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Archive for the ‘Serendipity’ Category

The first painting posted on my blog over 5 years ago.

The first painting posted on my blog over 7 years ago.

Seven years ago Delilah’s Art & Gift Shop was opened on East Main Street in Front Royal by three friends who loved art (and shopping).  Over the years it was converted to a little artist co-op and featured art and fine crafts by local artists.

105 E. MainIt  has been a wonderful little shop for local friends to meet and chat as well as a place to find unique, handmade items as well as fine art.

We loved that we were featured in Virginia Living Magazine.  And that last year we were named by the Northern Virginia Daily as the Best Unique Gift Shop.  Many, many thanks.

Delilah's featured in Virginia Living magazine

Delilah’s featured in Virginia Living magazine

But today we will close Delilah’s door for the final time.  It is bittersweet.  It has been a wonderful experience working with some terrific artists and seeing their brilliant creations.  I have loved meeting so many people who have shopped with us at Delilah’s.  I especially loved talking with the many out-of-town visitors who have come to the shop and shared their splendid travel experiences.  It has been delightful!

As a good friend reminded me yesterday, “when one door closes, another one opens”, and that is exactly what is happening now.  As Delilah’s closes it’s doors it will only be closed for a short time.

We are announcing the Grand Opening of a new venture, The Studio – A Place for Learning!  The Studio exists to create opportunities for community members to explore fine arts, crafts and other areas of personal development in a casual and recreational environment. Classes and workshops will be offered for a variety of skill levels ranging from the absolute beginner exploring a new craft to the experienced and seasoned artist or craftsman.   The Studio is available for people of all abilities to explore and create. The space is available for rent for small groups whether for workshops, classes or parties at a very reasonable rate.    Our ultimate goal is to help people overcome potential fears and discover their innate creativity by trying something new.

Put Friday, August 1st on your calendar.  That will be the day of the Grand Opening  of The Studio.  We are planning many great activities that day for you to experience what we will be offering….and that day it will all be free.  We hope you will embrace our new venture as you did Delilah’s.

We are truly grateful for the support you have given us all these years!

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prom dress

Photo from HuffPost

This young lady has painted one of the best ideas I have seen in a while.

Yes, she copied Van Gogh but she brought her own ideas to it and the design to make it work and she got attention for fine art from millions of people…not just her classmates.

You go girl.  Be sure to click here and read the whole story.

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rembrandt-self-portraitA portrait long thought to be the work of one of Rembrandt’s students and credited as  “in the style of Rembrandt”  has been confirmed to be an actual Rembrandt self-portrait.  In this day of “selfies”, this is the ultimate selfie!!!  The portrait is dated 1635, when Rembrandt, who is considered to be one of the greatest painters in European art history, was 29 years old.  (Learn more about Rembrandt here. )

Valued at $50 million the painting was donated to Britain’s National Trust by a wealthy supporter.  (Read more about it here.)  I love these stories where art is “found”!

 

 

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Jed Chasing the Train Along the Park Fence

Jed Chasing the Train Along the Park Fence

Water Dogs with Stick

Water Dogs with Stick

Dachshund

Dachshund

See Saw

See Saw

Park Bench

Park Bench

Tug-of-War

Tug-of-War

Here are more pictures of the beautiful dog quilt that Jackie Bourque just made for me.  I LOVE IT!!!!

There are so many cute expressions and details that I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite but of course, if I had to do it, I would choose the view of my Jed chasing the train along the fence at the park.  That is his favorite thing to do and how wonderful that Jackie added this to the quilt pattern.

Notice the Corgi standing on the back-end of the Bloodhound to see the other dogs on the bench better.  LOL!

And look at the expressions on the faces of the dogs on the See-Saw block with the big puppy weighting down the 3 little ones!

And the rope toy that the Tug-of-War pups playing with in that block.

Again, I hope to have this quilt on display soon for you to see up close.  It really is an amazing work of art.  And just to let you know, Jackie takes special orders.  If you would love to own a quilt like this or even a wall hanging of one of the blocks from the quilt Jackie can make it!  Let’s put her to work.  🙂

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Jackie Bourque with "The Dog Park" quilt

Jackie Bourque with “The Dog Park” quilt

"Frisbee Dog" block

“Frisbee Dog” block

"Treeing the Squirrel" block

“Treeing the Squirrel” block

"Merry-Go-Round" Block

“Merry-Go-Round” Block

close-up of Dizzy Pug on Merry-Go-Round

close-up of Dizzy Pug on Merry-Go-Round

"Great Dane" Block

“Great Dane” Block

During the Christmas holidays my friend Jackie Bourque, an amazing fabric artist, emailed me about a dog park quilt pattern she had seen and thought she would like to make.  Would I be interested.  WOULD I BE INTERESTED????  Are you kidding?

Seeing the pattern, a McKenna Ryan creation,  I couldn’t believe Jackie would want to do something so intense.  And to say it turned out amazing would be an understatement.

We piled together the fabrics we both had along with some we ordered and a few embellishments and Jackie went to work.  She showed me the first block when she finished it.  After that she asked if I wanted to see each as she finished them or wait for the finished quilt.  I am glad now I waited for the finished product because it is JUST EXTRAORDINARY!

I am going to share some photos with you here.  And tomorrow I will share the rest.  It is just too much to take in so I will break it into two posts.  (And I am sure I will share even more over the months to come because I can not believe how lucky I am to have this wonderful work of art.)

