ACCEPTANCE INTO MY FIRST GALLERY, HOWARD FINSTER FOLK ART, AND NEW PAINTING!!! (LONG POST!)

Good Morning!! WOW..the past two days have been a blur. This is my newest painting.
Let me start with Sunday at the Chattanooga Market. We arrived, and set up, and the day went pretty well. Nature Boy and I ate too much sugary goodies, and both of our heads were swimming...but the day went ok. Not one of the better days that we had there, but thanks to Nature Boy's robots--we had an ok day of sales.

Late in the day, this woman walked up to us, and was going nuts over our art...and asked if we had ever heard of Howard Finster..well, we HAD!! Years ago, when we were heavy into buying antiques and collectibles, we would go to a Flea Market on Tuesday mornings in Summerville, Georgia. We ran across someone that started talking to us about folk art, and outsider art, and they mentioned Howard Finster. We came home, and looked him up on the computer, and read everything about him. We made plans to visit his home, gallery and museum one day...well..time went on, and we never did get around to making that visit. But, this discovery did start us in our love of primitive folk art.

Fast forward to the Market on Sunday (about 5 years after first hearing of Mr. Finster), and this woman was asking us to put our art in the Howard Finster Paradise Gardens Gallery!! I took my art to her on Monday, not really knowing what to expect, and being a little more than nervous, and she choose 10 of my pieces, and 3 of Nature Boys!!! He's been doing art about what?? 4 months MAYBE, and he's in a gallery!!! I LOVE IT! So, here's the gallery. It's a wonderous place with many, many different things to see. Please go HERE, and read about Mr. Finster. He has an interesting story. He was a preacher, and he combined his love of God with art. He used his art to talk about the Lord, and he held his church services on the same grounds. The Paradise Gardens are under renovation, and are being restored right now. I hope you find the following pictures as interesting and wonderful as I did.

This is the outside of the garage, the first thing you see when you drive into the parking spots.

Then the gallery. This use to be the Finster's house where they lived.

There is art EVERYWHERE. It's amazing!!!

Here's Nature Boy!!! He followed my directions when I said "MAKE A GOOFY FACE!"..LOL..(he really doesn't look like Howdy Doody on steriods most of the time...LOL.

The Mission Statement of the gallery.

A painting on the outside wall. All pictures are outside, none are allowed inside the gallery, because it houses Mr. Finster's original works..(he did over 46,000 signed pieces in his life)....

An old car. This is behind the house.

The chapel that Finster built. They are currently restoring it.

The following pictures were taken while Nature Boy walked around the gardens. I was inside with Whitney, the gallery owner, and we were writing up an inventory sheet.

They have a mosaic garden back there..everything is done in mosaic..So COOL!!

It was such an honor (to me) to be asked to be part of this gallery. I am very excited. It's a wonderful, magical place. I felt like I was sending my children off into the world. Wish me luck!!

Live Artfully!!

~~Suzan~~

NEWEST WORK IN PROGRESS!!

It's a Kohlrabi..a form of a turnip..still in progress...she'll have a root body..hehehehe.

NATURE BOY AND MINE'S NEWEST COLLABORATION!!

Nature Boy built the box, and added the embellishments--I did the top piece.

WORK FINISHED!

HAPPY HAPPY HUMP DAY!!

Whew!! Hello!! I have been a bit busy this week, and finally got out of my "couch potato" mode..This is some of what I have done..there are more--but, several of the pictures did not turn out. This first one is about 8 x 10 on wood.

This is a cut-out of a fish that Nature Boy cut out for me.

This painting is on that glued together kind of board..I don't know what they call it, but I like the texture that it produced. It's about 11 x 11.

This is done on a 12 x 12 piece of birch. It's very bright in real, and has a lot of depth. I used a ton of plaster on this, painted the different layers, and then sanded it off for the effect. Then I coated it with a glossy varnish. It's really cool up close.

This is a cut-out..with doll arms attached. She was fun to do!!

This one is a house shape piece about 10 x 10.

And THIS is my WORK IN PROGRESS!! I am loving this piece! It's titled " EAT YOUR VEGGIES BEFORE THEY EAT YOU."

I think that I have 4 others, but I will show them later. I have been wonderfully productive this week, and it's only Wednesday!!!WHOOHHOOOOO..

Now..onto more stuff. I am sorry if the story about killing the rattlesnake bothered anyone. Someone emailed me, and said that they were no longer following my art, because I needlessly killed a rattlesnake. Well, for ONE...my husband killed it, not me. TWO... it was on our street, where we have many small children that play regularly outside, and Third..IT WAS A RATTLESNAKE FOR GOD'S SAKE! It wasn't like the innocent black snake that we smooshed with a bathroom plunger two years ago..LOL LOL LOL (LAUGHING OUT LOUD)..Anyway...

On with the work..back to the art room...I made clay heads this morning, so I can do some assemblage dolls. Hugs..and Live Artfully.

Suzan--wife of the evil rattlesnake slayer.

A COUCH POTATO WEEK!!!

Hello!! Did you all think that I had disappeared?? I have had a busy first half of the week, and a lazy second half..Let's go back to Saturday. I had to go to the store, and as I was driving down our road, there was a HUGE rattlesnake. (Relative to the Alabama Anaconda that lives in our woods)..so, I turned the car around, and went and got Nature Boy to kill the rattler. He grabbed his elephant gun, and his older brother, and off the two of them went to shoot the snake. Luckily, the snake had just eaten some huge animal and was moving slow, but the brothers got to it when it's body was still out of the weeds, but couldn't see it's head. One snake + two country-raised men + an elephant gun =annihilation. LOL..they got out of the truck, and started shooting..LOL..it's so strange to me to live somewhere where a gun going off isn't even noticed. No one even lifts an eyebrow at two grown men outside in the middle of the road, shooting a shotgun...crazy if you ask me.

