Theresa · Mather

I've been meaning to repaint an older black and white piece titled Rail Fan in color for some time but never got around to it. Rustycon's steampunk theme gave me an excuse to finally get it done. I selected an older train than in the first version since it looks more steam-punky, and is more colorful. I'm artist guest of honor at Rustycon, so this image will appear on the cover of the program book and on the T-shirts which are being printed by Offworld Designs. The original black and white version was painted for Chattacon a few years ago, and there were no prints. The color version will have prints made from it, and probably eventually a companion piece. Acrylic on masonite, approximately 7x10 inches.

Still more new stuff in my online shop!


There's a new cactus dragonfly print, "Bonker Hedgehog Cactus Dragonfly!" Yes, that is the name of an actual type of cactus. Did I choose it because of the funky name? Partly! But mainly I liked the purple color of the flowers.

Also in the shop are a couple of unusual larger paintings on stone. I don't do a whole lot this size, and they both have fancy mats to set them off.
The Challenge and Sunbow.

The original of Bonker Hedgehog Cactus Dragonfly is also available but not currently listed in the shop.

There are a few new additions to my online shop.

Out of the Night is double matted to 8x10 inches, from an acrylic original. Signed and numbered limited edition of 125.


I also have a new pair of griffin mini prints:




They are double matted to 5x7 inches, signed and numbered in an edition of 250 each. The originals were painted in acrylic.

There is also a painted feather featuring a purple and black dragon in the originals section.

I'll be in Las Vegas this weekend at a brand new convention called Xanadu. It's at the Plaza Hotel and Casino in the downtown area, right next to Fremont Street. I'll be in the Artists' Alley. The general public is allowed into the Dealer's Room/ Artist's Alley area, so even if you don't have time for a whole convention, you can stop by and say hello. My friend sculptress extraordinaire Michele Gault will be there too.


We finally got around to adding new dragon prints to my shop. While they're not all brand spanking new art pieces, they're new to the shop.
No Consensus and Summer Read are lighthearted pieces reflecting the varied activities of dragons, both matted to 11x14 and made from colored pencil originals. Queen of Night Dragon Fly is a piece in my cactus dragon fly series from last year that somehow never made it into the shop. Fire Dragon, Sea Dragon, Earth Dragon and Sky Dragon are a reinterpretation of a series I did in a larger round format in the late 90's. These are new paintings presented as mini prints. For me, it was fun to see the change in my style and skill level between the two series.
I have some other new prints to list but don't have enough matted and in stock yet, so they'll have to wait for now.
I'm looking forward to spending a few days in Las Vegas and seeing some friends. I don't know how good my internet access will be so maybe I'll post, and maybe not.
For now, back to work!

Edit, 2:15 p.m.: Have added the 12 original paintings for the Chinese Zodiac series to the Originals page in my shop. They are 4 by 6 inches, acrylic on stretched canvas and $125 each including shipping, choice of frame.

Earlier this month I completed a set of small paintings of the Chinese Zodiac. They have been licensed for use as cell phone wallpapers, along with a number of other images of mine. I'm not certain which phone companies are carrying them at this point.

The 12 paintings were painted in acrylic on 4x6 inch canvas, and I'll be making prints of them soon.
( Click here to see the other 11 paintings. )

I just finished this painting.



I've wanted to paint a new larger series of birthstone dragons in action poses for awhile, but as I worked on the first painting I've changed the idea behind this new series. Instead I'm going to explore the aspects of various colors and try some new types of lighting and backgrounds. This started as "Sapphire" but I just didn't want to be confined by the idea and qualities of the gems as I was in the last series.
The moonlit background for Midnight Blue is inspired by recent nights with the bright full moon. The play of moonlight on snow is something I wasn't really familiar with before moving here- it's a strange glowing quality that renders the whole landscape silver-blue. Aside from the fact that it makes my cat think it's morning and time to wake me up with the application of one claw at a time against my skin at ungodly hours, I really like the effect. The view out my front window is of snow covered cliffs and mountains at this time of year, and out the back is of snow covered trees so I couldn't help but be influenced. Special thanks to Miss Kitty for making sure I was awake for some pretty spectacular views I would otherwise have slept through.
The painting is 7 by 10 inches, acrylic on masonite.

It's been over five years at least since I made any hand painted pendants, but since I'm ahead I've started making them again and have placed 6 in my online shop in the Originals section. The painted area on these is about 1.5 inches high, and they are set in silver or gold plated brass stampings and come with a silver or gold plated chain. The ones I have posted are all dragons, and each carries a genuine precious stone depending on the color of dragon.
This is Emerald Dragon, and he is carrying (drumroll, please)...an emerald!


This is Ruby Dragon, and he has managed to find, surprise-surprise, a ruby to match his glistening scales.

Also in the shop is Amethyst, Tanzanite, Peridot and Sapphire. They come in a cotton filled box and are $100 each including shipping. I haven't painted this small in awhile, so it was fun to get back to painting these tiny dragons.

I have also placed four more rock and feather paintings in my online shop.


Bad Fairy Cat is acrylic on naturally molted peacock wing feather. This menacing little fellow sits imperiously on a wall- he's bad and he knows it and he doesn't care. He has a tiny ruby in his necklace, and is framed in a wooden frame, the inner measurement of which is 4x6 inches. He is $125 including shipping, ready to hang.


