Just imagine....

...back a few decades ago... opening up your back door and dragging in the silvery metal milk case FILLED with these little 1 pint glass milk bottles. The imagined tinking and clinking of those little bottles is music I could listen to all day. Thank you Mr. Milk Man- oh how we took you and your glass and metal for granted!

The life I saw through these.....

Top- Super Cool Aviators- High School hallways, classmates from afar, my father, Mr. Paisley my art teacher, "Etc." the literary magazine, my grandparents, the farm, my sister the majorette, my brother the 6 year old, my beautiful mother.

Middle- Mammoth Annie Hall's (nickel to show their hugeness)- Art School. Europe and College- Pittsburgh on my own, thrift store discovery, black and white darkrooms, Super 8 filmmaking, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Paris, Greece, Italy, England, painting, acid bubbling on an etching plate, student-teaching an art class of 100 children using a bullhorn, took a walk on a sunny day and met my husband.

Bottom- Wire-rims- New mother- my children being born, each small face, many many brown eyes, little running blurs, upside down, sideways, infront and behind, years of spinning and twirling and trying.

Stuck...

2-1/2" x 3-1/2" ACEO......was not sure how to finish this? Lost my thought in the middle...

Ended up with this.

New idea, new work....

...vintage brooch frames surrounding an original collage. Trying to decide if I should keep them as pins, turn them into necklaces, or invest in (or make) brooch converters so they can be worn as a pin OR a necklace. What do you think?

Macton Road gets loaded up on Sunday.....

with a tabletop ironing boarda drawstring floral handbagchenille cutters and scrapsand a number of children's books & cookbooks

Uh, this is what happens....

...when the studio get abandoned to pay attention to family..... Today, little by little, spent some time getting it sorted out. Still have a long way to go.... ...especially in areas like this.....

Love these on Etsy....

Just noticed a running theme with my favorites on Etsy. What's with me and red shoes, fish nets & whimsy? Thank you,
Jen Hewett, Cathy Nichols, & Michele Maule

gritty urban realism?....

...or just gritty end-of-the-day realism? This is my view, at the kitchen window, near about 5 p.m.- usually when I finish up in my studio. Standing at the kitchen sink, looking at this sky, I go over my day- what did I accomplish?, what didn't I get to and if I ever will?

Hayom Yom shadow box....

Since I haven't taken photos of anything new I'll show a shadow box someone asked me to make as a gift to her husband. It represents his birth-day in "Hayom Yom", which is a book of daily Jewish inspiration. His birth date, obviously, had a lot to do with happiness, music and tefillin. The black printed figures are actually suspended from invisible thread attached to a hook on the ceiling of the box. They float and twirl. I painted the background watercolors. The bookcase is made of match boxes stacked up and painted. Check out my handiwork with the rug, the lit! candlesticks, wine cup, hand embroidered challah cover! I decoupaged the frame of the box with the daily phrases and what's better than finishing it all off with some metallic threads?! The books, wine bottle and table are dollhouse furniture. Hm...you know...I could easily turn into a miniatures and dollhouse fanatic. I'd be one of those old ladies the neighborhood children would vist just to check out what's the latest with my crazed dollhouse. I'd have it decorated for every Jewish holiday in handcut bitsy papers, all in scale and so, so perfect. I can see it now....aaah.....

It's a new day and the sun is out. Let's see what I'll end up with.

a baby aceo....

Macton Road Vintage was featured in "Etsy Finds!"

Well that certainly was exciting. And whoa, had no idea how many views and hearts that would generate! Thank you Etsy (and yes, nothing like a rusted out chartreuse watering can to get you in The Storque!) http://tinyurl.com/yclgsvf

Like one of those "what's different in the picture?" games....

The starting off point and what you end up with.

Collage on Stationary...

When I was in Chicago a year or two ago, I went into Pearl Paint and they had the greatest selection of blank cards & stationary. Bought a packet in which the paper was made with flower petals. Love the shape of the envelope! Collaged onto the top of the folded paper, but I can't sell it since I folded it incorrectly & now it has a crease in the wrong place. Wah.

Started work on the Twicks & Lions cards....

and I gave this one away to a special friend....

Unity Shabbat Centerpieces....

I was asked to make the table centerpieces for a program that brought together a number of local synagogues. We shared Friday night dinner, singing and programs all Shabbat. I guess I got a little cliche'ish and just made globes encircled with people holding hands around the world. That = Unity, right? I was shocked when I walked into the shul with all of the gorgeous tables so elegantly set-up in gold and white linens. There rose- in all the tasteful decor- my bright blue globes and child-like paperdolls. My cringing lessened somewhat when I was told they added some color to the room. Okaaay...people are so nice. And ooooh paperdolls! Cutting! Dressing! Fun! all 30 zillion of them!<All of that leads to--->>>>

From this.....

...to this-

A long project....

I was asked to make a display for Chabad's Jewish Student Center to highlight their Chai Club (which is explained below on the painting's sign). It was, first, to be a bulletin board, but the idea kept developing, through meeting of the minds with Sarah Rivkin, Director with her husband, Rabbi Yochanon Rivkin. So here we are in front of the Student Center on Tulane University's campus.
The beginnings.... Sarah wanted some place to also display alumni donor photos....
I cut out a couple of layers of foam core with an exacto knife (loads of fun. not.) I gessoed it and loved the way it looked all white in minimal, simple shapes. I asked Sarah if she would like this made out of wood by a carpenter. She thought about it a while, but decided she wanted a painting.
She wanted pictures of Alumni who have given to the Student Center in the past. Sarah wanted to get the point across to the students that they have a hand in creating the Center- in making it a home- so I thought rows of paint brushes could be used to attach the photos. We thought we liked the idea of leaving it unfinished looking, as if the future donors would help to continue its completion and creation. I finished the brushes, and the sides of the house. Thinking it was finished, I brought it back to the directors, but I think after looking at it for awhile they decided they needed the painting to look more completed.
So proud of my teeny, tiny reproduction of the sign...(-:
All the trees were cut separately to make them more dimensional.
So, I brought it back home and filled in the middle. Sarah suggested I leave it a bit less finished looking around the Chai Club sign. This is hand lettered to give it a more painterly look.