Crossroads

Pink Lily

8x10 glitter

Day Lily

8x10 Mod Podge Collage

Moon Lily

8x10

Lily of the Valley

8x10 Mod Podge Collage

Star Gazer Lily

8x10

Counting Sheep

8x10

Nymphs and Satyrs

Ahh Spring has sprung ! The woods are full of Nymphs ( at least one anyway , me) and Satyrs. These 2 tiles are approximately 15inches by 15 inches. They are created in a white clay . I sketch out my design on paper then sketch it into the clay with a needle tool being careful not to go to deep into the clay . I then go in from the back of the tile and push out in the places I want dimensions until I get the effect I want. These tiles have been painted with underglaze watercolors then fired and a clear glaze added and refired again. This is the first time I have used the watercolors. I think I like the watercolors. I also like the fantasy !

This is my Picasso Piece I did for the Painters and Sculptors Show in tryon NC. The show runs from Jan 17th - February .
April 1st Bonnie Bardos and me will be having an art show along with great wine tasting in Saluda NC at the Saluda Inn . It will be held in Wine Cellar. I will post more about this as time gets closer,

The Upstairs ARTspace Show

I would like to thank everyone who came out last night and supported your local artists by buying original one of a kind "Made in the USA" ART ! The turn out was great ! The show runs thru December 24th in Tryon NC. So think about doing your Christmas shopping at the Upstairs. There are over 50 artists in this show.

Upstairs ARTspace Show Novemeber 14th

I can't believe it has been over a month since I last wrote on my Blog.

I am going to be at the Upsatirs ARTspace on November 14th from 5pm til 7pm in Tryon NC . The Upsairs is beside the movie theatre. I will be doing the Christmas Show with 50 other artists so there will be something for everyone's Christmas shopping List. Above is 2 of most recent Birdhouses. The top one is called "Rather Be Dead. Than Red on the Head" As you can see the little birdie fell over during the firing and since the head is red .. well you get the picture haha The 2nd one is "Mixing with Martha" . She is done in that gorgeous candy apple red also. She too is a birdhouse , inviting the birds to fly into her mixing bowl. These are just 2 of my newest pieces. Come on out to the Upstairs ARTspace to see more.

First let me say I have been giving out the wrong time for my Greer exhibit. It will be this Saturday October 10th from 11am until 4pm. NOT 5;30 like I had previously thought. I hope to see you all out there enjoying the wine and the art of many artists .

Above is my little Collection of witches unfinished. They will come out of the kiln today and I will glaze them witchy colors.

Saturday evening I will be exhibiting in Greer SC. It is the Art and Wine Walk . It starts at 11am til 4 pm. I will be at Cafe Mundo . COme out and see me. I have lots of new things I have been working on. Above is just one I been working on . She isnt finished yet but will be by Saturday. It is my version of "Bird Girl" .

Upcoming Exhibit

I have an exhibit On Ocotber 10th in Greer SC. It is part of the Art and Wine walk . I will be set up in Mundo Cafe on Trade Street in the window. The wine walk begins at 11am until 4pm. Come and see my new things I have been working on.
Above is my Tony Birdbath .

"Come into my parlor" said the Spider to the Fly.

I love Spiders. This one lives just right outside my front door. She only puts her web up at night. Aint she gorgeous ! ?
Septemeber 26th Abbeville will have its Art Festival along with the Antique festival. I plan on being at Trinity Street Market and Gallery all day . At 2pm I begin pouring wine for those of you with a Wine Walk Ticket. So come on out and spend the day in Abbeville and stroll the shops while you sip wine.

