Unusual Life

Photo Credit: Seattle Metropolitan Magazine

Speaking of paint-by-numbers, here is the collection of Marlow Harris and JoDavid who live in Seattle. I found it on their blog : "Unusual Life" which features eccentric homes, beautiful condom fashions from Thailand, Long Gone John, Kirsten Anderson and Cyclops Kitty. It's just my kind of blog.

For fun and wackiness check out:

Unusual Life

The Art of Amy Crehore

The Classic Hair Flower

Billy Holiday Gardenias

The Flower Muncher Painting by Amy Crehore
Betty Page Rose

Girls with flowers in their hair. It's Classic. All of the girls in my "Monkey Love Paintings" have tropical flowers in their hair. They are wearing nothing else! Coincidentally, this hair flower fashion seems to be hot right now.

Check out:

The Diva Pinup

For Hair Flower Accessories

Also, I am offering free shipping on all of my "Little Pierrot" and Monkey Love" limited edition, signed fine art prints until Feb. 15, 2007.

The Art of Amy Crehore

My "Charity By Numbers" Painting

Close up of girl's face by Amy Crehore

1955 Paint-by-Number transformed by Amy Crehore (click on image for larger view)

On Feb.10, 2007 the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City will host a gala evening followed by a week-long auction. CHARITY BY NUMBERS will benefit the Alliance for Children's Rights.

Here is a sneak preview of my painting for the event. You will be able to link to the Ebay Auction Site at: coreyhelfordgallery.com or

kids-alliance.org or go directly to Ebay’s homepage and click on “Giving Works” under Categories from Feb 10 until Feb. 17 midnight.

More details here: CHARITY BY NUMBERS

List of artists who are transforming paint-by-numbers includes- Mark Ryden & Marion Peck, Clayton Brothers, Camille Rose Garcia, Todd & Kathy Schorr, Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Eric White, Ron English, Shepard Fairey, Friends With You, James Marshall (Dalek), Josh Agle (Shag), Michael Hussar, Gary Panter, Kent Williams, Miss Van, Richard Colman, Alex Gross, Elizabeth McGrath, Jeff Soto, Jim Houser, David Horvath & Sun-Min Kim, Souther Salazar, Saelee Oh, Caroline Hwang, Andrew Brandou, Korin Faught, Gary Taxali, Joe Ledbetter, Owen Smith, Aaron Smith, Natalia Fabia, Kaz, Bwana Spoons, Dave Kinsey, Mark Todd & Esther Pearl Watson, Erik Foss, Boris Hoppek, Nathan Jurevicius, Fred Stonehouse, Tara McPherson, Calef Brown, Paul Frank, Rodney Alan Greenblat, Martha Rich, Jennifer Poon, Heiko Mueller, James Jean, Jordin Isip, The London Police, Lola, Nathan Spoor, Amy Crehore, Isabel Samaras, Anthony Ausgang, Jonathon Rosen, Christian Northeast, Ana Bagayan, Mari Inukai, Greg Simkins (Craola), Donny Miller, Lauren Bergman, Tom Neely, Blaine Fontana, Audrey Kawasaki, Tokidoki, The Pizz, Jesse LeDoux, Kukula, Paul Chatem, Glenn Barr, Alex Pardee, Luke Chueh, Buff Monster, Sam Flores, Kii Arens, David Sandlin, Van Arno, Attaboy, Dave Burke, Sean Christopher, Greg Clarke, Frieda Gossett Clayton, Dave Cooper, Sarah Folkman, Fawn Gehweiler, Gris Grimly, David Hochbaum, Stella Im Hultberg, Sylvia Ji, Eric Joyner, Kozyndan, Tiffany Liu, Jason Maloney, Tim McCormick, Patrick McDonnell, Carrie McNinch, Chantal Menard, Brandi Milne, James Naccarato, Joe O'Neill, Kathie Olivas, Kevin Peterson, Joshua Petker, Pooch, Lesley Reppeteaux, Goldmine Shithouse, Savanna Snow, Amy Sol, Save Vaughn, David Von Der Linn

The Art of Amy Crehore

Victims & Avengers

"Emily", photograph copyright 2007 Chris Anthony

Check out these amazing Victorian Surrealist Art Photographs of Chris Anthony in his new show at the Corey Helford Gallery. Open to the public for only a week from Jan. 30- Feb.7, 2007. Go see it if you are in the Culver City/Los Angeles area. Or click on the online gallery to see the show:

"Victims and Avengers"

Chris Anthony

The Art of Amy Crehore

Papa Charlie Jackson 1890-1938

Papa Charlie Jackson by Amy Crehore

I can't remember exactly when I painted this portrait of Papa Charlie Jackson with his guitar banjo. We used to play some of his songs in our little Hokum Scorchers band.

'Jackson was the first really successful self accompanied performer and he has the distinction of being one of the creators of “Hokum”, a spicy form of popular song that made repeated and continual references to sex, his most popular composition being “Shake That Thing”.' read more about Jackson at Red Hot Jazz

Listen to samples of his Complete Recorded Works on Document Records at Amazon:

Papa Charlie Jackson

We especially loved to play these songs:

"I Got What it Takes, but it Breaks my Heart to Give it Away" (Vol.1)

"Your Baby Ain't Sweet Like Mine" (Vol.2)

and "Loan Me Your Heart" (Vol.3)

Listen to samples of 3 Incredible Volumes of Papa Charlie !

