Thursday, October 16, 2008

Blood on the Canvas

When Tolstoy wasn’t deriding Nietzsche’s cynicism or plumbing the depths of his own spirituality, he observed, often and with great fascination, the mechanics of the creative spirit. “Art,” he said, “is not a handicraft; it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced.” For me at least, the lucid visions of Sara Harvey, owner of Multiple Personality, make a fine case in point. Take a look at some of her more poignant snapshots of womanhood, as in the mesmerizing Blue, and you’ll find that the artist’s soul—the essence of her being—is so obviously impressed upon the canvas that try as you might, you won’t be able to easily turn away. Pain, or something like it, seems to radiate from the eyes of the subject, a chilling pathos from skin “blue like the winter snow,” to borrow a Natalie Merchant lyric. It is so immediately compelling that to ignore it would be to excuse one’s self while someone else is in the middle of telling a great story.

Our reaction to art like this actually, is a lot like encountering a thoughtful bit of poetry: the minute we leave it, believing we’ve got a handle on it, the meaning eludes us in some inscrutable way and we have to go right back to it. To make matters even more slippery, there’s no real context: Harvey can just as easily evoke laughs with the playful Gnomes as she can capture raw angst via the vascular shapes of Disconnected. In Deceleration her color scheme recalls Remy Charlip, yet in Head Parade there’s a hint of Roald Dahl-like humor. It is fitting, then, that today’s giveaway would honor that quality of versatility we so often encounter among Etsy-dwelling artists. For one randomly-selected champ, any Sara Harvey print priced at $18 or less will be yours to keep. To qualify, simply go to Sara’s gallery here, then come back here to tell us about your favorite print. Let us know in a second post if you to subscribe to Wishing Willow, since our subscribers receive an extra entry in the contest. (If you don't have a Google account, just click “anonymous” to leave a post. Be sure to also leave your email address.) The winner will be chosen randomly. Contest ends 10/23/08.

**We have a winner! Kt who said "Hmmm....it's a difficult choice...i think my fav is Roots!"***

174 comments:

Unknown said...

Blue is my favourite pick. Wow the pictures are amazing in her gallery. Great blog and review.

Thanks Amy

amy in kamloops @ gmail. com

Karen said...

Love the Blue. Great Work :)

ktgonyea at gmail.com

Jenn S. said...

I really like the Squirrel Butts Do Not Glow (Edition of 25). It makes me smile. The Lawn Ornament set is cute as well.

Anonymous said...

The moth screen print coasters are my favorite things. My favorite picture, though, is Head Parade.

Anonymous said...

I'm a subscriber, too!

paryjeja said...

Rose 3 is my favorite

Unknown said...

I like the flamingo print set.

David said...

Sara RAWKS. I have loved her stuff for years!I have the Disconnected print. I'm gonna get the big Perch next.

Kirby McCauley said...

I love Girl With Red Hair. It's so melancholy & beautiful!

Anonymous said...

For the birds is my fav cuz I luv them birdies :o)

MOMFOREVERANDEVER said...

flamingo prints are my fav mrs.mommyyatgmail.com

Jodi Renshaw said...

I *LOVE* the For the Birds print. So me.

Thanks,
Jodi
jrenshaw@hotmail.com

Jodi Renshaw said...

I'm a aubscriber.

~ jrenshaw@hotmail.com

Christy5150 said...

My favorite is Starlight Starbright! Very talented!

karbousky at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

I'm torn between the print Gnomes and the print Flamingos. I love the print Perch, too.

Mia J. said...

My favorite is the flamingo print set.

Aimee said...

I love the gnome print set! So fun and I just have a thing for gnomes! acirucci-at-gmail.com

jffryclough said...

'for the birds' would be nice

mverno said...

the flamingo print set

409cope said...

I like the Rose 3 print.

janeh said...

Gnomes is my favorite......how talented!

Anonymous said...

starlight starbright...awesome work ! thanks for the opp

kendraco22@yahoo.com

kygirl said...