This picture was taken July 4th while I was waiting on the fireworks to begin. Today is August 7th. Where does the time go?
Tonight I am pitfiring 3 pieces of art . All 3 porcelain. All 3 wrapped with a copper scrubber. Tomorrow evening it will be cooled down enough to see what i have.
I am firing in the firepit that Tony dug for me before he died. He would dig a few shovel fulls every afternoon when he got home from work. Today is the first time I have fired it. I put a little charcoal in the bottom and then put a couple of boxes down and put my pieces in with paper and boxes and everything burnable. Then i piled on top of that small kindling wood I gathered in the woods . Limbs have fallen everywhere and so I can gather up wood quickly . It is the great thing about living in the woods. After I have piled it into a pretty high bon fire I light it and let it burn. I add bigger logs and limbs as it burns hotter.I keep it burning as hot as I can for about 45 minutes and then let it burn out . It will take all day tomorrow to cool down enough to pull my pieces out . Maybe by then I will have found my extra batteries for my camera.

Friend's Tile Finshed

Here is my friend's tile finished . I think it turned out pretty good.
Don't forget about my Opening Sunday August 2nd. In Tryon NC at the Fine Arts center in Tryon NC from 5-7 !!!

The Lonely Cry of the Loon

I had the date wrong for my upcoming show. It is August 2nd THIS Sunday at Tryon Fine Arts Center in Tryon NC from 5-7pm. Come out and see me. There will be 2 other Art Shows also in the same building so come on out for an evening of Fine Art !

Custom Tiles

This is a tile I just finished for a friend. He had to tear out some tiles in his bathroom and couldnt find matching tiles to go back in their place. So we came up with this solution. It has not been fired yet , or glazed. I will fire it later and post it when it has been glazed. So remember if you have broken tiles or have tiles that need to be replaced I can create a tile of any style and design and any size. ........
By the way the Gallery deal fell thru and so I will be partnering with Kristin of Trinity Street Market and Gallery in Abbeville . I am going to set up a studio inside the gallery and if you are interested in taking classes to design your own tiles or dinnerware or anything drop by and let me know.

Lake Loon Gallery

This is the future home of Lake Loon Gallery !It is going to be located on Main Street Abbeville on the Square ! I sign the contract Tuesday ! Then August 1st it is mine. How exciting ! I have so much going on in the next few weeks ! I have invited a few of my artist friends to put there work in my new gallery. Bonnie Bardos and Sherry Dinkins so far have said yes !!! In case you dont know these are 2 of my favorite artist of all times. Bonnie with her beautiful paintings and Sherry with her unique one of a kind birdhouses. I have several other artist I will announce soon. I am also going to set up a part of my studio inside the gallery and I will be offering classes and workshops in the Fall. So now I have 3 art projects going in the next 3 weeks. Bonnie Bardos has invited me to put some of my art at her house for Open Studio July 25th and 26th and I have an Opening Reception in Tryon on August 9th and I will be announcing the Opening of Lake Loon Gallery soon so make sure you check back for that ! I know Tony is smiling down on me saying " I knew You could do it Baby" . Life is Good !

Speckled Hen

I tried something new on my latest hen. What do you think? It is first bisq fired and then painted with a black underglaze and then painted a crackle glaze over top and refired it again. It is for a friend's 50th Birthday gift. I hope she likes it. ........

The Blues

Here a few of my new pieces that just came out of the kiln. I was in a blue kinda mood when I glazed them. I have the blue dog the blue birds the fairy with the blue flower the blue birdbath . It is a wonderful cloudy day today. My favorite and temps are only suppose to be in mid 80's. Ahh could condition be any better for working outside on the deck creating new pieces of ART? I don't think so . Especially in July. I have 2 commissioned pieces of art to create or start today. Things are looking to the positive again. Of course I try to always remain positive even in the worse of times. Otherwise how would I get through them? ......... July 25th and July 26th Bonnie Bardo's is having here Open Studio Tour at her home/studio in Saluda and she has graciously invited me to put a few pieces of my ART at her house during this time . Bonnie has been working none stop painting and will have many new beautiful paintings for purchase. I am excited and looking forward to seeing Bonnie's new work. She is my favorite Artist ! ...... August 9th from 5-7 I will be having an Opening in Tyron at The Fine Arts Center . The Opening Reception will be held in THe Mural Room. Where you can see all that I have been working on. Everyone is invited.

