Saturday, June 29, 2013

Art in the Home is a Delightful thing...

I love creating Art for the Home. The vintage character and folk feel of my pieces are intended to bring warmth and cheer to the collectors that graciously adopt them. Admittedly, it is a bittersweet moment for me when they do sell as I make pieces in a style that suits me well. And, rarely do I get a chance to enjoy my creations for very long before pack & ship day arrives. I tend to finish a collection right before the event occurs when I debut the art. Luckily this spring and summer I scheduled a little one-on-one time with some of my latest pieces before I bid them bon voyage! Subsequently, I snapped a few photos of my most recent one of a kind folk art pieces nestled in our  home. I thought you might enjoy.....

Front-Room

* Here is a glimpse as you enter our home, here in Colorado. We flip-flopped our front room with our back sunroom, bringing the table and chairs to the front, and our old mohair couch now settles in the back. The arrangement is more comfortabel for us, and we wonder why it took us about 14 years to figure that out! Haha! Pictured here is a small cat bust resting atop an old green saucer to bring more attention to the art. A couple folk art originals dot the mantel, but the focus remains in the foreground.

Alicia-Laughalot-Cat-Bust

* I love how this sweet cat bust came to life. The colors resonate with our home, but I know she is more than content and well-loved in her new home in sunny California! I set her atop an old book to add a little height to this fun character.

Duffy's

* Stepping away, you can see the full arrangement which centers around a vintage Duffy's Delicious Drinks cooler that I picked up at a local antique mall many years ago. I love that color! The old shelf on the red wall houses a small collection of white pottery and earth elements, like feathers, shells, stones, honeycombs, etc... Two button-covered birds perch across the the top and guard the shelf below.

Buttonbird

* A close up from below captures the bird at left, covered in vintage buttons. Mom recently visited and proclaimed that I must keep it! So, I have not sold this one yet, but I still might...... :)

Kitchen-Entry

* Here is a glimpse into our kitchen and back sunroom. You'll see that our old 1930's couch is now nestled in the back which creates a cozy place for gathering. A hand-painted plate that I purchased from artist friend Sharon Bloom hangs on the orange wall, and ties in some of my favorite hues.

Butterfly-on-Fridge

* Atop our vintage 1940s fridge perches one of my butterfly egg cups. From my recent Flower Power collection, this little sweetie was difficult to let go. But, I know this bug is thrilled to be living in the home of a passionate art lover in Jersey!

Cat-Flower-Keeper

* One of a few Flower Keeper cat originals found the purrrfect spot to rest atop an old corner shelf in our sunroom. The delicate tulips were picked from our backyard, and together the whole ensemble made me smile. I know this sweet character is making more smiles now that he resides in a loving home in Oregon...

Butterfly-in-Window

* And lastly for now, another dear butterfly egg cup character cozied up to the corner on our kitchen window sill. What a delight a little fellow like this can add to your day as you go about your routine. She's now bringing joy and laughter to a sweet family in Michigan...

As bittersweet as it is to say farewell to each and every character I make, the pleasure is in knowing that each will bring delight to those near. If a piece of art has the power to distract, to draw one in and captivate, to generate new emotions, to inspire and stir the imagination, then the artist can take a deep breath and feel content.
Ahhhhhh.......

Cheers,
~ Johanna



Monday, June 24, 2013

The Keeper of Turquoise Heights...

Yesterday afternoon, JP and I stopped in to visit 40 West Gallery's current "Recycled Art & Vivid Color" Exhibition. What a fun show! I spotted my 2nd one of a kind owl Artscape proudly displaying an Award of Excellence too. So, I had JP snap a quick photo of me with my featured piece, "The Keeper of Turquoise Heights." The exhibit will hang for another couple weeks, so those of you in the area should swing by 1560 Teller Street in Lakewood to see it! You can also catch a show at the adjoining EDGE Theater! For those of you interested in my new series of Artscapes, this unique, dimensional framed owl is $825 plus shipping. Scroll down for more images. Thanks for peeking....

Johanna-with-Artscape

* It was hot & sunny afternoon; hence, the cut-offs and tank top were my attire of choice. We were out and about, scouting potential property spots along Colfax Avenue to paint murals. We are looking for muralists in case you know of any artists who would like to showcase their art along high traffic areas and enhance our emerging 40 West Arts District!...

Anyway, back to my Artscape.....

Keeper-of-Turquoise-Heights-Artscape

* Meet: "The Keeper of Turquoise Heights" $825 plus shipping...
(BTW, those are JP's hands..... not mine :)

The photos do not do this piece justice, but I promise you that it is pretty special! And, this Artscape is surrounded by a mid-century frame that JP modified. So, we met the challenge of bringing recycled elements and vivid color together.

Owl-Crop-Keeper-of-Turquoise-Heights

* I painted this piece using vintage hues consisting of turquoise blue, orange, terracotta, magenta, plum, gold and cream.....

