Summertime

I took this pic a few weeks ago, right when my hydrangea started to bloom. Right now, with 90 degree plus days and no rain, it's not looking as lovely, but hanging in there none the less. When I planted it, we had just put in the retaining wall, so there was quite a bit of masonry grout and some crumbled stone mixed in the soil. I had meant to clean it up more, but ended up amending with some good soil and just threw in a transplanted hydrangea and gardenia. Now these two shrubs are huge and thriving and are my favorite things to see when I walk past them each morning on the way to the car. A little tidbit, I found out that we don't normally grow pink hydrangeas in the south because of our very acidic soil, depending on the acidity is how you get blue or pink hydrangeas. The soil in my retaining wall is very alkaline because of the stone and cement that was mixed in years ago. So now I know why I get pink hydrangeas!

Michelle Armas-Art in the Afternoon feature

I'm off and running in sec, but wanted to post one last artist for you to preview before today's Art in the Afternoon event (3-7 pm) I discovered Michelle from Sarah Watts blog, and discover that Jessica Swift, Sarah and Michelle all know each other! I decided to have them exhibit together over at the Blanchard residence, 70 Lakeshore Dr., Avondale Estates, GA 30002. They all have distinctive styles, but compliment each other really well. I'm super excited to see how it all looks once they're set up.

I was drawn to Michelle's sense of color and detail. Her works are abstract, and you can also see how her work stems from deep love of design, and as a matter of fact, she is a designer too! I could stand in front of her works for a very. long. time. They are really distinctively different than anything I've seen in a while! Make sure you check out her blog too.

Michelle Armas, www.marmas.etsy.com and www.michellearmas.bigcartel.com

Trained as a graphic designer, Armas began painting as an antidote to the rigid, strategic work of a corporate branding environment. Drawing on instinct and fantasy, she creates another world as it might have been imagined by early scientists discovering microbes and bacteria and the environments they thrived in. Armas lives in Atlanta and works in graphic and textile design as well as fine art.

Pat Berryhill-Art in the Afternoon feature

Pat Berryhill is back! She exhibited her altered jewelry at the first Art in the Afternoon in April and was wildly popular! Now she's back showing us her beautiful altered vintage clothing. She will be showing at the Blanchard residence, 70 Lakeshore. And yes, you can can try on her creations and see for yourself her amazing and unique work.

Pat Berryhill, www.magpiedreams.net

She is an unapologetic collector of crap...a junk junky...a human magpie. Berryhill uses recycled junk, which is environmentally friendly, to create beautiful clothes and jewelry. Her work comes from life experiences, good or bad. Every piece tells a different story.

Shawn Brasfield-Art in the Afternoon feature

A former Avondale Estates resident, Shawn Brasfield, returns for a visit to exhibit at Art in the Afternoon, June 5, 3-7 pm at the Lass & Zimny residence, 803 Stratford Rd. His work is distinctively whimsical, with a graphic design and illustration background, you can certainly see the lighthearted stories emerging from his work. He paints with oils and acrylics to create spontaneous, translucent backgrounds. Using sandpaper and his grandfather's ice pick to get just the right texture, he then adds his whimsical characters. I bet you can't wait to see his work in person, right?

Shawn Brasfield, www.brasfieldstudio.com

Conceived in the decade of flower power, moon dust, and the Polaroid camera, Shawn Brasfield's art might seem to be inspired from the age of experimentation. Born in 1968 in a small southern town, Shawn began drawing at age two and has never stopped. Upon graduating Auburn University in 1992, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia to pursue a career in graphic design. After ten years of moving pixels around a screen, Shawn felt the need to channel his drawings into a more lively and tactile medium - painting. Bold, fun, and filled with color, his art is inspired by today's contemporary culture, interpreting common themes into a unique and whimsical vision. Shawn's work lives in the homes of numerous collectors who are addicted to art that makes them feel good.In Shawn's own words- "The collectors of my paintings have told me they are drawn to my work because it reflects a lighthearted and whimsical view of life. This is my whole purpose in what I do - to paint a creative smile in the mind and warm feeling in the belly."

Eva Magill-Art in the Afternoon feature

Yes, I am doubling up so I can get as many artists featured before Saturday as I can! I got a little behind over the holiday weekend along with several deadlines this week, blah, blah, blah.

