I am thrilled to announce that as of today, I am now an artist at ZaPow Gallery.  I am super excited about this.  ZaPow is definitely one of the coolest and most artist-friendly and artist-minded galleries I’ve ever had the pleasure to step foot in.  Thank you, Lauren Johnson (and husband Matt that I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet), for your creative genius in opening such a fun and welcoming place!

I was so excited in bringing my offerings in today… and not just fine art, but wearable art in the form of pendants and earrings and functional art in the form of cosmetic bags… that I totally forgot to take pictures to share.  And London, who will be a whopping four in a little over a month, was having way too much fun discovering all the treasures that ZaPow has to offer.  Thank goodness hubby was on hand to help me set up my space and wrangle London!

But not to worry, because I will have a chance on May 4th to snap some photos at ZaPow’s May the Fourth Be With You Star Wars Party! Is that a great name for a Star Wars party or what?!?! May 4th…May the force…Love it!

There are actually two parties, one for the kiddos from 3-5 complete with a costume contest, crafts, and hello…CUPCAKES!  London and I will be there with our dear friend, Shannon, for this par-tay!  Then, at 7, is the Big Kid (ahem…FREE beer, wine, costume contest with awesome prizes like tattoos and tickets to LaZoom Comedy Tours!!!) Party! Hello, funness! I hope we can make it to the big kid party, too!

Ahhh…

All I can say, is I really do like these ch-ch-changes (yeah, you know you’re singing it with me)!

What’s the difference? In the winter that seat is close enough to the radiator to remain warm, and yet not so close as to cause perspiration. In the summer, it’s directly in the path of a cross-breeze created by opening windows there and there. It faces the television at an angle that is neither direct, thus discouraging conversation, nor so far wide as to create a parallax distortion. I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point. -Sheldon Cooper, The Big Bang Theory

Several weeks ago, Tim W.  Jackson, web editor of The Laurel of Asheville, contacted me about doing an interview for the local arts and culture magazine’s website.  What an honor and how exciting!!!

I’ve religiously picked up a copy of The Laurel every month since we moved to Asheville in August.  If you’re ever in Asheville, be sure to pick up a copy. It’s a great and entertaining way to get a look into this awesome city that I currently call home!  I like to grab my copy at The Lucky Otter… yeah, ok, so I like to sometimes use “Just getting a copy of The Laurel, honey!”  to also get an order of The Otter’s delectable Calypso Tofu Tacos.  The Laurel and Lucky Otter… delish for your eyes and your tum tum. Ok, so I think I’m hungry.

Anyway, now that I’ve officially gotten sidetracked, back to the purpose of this post… to share with you the wonderfully written article by Tim! You can find the article on The Laurel’s website here.

It’s that time again! Another exhibition opening is just around the corner!

On Saturday, April 7th, my work (including a ton of never before seen pieces) will debut alongside several uber talented artists at Wicked Gallery  in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina.  I just dropped off the work yesterday, and got a sneak peek at some of the other insanely wonderful and whimsical works that will also be debuting to art lover’s eyes this Saturday, and I must say, if you happen to be in the Eastern North Carolina area this Saturday, do yourself a favor, drop what you are doing and come check out this show!

Want a little preview of the styles you’ll be seeing this weekend? Just click on the artist’s highlighted name and be instantly swept away to their wonderful, artsy interweb worlds: Brittny Roller, Gabriel Lehman (with a super, secret guest collaborator!), Wendy L. Barber and Shannon Stamey.

Oh, and looky here, even Wilmington’s Star News has a little blurb on the show! I’m getting excited…can’t wait…only two more days…deep breaths…deep breaths….

And if you should sadly miss this Saturday’s opening, you are in luck! The show is now running through late June!

 

 

Wow, it’s been a few days (weeks, months, who’s really counting, eh?) since my last little scribble on the haps.  I have been locked in a world of pain(t)…and paper and gel medium and watch parts and many, many other random and not so random art materials… as I have been gearing up for my upcoming show at The Junction here in the River Arts District in lovely Asheville.  I finally made it out of my studio today though, as I was in desperate need of an outfit to go with my sweet new vegan slouchy boots. So, with the help of my lovely and newly appointed Personal Shopper (and WNC PR Rep), Shannon, I found an awesome new outfit at Asheville’s wonderfully local and stylin’ (and wonderfully affordable) women’s boutique, Virtue.

Tanya and Charles Triber, owners of The Junction, host a Third Thursday Artist’s Reception every…well, you guessed it, third Thursday of the month.  Each third Thursday introduces a new artist, and the restaurant showcases their work for a month.  I am so honored that I get the chance to showcase my work for February’s Third Thursday!

