Ed Brownlee: Everything is More Fun in His Mug

Ed Brownlee’s quirky sense of humor appeals to me. I am a big fan of his colorful ceramics. His hand-thrown, mostly-functional pottery is painted with clever Ed-isms that make me smile. I have a growing collection of goblets and mugs purportedly for some future use in the studio, but I can’t bring myself to use them for turpentine or paintbrushes. So I drink a lot of water in them and feel my coolness factor instantly improving.

Some of Ed’s mugs feature abstract faces with little 3D noses poking from the side (these are my current favorite). One has a stubbly-beard guy in a line-up holding his serial number, which happens to be Ed’s phone number. This happens to be useful marketing because Ed is old-school and does not have a website. Ed also makes a cookie jar painted like Abraham Lincoln — one side happy Abe and the other post-Booth — and under the cookie jar’s big hat is the obligatory red paint spatter. The inside of Ed’s mind is an equally curious thing!

LOVE the new teapot.

The bad math mug. 2+3=socks?

Clever.

See the nose peeking out the side of the mug?

Abe and his friend.

Mr. Ed. Find him on Facebook or at an art show here or there.

Movement

The modern bouquet: an explosion of color and subtle floral variations. These pieces are floated in a simple, contemporary, wood frame.

Movement (2011). 36×48 oil on canvas.

A peek at the framing. Love it!

View the full series at: http://amyleighcarstensen.com/Movement.php.

Brathwaite

Kamau Brathwaite writes some of the loveliest poetry, words you can wrap around you on a cold winter’s day. His pure and genuine voice, its simple sophistication, resonates with me. This series of paintings is inspired by and named after some of Brathwaite’s Mesongs.

XXIV
for Barbara at Devizes

And suddenly you was talking trees
fall black with birds behind the hill
and green as grass fly off
into the sun o blinding girl
the whole cathedral crash at your back

XXV

Not the blue the orthodoxy of the day
But a blue like intuition
The soft of the night into morning
Felt here. remembered
Under the hoofs of the cart

P.S. Thanks to my dear friend Chris for sharing poets.org, which will deliver a poem to your inbox every day.

The Whole Cathedral Crashes: 40×40, oil on canvas

Under the Hoofs of the Cart: 40×40, oil on canvas

Harnessing the Sun: 36×48, oil on canvas

View the full series at: http://amyleighcarstensen.com/Brathwaite.php

Amy Lansburg: Driftwood Goodness

I simply love Amy Lansburg’s art. She collects driftwood at her summer home on Lake Superior and fashions it into fabulous scuptures and wall pieces on handmade wooden canvases. It is rustic and contemporary at the same time. I have an amazing giant piece, a tall driftwood lady with a sweet dog peeking out behind her leg. A painted Lansburg bird made from sticks came down just today from the Christmas tree. And now I have the most amazing sculpture to add to my collection! She’s a beauty. Life is good.

Exhibit in Kansas City

If you’re in Kansas City, stop by Sav-Art Gallery for the holiday exhibit. Owners Mike and Cami Savage have pulled together a fantastic collection of functional and fine art from around the country. They are hosting a holiday party on December 9th if you prefer your art with a side of festive merrymaking!

Here’s a sneak peek of some of my paintings featured in the exhibit:

The gallery is located at the Plaza shopping center, and the exhibit runs through the end of January.

Hours:
Monday-Saturday 10am – 7pm
Thursday 10am – 9pm
Sunday 12pm – 6pm

440 W. 47th Street, Kansas City, MO 64112

Secretariat

A series inspired by the best two minutes in sports, these paintings are named after Kentucky Derby winners. The strong palette and layers of oils over textured canvas convey the grand excitement of Derby Day: bright racing silks, big hats and mint juleps, winning tickets, thundering hooves, and regal horses stampeding to the finish.

Foolish Pleasure: 30×40, oil on canvas

Ferdinand: 30×40, oil on canvas

Strike the Gold: 20×48, oil on canvas

Secretariat: 55×40, oil on canvas

Ten Things I Like About Louisville

1. Not sure how to say it. Loo-is-ville. Luh-vuhl. Looey-vil. Loo-vul.
2. Hot browns on cold days.
3. Marketing for the Bourbon Ball is really hip.
4. Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. Fantastic exhibit.
5. DERBY. The horse movie at Churchill Downs darn-near made me cry.
6. The wax Colonel is kinda creepy, but I like it as art.
7. Bistro 301, mmmmm.
8. Celebrated pianist Harry Pickens – who now owns one of my paintings!
9. Horse sculptures sprinkled everywhere. Lovely touch.
10. St. James Court Art Show – and getting invited back for next year. Yay!

Downtown horse.

Daph and the Bistro 301 horse.

Creepy. But cool.

Louisville Slugger Museum. I watched them make bats for my home team. Go Rays!!

Purty!!

On the Derby track. This might be the finish line?

Satian Leksrisawat: Porcelain Perfection

I had the pleasure of meeting Satian Leksrisawat at St. James this year. He was the sweetest neighbor ever. Satian lives in Louisville, so over the weekend I got to meet some of his beautiful children as they stopped by to visit. He also brought me red curry that he made from scratch with all sorts of vegetables (including tiny round eggplants that were to die for). Authentic Thai… yum!! It was a lovely gesture on a cold day.

Satian is a tremendously gifted potter, one of the greats. He works in porcelain and throws his perfect, impossibly delicate vases on the wheel. He has perfected his crystalline glazes over literally decades, and it shows: the vases are simply gorgeous.

iphone photography has its limitations when it comes to fine art, but here are some of his beauties:

this one is now in my living room, yay!

Best of all, we both earned an invitation back to the show, so I am looking forward to catching up with my friend Satian next fall.

Russell Christopher

A new puppy found his way into my life, quite by luck. I went into an art gallery and came out with little Russell Christopher in my arms. Someone had found him abandoned on a country road and was trying to find him a home. True to form as an artist’s dog, he arrived with some paint on his toes. Needless to say, Russell struck gold. We went shopping for all sorts of snacks and toys, and as he played played played in the studio, my palette shifted to his reddish-tan fur, his deep brown sparkly eyes, the white of his tiny baby teeth, and a hint of the orange dust he kicks up running around in Georgia clay. I had forgotten how much fun it is to have a puppy. Watching him play is pure joy.

Russell!

run run run

not staged — he LOVES his toys. I think he might be smiling?

Love’s Waterfall: 36×48, oil on canvas

Russell Christopher, 30×40, oil on canvas

To view the full series, visit my website at: http://www.amyleighcarstensen.com/Russell_Christopher.php