tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91695953923726669042024-02-19T01:44:22.764+00:00The Smith & Jones Museum of Folk ArtWork by Gary Smith and Elsie Jones.Kitsch and Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13199950395051649169noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9169595392372666904.post-56099188766990378512011-10-05T22:24:00.000+01:002011-10-05T22:24:05.297+01:00Cactus County at the Tobacco Factory<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoAy39IkNRij_2uYQNaJkchFj-scBWBhK2vH1iyDCNOucH1WsRBdnl_e_RkytD2JiW-eQdwz2drPnWlzJlDufb3K7x_vbdV0o26pbRj2ivw7WhABjF4o1zZVd7NRsdC91ITk9UZ9xh-A2/s1600/tobaccofactory1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoAy39IkNRij_2uYQNaJkchFj-scBWBhK2vH1iyDCNOucH1WsRBdnl_e_RkytD2JiW-eQdwz2drPnWlzJlDufb3K7x_vbdV0o26pbRj2ivw7WhABjF4o1zZVd7NRsdC91ITk9UZ9xh-A2/s400/tobaccofactory1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last night Mr Kitsch (otherwise known as Gary Smith) launched his new exhibition at the <a href="http://www.tobaccofactory.com/section.php/34/1/exhibitions/b3c2b71e7170e08e8f0a2336a5e44ebc">Tobacco Factory in Bristol.</a> It was a great evening, with live music, tequila, lots of friends showing their support, and of course, his amazing art. The exhibition is on for the whole of October, in The Green Room, just off the main cafe bar of the Tobacco Factory, and as you can see, looks wonderful on the deep red walls!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm very proud of what Gary's achieved with his painting, in a relatively short period. He has only been painting for a couple of years with no formal training, but has developed a bold, naive style inspired by the Mexican folk art of the Day of the Dead. Into that, he has woven stories of a fictional place called Cactus County, where science and rationalism are celebrated, rather than religion. You can find out more at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/cactuscounty/">http://www.flickr.com/people/cactuscounty/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was great to see it up on the walls, to be appreciated by so many other people. Let's just hope he gets lots of buyers!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEf0UrP7XyCufo-rXNqZnN00x-cPrdZkjM2ku50pP7BrlCu729_LMSvE1kUz3-tbi5lAA1kywoafExTcwD26aBQNQagj4sy7LlaAmhvRp4Byso-_0mbTjMkzNiB5lWXzC7TSGlyTPVAbYO/s1600/tobaccofactory2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEf0UrP7XyCufo-rXNqZnN00x-cPrdZkjM2ku50pP7BrlCu729_LMSvE1kUz3-tbi5lAA1kywoafExTcwD26aBQNQagj4sy7LlaAmhvRp4Byso-_0mbTjMkzNiB5lWXzC7TSGlyTPVAbYO/s400/tobaccofactory2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My lovely man with his lovely art!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Kitsch and Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13199950395051649169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9169595392372666904.post-35265977197770081492011-04-26T13:06:00.000+01:002011-04-26T13:06:57.066+01:00New exhibition in Falmouth next week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy67IrOa4L-lfi8pzV0w84g-OGxbSgXuQgk4BeUt5WWmYO699PONnId_GiNoFCMHc3B2nuizdTZGpdhpTvJTjY-bm6piuthnQAPQpVhEvgJa_UHOMiIhKqlk_JqDthzPUJtKL8MVq8w0c/s1600/tokenstotems.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy67IrOa4L-lfi8pzV0w84g-OGxbSgXuQgk4BeUt5WWmYO699PONnId_GiNoFCMHc3B2nuizdTZGpdhpTvJTjY-bm6piuthnQAPQpVhEvgJa_UHOMiIhKqlk_JqDthzPUJtKL8MVq8w0c/s400/tokenstotems.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Just the Jones part of the team in this one.</div>Kitsch and Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13199950395051649169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9169595392372666904.post-56675259091576977902010-09-22T16:09:00.002+01:002010-09-23T15:02:45.788+01:00The Museum Is Now Closed<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The week of our exhibition at Room 212 has, all too quickly, come to an end. It was a successful event in a variety of ways; we had a lot of people attend, we sold many more items than we expected and the positive comments and feedback were encouraging and complimentary. All in all it was a thoroughly worthwhile and positive experience for us both.