The artist reception for my month long show at The Junction is  Thursday, February 16th beginning at 6:30 PM.  And if my art isn’t enough to get you out of the house, there will be free wine and some delicious apps whipped up by the spectacular chef at The Junction.  And while you’re there mingling and browsing the art, you might as well stay for dinner! We will be, so pull up a chair! And I highly recommend a Good Memory…a gourmet libation that will delight your taste buds!

Scrambling for those last LAST minute gifts?  I know I was this past weekend!

My wonderful friend, Andrea, flew in from Philly for my birthday last week (how awesome is she to fly all the way to Asheville to celebrate my 25th…ahem…birthday), and on Saturday we ventured to Downtown Asheville to meet our lovely friend, Tressa, for lunch at Early Girl (delightful Tempeh Reuben…side note: the Tempeh Reuben must be the Unofficial Sandwich of Asheville…I swear, you can get this delish dish just about anywhere! Dang…is it too late to call Valet Gourmet and get them to deliver one from Rosetta’s right now??? Ok, FOCUS, FOCUS!!!).  After lunch, of course I had to show off my work at Atelier!  Shhh!  There was an ulterior motive other then showing off my work… I needed a gift for my mom!  I mean, come on…. You can only paint your mom so many paintings after first grade, right?!  HA!

Ok…about the gift… I can’t tell you what it was, just in case my mom booted up her computer… but it was an awesome little something something by Paige Smith-Duft… go check out her work at Atelier if you’re in the area!  Ok, I’ll give you a hint…CARDINAL!  Too sweet!

Now there is less then a week left until Christmas.  Let the scrambling begin!

Ok, I’ll help you out a bit with your scramble.  Well, I guess I only really give you a hand if you happen to be within driving distance of the aforementioned Atelier in Asheville (or there is one in Charleston, SC with another slew of wonderfully talented artists), or the spunky little boutique Joie de Vivre in Morehead City, NC or the lovely Artful Living Group talent-wonderland in Carolina Beach, North Carolina.  Ok, so this is only partial shameless self promotion, as there are TONS of other wonderful, local, talented folks at these establishments.

And of course, if you don’t need the gift definitely and for certainly BEFORE Christmas, you can always visit my Etsy page and check out what I have going on in there!  Wink, wink.

 

Ok…enough about me.  Hope you all have a wonderful Festivus! Happy Holidays! Happy New Year!!!  Hope to see you all in 2012!!!

 

xoxo

Allie

Tis’ the season for…. free stuff!

I’m hosting a giveaway on my Facebook page from now until December 21st where a lucky winner will receive five of my mini art prints…winner’s choice! And as an added bonus, if you share the giveaway, and the winner happens to be someone which followed your share link to enter, you’ll win 5 mini art prints, too!  So be sure to enter here!

And, while we’re talking about FREE STUFF, there is another AWESOME giveaway you need to check out.  This one is being hosted by Brienna Pruce over at the Art School Grad Blog.  By following the ASG Blog and commenting, you are entered for a chance to win The Creature!

A little background on The Creature…

Brienna and I brainstormed together a trans-Atlantic collaboration project that involved four additional artists from Europe and the US.  Be sure to check out these fabulous artists that made the Creature the fun creative process that it was!

Brienna Pruce

Cindy Martin

 Louise van Terheijden

Suzy Brown

Yvonne Stewart

And here is my contribution to the Creature…

 

 

A quick update and some pictures to share from The Last Minute Art Show held this past weekend in Wilmington, North Carolina.  I have to say, my first arts and crafts type show was a success! I had a ton of help from my dear friend, Michelle.  Without her, I don’t think I could have pulled it off! And I made a few great connections in the Wilmington area, and can’t wait to share that news with you.  But, I’m going to make you wait for that one!  So, for now, I leave you with a couple of shots from TLMAS and a promise that I will be posting again soon with some exciting news and updating my gallery, which is LONG overdue!

 

 

Wow, MIA through the entire month of November!?!?

Well, I have a good reason for that… I’ve been working super hard! And then I took a break for Tofurky Day! Then I worked some more.

So, for a quick update…

You can now find my paintings in Downtown Asheville at the lovely Atelier Gallery.  So, if you’re in the area, go and check them out!

I am literally about to head out the door right now to participate in the The Last Minute Art Show in Wilmington, North Carolina. The artsy fun starts tomorrow at 9am at 1108 Princess St. Come and see me! I’ll have lots of prints (including lots of the work on this site, as well as some newbies making their debut), tons of wearable art (from necklaces to hair barrettes), canvas totes, greeting cards, pillows, bird ornaments, and more! The show runs until 6pm, so you have plenty of shopping time to check out all of the (over 50!!!) local NC artists!  And if you miss the show, be sure to check out my Etsy site in the next few weeks for some new items.

