Special Delivery

Roy Minshew visited us just before Christmas and brought a very special addition to the gallery. This Jumping Dog is quite the attention getter! He stands over five feet tall, complete with his own stick for retrieving. Roy's detailed carving skills are shown off quite nicely on the dog's coat, don't you think?

Tablescape Fun

What a fun way to round out our year...with The Big Guy and four of his deer friends gathered for a festive meal. Thanks to artist Theresa Disney, our tablescape for the Holiday Tour of Homes was fabu!

Artistic Gifts

Forging good relationships with artists is one of the highlights of my work in the gallery. I was so tickled when Melissa Menzer shared a special gift with me at her recent trunk show. It's a "Monkey Artist" spoonbeam. Melissa has outfitted the monkey with a beret and an old tube of paint along with a paintbrush. Spoonbeams are one of Melissa's trademark creations, making good use of old silver spoons and pie servers, she sculpts and paints clay faces and adds ephemera and antique bits. You can see one of my favorite pieces on our website at http://www.jtfolkart.com/ (look under the tab marked Current Show.)

Table for Four, Party of Claus

What would the holidays be without a festive table?! We love to show off our artists and find fun ways to share their work. When Theresa Disney visited in November, she found time to paint a herd of reindeer along with "the big guy" in the red suit. They are the highlight of our 2009 tablescape in this weekend's Holiday Tour of Homes here in Sanford. Check back for a few more pics when Mary does the final set up on Friday morning.

Painting up a Storm

Artist Theresa Disney paid us a visit for her trunk show on Nov. 21 and painted up a storm while she was here.

She's putting the finishing touches on her pendants that feature angels, birds, flowers, and devilish faces.

The gallery is chock full of Theresa's winsome creations, from paper mache dogs to tabletop mermaids.

Visit the Current Show page on our website to see additional works by Theresa.

http://www.jtfolkart.com/currentshow.cfm

A New Home for Blackie

When a Jacksonville Beach couple visited the gallery and spied the little black doggie in our front window, they knew he would be going home with them! "Blackie" (above on the left) fits right in with their trio of Scotties.

Artist Theresa Disney sculpts in paper mache and imbues each one of her creations with a sense of humor and heart. "Blackie" tugged on the heartstrings of Nancy and Greg. When they saw this little fella, he reminded them of Jonah, their very special two year old.

Nancy says that Jonah was the seventh of eight pups and was born lame. When he was rejected by his mother, they adopted him. He doesn't let his injury slow him down. On their morning walks, Jonah keeps up just fine with a sideways hop.

Follow this link to see a few more of Theresa's pups:http://www.jtfolkart.com/profiles.cfm?category=2CABA50D-AA2A-9068-4A9B32CBCCE17CD7

Who's Nice?

For all the folks on your list who've been nice, you'll be sure to find something special for them in the gallery. Robin is showing off what we fondly refer to as "the puffy frame." It's made of cloth and stuffed with batting. It's designed to hang from a wide grosgrain ribbon and hold a bulletin board or lightweight artwork. It's an eye catcher!

50th Anniversary

This year, the peace sign is 50 years old. In honor of that milestone, we're celebrating a peace-filled holiday with ornaments and wreaths that fit the theme.

Mary is putting the finishing touches on the peace tree, all decked out with glitter and good tidings.

Our opening reception for Folk Art for the Holidays is Nov. 8, so we'll keep decorating until every corner is festive and bright.

Trick or Treat

All work and no play makes us dull girls! The town of Sanford throws a Halloween extravaganza like no other. With thousands of families out trick or treating downtown, we just have to join in the fun. Pictured here are Marie Antoinette (artist Cherie Dacko) and Julia Child (gallery manager Mary Shaw) having a little Halloween fun. Let them eat cake and bon appetit!

In Memory of...

Jake McCord and Woodie Long are two folk artists we will dearly miss. Jake passed away in September and Woodie in October. Both men grew up in large families (with 11 siblings each!) and spent their youth toiling in fields and farms.
Jake was known in his Georgia town as the man with the most televisions, often having 8 going simultaneously throughout his home. The characters that he painted featured large square eyes and exagerrated proportions. He painted everyday scenes from his community.

Woodie's childhood memories of truck rides and ball games were popular subjects for his paintings. He said that painting was his way of passing on his stories to his children.

Check http://www.jtfolkart.com/ for paintings by both men.

Reigning Prince of Paper Mache

Jorge de Rojas is shown with his fabulous collection of paper mache figures, ornaments, masks, and rattles. Needless to say, here's a man who's batty for Halloween! Jorge was a driving force behind our Spirits on First event, and we're so glad that he was a part of this vision becoming a reality!

Check out a few of Jorge's figures that we have in our Current Show online: http://www.jtfolkart.com/currentshow.cfm

Visiting Artist

What a pleasure to have Jamie Moore visit all the way from WITCH-ita, Kansas (pardon the pun). With her man eating plants and her musical trinket box, she hosted a popular table at our debut Spirits on First.