</span> <br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you missed the opportunity to go round the exhibition, or if you would just like to re-live the experience, then please have a look at the video below.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" height="300" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=03f8f568c9&photo_id=5010755215"></param><param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"></param><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=03f8f568c9&photo_id=5010755215" height="300" width="400"></embed></object></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have trouble loading the video then please go here to see it, where you will also see many, many photos of the exhibition <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cactuscounty/5010755215/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/cactuscounty/5010755215/</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you if you were able to attend and extra special thanks if you were one of the many people who bought something. We hope you like your purchases.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We hope to re-open the museum once more at a future date, possibly in Room 212 again or maybe in another gallery. If you can recommend somewhere we can exhibit or just want to get in touch then please e-mail the museum’s efficient administrative staff at </span><a href="mailto:cactuscounty@yahoo.com"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cactuscounty@yahoo.com</span></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kind regards,</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Smith & Jones, Museum Curators</span></div>Space Cadethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965647371713850699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9169595392372666904.post-44771037678502970512010-09-15T23:54:00.001+01:002010-09-15T23:54:52.280+01:00A Short Tour Round the Museum<span style="font-family: Arial;">Things have been going rather well at the gallery. We’ve had quite a number of people come in to see the work, lots of positive comments and we’ve even sold a few items. We’re open till Saturday so you still have a few days to come and see it for yourself. Meantime, here’s a few examples of what you can see in the show.</span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pqD0HDVfXCqqrJiGj2_chswLPIGjMa5LpRlI-fmTeoTpy3S1nDnkyZ5NZxV-hzmQjbx-OHTOjpZm2wFYGntFG6sUI3vIVIA53Y1CoOMcsELXezHKKGG6IhFJ2DHSsEfpW_CR8z5HJH0/s1600/Room+212+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pqD0HDVfXCqqrJiGj2_chswLPIGjMa5LpRlI-fmTeoTpy3S1nDnkyZ5NZxV-hzmQjbx-OHTOjpZm2wFYGntFG6sUI3vIVIA53Y1CoOMcsELXezHKKGG6IhFJ2DHSsEfpW_CR8z5HJH0/s400/Room+212+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59ub1uOitlFTbpQDrPp6fvbQhCvUq4q1wcUz2Sgc3R17WXgYk12JstQsB_BwrAJHJDcCz3rEkPSb6iw8sJUitx36pfPMGXhwmLR5fECOkKI4_zEOHxcZo5ESaQtpqoJzp_flfMMGyjdQ/s1600/Room+212+6a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59ub1uOitlFTbpQDrPp6fvbQhCvUq4q1wcUz2Sgc3R17WXgYk12JstQsB_BwrAJHJDcCz3rEkPSb6iw8sJUitx36pfPMGXhwmLR5fECOkKI4_zEOHxcZo5ESaQtpqoJzp_flfMMGyjdQ/s400/Room+212+6a.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkX16uK7dfL7-b6cFOus0322emjInUJ21X2fxkb-6r5LARVpBhdzV1g2heCxw9v2UNDB75Bu-DpVLu6duFdDFG2OfDeVq86fOEAE7G0wNft1Dgc8levgl0_9lS9eiuA_PPgbxclvajjMg/s1600/Room+212+3c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkX16uK7dfL7-b6cFOus0322emjInUJ21X2fxkb-6r5LARVpBhdzV1g2heCxw9v2UNDB75Bu-DpVLu6duFdDFG2OfDeVq86fOEAE7G0wNft1Dgc8levgl0_9lS9eiuA_PPgbxclvajjMg/s400/Room+212+3c.