2008 June

Where’s the art?

June 16, 2008 By Rebecca 2 Comments

If you’re here, I bet you’re wondering….’Hey, where’s the doll this week?” Well, we have a vacation beginning Friday & since I wouldn’t be here to ship the lovely dolly, this week is my eBay vacation. I will have a new doll & painting listed & ready to begin on Sunday, but I won’t be available to answer any questions. Since I’ll be back on Saturday the 28th, there will be no delay in shipping.

I can though, give you a sneak peek of the painting I’ve been working on…

Just a little peek. Have a great week & if you have a minute check out the Kentucky Quilt Trail post below.

Filed Under: Announcements

My Appalachia – Barns from the Kentucky Quilt Trail

June 16, 2008 By Rebecca 11 Comments

In the past few years, large works of art have been popping up throughout Eastern Kentucky. It is all part of the Kentucky Quilt Trail: a celebration of the region’s quilting heritage and historic barns & architecture. Few things are quite as pretty as a drive through the back roads of Kentucky, but these quilt blocks make the trip even prettier. The quilt blocks below are from the US 460 Trail on Tarr Ridge Road which winds down into the Red River Gorge, which is spectacular all on its own & a rock climbing hotspot.

The Calico Cat:

The music symbol in the middle of the Log Cabin quilt square (below) was placed to honor Dr. Haley Northcutt who was a country doctor and old-time fiddler. He owned this property until his death; now owned by his grandson’s family. There is a log cabin located on the property in front of the barn.

Three of my favorite things in the world are barns, quilts & round hay bales in a field. When I get to see all three at once–it’s a complete delight to my eyes.

To see more of these quilt squares, visit The Kentucky Quilt Trail, keep your eyes on this blog (I plan to feature more of these barns…), or take a drive through Kentucky!

Filed Under: My Appalachia, Quilt Trails Tagged With: Add new tag, barn, barn quilt squares, kentucky quilt trail, quilt trails, quilting

Francine, a Peculiar Sort with Rowdy Friends

June 9, 2008 By Rebecca 3 Comments

This little girlie is Francine. Francine is 27″ tall. She has been made of muslin & stuffed with fiberfill. Her lower torso has been rag-stuffed & bean filled, weighting her little bottom, so that she sits nicely. Francine has been hand-painted & sanded, top to bottom many, many times & has a rich, deeply-aged patina. Francine’s arms are lightly wired allowing her to be slightly posed.

Her face has been needle-sculpted by hand and hand-painted. Her bottom lip ‘pouts’ while her top lip is simply painted. She has been painted with various mediums & has been sealed top to bottom with a combination of glossy & matte acrylic sealer so that she may be lightly dusted after display & kept a lifetime.

Francine’s fingers have been needle-sculpted by hand. She sports tan painted gloves. She also sports painted brown boots with robin’s subtle robin’s egg blue socks. Her high boots are highly detailed right down to the buttons!

Francine’s apron dress is made from two super cute 100% cotton prints. Her underskirt is a cream stripe while her over skirt is a completely sweet floral fabric with peachy/pink branches on an olive/golden background. Francine’s blouse is made of white muslin & features hand-gathered sleeves. Her collar is finished with a taupe pearl bead. Both the dress & blouse feature tons of hand-stitching! All visible hems have been hand-stitched (dress, sleeves, collar), as well as the back of the blouse. All clothing has been dyed in a coffee/lavender bud bath for a slightly aged appearance. It was then hand-washed & pressed with linen water.

Francine carries with her two little friends. Both crows are my original designs & are made from 4 separate pieces. They’ve been made from muslin, hand-painted & sanded, hand-painted & sanded again, and finally sealed with a matte sealer. The wings & tail have been hand-quilted & attached with buttons. The ‘flying’ crow’s wings have been stitched by hand. The standing crow’s feet have been fashioned from wire & tape & are sewn securely to the crow’s body. This crow cannot stand on it’s own. Both crows are approx. 11″ from head to tail. The standing crow’s wings can be posed.

Francine’s hair is red 100% mohair. It is not quite as stark as shown in these photographs. I have slightly glued, then carefully needle-felted it to Francine’s head. It is parted & styled in a low side pony. Her hair is fastened with a chocolate ribbon.

Francine’s flying crow is attached to her hand with rusty wire. It can be posed in many positions.

Little Francie will be available Sunday evening June 8th at 9:15 PM EST – June 15th, 9PM EST. Click her to view or bid on this little girl.

Filed Under: Dolls Tagged With: appalachia, appalachian artist, folk art doll, hand-painted doll, handmade doll, kentucky artist, muslin doll, primitive crow, primitive doll, redhead

"To Become"

June 2, 2008 By Rebecca 4 Comments

I’m so happy to be able to offer TWO items this week! Prim & Whimsy Girls, an ebay art group I so proudly belong to, came up with an art challenge to welcome June & all sorts of blossoming somethings. Our theme is ‘Art in Bloom’ & we’ll be offering our items on eBay June 1st-7th.

This painting, titled ‘To Become’ is my second piece of art for the challenge. (View Caroline in the post below.) This is an original acrylic painting on 16″ x 20″ canvas. She was based loosely upon the idea of the ‘Green Man’.

This is the Wikipedia article about Green Man:

A Green Man is a sculpture, drawing, or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the nose, mouth, nostrils or other parts of the face and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit. Commonly used as a decorative architectural ornament, Green Men are frequently found on carvings in churches and other buildings (both secular and ecclesiastical).

The Green Man motif has many variations. Found in many cultures around the world, the Green Man is often related to natural vegetative deities springing up in different cultures throughout the ages. Primarily it is interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, or “renaissance,” representing the cycle of growth each spring. Some speculate that the mythology of the Green Man developed independently in the traditions of separate ancient cultures and evolved into the wide variety of examples found throughout history.

Details of the painting:

I am so absolutely pleased with how she turned out! She is sealed in varnish, has painted sides & is signed on the side. She also comes with a certificate of authenticity.

“To Become” will be available on eBay June 1st at 9:15 PM EST. She will end June 8th at 9:15 PM EST. Click here to view or bid on this lovely painting!