Evolving

 I had to post some pictures of my first studio space in Charlotte at Green Rice Gallery.  They closed their doors this Saturday & are moving to a virtual online gallery.  I remember us designing and building my new corner in the gallery & all the promise the new space held.  It was a wonderful beginning. It is where I started to pursue my art as a full time career.  The memories and lessons I learned at Green Rice are priceless.      

The showroom kitchen took a big turn this weekend.  After a few paint sample tries we found a color scheme that worked.  We are still trying to figure out the lighting fixture to install so for now we are just using work lights.    The kitchen should be 95% before our opening reception on Friday believe it or not.

The Old School show was installed today.  I went into the gallery to have some quiet moments to organize the layout and purpose of the space.  Mister spent the day with cutie so I could stay focused.  It really helped to have that time to make sure the details and extras will play off and enhance the overall theme of the show.  Especially since camp ended Friday and she will be my business partner for the next few weeks. There is still a lot to finalize.  The show has been set and has a really good feel though.  I am excited for the opening this Friday.

Photography Project

Awhile back I was asked to donate some time and take some photographs at the great organization Care Ring.  They help people who fall through the cracks of the traditional health care system.  It was such a moving and enlightening experience.  I went with nurses into homes for  first time low-income mothers and photographed in the clinic a few days.  I then held a show with all the photographs in my old space to feature the wonderful people and the wonderful cause.  Their new website features the photos I took.  If you are ever looking for a local cause to help your community this would definitely be one to support.

To see the photos and learn more about Care Ring click here.

Getting ready for the Old School group show has me reminiscing about the 80's engagement party we had awhile back. 

Setting the ambiance was fun to create with reinvented 

thrift store pieces and finding my inner doodle again.

The invitation:

I found these denim molded pants at the thrift store and 

knew they could be transformed into the table center piece. 

We took neon paper to make t-shirts and everyone wrote a funny story they had about the couples to hang out their 

"dirty laundry" on the line.  

Back from our trip to some new & exciting things...

 A new batch of watercolor cards are now finished and being packaged.


The beautiful new cabinets  by Built Wright Woodworks are installed. The new Fisher & Paykel kitchen appliances come this week.  We are so excited to have this showroom kitchen installed in our building & the great things that are to come from it!  I will keep posting pictures as things progress.


And of course the second group show, Old School, is right around the corner.  The artists have been bringing in their art work.  I am so excited to see the show hung in the space.  There is a ton of work to be done before the opening on August 5th, but it is going to look great!

Happy Weekend!

We were looking for a creative way to label the restrooms downstairs.  When looking online you will find some very humorous references.  We chose to go a more artistic route. The ladies room piece was purchased from Untamed Menagerie on Etsy.  The silver stag was found at Urban Outfitters.  

Printable Note Cards

I just finished a batch of new watercolor images to make some new stationary to sell in the studio.  I thought I would share one of the new images in a set of note cards for you to print. 

Wall Collage with a Twist

I love collaging various paintings new & old on a focal wall in a room.  I buy the Frack Mirror from Ikea for $4.99 as a creative way to house a smaller piece.  It adds a little twist to the wall & gives a 3d element to create a visual break in the wall of paintings.

2024 Men's Room Before & After

The bathrooms were falling apart when we moved into 

the building.  We had a vision for the men's room but we could not use our whole budget on the white antler chandelier that 

we "needed" to complete the space.  So... we ordered a 

custom cast made antler chandelier for a ton less & then spray painted it in a high heat white gloss paint.  

Other finishes to note: the floors are plank wood tiles, we painted the walls and ceilings all black, we left the exposed brick wall on the back (a nice surprise during demo), we left the urinal (of course), added a suspended reclaimed door as a divider, we found the awesome sink at a ferguson clearance warehouse (missing the wall brackets so we built our own), built a wood plank back splash so to speak and painted it  a high gloss white, and added some little thrift store accessory touches to make it whole.

Love

Pallet Craze

The use of pallets in various applications has really caught on the past couple of years.  Here are two of our uses at 2024.  One is of Cutie's gallery space to display her most current works.  The other is the back massive stairwell wall we had to fill.  We took an oversized pallet and used the variated greens from the front entrance and painted the front pieces and added the old metal letters on top.  

Thrifting

Some recent vintage finds.

Stationary

When at a friends house this weekend I saw one of our New Year's cards posted in their kitchen.  I was reminded how much I loved our cards this year. how I need to get back on track with my resolutions & how much I love Paper Culture. Don't get me wrong I love making my own stationary but it's nice to have it made for you sometimes too.   If you are looking for some beautiful choices Paper Culture is great.  They have unique designs and great company ethics.  With every order they plant a tree in your honor  & they use 130lb paper which is made from 100% post consumer recycled materials. 

DIY Installation

I love finding vintage tchotchke's on my thrifting adventures. I like to give them new life by assembling them into sculptures.  I had collected quite a few that needed a new home.  When we moved into the new space I had a massive stairwell to fill with something interesting.  I took an old mantel taken out of a house and filled it with the mismatched collection.  I spray painted them all the same color white and arranged them across the mantel in an interesting way.  This concept can be done on a smaller scale in between books on a shelf.  I think it would be great to add one in color to the sea of white.  The possibilities are endless.  These trinkets are inexpensive and easy to come by.  

Old School

The Studio

Exploring the world with creative eyes and appreciation. Curating life's surroundings and the daily finds from operating a working studio and gallery in Charlotte. NC. The picture above is the wonderful space I get to run.  My "open" sign was a great find on ETSY by TomToupin.  He recreated the K in my logo.  I love flipping it on everyday when I arrive to work.