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDaPZhQcsarqN4F1M8OoT7sV-87MwoXshF4cRgniJmkO_Qew4YV4YyDtsQsqaFBi2_wSrqUbYMlFrDxGRShsR87-Nu5JWn9_09PrQt6M78CB-GXN-E0dujYtOJCY0F876wqWsORcKC_E/s1600/Room+212+4h.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDaPZhQcsarqN4F1M8OoT7sV-87MwoXshF4cRgniJmkO_Qew4YV4YyDtsQsqaFBi2_wSrqUbYMlFrDxGRShsR87-Nu5JWn9_09PrQt6M78CB-GXN-E0dujYtOJCY0F876wqWsORcKC_E/s400/Room+212+4h.JPG" width="396" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMRKTecz-ul1czVDeukbIMG9jeQLnlG_a8W-sOvoqd-VL6JbaN2_fCDNTQW2LYveJhpH0sgkOpq_DSmXllalMlmsrA-nUNAV8fdoeyiBqkkeuf5I1zwCIajXYwrD66XVNiSBTfegsGoE/s1600/Room+212+4l.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMRKTecz-ul1czVDeukbIMG9jeQLnlG_a8W-sOvoqd-VL6JbaN2_fCDNTQW2LYveJhpH0sgkOpq_DSmXllalMlmsrA-nUNAV8fdoeyiBqkkeuf5I1zwCIajXYwrD66XVNiSBTfegsGoE/s400/Room+212+4l.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBw1DY97-7PeT7J2hiBzT-b6hVIcr3Izt_KH0wQWFx-eM2VPCm7DEuv5IXjr2ORIac2LQGZru7Ha8-RSaCEYPvNimQhMHMvfNqRNLZu5vBz7KcAMvq_p6nJkUcYeFbByJGF6E_1A9zbNg/s1600/Room+212+5b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBw1DY97-7PeT7J2hiBzT-b6hVIcr3Izt_KH0wQWFx-eM2VPCm7DEuv5IXjr2ORIac2LQGZru7Ha8-RSaCEYPvNimQhMHMvfNqRNLZu5vBz7KcAMvq_p6nJkUcYeFbByJGF6E_1A9zbNg/s400/Room+212+5b.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWdOO1OJemL60uJ6DiBW4TgywojND0_TPGvjVuGTvaJTU26ZiLlhyphenhyphenRCbrP_-LLMPjVBQH6D6uInFpU6sfvod7ZPyL1x0jCjMOQif3SbnVBooV5aRa5NST7jGRvus8tcu-y_9_CMbvBsk/s1600/Room+212+5i.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWdOO1OJemL60uJ6DiBW4TgywojND0_TPGvjVuGTvaJTU26ZiLlhyphenhyphenRCbrP_-LLMPjVBQH6D6uInFpU6sfvod7ZPyL1x0jCjMOQif3SbnVBooV5aRa5NST7jGRvus8tcu-y_9_CMbvBsk/s400/Room+212+5i.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAl04JqFKTBJb_9rCb0p1d4Ap7wUA2GMdcGS9BrwcSALSi2K_c4MG9ewve8a6aA34Dgb2-cmWQO0ZyadjlHi31Rrj_IF753rFDHVuEKH6vPOpIE8vlvWMI8hfePxNU_HnywuZO3fJOSd8/s1600/Room+212+5f.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAl04JqFKTBJb_9rCb0p1d4Ap7wUA2GMdcGS9BrwcSALSi2K_c4MG9ewve8a6aA34Dgb2-cmWQO0ZyadjlHi31Rrj_IF753rFDHVuEKH6vPOpIE8vlvWMI8hfePxNU_HnywuZO3fJOSd8/s400/Room+212+5f.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46SI5FIm-_njCrCTQ8rjo5VYAOrbKAXCUTQ5HaBUwoZq5ttm0iEHRlvxTLmwJGhDDZPXXKfeY5YIIK0-vR5luZ4eBrqQAjZtL3U8SODNHpI3bGMpFTcwTiu6fr8z2YDEZq7Vl2xOZoeU/s1600/Room+212+6g.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46SI5FIm-_njCrCTQ8rjo5VYAOrbKAXCUTQ5HaBUwoZq5ttm0iEHRlvxTLmwJGhDDZPXXKfeY5YIIK0-vR5luZ4eBrqQAjZtL3U8SODNHpI3bGMpFTcwTiu6fr8z2YDEZq7Vl2xOZoeU/s400/Room+212+6g.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Space Cadethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965647371713850699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9169595392372666904.post-13702710537363643512010-09-14T18:05:00.001+01:002010-09-15T11:18:24.826+01:00We're open!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5aV5nVhmHRIErksunMaT6SRnXYgfvtENMs297Pf7C1i3mnZQKZ3ggLMcf4cjY11bbfjmUl6CWb3k-BzlihfR9lndEm0OIdNGIlviOzM2gzv0NDKYRgOgJB1LhO7uDdL9IQYcYdwkDTY/s1600/room212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5aV5nVhmHRIErksunMaT6SRnXYgfvtENMs297Pf7C1i3mnZQKZ3ggLMcf4cjY11bbfjmUl6CWb3k-BzlihfR9lndEm0OIdNGIlviOzM2gzv0NDKYRgOgJB1LhO7uDdL9IQYcYdwkDTY/s400/room212.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The exhibition opened to the public yesterday, after a wonderful preview evening on Sunday. Many thanks to everyone who came on Sunday, and to all our visitors so far. We've both sold some work, so that's made us very happy.<br />
<br />
The setting-up on Sunday was the usual last minute rush and panic, but we're really pleased with the overall display and have received lots of great feedback. It's particularly good for Gary to have the chance to see all his amazing work in one place for the first time. <br />
<br />