Then on Sunday, Nature Boy and I went to the Chattanooga Market to sell our art, and we had a FULL booth!! It looked SO GOOD!!! We did really great there, had fun, met some new people, bought veggies, and came home...I have been asleep since then. I can't seem to wake up. I have been "piddling", but nothing serious. I did get 4 angels, 4 folk art crosses, 6 small abstracts, and these two paintings done, plus I reworked a 12 x 12 painting, and made it different...but that's not a lot.The one with the moon guy is a rework..remember that I painted the moon guy, and could not decide what do with it?? Well..I finally got around to re-doing it...and I kind of like how it came out.

Well..that's about it..just a boring week..relaxing, sleeping, and watching a mother bird sit on her eggs daily. Waiting for the babies to hatch out...not a bad week after all...Live Artfully!!~~Suzan~~

TWO ASSEMBLAGE PIECES--MIXED MEDIA

The large one with the blue box is not put together yet. This is just a preliminary layout. The bottom one is finished, and hanging already. I have all this stuff layed out on my art table, and it's like putting together puzzles...having a blast!!

Suzan

OOOOhhhhh .. I FORGOT ONE!!!

I forgot that this one was drying. Finished it last night too!

THE REST OF YESTERDAY'S WORK!

This is the rest of what I accomplished yesterday. I got 3 more little paintings done, and another art doll finished. The doll is built into a lantern...it was great fun to make!!

Well..I am down to having two days left to work this week..gotta get busy!!

Live Artfully!

Suzan

NATURE BOY'S BOTS

Aren't they wonderful????? I love them..Click to enlarge. The second one has a robot dog even...LOL..

ANOTHER...

SLAPPING SOME PAINT ON WOOD...

"THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE--AREN'T "THINGS"'--(quote stuck in my head this morning)

Good Happy Morning!! I got up this morning, and while watching Nash Bridges (LOVEEEE DON JOHNSON)...I painted 3 of my little paintings on wood. In the hour that the show was on, I got all of these done. I just slapped the paint on, really not thinking much at all. Maybe if I thought about every little brushstroke--I could have done better...but maybe not.

Last night, this new show came on ..it was called The Philanthropist. I started watching it, while sitting and working on art dolls, and it had a pretty good story line--and a cute guy-lead character. I had seen him before--and couldn't place him..it was literally driving me insane. I thought and thought and thought about it. Then it hit me. He was the same actor that played King Edward in the movie "A Knight's Tale". I liked him in that movie, and now, I guess I have yet ANOTHER silly tv show to watch. If you get a chance, watch the show--it looks like it may turn out to be a good one!!

Nothing much else is happening--Nature Boy is building Robots, and making wood backgrounds for some new assemblage pieces, and I am working fervently to get pieces for this week's art market. I like having to get a certain number of pieces for an event, and Thank the Good Lord Above, that so far, I am able to work, and keep up. A lot of artist have trouble doing a show or two, and I am fortunate to be able to do a "show" EVERY WEEK. That's what I am grateful for today!!
I hope you all have a creative, happy day!
~~Suzan~~

NEWEST ART DOLL ASSEMBLAGE PIECE!!

Made with an old tin can, a print of one of my collages, metal mesh, old book pages, hand painted linen, a light socket part, and old watch, a metal bracelet, a tin candle holder, and a doll. The doll is completely repainted-- the entire piece is sealed. Skirt wraps around "scene".

Whew..this was WORK!!..I am very happy at how it is coming along though..

Live Artfully!

Suzan

ASSEMBLAGE ART DOLL -- 3RD PIECE TODAY!! WOHOOHOOOO!!

omg!! This picture DOES NOT do the doll justice!! It is so bright!! I will have to take another picture in the morning for you all, but it is finished. I just have to sign it, tag it, and pack it up!!..VERY VERY GOOD DAY!!!!
Suzan

ASSEMBLAGE PIECE #2 -- FIRST CLASS MALE

Here's my second piece for today. It's titled "First Class Male". It's about 14 inches tall, and about 9 inches wide.

Oh Yeah..and in the Assemblage piece below, inside the box is an antique leather child's shoe. You really can't see it. I have changed it a little bit, added some red highlights, so I will post another picture of it later.

Suzan

ART DOLL ASSEMBLAGE #1 COMPLETED AND NATURE BOY'S BIRD BOT

Good Afternoon!! Nature Boy and I have been busy, busy, busy this morning. He created a bird bot. A robot bird. It is AWESOME!! The bird stands about 15 inches high, and is made of wood, plastic, metal, and a bunch of other stuff.



This is my assemblage piece. I used a very old doll head, which I painted, and then distressed, and old found objects. It is titled "Daddy Left When I was 8".Close Up of inside.

Well..working on another piece--so, I am going to run back to the studio.

Live Artfully, and be happy!~~Suzan~~

TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR...

I have been trying something new for the last few months, and I try to find something new to be thankful for EVERY DAY... So, today, I am thankful that I am not a cyst-infested, untalented, beady-eyed, lime-green, warthog. LOL..Hahhaha..Ok..that made me laugh!! Time for bed. The market was good today, the summer season has set in, and it's a bit slower, but by no means dead...People are coming, and buying. There is so many talented artist there, I wish you all could come see. I have to get up early tomorrow, because I have devised a plan of action. I hope you all like what is coming up this week ahead. I promise it's going to be different. I am actually allowing Nature Boy into my studio...so that he too can work...(though he hasn't been informed yet.) The thing that I am REALLY thankful for is the ability to produce the amount of work that I produce, and to be able to regularly sell that work. Thank you to all the people that came out and bought my art today!!! I appreciate you!
Live Artfully!
~~Suzan~~