Treasures Galore

Whenever Melissa Menzer unpacks the myriad boxes she has brought, we start smiling! You just can't help but grin when you behold her clever creations. She makes all her faces from clay and carefully paints each one with great detail. We love her collection of antique assemblages.

A Spirited Event

Our debut Spirits on First was greeted with overwhelming enthusiasm! We have been reveling in the afterglow for a few days, so pardon the delay in getting these photos up for you to see.

Pictured above is our very talented team of artists, staff, and volunteer. Left to right: Jamie (artist), Ginny (college intern), Melissa (artist), Jorge (artist), Jeanine (show producer), and Mary (gallery manager).

Spooky Portraits

It takes a village to put on a Halloween art show! That's what we're learning around here anyway. With an eerily fine sense of timing, we received a phone call recently from college student Ginny Martin whose studies focus on special events and art. What a great combination!

Ginny has been a lifesaver as we work through our to do lists and scurry to get everything in order for Saturday's show.

She's shown at our fireside mantel that's full of spooky portraits. With the help of a little hologram action, these images change from dour to dead with the flick of an eye. It's positively creepy!

Putting on the frosting

Last week was spent dressing up the "skeleton" that will serve as the backdrop for our artist's tables. Hanging moss,twinkle lights, tea-dyed cheesecloth, plus yards and yards of grapevine wreath are now hanging in all four corners of the gallery. Now it's time to add the final touches to our setting for the inaugural Spirits on First.

We even managed to hit the jackpot at our favorite bookstore down the street and found some suitably creepy music for the big day. It puts us right in the mood for witches and ghouls and things that go bump in the night!

I'd be here if I were you on October 10!

Build it and They Will Come

It takes a little elbow grease to make a Halloween art show spectacular! That's what we're up to behind the scenes these days, as we prepare our spooky setting for the Spirits on First Halloween art show.

A good backdrop includes sufficient lattice panels to drape glowing lights from and hang the moss (the de-bugged kind of course). And what Halloween arty party would be complete without spiderwebs?

Jeanine and Robin are having so much fun creating the "skeleton" that will serve as a backdrop for our visiting artists. We're counting down the days until October 10.

Tick Tock Tick Tock

Tick tock, the clock is ticking away and we're getting closer to our October 10 Spirits on First event.

Kansas artist Jamie Moore is busy preparing an array of polymer clay and paper clay items sure to amuse you. Her attention to detail is just amazing. You can tell this woman LOVES Halloween!

This is one of her clever handmade creations. It's a fully functioning clock, complete with a graveyard scene that lights up! Thanks to her handy husband, when you tilt one of the tombstones back, it turns the LED light on for a spooky glow.

You can keep up with Jamie's progress at her blog, http://creepycreations.blogspot.com/

If you're a fan of Halloween art, this show is not to be missed. Tell your friends and bring them along (only $5 admission). If you can't make it in person, visit us online at http://www.jtfolkart.com/currentshow.cfm

Event details: Saturday, October 10

10:00am - 4:00pm $5 entry

Dr. Frankenstein

Once we had our idea hatched for a Halloween art show, we knew it would take a special group of artists to make our debut a success. We didn't have to look far to find one of our favorite folk artists, Melissa Menzer. Check out more of Melissa's work on our website at http://jtfolkart.com/

Her Dr. Frankenstein sculpture pictured here is so typical of her unique style. Melissa uses bits and pieces of salvaged treasures to create her "antique assemblages."

For the October 10 debut of Spirits on First, Melissa will have a host of new Halloween art to share. More photos to come!

W is for Witch

Fear not, little tricksters, this Halloween show is sure to be a hit! We can't wait for folks to show up on Saturday, October 10 for Spirits on First in Historic Downtown Sanford, FL.

We have carefully selected a handful of talented artists to bring you the best in Halloween collectibles and unique treasures.

Jorge de Rojas, who works in paper mache with vintage trims and baubles, is a die hard Halloweenie just like us. For the last two years, Jorge has joined us in the gallery during October for a trunk show with his latest creations. The first year was a sell out!

Jorge is a stickler for details and you will marvel at the handiwork of his stand up sculptures and hanging rattles. We can't wait to watch him unpack this year's cast of characters - witches, ghouls, skeletons, cats, and pumpkins galore! Oh my!

A Spooky Idea is Born

Caution! Airports can be fertile places for the birth of new ideas. So I discovered when traveling last year with my business partner. While waiting for our flight, and during our journey, we hatched an idea that is just now coming to fruition - a Halloween Art Show!

Both of us are positively giddy when it comes to celebrating Halloween. It seems that this wacky holiday just brings out the kid in us. We still love a good case of the goosebumps, a wicked grin, or a cauldron boiling over with cackles.

If you're in the same club, you'll be thrilled to hear about our debut show, Spirits on First, a juried art show created for those with a passion for Halloween.

There are several well known shows of this genre, like the "Halloween and Vine" event that has been gathering faithful followers for over a decade. We're bringing the fun to East Coast fans to have their own version and start new traditions. We hope you'll join us!

More blog entries will keep you posted on our progress....stay tuned!