John Bell {revisited}

My friend Pamela has alerted me to Sweet Home Furnishing's new, few, and rare found object assemblages by Little Rock artist, John Bell. Unless he's featured in a gallery show or museum, I do believe SHF is the only shop that represents him! Sweet Home Furnishings incredible shop is also in Little Rock, Arkansas. Call them at 501.296.9198 to inquire about any of John's pieces below! xo

i love this piece so much it hurts!

Something Simple...Eureka Springs, Arkansas

We've been in Arkansas visiting my family and we made a quick trip to nearby Eureka Springs early last week. My favorite spot was this sweet cottage, Something Simple where artist, small biz owner and innkeeper, Kaylene Shephard displays her vintage, vintage inspired and handmade wares. I loved her paper wreaths and ornaments made from vintage bed springs, chandelier prisms, torn ribbon and glitter. She also has a gorgeous lake front cottage for rent if you're interested in tucking away in Eureka for a weekend! xo

Kaylene's winter whites display

Vintage paper wreath by Kaylene

Sweet little mitten ornaments Kaylene made from
simple cotton batting.

Another collection of her found object assemblages.

Bed spring topper sits atop a glass apothecary jar filled
with paper girl garlands.

Something Simple
107 E. Van Buren St.
479-253-2068

Laura Terry and Hboxes Opening Tonight!

I am truly sad I can't attend either of these First Thursday openings tonight in my hometown of Fayetteville, Arkansas! First off, Kathy Thompson is having her Hbox Premiere (remember this post?) at her studio just off the downtown square from 5-8pm.

Hbox by Kathy Thompson

And, just right next door...
Laura Terry and Heather Knight's new exhibit,
Things are Not Perfect in the Garden at DDP Gallery.

Just a Closer Walk with Thee
by Laura Terry
24" x 24" x 2"
mixed media on panel

Worn Earth
by Laura Terry
24" x 24" x 2"
mixed media on panel

Laura's new statement...

“The repertoire of the Southern artist has long included place…But the stage on which these are played out is always the Southern landscape, terrible in its beauty, in its indifference.” Sally Mann, “Deep South”

“…prophecy is a matter of seeing near things with their extensions of meanings and thus of seeing far things up close.”
Flannery O’Connor, “The Grotesque in Southern Fiction”

I am fascinated by the dualities of nature: dark and light, chaos and order, organic and synthetic, the beautiful and the grotesque. These dualities provide balance, shifting the pendulum of my view back and forth, near and distant. My eye is a camera, with lenses both microscopic and wide-angled. I look at the surface, then I look deeper, and the drawings and paintings are made from the most obvious and the hidden. I record the landscape as I see it, observant of these opposites, and I remove elements from their context to reveal their individual forms: uniquely beautiful, universally grotesque. I imagine their terrestrial origins – the seed, the root, the mycelia – as the paintings shift between the seen and the unseen, the real and the ideal, the ground and the sky. What is clear is there is no need to search far, no need to look beyond the garden. -Laura Terry

Kathy Thompson's History Boxes

My good friend, Kathy Thompson-a fantastic mixed media artist in Fayetteville, Arkansas-has created a new art business called Hboxes or History Boxes. For years Kathy has collected and created highly sought after art and assemblages from found objects. She is now accepting commissions to use your treasured items to create a customized work of art or Hbox. Watch the video below featuring Kathy in her studio to find out more! xo

Kathy with a group of her Hboxes featured at the
Fayetteville Public Library.

Contact Kathy at kathy@hboxes.com

donald roller wilson

Ladies and Gentlemen... behold the paintings of Donald Roller Wilson! Roller actually lives in my hometown of Fayetteville, Arkansas. I invite you to find out more about him by visiting his website...I just can't find the words this Friday morning...but, oh! he's got em' all! xox

Cookie was certain...

Jack was Intensely Nervous About it all...

Little Tom and his Half Sister, Judy...

Shane and Puddin....

Kathleen, Seeing an Airborne Symbol...

Jane...

(I cannot find a title-but adore this one)

It Could have been Airborne, or Not...

Jimmy and Richard, with Richard's Eyes Popping...

Ben Strawn revisited

One of my favorite artists from my hometown, Ben Strawn is currently featured in the show, Call of the Wild at Gallery 1988 in San Francisco. Most are already sold but there are a few-like Swan below that are still available! Check out more of his work here. xo

Swan
acrylic on layered plexiglass
approx. 8 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches

Kite
acrylic on layered plexiglass
approx. 8 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches SOLD

Beetle
acrylic on layered plexiglass
approx. 8 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches SOLD

Black Bear
acrylic on layered plexiglass
approx. 8 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches

Blue Bear
acrylic on layered plexiglass
approx. 8 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches SOLD

Laura Terry

I'm honored to feature the work of a fellow SCAD alumna, Laura Terry. Laura is not only a painter, but she has served as an Associate Professor of Architecture at The University of Arkansas since 1999. Her abstract paintings celebrate the Southern landscape and are further storied by her interest in the fiction of its women writers. I must also add that this multi-talented artist is currently building an incredible modern studio in the cozy wilderness of her property in Arkansas. She's collaborated on her new studio or L.A.B. (Laura's Art Box) with architect, Bradley Edwards. Visit her website and her Etsy shop for more info! Thanks, Laura!xo

Split the Field
12" x 12"

The Melliferous Miss Thistle
12" x 12" oil and mixed media on panel

She Shall Not Encounter Disappointment
Victory Garden Series

Bye, Bye Blackbird
Paradise Lost Series

Lace Curtains
12" x 16"

Ladies in Waiting
Natural Wonders Series

L.A.B. (Laura's Art Box)
almost finished!

L. A. B. entrance view
Will you build me one next??
She'll have to give us a tour when its finished! xo

Feather Your Nest

I've mentioned before that my favorite place to visit in Arkansas is the charming and artistic town of Eureka Springs! The town has preserved much of its historic Victorian architecture and is packed with art galleries, artful shops and great restaurants. Enter Feather Your Nest, the vintage and retro-inspired home and gift boutique run by the super sweet and talented, Gina Drennon! Gina keeps her most popular items available online for those of us who aren't lucky enough to visit Eureka anytime soon. (I'm hoping to make it sometime around Easter!) Enjoy her shop vignette's below- and visit her shop and blog for more! xo

Bountiful supplies of Savon de Marseille's luxurious soap...

Vintage Inspired Easter chickadees and rabbits...

Pretty paper and office supplies by PAPAYA!

Happy retro-inspired kitchen linens...

more kitchen goodies...

Gina also carries many independent artist's work like these vintage
spool-people by artist, Erica Daley.

Feather Your Nest
512 Village Circle
Eureka Springs, AR 72632

Ben Strawn

For a few years I have been watching from afar-the developments of a fellow painter from my hometown of Fayetteville, Arkansas- his name is Ben Strawn. I am completely enamored with his style-and especially the series of work I've posted here that are painted and manipulated on several layers of plexiglass. I found a great interview with him here(click 'about')-view more artwork here...purchase prints of his work here. Swoon*

Posted images copyright Ben Strawn.