If you'd like to visit, you have until this Saturday (the 18th). We're open 12-6pm each day. Come and have a chat to us!Kitsch and Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13199950395051649169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9169595392372666904.post-65241339650572945092010-08-24T18:43:00.000+01:002010-08-24T18:43:45.788+01:00Folk Art Exhibition<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A new art exhibition runs for a week in Bristol this autumn exploring the worlds of dolls and death. Called “The Smith and Jones Museum of Folk Art” the event is a joint exhibition by real life couple Gary Smith and Elsie Jones. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The exhibition is actually two separate shows; Elsie’s work is titled “The Dolls Have Eyes” and comprises handmade textile figures and collages which examine the culture of dolls; while Gary’s part of the show is called “The Folk Art Of Cactus County” and explores a secular celebration of the Mexican “Day Of The Dead” festival in painting, textile and sculpture.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“This will be the first time we’ve exhibited work together” say Gary “and although our styles are very different we hope they complement one another.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“We’re both fascinated by the world of folk art” says Elsie “and we’re excited about showing some of our own interpretations of it in the exhibition.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Smith and Jones Museum of Folk Art is on at Room 212 on Gloucester Road in Bristol from Monday 13th till Saturday 18th of September, it is open from 12pm to 6pm daily and it is free to get in. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JgZ04oKUI3Sq3hdRfxOGgAJkcYLL0acTQNNYwejFxOyBh1IsoH78sphS4JCKQAvaeXgGJM1RLcdOL8DnqpwG4kf_dPRRrhBEf4Fq-7uwaKV7qVDPBNtEC4zFdGjr0S3ySYhBgOkM9iI/s1600/smithjonesmuseum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="377" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JgZ04oKUI3Sq3hdRfxOGgAJkcYLL0acTQNNYwejFxOyBh1IsoH78sphS4JCKQAvaeXgGJM1RLcdOL8DnqpwG4kf_dPRRrhBEf4Fq-7uwaKV7qVDPBNtEC4zFdGjr0S3ySYhBgOkM9iI/s400/smithjonesmuseum.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Space Cadethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965647371713850699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9169595392372666904.post-21851888526243695122010-08-24T18:25:00.008+01:002010-08-24T18:46:17.476+01:00Gary Smith - The Folk Art of Cactus County<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDP-n59cnt3Wl36jJrMBaexEuDJqCeOFbFhQDHlY8BfnyXyfEzaOhpvjYM3fLJ2TpxtMLxdBzvRbf871W8QlhtN1trVIrIotgmP-ehVajibrhaSc5P4OU1VbLnIFbBcgOg_n4TQGJdxA/s1600/Shrine+to+Cactus+County%27s+Wild+West+Past.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDP-n59cnt3Wl36jJrMBaexEuDJqCeOFbFhQDHlY8BfnyXyfEzaOhpvjYM3fLJ2TpxtMLxdBzvRbf871W8QlhtN1trVIrIotgmP-ehVajibrhaSc5P4OU1VbLnIFbBcgOg_n4TQGJdxA/s320/Shrine+to+Cactus+County%27s+Wild+West+Past.JPG" width="313" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The Folk Art Of Cactus County" is my interpretation of a secular celebration of "Dia de los Muertos", the Mexican "Day of the Dead" festival.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaB8OpUNhTcYOGoC1qB-FzuSCah8u9W_87yNOS7PFrSOLZ52qhckeL2smVembbzBqGBXpsp55cxO-liOWTRczYij9LwV5XxHV3zJAEBcTeu1GTFPnuSkZG4oXqOwsM1VhXUQH8wtM3uk/s1600/Cactus+County+Shrine+photo+%239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaB8OpUNhTcYOGoC1qB-FzuSCah8u9W_87yNOS7PFrSOLZ52qhckeL2smVembbzBqGBXpsp55cxO-liOWTRczYij9LwV5XxHV3zJAEBcTeu1GTFPnuSkZG4oXqOwsM1VhXUQH8wtM3uk/s320/Cactus+County+Shrine+photo+%239.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">T</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">here’s a warmth and honesty in the self expression of unschooled folk art that I find compelling and inspiring. In particular, shrines dedicated to family members who have died, made by people in their own homes for the Mexican “Dia de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead) festival, I find touching and poignant. