31.1.11

The Golden Rabbit of Ambition
Brian Bush

Brian created his artwork using recycled cardboard, plywood, paper and glue, acrylic automotive paint. He says that "2011 is the year of the metal rabbit. Metal rabbits are known to be resourceful and ambitious. It is my hope that the "Golden Rabbit of Ambition" brings great fortune to those driven to success in the New Year."

Brian is a New Orleans artist who specializes in paper mache' sculpture. After picking up "pinata making" as a childhood hobby, he worked for several  Crescent City float builders. he now creates home decor and focuses on special projects for businesses, as well as promotions and events. His creations reflect one native's consistent fascination with New Orleans carnival, cultural and musical traditions. he crafts sculpture, walking heads/puppets, flowers and just about anything from paper mache, cardboard, wire and other assorted and recycled materials.

Brian's work may be seen and purchased at The Arts Market at Palmer Park in New Orleans (last Saturday of every month), Welty's Deli in New Orleans' CBD District, and at gallery 220 in Bay St. Louis. For more information about Brian's art, log on to these sites on the world wide web: www.mardigrasmayhem.com and  www.facebook.com/carnivalsculpture. To contact the artist directly, email him at carnivalsculpture@gmail.com, or call 504.723.4414.

17.1.11

Chair by Scott Blackwell
Dia de Los Muertes Remembrance Chair
by Laurianne Manchester & Dixie Boyd.

In Mexico Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 2nd each year. Contrary to the name the day
is meant as a celebration of the lives of those loved ones that have passed. It is a day of festivities,
parades, altars, and food. This chair has a place for a photo on the front where you can put a picture of
the loved one (human or animal) that you want to celebrate. The chair itself is festive with color and
pictures. There are silver Milagros attached which signify “miracles”. This chair is meant to be a part ofyour home that symbolizes the memories of departed loved ones.

Laurianne Manchester and Dixie Boyd collaborated on this special chair. Laurianne is the owner of
Fiesta, a little store in the Bay that celebrates Mexican indigenous arts and crafts. She lives part time in
the beautiful artist town of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Laurianne also has the honor of being the
daughter of the director of the Food Pantry, Frank Manchester.

Dixie Boyd is a long time Coast resident with an education in art and architecture. Her background
includes painting, design and pottery construction.
Chair by Janet Densmore

10.1.11

Koi
Amy G. Kramer

My chair sat in the shed collecting dust over the holidays until I had lunch in Mandeville at a popular Chinese restaurant and walked through the exotic tropical garden.  The garden’s pond immediately caught my eye and became the inspiration for my chair, Koi.  I covered the wooden parts of the chair in small pieces of painted kraft paper in combinations of red and orange to represent the fish scales.  The seat cushion is covered in a screened copy of an original piece I painted for this project to represent the water and the vegetation in the pond.

Amy G. Kramer is a Bay painter and can be contacted at home at 228-463-2379.  Her current work is available at 220 Gallery located on Main Street downtown Bay St. Louis.
Black & White & Read All Over
Michelle Allee

Michelle Allee collected Chinese newspapers when she traveled to Beijing prior to the 2008 Olympics. She painted her chair with a red lacquer enamel and decoupaged on the newspapers from China, leaving the center piece with the carving a vibrant red.  The seat was finished with a black and white fabric with an Asian geometric design. 
White Rabbit
Jenise McCardell & Mark Currier

Jenise McCardell and Mark Currier  are Bay St. Louis artists who run Clay Creations, a landmark business in the Bay. They fashion architectural plaques out of clay, each original carefully created by hand, painted and fired to a glossy finish. They offer custom work as well as continuously adding to their inventory of hundreds of buildings in the area, as well as in the New Orleans metro region.  Clay Creations may be contacted at claycreationsllc@yahoo.com, or at 228.466.6347.

4.1.11

“Growing Chair-ity”
Brenda and Ken Spence and Mary-Pat Forrest

Brenda and Ken inherited the honor of creating the chair from Mary-Pat, who got lost in the wilds of Scotland. Minnesotans Ken and Brenda spend a good part of every year helping other people; they have made over a dozen trips to Hancock County to help us rebuild after Katrina. They chose to transform their chair into an unusual plant stand. The lush foliage growing from the seat of the chair reminds us of the continuing revitalization of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Mary-Pat Forrest is an artist from Biloxi who can often be seen in the Bay St. Louis area. Her work may be seen at mary-patforrest.blogspot.com.
Publish Post
Love Seat
Cairo & Lori Gordon

Habitat for Humanity Bay Waveland Area would like to have this bench for their offices. Give to two terrific organizations by bidding on this seat and donating it to Habitat!