Rose 3

Jess V. said...

Blue is absolutely gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

Love the birds.

Nora
neneelynn@yahoo.com

yadgirl said...

I love Lace and "
Squirrel Butts Do Not Glow" :)

Erica C. said...

I realllly like Roots!

doncarterbooks said...

Perch. It has birds and a monster...can't go wrong with that combination.

AmandaK said...

I really like the Lace print. It's just beautiful!!

orchestratenoise0726[at]yahoo[dot]com

Nanci said...

I love Head Parade. Reminds me of my daughter in the back yard with the dogs following her around.

Tonya said...

I love, LOVE, love Star Light Star Bright.

Mommyhood is Thankless said...

Blue is amazing, were I to win I would pick that. But in the interest of actually looking at her work on etsy, I would have to say roots really speaks to me as well. I love her work.

mommyhoodisthankless{AT}gmail.com

Mommyhood is Thankless said...

I am a subscriber!

mommyhoodisthankless{AT}gmail.com
legacyofbrutalitysa{AT}gmail.com

Michele said...

ROSE 3 is my favorite print! I LOVE it!!! It's gorgeous, and I can so picture it in my apartment!!

Thanks so much!!
Michele R.(CA)
luvkittysmeowmail@gmail.com

Michele said...

I'm a subscriber!

Thanks so much!!
Michele R.(CA)
luvkittysmeowmail@gmail.com

toughturtles said...

Baby Giraffe - print

mensa63 said...

Love that baby giraffe. Think they are just the cutest things and she hac caught all of that cutness. I love animals, just can't resist them. Best part of my day is when my neighbor's llama Rosemary comes over for a visit. She loves peaches and I have one all ready for her. You have to remove the pit or she will swallow it and that is not good. She likes potato chips also but too much salt is not good for her and she has a salt block of her own so they are a special treat.

Sky said...

Wow, I was so pleasantly surprised by her work! I love it! I could laugh, ohh and awe all at the same time! I love the Squirrel Butts do not Glow and Oops. Darling, darling prints!

seeryusfam@msn.com

Wehaf said...

I'm in love with Squirrel Butts Do Not Glow. So cute! And it reminds me of the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon where Calvin thinks if he can find the right muscles to flex, he can make his but glow!

urchiken at gmail dot com

Molly said...

I love Perch (the larger size). He is so happy it made me smile.
momabr at yahoo dot com

SeptemberLovely said...

OMG I absolutely LOOOOVE "OOPS" - It is quite remarkably reminiscent of my cat on at least a daily basis (minus goldfish - most of the time anyway!! lol).

SeptemberLovely said...

I am also a subscriber.

Unknown said...

I like the "rose 3" I like it because well I like flowers, and the colors are amazing!

Heather said...

I thought that Oops and Head Parade are great! I love the artists style.

kmbennet said...

Love the Deceleration. Thanx for the contest.

Jeanne said...

I like the Flamingo print - great colors.

mom2boys said...

Love the Girl with Red Hair print. Thanks for the great giveaway!

Abby said...

The flamingo print set is my favorite

ajcmeyer AT go DOT com

Unknown said...

wow! those are fantastic.

I love lace and parade, but lace almost looks too much like me. so I would pick parade!


thanks!
karissag at gmail.com

Unknown said...

I am subscribed

karissag at gmail.com

Bebemiqui said...

I like the Star Light Star Bright print.
bebemiqui82(at)yahoo(dot)com

vboackle said...

i like rose 3.

Aprilshowers said...

Very different and nice. I like For the Birds

Sunnyvale said...

I like Spilling Out

Anonymous said...

I love the OOps and Lace - great art work.

rhubbert(at)socal.rr.com

Anonymous said...

I am a subscriber, thanks.

rhubbert(at)socal.rr.com

PS said...

I like Perch! What fun! She has a lot of great work!

Anonymous said...