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Traditionally these shrines are religious in character, however, as an Atheist, in my images of “Dia de los Muertos” I deliberately avoid the use of religious symbols; it goes against the grain for me to promote any form of supernatural belief. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The religious do not have a monopoly on death. It is open to all cultures and all individuals to honour the dead we loved and to celebrate life. So I’ve re-interpreted the art of the festival for a secular society. </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xoRCx1tMGjpXRbap7Ed68MOnTdcWGh-4gm_IqjTcqfS1u45eJCQPniG99LLivP8vCELXy3743DIEcuwz5v7UKzsklEIKF83fbtdCtNKeFh8_TJS-Q0Podafn0LLZeQfLZyR0Oq7Xtko/s1600/Evolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xoRCx1tMGjpXRbap7Ed68MOnTdcWGh-4gm_IqjTcqfS1u45eJCQPniG99LLivP8vCELXy3743DIEcuwz5v7UKzsklEIKF83fbtdCtNKeFh8_TJS-Q0Podafn0LLZeQfLZyR0Oq7Xtko/s320/Evolution.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve taken this a step further by imagining a place where a secular celebration of “Dia de los Muertos” could take place and created Cactus County; a New Mexico desert community of scientists, philosophers and artists who live more or less by Epicurean principals, that is eschewing religion and belief in an afterlife, while pursuing happiness through learning and a knowledge of how the world works. My work reflects this utopian ideal, so while my art may be naive and unsophisticated in its style, it has meaning and it is sincere.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7h_iv7v-4h5sS8G3MubU-fKuC8vAHXk2CRuc_NvPjsudaoYBjy-B1PWy4BtDh1w5Z8woaPfsEwb1jI3TC0jY_wj_6BIRdqkQc3vtCGf-vErlXa9ESChmNngnepw-2ChK5BmcR9kbWebY/s1600/Azul+Calavera.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7h_iv7v-4h5sS8G3MubU-fKuC8vAHXk2CRuc_NvPjsudaoYBjy-B1PWy4BtDh1w5Z8woaPfsEwb1jI3TC0jY_wj_6BIRdqkQc3vtCGf-vErlXa9ESChmNngnepw-2ChK5BmcR9kbWebY/s320/Azul+Calavera.JPG" width="276" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In short, a lot of my work is based round a secular celebration of the Day of the Dead, so there are a lot of skulls and cactus in my paintings.</span>Space Cadethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965647371713850699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9169595392372666904.post-43014097027037602362010-08-24T15:13:00.003+01:002010-08-24T15:42:17.058+01:00Elsie Jones - The Dolls Have Eyes<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ripPEknOQAufvxGGS5q6IWmFcvfGhl2YffDUr3qnzIweaYq6kQS5M6yxjkHyJA7Ssyhz7B17MVCbUbHLUybPLu6gBwby9HnWMU0Rtti_d0fBbvK7N77fgRzgq1A6p56P-l4VMRGRtLI/s1600/antimacassardetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ripPEknOQAufvxGGS5q6IWmFcvfGhl2YffDUr3qnzIweaYq6kQS5M6yxjkHyJA7Ssyhz7B17MVCbUbHLUybPLu6gBwby9HnWMU0Rtti_d0fBbvK7N77fgRzgq1A6p56P-l4VMRGRtLI/s320/antimacassardetail.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">‘The Dolls Have Eyes’ is a series of works exploring my fascination with dolls.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxj4f41KZfI25u8cDCwrC6zfuW3q2Y-2wQ2V0nkD6HhkyuaqQFkho2wnbr9Mqqjt55JXpT03-cGhm1l0wB5rlFnKC6Lqg__sqJJh8vB-Tpp1vOWyJPlXMVoUoKeVNZSOkfUO8CQKjPeY/s1600/kokeshi1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxj4f41KZfI25u8cDCwrC6zfuW3q2Y-2wQ2V0nkD6HhkyuaqQFkho2wnbr9Mqqjt55JXpT03-cGhm1l0wB5rlFnKC6Lqg__sqJJh8vB-Tpp1vOWyJPlXMVoUoKeVNZSOkfUO8CQKjPeY/s200/kokeshi1.