Art Collecting and a Puppet Show!

the first thing i do when i move somewhere new is hang up my art work. boxes are still packed, furniture is askew and grab my hammer and get to work. so- sure in these times art is one of the first things cut out of someones budget. after all there are bills to pay and mouths to feed. art is not a necessity for life. but it is one of the most important thing in MY life.

i've been blessed in my art collecting. i lived in winston-salem, nc most of my life and there are so many wonderful artists there.being an artist myself has allowed me to trade pieces over the years which makes it a little nicer on the budget!

i thought i'd share part of my collection today. i'll post some of the other pieces in round 2 at a later date.

let's start with family...

my dad is one of my favorite artists. ok so i may be a bit biased, but really he is so awesome. he carved this narwhal for me since it is my very favorite whale. after all it is like the unicorn of the sea!

Narwhal by tommy luper

not only is my dad an artist but so is my older sister lisa ocampo. i got this piece from her at one of her latest art shows in savannah ga.

princess pea pea by lisa ocampo

one of my favorite artists is mike duggins. his work reminds me of the old timey cartoons and i love his slightly warped since of humor he puts into his pieces. he and i are both old souls. we've had this piece for several years and i just love it!

painting by mike duggins

we also got this little ditty one of the last times we were home in winston. we've not found it's true home yet so it hangs out in my studio area to give me some inspiration.

my husband bought this next piece in austin texas from yard dog gallery. if you're ever in austin you need to check that place out. the piece is by mike egan who also does embalming- how totally suiting for this house hold.

hello devil by mike egan

while traveling we love finding some local art to bring home. when we went to puerto vallarta we happened across a lovely little shop that sold local artist's works. great for us and great for the community! the top piece is made of wood and metal and the bottom piece is made of yarns.

pieces from puerto vallarta

 

sometimes i even find art on the street for free. ok so this rarely happens and most may not see this as art. but i found this big giant g on the street when we first moved here and it makes a great display for my coney island crown that i made.

g stands for GREEN!

 here's how part of the wall looks that i featured today. i'll give another art tour later of some of the other pieces we have. 

oh i 'bout forgot to show you MY piece that i did this weekend. it's "another puppet show" done in graphite and colored pencil. i had found the frame a while back and it was just calling to have something in it. isn't she sweet?

another puppet show by me- tiffany o'brien

awwwwe

 

 thanks for taking the tour with me today! cheers!

Big Fish Eat Little Fish Commission COMPLETE!

Back in September I did an art event in my home town of Winston-Salem. I did pretty good with my sales despite the fact that it was a one day event. But I also picked up a couple of commissions to do. Fabulous!

It took me rather a long time to finish this first piece as it is a bit more detailed than I normally work. I wanted to be sure the recipient got the piece before I posted the finished work here.

The original to use as my inspiration

My final rendition in oil

 Here are some steps I photographed along the way.

It all started with a sketch and some paint

Some rough colors are blocked in

A few details begin to take shape

Detail of my flying fish

Things are taking shape

Once my signature is on the piece that means it is complete!

I just regret I forgot to take a high res photo with my real camera for my records. Live and learn.

For this same person I have another commission. This one is going to be amazing. The inspiration here is another piece by Breugel titled the Triumph of Death. With a title like that my wheels have been turning. I've done a few sketches but nothing to show yet.

Just look at all the detail here. Whew, I can do it!

 Today I had to take a little fun creative break and try my hand at oil pastels. They are a bit tricky but I do believe I will like them once I get a better grasp of how to work with them.

This is a couple of hours in. I like how fast it goes.

 

A Visit to the South was in Order

The winter months in New York are not so fun for me. Don't get me wrong I love New York. If it was in Miami I'd never leave. We have had quite a mild winter so I guess I shouldn't complain. But I do hate cold weather.

I figured a trip to the south would do me some good.

I figured Savannah would be the place. After all I think I might need to live there once I am done with New York or New York is done with me.

We arrived mid day just in time to go to the River Front for a nice late lunch alfresco style. Yep outside dinning during the beginning of February. I could get used to this.

We explored around a bit more by the river before meandering back to the Bed and Breakfast Inn of Savannah. Here we had afternoon tea in the courtyard. Ahhhhh.

I just love old architecture

Churches peeked out from everywhere

Horsies having a drink

Soon it would be time for dinner at the Old Pink House. Of course I had to eat there, after all it is PINK- my favorite color. Lee and I got all done up in our vintage inspired outfits for a nice fancy evening out. The meal was just wonderful. We started with some fried green tomatoes. I had sea scallops with mashed potatoes topped with fried green onions and key lime pie for dessert. Too yummy.

The next day was spent checking out Tybee Island and  bopping around the historic area. Then to meet up with my sister at the Jepson Center where she works. This is a beautiful museum and I was happy to have my own private tour guide.

Tybee Island Light House

My sister, Lisa Ocampo, provided the digs for the remainder of our stay. She lives in a great old house built in 1900 that her and her husband are lovingly restoring and turning it into a work of art.

She too is a a painter and our guest bedroom was like a gallery of some of her work.

The Gypsy

Hand made VooDoo Doll- amazing

This one was my favorite in the "gallery"

Saturday was spent at a wild life preserve out on Oatland Island. We saw foxes, wolves, turtles, snakes, eagles, vultures, pigs, cows and a few more critters. Plus another old cool hospital this one was a syphilis hospital back in the day. Unlike the small pox hospital on Governors Island this place has been restored and is used as the starting point for the hike around the wild life preserve. Nice.

Hospital

Then it was off to one of my favorite places... the cemetary. We went to Bonaventure. It was fantastic! The moss dripping from the old oak trees dappled the sun on these amazing graves. It was just so beautiful! I could live here!

Such lovely angels were around every turn

I love this shot- so pretty with just a hint of sadness

Camelias were all a bloom, such a welcome site!

Peek-a-boo Mr. Snake!

I just wanted to jump in and rub this wolf's ears. I'm pretty sure he'd like it.

One of my favorite graves was "Gracie" It was a grave of a little girl who died of pneumonia at the age of 6. The grave is marked by a lovely sculpture of her. Creepy. Creepy good.

Pretty little Gracie forever young

The weather in Savannah was like a dream come true in the middle of a cold winter. I only hope I have soaked up enough of it to carry me till spring breaks through! Sometime around July probably ; )