ANYHOW, on to the good stuff. Eva Magill's work has this wonderful, ethereal quality in her work that I was drawn to right away, it may also have been that she had just returned from living in France which made me dream about how she may have come up with these collage compositions using wonderful lines and subtle color. The works she will be showing at the Pyles residence, 107 Dartmouth Ave., Avondale Estates, GA 30002 for Art in the Afternoon on Saturday, June 5 3-7 pm, are small original works that would be lovely paired in groups. I'm truly enchanted by her work and I hope you come by to have a glass of wine and enjoy the show!

Eva Magill, http://eva-sincere@blogspot.com

Magill’s current work is a literal and metaphysical documentation of her past two years living in France. Through the use of photographs, sketches and mental imagery she recaptures the essence and charm of her vision of France. In conjuction with her factual recordings, she has created more conceptual works—drawings and collages based on emotions, her mental struggles, and triumphs involved with learning a new language and assimulating to a new culture.

Rachel Herzog-Art in the Afternoon feature

Rachel lives in the Avondale "hood" and we are very proud to have her participate as one of the featured artists in the Art in the Afternoon event this Saturday, June 5, 3-7 pm! She makes one-of-a-kind felted pouches, both upcycled and new, using cute, vintage buttons to adorn her pieces. She's also expanded her line by collaborating with Lillibands, another locally owned business, to create adorable appliqués on fun and colorful headbands for girls and women. Look for them to be unveiled this fall, but for now here's a sneak peek, as well as sample of one her snazzy pouches. She will be exhibiting at the Blanchard residence, 70 Lakeshore Dr., Avondale Estates, GA 30002, so come on out and check out some of her newest creations!

Tickleworm by Rachel Herzog, www.tickleworm.com

I scour thrift stores for vintage buttons, wool and cashmere sweaters, I then felt the sweaters in my home. I LOVE to reuse and repurpose fabrics and buttons and, well, a lot of other items too. the items get turned into coffee cozies, cell phone pouches, checkbook covers, among other items. Tickleworm has only one of a kind items!

Jessica Swift-Art in the Afternoon feature

I just had the pleasure of finally meeting Jessica Swift at the Art in the Afternoon orientation last weekend, and I'm telling you folks, you will just die when you see her amazing most beautiful work. First off, she is one of these super talented people that wears many hats; she's an illustrator, surface designer, painter, graphic designer, ok now my fingers are getting tired. Really, people, you have go to check out her work, and then come to the Blanchard Residence at 70 Lakeshore Drive, Avondale Estates, GA 30002 and buy something on Saturday, June 5, 3-7 pm. And by the way, she has super cool new website too! Pluggity-plug

AND she has an Etsy shop too if you can't make it to the event, buy something there!

Jessica Swift, www.jessicaswift.com

Swift is interested in color and the way images speak and capture truths and feelings that words simply can't. She is interested in connecting our eyes to our hearts through images. A full-time artist and graphic/surface pattern designer, Swift is truly living a life she loves.

Flora Rosefsky-Art in the Afternoon feature

A long time friend of mine, Flora Rosefsky, is one of these artists that is so very humble about her work, and of course she is phenomenally talented! She creates wonderful cut-paper collages, but is also an art quilter and a stained glass artist! Her work is so colorful and folksy, yet has beautiful emotional connections. She is going to show samples of cut paper portraits she has been doing as well as selling some matted prints of her work. She will be taking commissions at the Pyles residence, 107 Dartmouth Ave. for Art in the Afternoon this Saturday, June 7, 3-7 pm

Flora Rosefsky, www.florageart.com

Rosefsky loves to cut. She directs her favorite long-pointed scissors as they glide through painted paper, fabric, or ephemera. With an intuitive sense of color and composition, like Henri Matisse, she thrives on the freedom to “draw with scissors,” in a spirit of spontaneity that is so much a part of each new work. Her collages reflect a personal and eloquent spirituality, with a common thread—her work is irrepressibly joyful. Rosefsky began her career as a self-taught folk artist while living in Upstate New York and later studied art in a Syracuse University graduate extension program and at Binghamton University. Her work can be found in several public collections as well as private collections in New York and Georgia.