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvIxEZJAmTNfCOoeNd_gRlH9_ggnsJBlpNeqAduYc03BZu_MzdEOU4hDbaJJhernNPeuUtOYgrh7b0tac1s9genyGNNIgXoDJWmHfK-04FyYXl1eWxFKk3upgJWsVVqTX17K2R_wkFCM/s1600/kachina3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvIxEZJAmTNfCOoeNd_gRlH9_ggnsJBlpNeqAduYc03BZu_MzdEOU4hDbaJJhernNPeuUtOYgrh7b0tac1s9genyGNNIgXoDJWmHfK-04FyYXl1eWxFKk3upgJWsVVqTX17K2R_wkFCM/s320/kachina3.jpg" /></a>As a little girl, I played with dolls, but was not especially fond of them. However, as an adult, they have come to fascinate me. My initial interest came from folk art. The strong designs of Kachina dolls attracted me as graphic and sculptural objects. I also became interested in other primitive dolls and figures, and other folk art dolls, such as Japanese Kokeshi dolls. These dolls and figures reinterpret the human form, often reducing it to the simplest elements – a head and a body. Sometimes these forms are stylised and minimal, sometimes they are detailed and heavily decorated, but we always recognise the human form.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The other side of this fascination is with the mass-produced toy. The sophisticated consumerist ideal of Barbie is the epitome of this. Certainly the pink plastic aspirations being presented to little girls need to be questioned, but at the same time, there is, for me, a kitsch appeal in this mini-world of domestic accessories. I love cheap plastic dolls, especially vintage ones in packaging with bold, bright graphics. Souvenir dolls too, are appealing in their conformity, like the Hong Kong dolls which represent so many different nationalities with just a change of costume. They can be loved as nostalgic reminders of childhood. But they can also be re-examined as poor plastic imitations of life. Imperfect dolls whose smiles have been painted crooked or whose hair is mostly detached, who appear to us as dishevelled characters, sometimes with a creepy life of their own.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuvYLKvJn57WBnNLQe6g6wThXzwMcB6vGUGhG9m3GwLxLcL94STutEUpgtDTq0KaZlvOaCaB6BZGVnFTfj-Gs2YsN8BiZtAABvdiO5SkN54G7N6zx7n3duUMMaAnuO3bE2Y8UZ4MIdvM/s1600/bythelight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuvYLKvJn57WBnNLQe6g6wThXzwMcB6vGUGhG9m3GwLxLcL94STutEUpgtDTq0KaZlvOaCaB6BZGVnFTfj-Gs2YsN8BiZtAABvdiO5SkN54G7N6zx7n3duUMMaAnuO3bE2Y8UZ4MIdvM/s320/bythelight.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I am interested in the combination and fusion of all these different elements, along with other interests and influences, such as textile art and costume, feminine and domestic handicrafts, vintage kitsch and graphics, collections, old toys and comic characters, pattern, decoration, and embellishment.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The resulting works are textile figures, altered dolls, and collages, which play with the culture of dolls and costume.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyEuQKORGlwHy1kfFXuYYyXsCtkQhBzOYi7mqxfMA6WsP9URG1ovm5t6_BmknOauGQb2eZtAXADpTd9DAQUv4aNVNywxrfvUvgN0qu8tQewih05AwJ2ErVOq5dmru_XxTOB2mQyfpIBI/s1600/greywarrior3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyEuQKORGlwHy1kfFXuYYyXsCtkQhBzOYi7mqxfMA6WsP9URG1ovm5t6_BmknOauGQb2eZtAXADpTd9DAQUv4aNVNywxrfvUvgN0qu8tQewih05AwJ2ErVOq5dmru_XxTOB2mQyfpIBI/s320/greywarrior3.jpg" /></a></div></div>Kitsch and Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13199950395051649169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9169595392372666904.post-86206319966868687932010-08-24T13:39:00.001+01:002010-08-24T15:30:39.053+01:00The Smith & Jones Museum of Folk Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpME_5pYLnGwo0ZbemKYsDvzXhMrcEG7sOCsO6QfFl35FIYnZMpeOUXbhL1fEoxx2Pgu9Hj8NngicAFT22wrP2nlkLv-MV-GoNJfG9afF_qNSIBdz44i1Ws_awEzqpBDjbMbgMwncuJtc/s1600/smithjonesl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpME_5pYLnGwo0ZbemKYsDvzXhMrcEG7sOCsO6QfFl35FIYnZMpeOUXbhL1fEoxx2Pgu9Hj8NngicAFT22wrP2nlkLv-MV-GoNJfG9afF_qNSIBdz44i1Ws_awEzqpBDjbMbgMwncuJtc/s320/smithjonesl.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This blog is to provide information about our exhibition of work, who we are and what we do.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Kitsch and Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13199950395051649169noreply@blogger.com0