"Star Light Star Bright" is my all time fave, it reminds me of me as a kid :-)

bug AT anindiansummer DOT net

littlelatina said...

just be quiet 2

Anonymous said...

I like Girl with Red Hair - (edition of 50).

The Saunders Family said...

rose 3 is great!
mom2maria at hotmail

kdkdkd said...

Girl with Red Hair (RED version)
although I also love Squirrel Butts Do Not Glow LOL wonderful!

Irit said...

I like Just be Quiet 2- print (Edition of 25), since the image so successfully conveys the idea.

All the other prints are great as well. :-)

Irit said...

I also subscribed to your mailing list.

And I forgot to leave my e-mail address:
iritca [at] gmail.com

Jenny said...

I love Just Be Quiet. I like both versions.

the_other_alice_(at)yahoo.com

Lindsey said...

My favorite is the Baby Giraffe and Girl With Red Hair. Lovely! Thanks for the giveaway!

Lindsey
ladyufshalott at yahoo.com

Lindsey said...

I'm a subscriber!

ladyufshalott at yahoo.com

danosor said...

I like Starlight Starbright.

Ellerenee said...

My favorite print is Just Be Quiet 2- the pink and brown one. Love it!
laylarenee[at]cfl.rr.com

Anonymous said...

I just found the Squirrel Butts Do Not Glow piece the other day and utterly fell in love with it. Oops also makes me giggle.

Thanks for the opportunity!

aine_42 (at) yahoo (dot) com

Ellerenee said...

I'm a subscriber.
laylarenee[at]cfl.rr.com

Chrissy said...

My favorite is Star Light Star Bright- thanks!

Annie1 said...

"Disconnected" is so me. You are truly talented; I love your work!

Thanks

nancyrobster@gmail.com

Annie1 said...

I am now subscribed via email!

Thanks

nancyrobster@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

i love the black and white screenprint coaster with matching bag.

texan_michael(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

cathyhall said...

Amazing talent, some macbre prints mixed with happier ones. Awesome artist. I loved the "I Bleed" in cool, but also loved the warm. thanks so much.

cathyhall said...

I am a subscriber too.

silverbele said...

The girl with the red hair for me

Anonymous said...

I really like "Deceleration"

Anonymous said...

Star Light Star Bright is my fave.
Lpwilmer@aol.com

DEY said...

Lace immediately caught my eye, and I also love Blue. Thanks for the giveaway!

jenny said...

wow pretty neet thay are and well i like the bloon ones the grom ones and well the oopes ont thats too cute thanks

Anonymous said...

Blue is haunting and it resonates with me. But OOPS would be hilarious to hang in our house. Thanks for the chance!

Unknown said...

What amazing prints! My favorite is: Girl with Red Hair (RED version) - edition of 25

Thanks for another great contest!

imanoptimisticbeauty[at]yahoo[dot]ca

Unknown said...

I also subscribe!

imanoptimisticbeauty[at]yahoo[dot]ca

Melody said...

Squirrel Butts Do Not Glow (Edition of 25) is my favorite as it features a cute little squirrel who looks so adorable!!

Cheers,
Melody
mel_88_88@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

Definitely Black and gold screenprint coasters with matching bag. It's practical yet pretty to display too..

Hui Shan
tan.huishan@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

I subscribe too!

Hui Shan
tan.huishan@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

I love the Just Be Quiet print.

sundaygirl at gmail dot com

masmola said...

For The Birds is very cute

Jess said...

Perch is absolutely adorable!

Jess
jessica.tupper{at}gmail.com

Tenille said...

I love "US", it's sweet and tender without saying too much.

Can use my email attached to my account!

Elizabeth said...

I love for the birds. The expression on the girls face is priceless

Unknown said...

spilling out is my favorite because it has the happiest colors

Sarah Z said...

I really like Balloon and Us.

Thanks!
Sarah
believedreamcourage (at) gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Love the Rose 3 print-so gorgeous!
Elaine R
emrosser@shaw.ca

Anonymous said...

