1/11/11 31 Day Challenge...Featured Artist... Tim Holtz

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to day 11 of my featured artist series. Today's artist holds a special place in my heart, as he introduced me to so much. Today's featured artist is the incomparable...Tim Holtz.

So I am sure, if you are part of the YouTube community, or a part of the art community at large, you know who Tim Holtz is. This series would not be complete if I did not take a moment to tell you how Tim has enriched my artistic life.

Where to begin? I first heard of Tim Holtz through a book I saw in a stamp store called Distressables. I thought the book was very inspiring,and it made me see how I could take found objects, and stamps and turn it into another form of art I had never considered. I did not buy the book that day, as I loaded up on inks, archival, and alcohol, and stamps. I ran home to try out this new form of collage-or mixed media. and as they say, the rest is history.

A few years later, I saw Tim on video on YouTube, taken from CHA, and talking about his products with a company from my home state of NJ, Ranger Industries. Could it be that the ins I loved so much came from this company? and they have an annual warehouse sale? It was kismet. I started attending the sale, and have for several years, and each time I went, I was hearing about new Tim product partnerships.

So let me bring you into today. I have long been a fan of everyone of Tim's product lines, from dies, to inks, to embellishments to papers. Yes, I have a book or two and a few drawers lined with his goodies, and more stamps than I can count. I would have a shrine to him, if my husband wouldn't look at me sideways. Today I was lucky enough to have saved my pennies, and I purchased Tim's endorsed Vagabond machine, that die cuts like butter, and cuts everything imaginable. It was an added bonus that the machine looks like a suitcase, and I am in the hotel business. It was made for me.
That is the way I feel about everything he puts his name on, or designs. It was made for me. Tim helped me find my style of art, with a lot of his influence through videos, and blog posts and of course books. He made me into an artist, through rubber stamps, and ink, and gave me the courage to think I could do it too. Guess what he was right. I can create art pieces that I love, everytime I listen to my inner Tim muse.

So, Tim, this is my great big THANK YOU, hug, and " i am not worthy"" bow down to you, all wrapped up into one.

You can find Tim on You Tube: www.youtube.com/user/timholtz

and on his blog:
http://timholtz.typepad.com/


and at a local craft retailer near you. If you come to NJ, just look for me, I am always in the stamp aisle checking out his latest and greatest.

Below is a video of a tag I created using a lot of Tim's products and my favorite sentiment from his stamps.



Hugs,