Etsy and Katy Horan.

Last night while surfing the net I just happened to discover an amazing site called 'Etsy'. Etsy is a treasure trove of homemade goods. Clothes, accessories, art, pottery - everything! As I looked through the beautiful items I was in awe that I would actually buy a lot of the stuff. I actually liked the items. Although some of the stuff was pricey (ie; a 45 $ scarfette) most of it was reasonable considering someone actually had to sit down for days and knit, sew, paint, craft it etc. You aren't paying for some machine or child laborer in Bangladesh, you are paying for something crafted with care and you must pay a fair price to keep them afloat. After all they aren't a company, they are an independent.

You can find anything on this thing! I must have surfed it for at least an hour last night. Each item is unique and varied. Search is really fun with it, you can click on any color and a product that color will pop up. OR you get suggestions based on your favorite items. OR you can use the 'Geolocator' to find sellers close to you by clicking a flash map. OR use the 'treasury' featured items. etc. Very very neat, modern, alternative to mainstream. YAY.

I actually discovered the site through Katy Horan's art blog. Some of her stuff is on Etsy. The first painting I found by Katy was "Hey Mama Wolf" I was blown away! It had been a long time since I had loved a painting so much!



From what I've seen through her site, her work really reflects nature duologue and a bond between all beings. "Hey Mama Wolf" is colored more then here newer works. She basically sticks to earth tones from what I can see. Her work seems aboriginal, with images of scarifies, healers and offerings combined with paganism. Repeated imagery consists of trees, blood, breasts, and costume. All characters in her new paintings are women perhaps symbolizing a sisterhood we are lacking.... Not sure. It's also nice how not all the bodies are thin and "perfect". It's reassuring to see some sagging breasts and tummies- finally some realism! Overall very intriguing stuff. Her site is http://www.katyart.com.