Christina - xristya@rock.com - I like Sara Harvey's Roots artwork (which reminds me of the work of Frida Kahlo). The roots leave her body and grow up into the air! These roots seem both painful and strong and we can truly feel the wisdom and pain of the artist through the powerful visual image.

Tenille said...

Subscribed!

Anonymous said...

I love the Squirrel Butts Do Not Glow. That one is awesome. Although they were all good. brewerchickey78@yahoo.com

windycindy said...

The "Baby Giraffe" Print is one of my favorites! I would appreciate being entered in this wonderful drawing.
Thanks very much, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

David Johnson said...

I like Squirrel Butts Do Not Glow thanks titanicluck at gmail dot com

ky2here said...

I like Rose 3 because of the blurry focus. It makes me pause and think.

Anonymous said...

Girl With Red Hair is my all time fave. Great art!
Thanks!
Susan

Anonymous said...

Ooo, I like "For the Birds"
Thanks!
rhubarbsky at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

multiple personality

Unknown said...

I love rose - also love roots - cannot believe that these are from the same artist; they are both so different

Anonymous said...

Great work! My favorite is the Roots print.
-Terra
partymix25(at)hotmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I love the baby giraffe - its so cute! pposwaps(AT)gmail.com

Smooshy said...

i like Blue

Unknown said...

very nice stuff. my fave is rose3
stigay(at)aol.com

littlebird said...

it is hard to choose but i think lace is my fave

Last Mom said...

It is too hard to pick a fave! Those are fantastic! So my style. I guess I would pick Head Parade. My husband would pick squirrel butts. He's trying to befriend all the squirrels in our neighborhood.

DOODLEGIRL said...

Star Light Star Bright

Anonymous said...

I really love the print called 'Quiet.' That's so emotive.
doot65{at}comcast[dot]net
Elizabeth

Anonymous said...

I'm a subscriber too.
doot65{at}comcast[dot]net
Elizabeth

bison61 said...

I like the Star Light Star Bright

tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com

Kari said...

Star Light Star Bright print is very pretty.

kalea_kane said...

Okay...Squirrel Butts Do not Glow (Edition of 25). How could I NOT love it? There really are some great pieces here! I also like Flamingo print set. :)

Thanks a lot!

kalea_kane(at)yahoo(dot)com

kalea_kane said...

I subscribe too! :)

kalea_kane(at)yahoo(dot)com

judybrittle said...

I just love the Baby Giraffe print. That is adorable! Thank you!
judybrittle at aol dot com

judybrittle said...

I'm a subscriber
judybrittle at aol dot com

Sam said...

Love love love "oops"
ilikecitylights @ gmail.com

Becca Ann said...

the Baby Giraffe print is my fav.. would go perfect with my sons jungle theme.
xxbeccaannxx@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

I love the gnome print set! Thanks
erma.hurtt@sbcglobal.net

jvlmary said...

Torn between Rose 3 and Girl with Red Hair multiple personality.

And I am a subscriber now.

pitaharmon said...

Squirrel butts do not glow. I must have it.
harmonden[at]wowway.com

kaylee8 said...

My favorite print is Rose 3 - beautiful!

valerie2350 said...

Blue - fabulous :)

Unknown said...

I like the Blue the best....it just has so many different levels to it.

37 Questions said...

Squirrel Butts do not glow is my fave.

ldrnc2000 said...

The Blue print is cool! I would love to win! Thanks so much for the giveaway!

Barbara Bee said...

I had a really hard time choosing, but I think my favorite is Squirrel Butts Do Not Glow. Thanks for the contest!

3oink63moo484 (at) gmail(.)com

mommyjen99 said...

I think this print would look great in my little girls room
Star Light Star Bright - edition of 25
thanks
jen62728@aol.com

mommyjen99 said...

I'm a subscriber, too!
jen62728@aol.com

rosannepm said...

I like the girl with red hair print

djgroz said...

Blus is the best

Carolyn said...

