A Brand New Crab!

That would be me! A brand new crab.

"A Brand New Crab" - 6x6 - mixed media collage

I'm learning to love repurposing old materials. In this case newspaper, sample paints from Lowes, and cheesecloth. This crab is a little bit more freeform than my previous crabs, too. I think it gives him a little more character.

Below is the paper I made from which I created this guy. 

Birds & Bees Sketchbook Cover

Wallpaper, magazine pages, glitter glue and flecks of metallic paint. Who needs anything more?

Sketchbook Art

Just another bit of fun I've been having! ;)

d. luxe

Well??? Who could resist visiting a shop with a name like this? And what a treat!!! The photos I'm posting here are just a tease. There are so many delightful things going on in this place and you really must visit to see for yourself.

It's been a long time since I've visited this section of Whitaker Street in Savannah and it has changed so much since the last time I was here. And this shop is a delightful new addition. Like so many fine Savannah establishments, this one comes complete with a sweet, gentrified shop dog; which loves to have its hips rubbed, by the way. When I tried to snap a picture of her (I think it was a she), she jumped right up and put her face in the camera, so it was impossible to get a good photo. Cute dog!

D. Luxe describes itself as a shop for "home," "garden," "event." Among the upcoming events to which I'm really looking forward are cooking classes in the state of the art kitchen that's located on the second floor of the building. 

The classes will be relegated to small, intimate  groups and dinner will be served on the balcony overlooking Whitaker Street. 

They hope to begin these classes after the first of the year, so stay tuned to their Facebook page for further information.

Experimentation

I was playing around a bit in the studio today. I have  this idea of making art from common items. For one thing, I have a new studio with far fewer supplies than I've had in the past. So I experimented today with newspaper, cheesecloth, sample indoor house paints from Lowes, wallpaper and crayons. I had hours of fun seeing what I could come up with.

The image I've posted here was something I created in my sketchbook. The background started out with the house paints (they are daubs from where I cleaned my brushes). Then I applied a layer of cheesecloth on top of that. Next I used a piece of Japanese kinwashi (I know, I know... not exactly prosaic) and I used a quilting iron to melt crayons and a small paint brush to apply the melted wax to the kinwashi to create the image of a pear; thus creating my own style of encaustic painting. 

And true to my signature style, I splattered the entire image with a coppery metallic paint.

I rather like the end result and I can imagine that you'll see me using a similar process with similar materials in the future.

Scenes From River Street

It's easy to see that the first three photos reflect my love for texture!  ;)

Savannah Secret Gardens

One of my favorite retail establishments in Savannah is Savannah Secret Gardens. They carry the beautiful and the unusual all year round and rarely can I make a visit without bringing home some treasure with me. Here are a few photos as they prepare for the Christmas season.