Keeper-of-Turquoise-Heights-Artscape-Angled

* But, much of the detail occurs during the sculpting process where I add layer upon layer of textural depth via my papier mache. Some areas, painted in rich undertones, recede to add more depth and pattern. The carved branches, along with the owls eyes, beak, belly, wings and ears protrude beyond the base artscape to add more interest. His wiry feet also project beyond the dimensional branch that he perches upon. And indeed, he is "The Keeper of Turquoise Heights."
Framed Artscape: 12.5" wide by 14.5" tall.

Owl-Close-Keeper-of-Turquoise-Heights

 * If you are interested in hanging this unique Artscape in your home, please EMAIL ME....

Hoot Hoot!
~ Johanna


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Sunday, June 16, 2013

Smiles to Dad!...

Cheers to my Dad who loves to clown around! We love you for your comic relief, and enjoyed the past few days together sharing laughs and smiles. Hugs to you and all those fun-loving fathers out there!

Love,
~ Johanna

Happy-Father's-Day


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Thursday, June 13, 2013

Sneak Peeks from the Show...

I thought I would share a few images from my display at last weekend's Everything Recycled Art Market. Many thanks goes out to those of you that came out to see us in that dusty old warehouse! Hehe! As it was a 1st of it's kind show here in the Denver area, some fine-tuning is in order to enhance the shopping experience in the future. We appreciate those of you that joined us. Now, let's get to the photos.... For this event, I only brought my one of a kind, handmade creations and filled in with my latest, illustrated notepads. Enjoy!

Cheers,
~ Johanna

Recycle-Art-Market-Display

* The midpoint of my main table was marked with a trio of one of a kind cat busts. Each has already sold. I brought along an old lamp from our kitchen to light my display. Notice the upside-down metal mop bucket holster that serves as a lampshade? As I was digging through my old vintage fabrics, I came across the adorable apron that I used as a mock curtain to tie the whole scene together! I love recycling old vintage goods!

Owl-Magnets-on-Watering-Can

* An old green metal watering can served as a cheerful backdrop to display a pair of one of a kind owl magnets...

Owl-Magnets-on-Yellow

* A super large yellow-hued tin can made for another great opportunity to show off the uniqueness of each owl character that JP and I made...

Owl-Magnet-Display

* For many, it was difficult to choose which owl to pluck from the display as they were all so different and fun!

Recycled-Art-Originals

* An old white shelf housed a small collection of my one of a kind, button-covered originals.

Old-Tins-for-Magnets

* An old fruitcake tin was the perfect container to both house my new notepads and display a few more magnets...

Button-Belly-Owl-Original

 * My favorite piece from my recycled art collection is "Nellie Button Belly" the perched owl. She's my first turquoise-hued owl, and the antique buttons on her belly make for a fun, vintage stylized look. I gave her a hefty pricetag as I am partial to this piece, and she was a lot of work. She's still in my possession, but eventually I may release her. Twist my arm..... :)

Owl-Magnets-on-blue

* Hoot Hoot!  Thanks for checking in and happy treasure hunting!........

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Thursday, June 6, 2013

This Weekend - Something Old is New Again!

Hello Friends! It's almost 1 o'clock in the morning, and I have just two more days to prepare for this weekend's 1st Annual Everything Recycled Art Market here in Lakewood, Colorado. Fortunately, this fun show is just minutes from home within the emerging 40 West Arts District. So, I don't have to worry about gathering ALL the props and things I may need quite yet. That's a relief since I am still finishing up my collection of originals! I took photos this evening of my one of a kind sculptures along with my illustrated art pressed magnets. I have many of those yet to complete, so wish me luck! Long story short - I have been working super long days and getting little sleep to prepare for this show that I spontaneously decided to participate in last month. I hope you join us this Saturday & Sunday! Please see my blog post below for the "Where" & the "When." Admission is $5 which includes live music and 25+ artisan vendors along with recycled crafting stations for kids. Come on out!!!

For now, here' a sneak peek at what I will be offering....... ENJOY!

~ Johanna

Belly-Button-Original-Owl

* I'm loving how this turquoise & cream-hued owl sculpture came to life with his vintage button-covered belly!

WIP-Original-Owl-Magnets

* Assemblage of over 30 one of a kind art owl magnets is underway! JP is drilling and fitting each with 2 backside magnets. It's a step-by-step process indeed!

Owl-Magnets-in-the-works

* Just a few owl magnets peer back with their vintage button eyes...

Vintage-button-covered-Cats

* My collection would not be complete without a few cats!

Standing-Buttonbirds

* And, finally, I made some standing buttonbirds that will be up for adoption too!

Standing-Crow-Buttonbird

* This standing buttonbird crow is reminiscent of my favorite holiday!

Mouse-Mini-Bust

* A jolly jester mouse sports some vintage buttons too!

Vintage-button-covered-characters

* I kinda think this owl displays hints of steampunk style....

DETAILS about this weekend's show are below! See you soon!



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