Please click on the photos so you can see larger versions of them.  You will see that every dog has about 20-30 pieces in them.  The eyes, the nose, the shadowing….all different little pieces of fabric!

Beautiful!  Amazing!  Ingenious!  Splendid!  Fascinating!  Charming!   I don’t have enough words to describe this quilt.  I hope to have it on display somewhere soon so that you may come and see the amazing quilting skills of Jackie Bourque.  She is a brilliant fabric artist and a wonderful friend.  Thanks Jackie for such a beautiful piece of art. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!!!

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Andrew Wyeth, Wind from the Sea, 1947, tempera on hardboard, National Gallery of Art, Gift of Charles H. Morgan, 2009.

Andrew Wyeth, Wind from the Sea, 1947, tempera on hardboard, National Gallery of Art, Gift of Charles H. Morgan, 2009.

The second of the two special exhibits that I saw Tuesday at the National Gallery of Art was the “Andrew Wyeth – Looking In, Looking Out”.  It was amazing!

You must go see it before it ends in November.  His watercolor work is unbelievable.  And the subject matter is so interesting to see.

I saw the painting, Wind from the Sea, right after it was given to the National Gallery and was so taken with it.  I could feel the air blowing through the window as I walked by and saw it.  (Here is the first post I did about it.)

This show is only going to be on display in Washington so do yourself a favor and take time to go see it.  You will be glad you did.

Andrew Wyeth, Frostbitten, 1962, watercolor on paper, Private Collection.

Andrew Wyeth, Frostbitten, 1962, watercolor on paper, Private Collection.

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Mary Cassatt's Little Girl in a Blue Armchair, 1878

Mary Cassatt’s Little Girl in a Blue Armchair, 1878

Close-up of dog in Cassatt's "Little Girl in a Blue Armchair"

Close-up of dog in Cassatt’s “Little Girl in a Blue Armchair”

Sleeping Lincoln

Sleeping Lincoln

Take time to go to the National Gallery of Art before the end of October to see two exhibits that are currently there – Degas/Cassatt and Andrew Wyeth.

The Degas/Cassatt exhibit features gorgeous paintings by the two artists, several from private collections that I had never seen, as well as many prints by the two with an explanation of how these became important during that time period.  Of course, my favorite painting in the show by Cassatt is “Little Girl in a Blue Arm Chair”.  I just know that the little dog in the opposite chair is an ancestor to my Lincoln.  I always say that Lincoln thinks he should be leading the life of a wealthy French family’s dog!

Degas, Mary Cassatt at the Louvre: The Paintings Gallery, 1885, private collection.

Degas, Mary Cassatt at the Louvre: The Paintings Gallery, 1885, private collection.

My favorite Degas’ are the two he painted of Cassatt and another woman at the Louvre and the pastel study of Cassatt for the painting.  This is the first time I have seen the painting as it is in a private collection on loan to the show.  I love the perspective of these.

Take time to go see this exhibit.  It really gives insight into the way artists of the time work together, critiqued each other, and collected each others work.

Edgar Degas, "Mary Cassatt at the Louvre", 1879, pastel, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Edgar Degas, “Mary Cassatt at the Louvre”, 1879, pastel, Philadelphia Museum of Art

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Boys making necklaces

Boys making necklaces

Kelly Demonstrating

Kelly Demonstrating

Shelly with Crowd

Shelly with Crowd

Delilah's Festival Look

Delilah’s Festival Look

We had a prefect day in Front Royal for the Wine Festival yesterday.  Many thanks to Sandra Patterson for the photos of the happenings around Delilah’s Art and Gift Shop.  We had a lot of visitors stop by.  And Shelly and Tami did a great job with the Kids Craft Corner.  The kids got a real kick out of making their “Bug Necklaces” as well as many other fun crafts.  Thanks girls.  All in all a very nice day!

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Art on Display

Art on Display

I got a nice surprise this week when I got an email with photos from a couple who collects my art.  They live in Maryland but have been working on setting up their retirement home in Georgia in anticipation of retiring soon.  I have enjoyed visiting with them when they come out to the Valley and hearing their plans.

I love that they collect original art for their homes.  They have purchased several of my paintings over the last few years.

2013-2014 - Mixed Bag 434Here are some photos showing how they have displayed my paintings.  Thanks so much for sharing these with me.  It made my day.

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Mary Cassatt's Little Girl in a Blue Armchair, 1878

Mary Cassatt’s Little Girl in a Blue Armchair, 1878

Close-up of dog in Cassatt's "Little Girl in a Blue Armchair"

Close-up of dog in Cassatt’s “Little Girl in a Blue Armchair”

There is an exciting exhibit coming to the National Gallery of Art in Washington. Degas/Cassatt opens on May 11 and will feature 70 pieces by the two Impressionists that will highlight their friendship.  The curators there recently discovered that it appears that Degas may have actually painted a few strokes on the well-known Cassatt painting “Little Girl in Blue Armchair”.  It’s fascinating.  Read about it here.

Sleeping Lincoln

Sleeping Lincoln

I love this painting that I have seen many time but a couple of years ago, right after Lincoln came to live with us, I had to take a double take when looking at the painting.  It seems that Lincoln was a wealthy French dog in a former life.  He has been reincarnated and now lives with us in Virginia.  The pup in the painting looks just like my sleeping Lincoln.

Don’t you think?

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