Next up is a proud kitty of a different sort- a snow leopard. He is painted on a piece of petrified wood and carries silver and white moonstones on his necklace. The color of the stone made me want to paint him..it seemed just right for a regal snow leopard showing off his fur to best effect. the frame is wood and measures 5x7 inches on the inside measurement. He is $125 including shipping, ready to hang.


Moving along with the "snow" theme (I have been self-indulgently randomly painting whatever comes to mind and what leads from one piece to the next is sometimes a slender thread) is the regal "Snow Queen", who presides over a crystalline filled piece of agate with her companion white wolf. She stands about four and a half inches tall, and carries a glowy piece of dichroic glass and wears two white sapphires. Of course her wolf must be well dressed to be a fitting companion for a queen, so he has a moonstone around his neck. I seldom paint people, and almost never paint them this small. But the piece of stone really inspired me, and here she is. Being a queen, nothing less than a very fancy silver leafed frame would do. It measures 5x7 inches on the inner edge. The Snow Queen is $150, including shipping.



Finally, I have posted a larger piece:
Amber Keeper is a golden dragon. I have painted several variations on this theme, each with different details and a different pose but mostly on similar pieces of stone cut from what is apparently the same boulder of jasper. The icon for this post shows another variation on this theme on a different type of stone, and another on a slice of the same stone as the piece I am offering can be found Offworld Designs on a t-shirt. Each dragon has his own personality and his own treasure. The stones suggested "cave" to me. I am pretty much out of this stone now, unfortunately. The inside of the frame measures 8x10 inches. It comes ready to hang, and is $300 including shipping.

I have not even had Xonrad mention in my newsletter that there are rock and feather originals in my shop yet, but I wanted to post these in time for Christmas. Of course I also have bookmarks and prints available, as always. I do not think I'll be able to keep the shop stocked with rocks, feathers or pendants at my busiest times of year, but I'll do my best too keep a few pieces in there, so keep checking back!

I have been meaning to post available rock and feather pieces to my shop for years. Usually, every one I paint gets shipped off to conventions. Now that I'm pretty far ahead, miracle of miracles, I've actually managed to put some in my store in time for the holidays! There are now three small sized framed original pieces in my online shop.


First up is "Malachite Dragon Portrait", which is acrylic on naturally molted peacock feather with peacock feather and genuine malachite accents. The inside edge of the frame is 4x6 inches.
This piece is $125 including shipping. It is framed and ready to hang.

Next up is "Tabby Faery Cat", also on naturally molted peacock feather. It has a genuine faceted amethyst in the necklace.

The inside dimensions of the frame are 4x6 inches. This piece is also $125 including shipping, and comes framed and ready to hang.

Last is "Strawberry Gold Dragon Flies", painted in acrylic on two matched pieces of stone with a genuine ruby accent. The inner dimensions of the frame are 5x7 inches. This piece is $150 including shipping, framed and ready to hang.



I will be happy to post pieces of other subject matter by request. I have several dozen pieces finished and framed including larger sizes, so let me know and I'll see what I can do. Either post here, or email me at theresamather@yahoo.com .

I've gotten behind in getting new art up on my website, but we've started by adding a couple of images that I painted last year.

One is Choose Your Poison, my homage to bad relationships everywhere. A trio of crowned poison frogs each awaits your kiss, ready to transform into just the sort of toxic prince or princess you'd expect a poison frog to turn into. The red frog at the top is so clearly bad news, if you ignore the red flags and kiss anyway, you're probably getting what you deserve. The blue frog looks pleasingly good humored. How could anything with cute colorful spots like that *really* be poisonous? Maybe it's not as poisonous as people say, and is just misunderstood. But if you kiss this frog, the red frog traits and toxic nature will eventually manifest. The green frog is more tricky- it looks almost like your standard frog prince or princess. Maybe it isn't really a poison frog at all. It looks so normal! But take care, if you kiss it, you'll find that it too is a poison frog. They may be pretty, but kissing a poison frog is never a good idea.

This painting is acrylic on Masonite and measures 7 by 10 inches. There is a print run of 125. We're working on my new online store and I hope to have this and the rest of my available prints up for sale on it in the near future.

I haven't gotten around to putting new artwork on my website in quite some time, so I sent some artwork to my webmaster, Xonrad. He only posted one of the images I sent so that's one I'll post about.

Forest Haven was painted a couple of years ago. I've painted several "tree cities" at this point, but the buildings and walkways are different on each one. I've only painted a few because I start crawling the walls about halfway through painting them. They're so detailed and require so many brush strokes that they make me feel as if I'm going to go nuts. But I like the idea and I like how they look so I keep pursuing the idea. The one in my site is about 8 or 9 inches high and is painted on jade. I've painted variations as small as 3 inches. I have a big 16 by 20 inch version of a tree city underway with hundreds of buildings, but I've been working on it sporadically for over 2 years now. I haven't had blocks of time large enough to complete it...but when I do I want to issue a limited edition print of it. I think that by the time I finish it, for the sake of my sanity the big 16 by 20 inch tree city may be the last one I do for awhile.