Day of the Dead

Today I was at Crossings at Carnegie,  a wonderful little art center in Zumbrota where I sell some of my paintings, and as I was leaving I caught these two figures out of the corner of my eye.  I just love them and had to purchase them--fortunately I had just sold a couple paintings so could sort of justify spending some money.

The figures are ceramic, red earthenware, and fairly large - about 2 1/2 feet tall.  They are very heavy.  Their heads are on long nails inserted into the top of the necks, so the heads can swivel. I am sure they must have been created in Mexico. So much personality --they  give me much delight.

This pair will be perfect to preside over our upcoming Day of the Dead feast! 

Fine Art Action Figure!

This morning's thrift store find was a   "Fine Arts Action Figure" --is that an oxymoron?  I was so tickled--artists are not usually portrayed in toys and collectibles!

This action figure is Vincent Van Gogh - still enclosed in the original, very yellowed packaging.  He comes equipped with an easel, his work-in-progress, paints, brush and palette. I examined him closely but both of his ears are intact --seems like he would have been significantly more authentic with just one ear. Plus, he might have appealed to G.I.Joe-loving boys more.

I did an Internet search to see what other artists are immortalized as action figures--I would love a crevice-faced Georgia O'Keefe or exotic Frida Kahlo figure, but no, I could not find evidence that any other artist action figures exist, not even Picasso or Savador Dali.  Too bad this idea did not take off--these artists would all make awesome action figures!  

Whistling Barefoot Boy with Apples

While  scouting cool stuff for my farm store, I found this classic vintage framed photo of a boy in overalls with a basket of apples. His lips are pursed - I guess he is whistling. It looks to me like a hand-colored  photograph.  In tiny white letters on the bottom left it says "Copyright 1901, Campbell Art Co, Elizabethtown NJ.  In the right-hand corner  it says 276, G.W. Wacce, Phila.  Perhaps Wacce is the photographer.

In an Internet search  I found a site devoted to the Campbell Art Co, and have sent them an inquiry; I'd love to know more about this image.

Enamored by Enamel

Sometimes my eye is magnetically drawn to some object at the thrift store and I know it is a great find, not just my quirky aesthetic, and I cannot fathom why somebody else hasn't already snatched it up. Like this large plate.

It is enameled copper, signed by the artist. The airbrushed, kaleidoscopic flower design says 70's to me, but then I grew up in a town where the 60's didn't probably arrive until the 70's.

I made out the first name of the signature as Miguel, and after a web search, found a Mexican enamel artist named Miguel Angel Pineda. Yes! The signatures matched! And one of the enamel bowls pictured in this article has the same stenciled design. Pineda is a Mexican artist who fostered the art of enameling in Mexico, has created many well-known religious works (including 36 enamel doors for the famous Shrine of the Virgin of Guadelupe in Mexico City that took him 3 years to create) and has exhibited all over the world. What a treasure I found!

Peaceful Pagoda

Today's sweet thrift store find was a Chinese artwork,a peaceful pagoda scene carved in intricate dimensional detail from cork. It is 9 inches by 21 inches. The deep beveled mat is wrapped in silk. I did a bit of web research and now think this piece is from the early 1900's. It is in amazingly good shape, with just a few small crumbs of cork that have broken off. This crummy photo with reflections on the glass does not do it justice.

In this close-up you can see the detailed carving and the background painting in blue ink.

Valentine Cat

Just in time for Valentines Day, I found this whimsical wooden cat decoration at Goodwill. When you pull on the string, hearts and a kitten pop up from behind. It was handmade; it is signed on the back and dated 1983, but I haven't been able to find any information about the artist.

Brass Creamer & Sugarbowl

I'm trying to think if I know anybody else who ever uses a creamer and sugar bowl...can't think of anyone. But I bet if they had a pretty brass set like this, they would. What is it that makes art nouveau design so appealing? This set practically screamed from the shelf that it was far too elegant and special to be at the thrift store.

Fairy Flower Vase

Someday I am intending to create a tiny hidden fairy garden in the woods, so I always keep my eye out for inspiration. Last weekend I found this little 3 1/2-inch tall fairy vase at Goodwill. The porcelain vase is quite heavy and rather innocent; it seems like somebody's lovingly handmade creation. I especially like that the vase is a robin's egg. This vase would be perfect for a bouquet of lily-of-the-valley.

Cat's Meow Canisters

The daughters are home for the holidays and yesterday, while most of the world was shopping for after Xmas deals at the mall, we went to thrift stores. Both girls found some great items to update their wardrobes (hmmm, can it be called "updating" if the things are old?) Sara also scored with this groovy metal canister set. She plans to store colored pencils, markers and other art supplies in them rather than flour, sugar, coffee and tea.

Riddle of the Sphinx

This little carved granite cat head is a bit smaller than a baseball. It has a sort of sphinx-like Egyptian character, I think, but it's another mysterious Goodwill treasure of unknown origin.

Fishface

Found this whimsical, dreamlike ceramic mask at a consignment store the other night while waiting for Rog to get off work. It is signed "Sara Morris, 1987." I did a Google search and found a ceramic artist who does lovely animal-themed work in clay, named Sara Morris Swetcharnik. I sent her this photo and asked if it was one of her older pieces, but no. Still a mystery.

S & P

These funny salt and pepper shakers remind me of the two pigs Sara raised last summer, Freckles and Destroyer. They are unusually big for salt and pepper shakers- each about the size of a softball. Another great Goodwill find!

Duck Pitcher

Every now and then my ceramic fruit and vegetable pitcher collection expands to include a critter. I was so delighted to find this vintage duck pitcher at Savers for 99 cents! The beak has been mended but the pitcher is very old, I think, and otherwise in good shape.

