Sharing

I have had a very productive week and somehow I managed to finish two pieces!  The one above is entitled Fireflies and I have loved the image of this little one from the day I found it.  I decided he would be interesting on a dark background and I can see him as a companion piece to Willa.  Fairies and fireflies.  The fun thing about this pieces is that I used a touch of specialty paint on the fireflies and in the darkness, they glow.  I tried to capture this but my camera was not cooperative or the light hadn't recharged the glow paint enough.  You'll just have to take my word for it.  Below is a close up of one of the fireflies...

The second piece I finished will have to wait until next week to be unveiled.  I am doing my own spin on Renaissance Art thanks to my recent trip to Italy.

Speaking of Italy, I found a little flea market in Sienna and purchased several items to include in future pieces.  The Renaissance pieces will most likely be the destination of some of this newly collected Italian ephemera...

This hand written book of music was one of my finds.  I love the ragged edges of the sheets and the calligraphy is amazing.

This book is also a student's book of music and also contains some interesting calligraphy.  The weight of the paper is slightly heavier and it should add some interest to my collages.

The book below is from the 16th century.  It was a bit more expensive than the above items as I found it in a little antique store but I still plan to apply it to my art.  As you can see, it is quite damaged and so I have no guilt about using it in my work.  The religious tone is obvious and will also be included in the new series.

And so, I am off to do some local treasure hunting.  Next week I will share some exciting news regarding a couple of new shows that are in the planning phase.

Have a great week-end.

Laura

Larry's Girl

This piece is relatively new and is a memorial piece for a dear friend of mine, Larry, who passed away suddenly in early May of this year.  The figure in this piece hung unfinished on my studio wall for some time and every time Larry visited, he commented on how much he liked her and asked me if I would consider selling it to him when it was finished.  Of course, I agreed but unfortunately, he was unable to enjoy the finished project.  So, as a tribute, I named her Larry's Girl and I believe he would approve.

This is another piece I displayed at  my July show at the ArtCapsule gallery.  Vintage buttons adorn the neck of the instrument along with vintage thread from my stash of goodies.

I have taken a little time off recently as I seem to have damaged a nerve in my thumb during the frantic pace needed to finish pieces for that show.  It is on the mend and I hope to get back to work in early September.

In the meantime, I have been gathering my inspirational trinkets in a recently procured vintage mailbox.

I'm not really sure what I will do with these babies but I couldn't resist their adorable faces and they will, at the very least, be on the sidelines, cheering me on.

"New" Vintage Finds

Arturo had the day off today and the kids didn’t,  so we decided an outing was in order.  We began with a wonderful brunch at Victorias Delights in downtown Oxford.   The crabby benedict was fantastic (not exactly what I needed after yesterday’s Easter Feast, but I could exercise no self control).  After plying my consort with a wonderful meal, I was able to convince him to escort me on an antiquing mission.   

The birdsong has had my attention lately as it seems spring has finally arrived, and I'm crazy about colorful objects,  so I was immediately drawn to this piece...

It is vintage venetian glass and very evocative of spring.  I had to have it.

My favorite items to shop for at these vintage/antique shoppes are embellishments to add to my art pieces.  I scored with the following items

Vintage letter and number cards.

Lacy hand-tatted doilies.

These vintage Vera linen kitchen towels won't be embellishments, but may show up on my Etsy as fun decorative pillows.  I'll keep you posted.

I love the little ladybug, it is a good gauge when trying to determine the date of her pieces - 1960's - 70's.  The ladybug was discontinued in 1976.