slowly working on Mab Graves’ Halloween drawlloween challenge. Between work, a pandemic, getting married, having a spouse that is a school teacher with no damn idea how teaching in person will go this year, I’ve been a wee bit stressed. Last night I finished the Frankenstein prompt with this Bride of Frankenstein piece. She’s 9×12″ and done in graphite. I love her, and I hope you love her, too.

“What we need is a female victim of sudden death.” – Dr. Frankenstein

Playing with Duochrome Watercolors and Black Paper

A few days ago I experimented with Daniel Smith duochrome colors on standard and black watercolor paper.

Colors swatched:

Duochrome Violet Fantasy
Duochrome Saguaro Green
Duochrome Emerald
Duochrome Green Pearl
Duochrome Cactus Flower
Duochrome Violet Pearl

I swatched these on Facebook Live. You can watch the playback video below.

Duochrome watercolors swatched on black watercolor paper.

That’s it! I’ll be experimenting more with these colors soon. Comment with questions or inquiries!

New Custom Coaster Set- Gentlemen Squirrels!

Squirrels. Some refer to them as “rats in trees.” In fact, one of my favorite movies, Inglorious Basterds includes this infamous speech from villain du jour, Col Landa, ” I purpose to you, any disease a rat could spread, a squirrel could equally carry. Yet I assume you don’t share the same animosity with squirrels that you do with rats, do you?” If you aren’t an amalgamation of the Nazi’s, then you probably see bushy tailed squirrels as a cute and frenetic part of nature. My fiance identifies with a squirrel’s curious nature, so you’ll see some of that in my paintings if you look closely. This is all to say that I had a recent custom coaster order with a general “squirrels” theme. I of course decided to paint them as dandy gentlemen squirrels. I added some special features to these coasters, including incorporating metallic copper paint into the design, metallic copper edges, a painted bottom, and contrasting felt feet. See them below in all their glory!

Want a custom coaster set of your own? Order yours through my shop at https://uglystepsisterart.storenvy.com. To go directly to the listing CLICK HERE.

A Little Moonlight in the Darkness

I write this post from the East Coast in the USA. Typically, I wouldn’t post current events on my artwork website unless it directly tied to a piece I’m sharing. However, I feel the need to acknowledge what’s going on as the entire country is reeling from not only a pandemic, but also social and racial injustice. Earlier today, I watched footage of a protest in my city. Protests are going on nationwide over the murder of George Floyd. Protesters are at the White House calling for the resignation of the President as he cowers inside his ivory tower (literally!), threatening violence on social media. This weighs heavily on many of us Americans of all races and backgrounds. I finished a painting today that I will be sharing. As I thought about sharing a simple painting post like usual, I paused. I couldn’t make this artwork post without acknowledging the current climate here in the USA. Furthermore, one of the most important parts of art is to express our voices. My tiny little voice on the internet has not been silenced, but so many voices have been permanently shut up. In light of this, I dedicate this painting to the memory of George Floyd, who no longer has a voice, and to everyone who are suffering. It isn’t much, but here is a little moonlight in the darkness.

Note: Reference photo courtesy of the Dr. Sketchy’s Montreal Instagram page. Model credit: Velvet La Touche.