Blue is my heart , today

Today I am the color blue . Everything I have glazed or painted to be fired in the kiln later on this evening is blue. Blue was Tony's favorite color most of all. He would like everything I glazed today. Even my kitties and my dogs will be glazed blue. ........ The picture you see above is of the Christmas lima's I planted back in early spring over the arbor. The lima's are our favorites and they are excellent runners so I thought how cool to plant our favorite beans on the deck over the little arbor. It is amazing how much they have grown in just a few weeks. They have little baby lima beans already. Tony would have loved it...... The tile you see in the back ground I made for the artist co-op days of Your Arts Desire. Great group of artist that group . Oh yeah !!!

Meow

My unfinished birdbath . It still needs to be fired and glazed.

Wildflowers

Today Lily and I went to Latimer Boat dock . What a beautiful afternoon it was. We saw an Eagle and lots of wildflowers . Tony and I used to go wildflower picking together. We would stop along side of the roads or woods or wherever we saw wildflowers growing and pick bouquets and bring them home and put them in vases to brighten up the house. Sometimes he would come home with a little bouquet of wildflowers for me. Always when we went camping together he would bring me back little bouquets from his hikes .Lily and me went for a very long walk along the lake shore. There were lots of folks out still having a great time together in their boats. Taking an advantage of the last afternoon's light . It is hard to believe that 5 weeks ago when Tony and I went there together it would be our last time there together. I can not believe it has been 5 weeks. How ones life can change so quickly is dumbfounding. On the way home Lily and I stopped down the road and picked tiny little blueberries. It was another of Tony;s favorite things to do. If he was here we would have those fresh wild blueberries in pancakes for breakfast tomorrow morning. Wild blueberry pancakes won't be the same without Tony eagerly awaiting them for breakfast with his coffee. I am glad I knew and loved Tony Seagroves in my life. He was a man worth knowing and loving. I was so lucky. I am glad I knew that while he was still here for me to tell him how lucky I was. Always make sure you take the time to tell the one you hold so dearly how much they mean to you. You never know when they will be gone.

The Beauty of the Weed

After spending the last 20 Memorial Day Weekends with Tony Seagroves I was at such a loss to find my self spending number 21 alone. Tony and I hadn't even made our this years Memorial Day plans . It was a nice cool drizzly day Saturday so Lily and I loaded up and went in search of a secluded lake spot where we could stroll along the lake and think of Tony. Everywhere we went the lake docks and parks were full . So we ended up just riding the back country roads that wind along the South Carolina side of the lake and then over into Hartwell Georgia and south along the lake there until we crossed back over the lake and came out in Iva SC . We drove to all the cool places Tony and me always drove to on the weekends......... I stopped and took this picture above of a Thistle . What a beautiful flower and plant and yet we are taght it is a weed and unwanted in our yards. I love the thisltles . Whether it is the beautiful purple or the small yellow ones. .....Today which is Monday Memorial Day Lily and I went to the lake at Latimer where we last went with Tony . Where I had taken the canoe picture 3 weesks earlier. Lily and I walked along the lakeshore. I could picture Tony paddling across the cove and smiling. I could feel his Spitit , his happiness and his connection to the lake there today. Tony was such a nature boy...... I miss him so much. ....... I would like to Thank all the Veterans and Soldiers who have unselfishly served their country above and beyond the call of duty. Happy Memorial Day

The Saddest News Ever

My extremely loving and supportive husband passed away from this world on May 6th . We have been together since February 6th 1988. Our 19 th Anniversary will be June 1st. I loved him so much and life is going to be forever changed. Tony was the most kindest gentlest and loving soul that I have ever known. The world has truly lost one of their best . He was loved by so many . A Celebration Of Life will held for him on May 17th at 2pm at Jetton Park in Charlotte at the Waterfront Hall at Lake Norman. The picture above was taken just 5 days earlier. Him and I and Lily went to the Lattimer PArk in Calhoun Falls and he fished and Lily and I walked along the shore of the lake . He told me he had a very enjoyable day . After all he was doing what he loved to do best. Fish and canoe. He alway said" There are No Bad Days Fishing"I will forever remember this day and the big smile that was on his face as he paddled around the dead trees fishing and canoeing righ up to the Osprey nest you see in the back ground. Tony enjoyed nature and animals and the woods and the lake. Tony was Love himself.