No contest! Gotta be "Squirrel Butts do not Glow" Hilarious!

Unknown said...

I simply adore "Squirrel Butts Do Not Glow"! What a wonderful contest. Thank you so much for introducing me to your beautiful pieces.

betty R.~Simply Southern said...

would have to be perch,for the boys room!

oldplace.betty(at)gmail.com

Anonymous said...

I really like the organice print, such a nice combination of colors.

yellowlabs said...

Star Light Star Bright is my favorite!

Melanie said...

Rose 3 is my favorite!!

Leslie said...

I just love Squirrel Butts Do Not Glow. :)

Unknown said...

I like "Blue" but I also like many others, like "I bleed in color"

mgster said...

My favorite would have to be the "Starlight Star Bright". You do beautiful work!

bboyle said...

I like the Flamingo print set because the girl reminds me of my daughter.

arvard said...

I like the Flamingo prints.
nanoart@yahoo.com

Kt said...

hmmm....it's a difficult choice...i think my fav is Roots!

thanks
kmsst19@gmail.com

klp1965 said...

i love the Girl with Red Hair she reminds me of my late daughter ashley

kerri69 said...

I really like the just be quite it is so true to me

kerri69 said...

im a subscriber already

/\Heather/\ said...

I really like Girl with Red Hair. Beautiful!

Sahm Lee said...

I love the Perch - Larger size one! thanks for the contest1
airalynn(@)gmail . com

jeanine said...

Squirrel Butts Do Not Glow is so cute!

Xenia said...

Hard decision but I would choose the Flamingo print set because I'm expecting a baby girl in less than two months and I've been decorating the nursery in pink, green, and yellow and this set would match perfectly (plus it doesn't hurt that it's adorable).

Thanks!
xpsundell(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

I like the Gnome Print Set. garrettsambo@aol.com

Sara said...

my fave is Oops

Kathy said...

My favorite is baby giraffe.

Deb Anderson said...

Absolutely "Blue" is the most stunning piece in the collection. But I also like "Head Parade". :)

Becky said...

Stunning. Absolutely stunning. I was pulled by so many pieces but I loved Star Light Star Bright. just because it reminds me to wish and to dream my dreams.

Thanks so much!

Tempest52 said...

Rose 3 is one of my faves. Hard to decide.

dlcwin[at]gmail[dot]com

ThreadBeaur said...

I love the Squirrel Butts Do Not Glow (Edition of 25). I collect squirrels, and the look on that little squirrels face is priceless!

missybeetoo said...

Parade is my favorite. Thanks! :)

Carol (Rene') said...

Sara Harvey is so multi-faceted. extremely talented! Especially with her unique ability to communicate symbolism ideas and emotions! She can capture the full spectrum of the Workings of one's "Heart & Soul"! Yearning, hope, despair, etc. Really Amazing!
Especially adore 2 prints that Sing to me. I collect art with and about women. "Blue" is simple stunning!
Just have to "SMILE" when L@@king at the whimsical "OOPS".
So adorable & delicious.
Would absolutely LOVE to win this giveaway! I just found your provocative, intoxicating oh,so incredible web site!!!! cbrown(at)audex-elect.com

Audrey B said...

very interesting art, unusual. i love blue and starlight star bright

Donna said...

I like the For the Birds print.
donna444444@yahoo.com

Donna said...

I subscribed

KristenH said...

I really like several of the prints. However, my favorite one is Just be Quiet 2-print (Edition of 25). This is a great giveaway and I really hope I win. Thanks.
girlof80s@aol.com

Helen said...

Lace is incredibly beautiful!

Jen and Ash said...

Oh this is hard! Three that I love are roots, girl with red hair and blue. These are all such intriging works!
Thanks
mountaingoats at hotmail dot com

masonsgranny59 said...

the flamingo print set

Anonymous said...

Blue is my favorite pick.

lilyk said...

I love the Baby Giraffe print!

lilyk said...

I subscribed to your feed.