The Art of Amy Crehore

Golden Nature Guides

When I am painting and I need some handy reference material, I sometimes reach for my collection of vintage Golden Nature Guides (published by Golden Press in the 1950's). I can find any sort of plant or animal in these beautiful little books. Here's a link to buy them new:

Golden Nature Guides

The Art of Amy Crehore

Seaside Pierrots

Pierrots were popular seaside attractions in Victorian England.

"Pierrot groups first appeared in Britain’s coastal resorts during the 1890s after being instituted by a singer and banjoist, Clifford Essex. He established the first pierrot group after a visit to France in 1891, having been struck with the appearance of traditional pierrots of French pantomime. They became an established feature of seaside entertainment until the Second World War. Each troupe occupied its own pitch and performed on a portable wooden stage, usually erected directly on the beach.", Tate Papers Spring 2006

(read more about pierrots in art).

More English Seaside Images

The Art of Amy Crehore

Alice

Little Alice Liddell by Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson a.k.a Lewis Carroll

More photos here

The Art of Amy Crehore

Upcoming Event - Charity-by-Numbers

I am transforming this vintage paint-by-number painting from 1955 into my own popsurreal-fantasy compostion. You will be amazed by the list of artists who are participating in this charity auction event happening in February. Stay tuned for more details.

Meanwhile, here is a teaser:

"Top artists of the underground fine art movement alter vintage paint-by-numbers for a once-in-a-lifetime charity auction! The Alliance for Children's Rights and Corey Helford Gallery present a Gala evening of art and festivities to be followed by a week-long on-line auction of classic, hand-painted, vintage paint-by-numbers that have been transformed into modern one of a kind masterpieces by the most sought-after artists of the Pop-Surrealist, Lowbrow, Graffiti, Outsider, Urban, New Fine Art and Contemporary Movements. The Gala takes place February 10, 6:00 - 9:00 PM, 2007 and 100% of the proceeds will go to The Alliance. For details, contact the Corey Helford Gallery at 310-287-2340." (event details )

The Art of Amy Crehore

Nice!

I'm all smiles this morning. My art and my blog got a nice little review here:

http://mardecortesbaja.com/

Good Ol' Charlie

I've been locked away in my studio and I can't seem to answer my important emails or post on the blog very much this week. I'm trying to finish some paintings and the only way to do it is to block out the world!

Today it actually snowed in my town which is very, very rare. It usually only rains here in the winter. It was nice to see white for a change.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Fruit Crate Label Bed

Vintage Fruit Crate Label
Vintage Cigar Box Label Lou Reimuller designed this headboard.

"Italian Landscape" painting by Amy Crehore.

I always loved the vintage labels on fruit and vegetable crates, cigar boxes and soup cans. Here are a couple of links to places you can buy them or just look at them:

Vintage Depot Direct

Fruit Crate Labels

Lou Reimuller not only plays hokum music and invented the Teenar, but he also makes useful things out of ready-made objects like this Fruit Crate Label Bed he designed (seen above).

The Art of Amy Crehore

Hannah Hoch's Plush Dolls

Hannah Hoch 1925

Hannah Hoch, Dada Dolls 1916

I love these plush dolls by Hannah Hoch. They were shown in the recent Dada exhibit that travelled from the National Gallery in D.C. to the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. I'm sorry to say that I missed the exhibit, but I am now enjoying the book, "Dada" by Leah Dickerman.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Ryoichi Yoshida Dolls

Here are some beautiful dolls by Japanese master dollmaker Ryoichi Yoshida

and some links to gallery pages and more information about this amazing artist/photographer.

(photos copyright Ryoichi Yoshida)

Yoshida Dolls

Viewzone.com

The Art of Amy Crehore

Rubber Headress

"Sting" Mask Hat from Zuss Design

This is turning into a fashion blog! I could not resist posting about these one-of-a-kind fashion hats made out of recycled rubber. Check out the hats page at:

Zuss Fashion Design

The Art of Amy Crehore

Fabulous Fez Fashion

Skull and Crossbones Fez
Drunken Monkey Fez
The Fabuous Daturas, Main St. Grill, Richmond, VA 1977- Little Lacy wearing a fez (a.k.a.Ted Polk), Sunset Lou (Lou Reimuller), & Datura Morris (Raliegh Powell)

A fez is always in fashion. Why not wear a fez in 2007? Here are a couple of examples of high fashion fezzes from

Fez-o-rama

"Trust me, when you wear one of our fezzes you get a lot of questions... or at least a lot of questioning looks. This one says "Yes, I realize that I am wearing a Fez! Can't you see I have some serious drinking to do? Go throw yourself on someone with lower standards and less style!"

A hokum band called The Fabulous Daturas had the right idea back in 1977!

(Yes, that is Lou Reimuller, creator of Teenar, Girl Guitar in the middle.)

The Art of Amy Crehore

Backstage, Lulu and The Bather

"Backstage" painting by Amy Crehore (Little Pierrot Series-fine art print)

Lulu

Rene Magritte, "The Bather" 1925

Happy New Year! I'd like to bring in the new year with Magritte's painting, "The Bather" 1925.
This painting was thought to be inspired by none other than the thoroughly modern Louise Brooks ("Lulu" shown above). Both images wonderfully represent the Art Deco period. For more photos of Louise Brooks and Ziegfeld Follies girls try this link: empousa.multiply.com

And don't miss the Magritte show at LACMA if you live in Southern California.

Also, I have a special offer of free shipping on my "Little Pierrot" and "Monkey Love" prints until February 15, 2007:

The Art of Amy Crehore