The Augusta Trading Street Company Art Show

I am going to be a part of The Augusta Street Trading Company Art Show May 8th,9th and 10th at The Augusta Street Trading Company located at 109 Augusta St. West End Greenville S.C. It is an Art Show made up of local artist. Friday night will be "Meet The Artist" night from 7pm until 9pm . The reception will be Sunday from 3pm to 6pm with live music. I will be there Friday night and Sunday evening so come out and hang out with me and enjoy some great art and meet the other artists in the show. I look forward to seeing you Friday and Sunday ....
The picture above is my painting of Luna . One night I had insomnia and I was very restless. I couldn't sleep so I got up. When I came downstairs I found the most beautiful Luna Moth resting on the inside of my window. I got out my paints and painted all night. You find the most unusually beautiful things in the middle of the night when you live out in the woods. You also hear the nightbirds sing all night. Mysterious and beautiful songs.

Saturday Afternoon on Trinity Street

Today i am going to be sitting Trinity Street Market and Gallery on Trinity Street in Abbeville from 1;30pm until 5pm. So that means I will be out front on the sidewalk doing demonstrations and constructing projects. Last week I made a birdhouse . (I fired it too fast yesterday It went KABOOM in the kiln.what a mess) This week maybe some garden chickens . If You come by and say you read this here on my blogger i will give you a piece of clay and let you make your own garden chicken .I will fire it and you can glaze it in the color of your choice. You never know; it could be your new best hobby !!! Shown above is Yellow Cat Toad House . Another fun project. I am planning on doing a 1 day workshop on May 23rd . Constructing Your own Toad House. If you are interested stop in and see me at the Trinity Street Market and Gallery or contact me here. While you are in town check out the other galleries. There are several. Sit down on the front porch of the Ice Cream Parlor there on Trinity Street and enjoy a cold treat on a hot day. I will be sitting right across the street working on chickens ............

Bonnie and Pooh

This is my latest sculpture . It was a gift to my very dear friend Bonnie Bardos who is also an artist. (You can visit her blogspot by clicking onto her bohemian artist blogshot to the right of my page) In her arms is her sweet and wonderful Pooh .
Yesterday I met my friends Sherry Dinkins and Pat Hildebran in Saluda NC . It is a beautiful little monutain town just off I-26. We had lunch at the Purple Onion which is always , to me the greatest place up there to eat whether it is lunch or dinner it is hard to beat the Purple Onion. They have desserts that are just too hard to resist. I suggest one of their wondeful salads with the roasted freerange chicken added. Then you dont feel so guilty for having one of their dessert creations. YUM ! I always choose there flourless chocolate decadence (might be spelled wrong) with raspberry sauce. The atmosphere is always great . On the walls you will find local artists work hanging that are available for purchase. See if you can spot a pieece or two by artist Bonnie Bardos. I bet you can!
After we ate we visited The Brass Latch and The Garden Cottage down by the bakery in Nostalgia Courtyard. I love that place too. It has a beautiful little courtyard full of garden accessories and beautiful pots of flowers and the shops are brimming over with special little "gotta have's" everywhere.
After shopping the shops and splurging on ourselves we went and visited with Bonnie and Pooh at their beautiful studio house. Visiting Bonnie's place is always a special treat. Art in every room. Our friend Linda Kay dropped in while we were there and so the 5 of us beautiful Diva's sat out on Bonnie's garden deck and had a wonderful visit. I LOVE my FRIENDS !
My friend Sherry gave me a $50 gift certificate for High Water Clays in Asheville so real soon I will be going on an Asheville trip. I can buy about 150 pounds of clay for $50! Just in time to begin my work for my upcoming August Show.
Life Is Good ! .............. For more photos of our day in Saluda and the "Bonnie and Pooh" picture go to The world of Pity Pat blogspot to the right.