Dried Flower DooDad

Last week I was paging through a bird identification book I purchased at the Salvation Army Thrift Store and I came upon this dried flower art that the previous owner must have tucked in as a bookmark.

It is a die-cut metallic scrap with dried flowers carefully arranged inside each circle, sealed within wax paper. The entire piece is about 6 inches in diameter. It reminded me of a favorite project back in grade-school, when we sealed autumn leaves and crayon shavings between wax paper with a hot iron.

Arcosanti Artifact

When I was in Arizona a few days ago, I hoped to visit the desert town of Arcosanti, but there just wasn't enough time.

Arcosanti is possibly the first city designed around the concept of sustainability. It is the life work of visionary architect Paolo Soleri. The city is entirely hand-built (it won't be completed in our lifetime) by volunteers and funded by donations and by the sale of cast bronze bells, designed by Soleri.
When I got home my Aunt Barb called. Barb has visited Arcosanti several times and met Paolo Soleri. I told her I was disappointed not to make it there and we talked about Soleri's idea that the city should face outward to the farms that sustained it.

So, it seemed especially serendipitous that the very next morning when I made a quick stop at Savers, I found this Arcosanti bell! What are the chances of that? The bell has a piercingly beautiful, clear tone. I hung it from the windmill tower, together with the Arcosanti bell Aunt Barb gave me many years ago and the more elaborate one Sara and Rog brought home after their father-daughter backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon when she was fourteen.

That's two unusual bells in a row (see previous post)...Coincidence?

A Good Reason to Get a Water Buffalo

Yesterday I found the coolest bell at Goodwill! Well, I guess you call it a bell, despite the fact that it is hand-carved from wood and makes more of a clattering than a ringing sound. It has two hinged external clappers.

It looked sort of southeast Asian to me, but I could envision it worn by one of my hoped-for Icelandic sheep. It would also make a terrific percussion instrument for the musicians in the family.

I searched the internet last night trying to learn its origin. I only found two references to a similar bell: one was an image of a cow in Thailand wearing a bell much like this, and the other was a description of a wooden bell with two exernal clappers used on water buffalo. Hmmm...water buffalo might be good on a small sustainable farm...

Tea for Five

When I was a growing up, cafes always served your hot water in little ceramic teapots when you ordered tea. Way back in my college days I purchased a maroon and a dark green teapot at a garage sale. Over the years I stumbled upon a few more. I love the vintage colors of these darling teapots and they fit perfectly on the plate shelf that runs around the dining room.

Grandma's Bread Bowl

This well-worn bowl is one of the most important cooking tools in our kitchen. It belonged to my Grandma W.(she got it as a wedding gift, I believe) and is the bowl I remember her using to mix up dough for cookies, dilly bread, and especially, caramel rolls.

The caramel roll recipe came from Grandma's friend Maxine. They often enjoyed hot caramel rolls and coffee together over fierce scrabble games. When I visited the farm as a youngster, I sometimes got to play scrabble with Grandma and Maxine and even drink coffee with my caramel roll, although my mine was mostly milk.

When Grandma moved to Oregon to live with my aunt in her last years, my sister Rita moved into her house for a while. Making room in the cupboards, Rita thoughtfully gave me the bowl, saying I was probably the only granddaughter who would actually ever bake bread. We were of college age--I needed cooking gear and neither of us realized then the sentimental value that bowl would have.

My daughters grew up helping me bake bread and cookies using Grandma's bowl. When they grew to college age, both of them requested Grandma's bread bowl. I wasn't even ready to part with it yet! Happily, I had just figured out EBay, and I put out a watch out for a "large Household Institute mixing bowl, Rhythm Rose pattern." Through Ebay I purchased the same bowl, although in much more pristine condition, so we could all have a mixing bowl like Grandma's.

Grandma & Maxine's Caramel Rolls for Scrabble

Dissolve: 1 package yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.
Scald: 1 cup of milk in a small pan. Pour into large mixing bowl.
Add to the milk: 2 T. sugar, 2 T. shortening, 1 tsp. salt.
Cool.
Add 1 beaten egg and the softened yeast. Beat well and add 1 cup of flour. Add 2 1/2 cups more flour, as needed to make a soft dough. Knead.
Cover and let rise in warm place to double in size. Roll outinto 9 x 12 rectangle and dot with butter, sprinkle cinnamom and sugar. Roll up and slice.

Melt 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup borwn sugar in a 9 x 12 baking pan. Place rolls in pan. Raise to lightness.
Bake 20-25 minutes in 375 degree oven. Invert on rack when done. Very tasty with hot coffee and friends to share with.

Bluebirds of Happiness

I am learning that eventually, if you are patient enough, perseverent and observant enough, what you desire will show up. These birds symbolize that in a silly, tangible way.

A few years ago we attended my sister's wedding in Tucson. One morning we took her dog for a walk in her neighborhood and stopped at a garage sale, where I bought a simple blue ceramic bird for 50 cents. He made it safely home wrapped in clothes in my suitcase and found the perfect perch on my backyard garden fence post. I even stained the fence his shade of blue. He was so lovely there, I wished I had a second bird, one for each of the main fence posts.

Then one day, several months later, the identical bird appeared at a thrift store in Rochester! I had to pay $3 for the second bird, but it was definitely worth it. I can hardly wait for spring - there are plenty of fence posts at our farm for these birds to perch upon.

Valentine

When I stopped in Savers this morning (looking for an inexpensive solution for a hanging pot rack - see future post) I found this heart-shaped hotwater bottle. Since it happens to be Valentines Day today, I had to get it for my sweetie--who is much hotter than any hot water bottle!