And one last bit of fun news.  I was going to wait on sharing this until the time got a little closer, but what the hay! On February 16th, I’m having an opening reception for my month long showing at The Junction located in Asheville’s River Arts District. Don’t worry, more details to follow! If you’d like me to send you an reminder postcard closer to the date, just drop me an email with the subject “Junction Show” and your address.

Well, after yesterday’s nearly 7 hour drive from mountains to coast, I have to bid you farewell, for I have another two hours drive to Wilmington to set up for The Last Minute Art Show. Thank goodness I have the help of my dear friend, Michelle, to set up and help me run the booth tomorrow!

 

Let’s catch up!  Grab your coffee/tea/beverage of choice, and curl up around the old computer screen.

Seen the Gallery page lately? It’s changed a bit. You can now order prints (paper and canvas…metal and other options coming soon), greeting cards, and e-cards right from my website from Fotomoto.  You need another reason why this will rock your socks off?  Previously unavailable illustrations and paintings are now available in print!  Of course, there is and will continue to be a great selection that you won’t find elsewhere, in my Etsy shop.

Speaking of greeting cards, I have some that will soon be offered solely in my Etsy shop next week.  Here’s a sneak peek…

I’m also working on some new holiday designs that will hopefully be available in the coming weeks!  The greeting cards (including envelopes) will retail at $3.50/ each.

Also in the works… more Lolee Bird Ornaments and some other little special woodland friends!  Last night, as I finished up another bird ornament, I couldn’t get this cute little fox sculpture I had in mind out of my head.  So, instead of making a dozen birds last night, I ventured deeper into the forest.  I must say that I am pleasantly pleased with the outcome of my little foxy friend, a scarf sporting owl, a whimsical holiday tree, and even another style of bird.  Here’s  a peek at the sculptures as I wait patiently for them to dry before I get to slather on the paint!

And creatures!  I did mention something about creatures. Well, creature, singular rather.  I don’t know if you recall the art creature creation, as it has been eons since I posted about it, but over the summer, me and some fellow artist friends started a trans-continental collaboration that began in England, ventured to Scotland, made it’s way around the Netherlands, journeyed to Oregon, then land at my doorstep in Savannah.  Well, due to our impromptu move and the craziness that pursued, the creature finally was unpacked and finished in my new studio in Asheville.

Though I REALLY am dying to share my contribution to the project, and especially the entire project as whole, since it looks so neat, I am not at liberty at this time to do so.  But in the meantime, do check out the Art School Grad Blog, where you can see the talented artists’ contributions and read their bios.  I’m hoping to do a little Meet the Creature Artists Artist du Jour interview style in the next few weeks.

But in the meantime, be sure to check out: Brienna Pruce, Yvonne Stewart, Louise van Terheijden, Suzy Brown, and Cindy Martin!

Ok, since I teased you with the creature, I’ll share with you my studio!  Mind, it is still in progress, but at least it is a workable space no longer piled high with boxes of random stuff!  And actually, it is a bit more together since these photos, I’m just being lazy and haven’t taken any new shots, but you get the gist!

 

 

And the hubs was nice enough to locate this bookshelf at a yard sale, slap on a few coats of spray paint, and then some lovely little stencils.  It’s now in my studio, but like I said, lazy today.

 

Oh, and another exciting tidbit!  Just had the Young Maya illustration printed on canvas, which you can find here.  It’s pretty neat to see my illustration on canvas!  Also, I have some new prints of the illustration on Somerset Velvet paper, which will be available soon in my Etsy shop.

Well, folks, that’s all I have to share for them moment.  And I’m feeling it’s time to break fast, as my tummy is a rumbling.  But now worries, I’ll be posting again a lot sooner then later.   I can’t wait to share with you the new woodland friends sculptures once completed!

Ok, so I know that I’ve been MIA for over a month now, and that you all have been very worried and concerned.  But no need to fear or lose sleep any longer… I am here!

The past weeks have involved packing up our entire house in Savannah and relocating to the picturesque city of Asheville, North Carolina.  Finally, I’m back in my home state of NC, though I’m no longer a Coastal Girl… though, I still drive like one! My apologies, fellow Asheville drivers… I’m the one going negative 12 up those curvy mountain roads that you keep bestowing those frustrated hand gestures upon.

And now set before me is the seemingly unending task of unpacking a trillion boxes.  Ugh.

However, when it is all said and done, I’ll finally have my own studio space… no more dining room converted into a studio/office for this gal! I look forward to sharing pics of my new space as soon as the procrastination period ends.  And in addition, I hope to have some new pics to share of the Creature Collaboration, once the studio is unpacked and I can bring it to the finish!

But for now, have a peek at our back deck…