I Am Having Too Much Fun Building Inventory!

 

 

Last year I started playing around with collage work. I used prints of my art that just weren't good enough on their own, but added in with vintage papers and embellishments, additional painting and some quotes from very clever people unique artwork is born.

 

Each one of these canvases are different works of art that

 

although seemingly mass produced,

 

are thoughtfully and delightfully created.

Bits of ephemera, fabric, prints of artwork all join together with acrylic paint.

Finished off with varnish and all set to hang!

Mixed Media Paintings That Are in the Show at Cornell Street Gallery

I entitled this one "Umbrella Love" for the show but I really wanted to call it
"The Early Promise". That's what I will call it after the show.

"Love is Color Blind"

"I Love You From Afar"

Three new mixed media paintings thatare currently showing at Cornell Street Gallery's "Art and Music Show". The opening is this weekend, February 11th. The musician David Temple will be there for the opening festivities. If you are in the Kinston, NY area it promises to be a lovely evening.
I will have prints posted on my etsy site sometime this week.

Arts and Craft Show Booth

My display booth is different at every show I go to. It has been a work in progress and I like the way it went together at this show the best so far. I do like the look of the swirls on this carpeting, very whimsical and sort of goes with my whole whimsical theme :) Unfortunately the lighting was bad in this part of the room and I only brought one light. (Note to self; buy more clip on lights!) Lisa the show organizer was kind enough to lend me another lamp. The shelf unit on the center table I found at an estate sale and nailed a decoupaged board to the back of it. It worked very well for my new birds and small paintings.

Santa and Snowman Paperclay Dolls

                                                                                  I know....... I know....... we haven't

had Halloween yet.........

But I have these guys made.....

and they are so sweet....

I am going to list them on ETSY this weekend.

New Collaged Painting on ETSY

I just listed this painting on ETSY tonight.

And I must admit to liking the way the bird in this one came out the best. The colors on the bird did just what I wanted them to and the momopoly money leaves came out just right! I have been busy getting a Zazzle Shop up and running this week, so keep checking back, I will have a link posted very soon.
Have a good week!

Finished Projects!!!

It is so nice to be all ready for the holidays (as far as my house goes!) this early in the game. The decoupaged table has already been put to work as a bar area with great success, even spilled red wine cleaned up beautifully.
The little sewing table is now in my new dining room and is holding the silverware chest and extra serving pieces, oh what bliss to be so organized. (it's the little things in life, right?)
So I decorated for Halloween and I will have a party this year. We don't get very many showing up for trick or treat. Last year we had an all time high of 12, so having my friends and family in for a party is a great way to celebrate.
I also wanted to show a few pictures of a desk that I refinished. It has quite an interesting story, my brother in law found it near a dumpster at work. He liked the way it looked and brought it home but my sister couldn't find the spot for it and asked me if I wanted it. I looked at it and thought that I could break it up and paint on the top, maybe take the legs and saw them down for different projects so home with me it came. When I really looked it over to start breaking it up the next day I realized that there was not one single nail in the whole piece, it is completely dove tailed and notched together and you can see that it was hand made by a master craftsman.
It truly is my nicest piece of furniture and all I did to it was clean it up and use re-finisher on it. It is missing a drawer, the fronts of the two remaining ones are not right but I love it. Everytime I walk past it I run my hand over it and think about all the hours someone put into creating this beautiful work of art and hope that he or she knows how much I appreciate it.

My dining room project is really coming together. I am challenging my self with a 'make-do' attitude. I want to create a warm and welcoming home, but spend as little money as possible!
It is quite a challenge but a lot of fun to look at my belongings and try to use and reuse. This table for instance has quite a history. My uncle worked at West Point for many years and this table was put out to the curb from one of the officers houses. He brought it home to my mother because it did open up with many leaves and we could all sit around it during the holidays. It may have sat up to twenty of us! When she downsized, it came to me and I used it as a work table for a long time. We took it apart and made it into a desk for my office/studio, it fit under the window and between the file cabinet perfectly. Over the years the veneer top started to pull up and lose it's luster and had bits of paint, ink, glitter and glue all over.
Well it's latest purpose is in my old dining room area which is now a reading/conversation area. I wanted a spot to act as a bar and place to put out appetizers. I have been enamored of the old books that I have been using in my art and this old dictionary is being revived as a table covering. I just love the way it looks! It needs to have a final waterproofing coat put on, but what a conversation piece.