This love seat was created by transforming two chairs into one piece of art furniture.

Cairo works in wood, creating the beautiful furniture and carvings you see as permanent installations at Gallery 220 in Bay St Louis and Brown's Fine Art in Jackson, MS. His work may also be seen at http://cairosbayou.blogspot.com.

Lori K. Gordon works in many medias, and is a founding and continuing member of Gallery 220.  Go to lorikgordon.org for links to her various blogs which showcase her work. Both artists may be reached at lorikgordon@gmail.com.
Folk Art Dolls on Chinese Chair
Deb Johnson

Chair: This is an attempt by an Irish Swede to create a folk art chair with a Chinese theme. The original restaurant chair was stripped of at least ten coats of paint and varnish, and then sanded, sanded, sanded! I used all of the materials and methods that I use in my work on gourds: acrylic inks, ink dyes, calligraphy inks, and wood stains on a woodburned and lightly carved surface. The only area lightly carved on this chair is the dolls' hair; the carved Dragon was a volunteer! I chose a doll theme, and a red color scheme because I thought it would help encourage my Mother, a Hancock Food Pantry co-founder and Board Member, to bid on this chair. 

I found a home at Gallery 220 on Main Street just when they were looking for a gourd art enthusiast late this past summer. My 'fine art' experience consists of teaching elementary school, pre-Katrina, in New Orleans, and at Coast Episcopal Elementary where my classes would come back from art class with Kat Fitzpatrick, and I would beg them to teach me what 'Miss Kat' taught them.
What Wabbit?
Nonie Johns



Nonie Johns wears many hats, but her claim to fame was in the Children's Theatre production in Rapid City, SD where she portrayed "Bob the Sheep" in the play  Binky Russell and the backwards Clock" in 1982. Since then, Nonie has been a freelance musician, preformance poet,  and Practical Nurse. A native of Los Angeles CA, geographically from the Black Hills of South Dakota and currently living in Bay St. Louis, Nonie is spending her time looking for a job and finishing art projects she started 15 years ago. If you are interested in further projects and are not boring, contact her at 228.466.4782.
Lucky Bamboo Chair
Carole E. Bowman
Sacred Leaves
Ann Kearney

Ann Kearney works in many medias including hand painted silks, watercolors, oils, and mosaics. She also does hand painted custom furniture. Her favorite subjects are the flora and fauna of New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  After obtaining a degree in Fine Arts from the University of New Orleans in 1993, Ann spent time developing her unique techniques.She furthered her studies at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts, her paintings have been exhibited at the prestigious Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs, and her works may be found in many private collections. Ann is continuing her studies, which recently expanded to include artistic creations in pottery and she is happy to be part of the Mississippi Gulf Coast art community. Her work may be found at Gallery 220, 220 Main Street in Bay St. Louis and at Treasures of the Bay, Nicholson Avenue at Old Spanish Trail in Waveland. She may be contacted at 228.671.9531.
"Long Life and Prosperity"
Regan Carney & Mark Buszkiewicz

"Mark and I  chose to let the carving of a dragon in the back panel of the chair be a focal point. We used gold and copper paints to highlight the carving. The fabric for the chair seat was chosen to work with the color of the chair and to create a sense of elegance. We felt there was enough going on with the carving that more decoration would detract from the overall feel of the chair. Use this with good health!" 

Regan Carney and Mark Buszkiewicz  are a married team that have clay studios in Bay Artists’ Co-op and share display space in Gallery 220 in Bay St. Louis, MS. They have very individual styles, as Regan has a BFA in sculpture from Tulane University and Mark was a master woodworker and now designs and builds living structures. They have collaborated on a variety of sculptural projects, striving to blend their talents into a single voice. They may be reached at regancar@bellsouth.net (228.216.0210) or at ltlfrm@bellsouth.net (228.216.0366). Regan’s sculptural ceramics may be viewed on SouthernArtistry.org using her name.