Pass the bamboo; My art has finally gone to crap.

And here it is...

I visited the giant pandas in San Diego this October and got some photos, video, and some of this VERY special paper in the gift shop.

It's a different texture than what I'm used to painting on, 

(it's almost like a very strong paper shop towel) but it's so much fun and really cool to use a repurposed material that supports the conservation of an endangered species. 

Here's my time lapse painting. :)


I learned a lot.
The giant panda eats 20-25lbs of bamboo every day. That's a LOT of fiber. 
Most of this bamboo is not digested, and it comes out looking almost the same as when it went down the hatch. Pandas poo between 30 and 50 times a day! The keepers at the San Diego Zoo save this scat after they clean the pandas' living areas, and it is recycled and turned into a beautiful bamboo paper;
poo paper! (Guess who stocked up.)
This paper is totally clean and does not smell. A valid question, but no, it's super clean and beautiful.

It was awesome to see the pandas, especially the baby Xiao Liwu a.k.a. Mr. Wu. 
I really did have tears of wonderment, and a bit of sadness, welling up in my eyes. 
There are 1,800 pandas left in the wild. Conservation and breeding programs are so important!
I was really excited to leave San Diego with an experience that I'll never forget, and some of this cool paper to help capture my memories and inspire me. 


If there's an animal you're passionate about, you can select the "Custom" drop down variation for a special sketch of your favorite animal on this unique paper.

Each poo paper painting will be hand painted to-order, and will not look exactly like the photo in the style variation. Those are just pose guidelines. The nature of this paper, watercolor, and free hand ink doodles is totally wild and free.
This means that each painting will be truly one-of-a-kind. :D

I just love this eco-friendly and animal aware paper.

How do you recycle or repurpose?

What's your favorite animal?

Let me know in the comments :)

Happy snacking,

Tight on Time & Teensy Art; Apple a Day #2

Little time makes for little finished artwork.
It's only the 2nd, but I have commissions to work on, art to ship, upcoming shows, and tons of errands. What to do?
Make it short & sweet.

Apple #2, oil pastel ACEO

I busted out my favorite Pastels à l'Huile, the creamy smooth Sennelier. Picasso helped Sennelier develop these oil pastels for artists that wanted to paint without a brush and on experimental surfaces. They are great for plein air work, can be thinned with a turpenoid, and I love them for mixed media. Made in Paris, these are one of the more expensive mediums I use, but they are as sexy as a painting with a fresh tube of lipstick.
 Today's apple is a mere 2.5" x 3.5". This size is commonly known as ACEO ( Artist Collectibles Editions and Originals) or ATC (Artist Trading Cards). It's a really quite a craze with some artists and loads of collectors. It's an affordable way to own and collect tiny originals from your favorite artists that you might not otherwise be able to. (Check out artist Bethany Taylor Myers, she rocks ATCs.)  I'm going to say it is kind of fun, so I can see how it might be addictive.
and I plan to do lots of minis like it this month and make them available in my Etsy shop.
You can swing by my Facebook giveaway for more details and enter to win one of my apples from the challenge.
Bon appetit!