About

At this site, you’ll find mixed media art, including art journaling, art collages, mixed media art, fabric art, decor, and – in general – living a creative life.

I’m Aisling D’Art, and this website – Aisling.net – has been online since… well, practically forever.

This site’s history

Back in the Stone Age – the 1990s – this site launched at GeoCities’ Soho community.

Also, when Yahoo!Groups launched, I became the founder of the Wild Art Dolls community, as well as a moderator of ArtistsJournals (AJ), founder of ArtistsJournals2 (AJ2), and more.

Then, in the late 1990s, I moved my content to this URL.

Since then, I’ve written hundreds of articles, and shared examples of my quirky, handmade art. Most include how-to ideas.

But even before that, I was sending out streams of free newsletters, zines, artcards, and other kinds of mailart. In addition, I was part of the original Mission: Renaissance team in Los Angeles.

I’ve taught workshops at Art & Soul, Artfest, Dragon Con, and more.

The original 1000 Journals project included me, and – oddly enough – I had that journal when 9/11 happened. So, my art is in that book.

Likewise, I was part of the original Artistamp Mailing List (AML) event, swapping mailart with dozens of other quirky artists.

You may have seen my art, illustrations, and articles in Somerset Studio‘s magazines (including Art Doll Quarterly), in Family Circle, Lady’s Circle, Professional Quilter, and even in Romantic Times magazines.

That list could go on and on…

Recent changes

Now, juggling various projects, I’m finally updating this websites. That includes my art-related articles, and adding graphics you can actually see, even on a phone.

I’m also integrating articles from ArtistsJournals.com, etc.

I’m also renewing my habit of offering free art to friends. (Digital options make that even easier.)

This website revamp is a BIG project, so – in some cases – I’m organizing content into books, with lots of added tips and ideas. Then you can have it easily within reach, digitally and in print.

In general, this current site is – once again – among my main digital “homes.”

I hope you’ll enjoy it, too.

 

My Creative Life

For those curious about my life, here’s some backstory… possibly more than you ever wanted to know. (Warning… some of it isn’t happy.)

I’m at least a third-generation artist; creativity stretches far back in my family tree. My mother was a freelance artist, sometimes working for Walt Disney, but also for companies like Rust Craft and more. Her father was Napoleon Bernier, founder of California Products Corporation, including California Paints, California Stucco, and even one of the earliest lines of acrylic paint for artists, New Masters’ Acrylic Paints. And his mother was known for her eccentric fabric art and innovative clothing.

And so on.

I spent my earliest years in Belmont, Massachusetts, among professors, diplomats, and creatives in many fields. I was as comfortable at the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln (and in Walter Gropius’ house, when he was alive) as I was in the halls of MIT.

As a teen, I became an illustrator and was represented by an artists’ agent. (I doubt that my clients knew their drawings were by a 14-year-old. lol ) And, I fell in love with history and live theatre, especially Shakespearean plays.

My college years included studies at Colby-Sawyer College and Harvard University, and I earned my Archaeological Illustrator Certificate at Boston University. It was fun!

And then I moved west, married a California farmer, and alternated between time in Los Angeles and in northern California.

In Los Angeles, I got involved in the earliest Star Trek conventions, and – at Celebrity Centre Los Angeles – became close friends with a wide range of colorful creatives. Los Angeles is also where I was a student at Mission: Renaissance, and soon joined their staff.

It was dazzling fun!

During those years, I also started publishing a free newsletter, “Creating!,” and sent it to friends and acquaintances in the arts.

Then, after our two daughters were born, my husband decided it was time for a change of scene. So, we moved to Maine.

There, I launched even more fun projects.

For example, I created a handmade quilt business, Quiltz, and sold my quiltz through stores along coastal Maine, and on Newbury Street in Boston, Massachusetts.

Then I added one-of-a-kind handmade sachets to hang in closets, to repel moths. Those were sold through a Faneuil Hall Marketplace store.

I self-published several quilting books, launched a business based on buying and selling antique quilts, and even started a one-of-a-kind clothing business, Past Perfect Clothes. I also created a related, free, mail-order catalogue for it.

And, as if that wasn’t enough, I continued to send out lots of free newsletters, zines (handmade magazines), artcards, and more.

• There was also a mail-order catalogue, Neat Stuff, mostly listing drop-shipped items.
• Print shops hired me as a freelance illustrator, and…
• I scouted antiques for stores that wanted vintage items for their displays.

But then…

Along the way, there was a divorce (my husband had a wandering eye) and – two years later – I married again, this time to a man I met at church. I won’t say that I wholly regret that (rebound?) new marriage, because it led to the birth of my wonderful son.

However, my new husband’s favorite phrase when he looked at my work was, “That’s good, but what you really ought to do is _________.”

Gradually, that eroded my self-confidence and my urge to create fun, new things.

After many rocky years, and as our son was finishing high school, my husband announced that he wanted a divorce. He said he’d found someone just like me, “but younger.” (They later married and seem to be very happy. I’m glad he found the wife he wanted.)

When he divorced me, I accepted a friend’s offer of a spare bedroom, and moved across the country. I needed distance… both time and space.

Yes, this story has a “happily ever after!”

In my new home, romance developed with a wonderful, single man, and he helped me recover my self. 

Gradually, my creativity began to re-emerge. My art became more authentic. 

Now – over 20 years later – we’re still ridiculously (and happily) in love.

He supports me – and encourages me – in everything I do.

Mostly, we laugh daily, hug a lot, and never run out of things to talk about. (I hope that inspires others still looking for their “happily ever after.” It’s never too late!)

And now…

Recently, I’ve been taking online courses, revisiting principles and inspiration that had worked so well for me in the past. That’s been refreshing.

That’s why I’m making some of my creative projects very inexpensive, and many will be free.

For example, I’m putting free, creative things into the mail again, starting with artcards (art on postcards).

There will be online freebies, too, including packets of digital freebies at my Substack, and at Patreon. (For updates, follow me at Art and Other Things, at Substack.)

As I’m writing this, I see that a 2010 zine is still at this website, among other freebies you may find scattered here.

In addition, I’m evaluating social media options (to see what’s the best match for me) and what “sparkles,” among my many projects.

If you’d like to join the fun, and receive an occasional freebie in the mail, send your mailing address (postal/snailmail) to artfun@aisling.net (It’s just for freebies – no strings attached, and I won’t share your address with anyone else.)

So… let’s play!

About my name…

I launched this site as “Aisling D’Art” because – in the early days of the Internet -not many women were online. The smart ones didn’t use their real names.

“Aisling” is a family name, and has significance in Irish history. The D’Art surname gave me a sense of privacy.

Later, I realized “Aisling D’Art” suited me, so I adopted it for workshops, etc., too. If you see me in real life and call out, “Hey, Aisling!” I’ll probably answer. I’m that accustomed to the name now.

However, in real life, a lot of people know me as Eileen, or – using the Irish spelling –  Eibhlin. (It’s said different ways in different parts of Ireland, but many will say it like “Eifflin.”)

And, to be honest, I answer to almost anything said in my direction, as long as it’s nice, happy, and fun.