A Desert Oddity - Lotan Lotan 1905-1985

Desert Oddity by Lotan Lotan 1966 

via Blue Coyote Gallery

Lotan is a strange and unusual artist from Indiana who moved to Arizona in 1952 at age 47 with a girlfriend named Ruth, age 35, who became his wife. They were both painters and commercial artists. His name was Lotan S.Welshans, but as a couple they lived under the name Lotan and Ruth Ateliers. 

Then, he changed his name to Lotan Lotan, PHD, MD and made up a bunch of bizarre stuff about a European background (to sell art?). Even more bizarre are some of his paintings. He loved Salvador Dali. He loved the desert. He combined the two influences and added nude women to create his own surrealistic fantasies. Other paintings of erotic nudes are intriguing combinations of crudely-painted folk art crossed with advertising/paperback pulp art. 

Read more biographical info on this artist & his wife and see more images (Blue Coyote): LINK

Harper's Books LINK to even more of his art.

American Gallery Blog-  LINK with paintings and drawings.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Magazine Illustrations (Amy Crehore)

Here are some issues of big magazines where you'll find my illustrations. 

These are from 1991 thru 2008. 

I sent my original painted illustrations to the magazines
(after they called me with job assignments and we approved sketches)

and they would return them via fed ex after they were done scanning them. 

Looking back, I worked with many different art directors all over the country.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Here are a few examples:

 Jewel and Alanis Morrisette for Rolling Stone by Amy Crehore

 Barbie as a Saint for Playboy by Amy Crehore

Nostalgia Man for New York Times Magazine by Amy Crehore
CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE (for sharp image)

New Painting, "Waiting Room" by Amy Crehore 2015

Here's my painting finished. It's 8" x 10" oil on linen. Click image to enlarge. 

I'm calling it "Waiting Room".

©Amy Crehore 2015

The Art of Amy Crehore 

UPDATE: And here is my newly finished pastel/charcoal drawing (3/13/15):

Waiting Room drawing by ©Amy Crehore 2015

Inquire about my originals amy@amycrehore.com

I'll be showing my art in Tokyo this summer.

Starting new work

If you have been following my instagram , you may have 

seen my latest works in progress. 

I sketched an intuitive piece in pencil first. 

Then I did a drawing in conte crayon (not yet finished) and 

moved on to oil on linen this week. I also tried it in gouache last week, but did not like the results. 

It is an interior scene with figures which I drew from my head. (No models or references.)

I am continually working on new things and I'm excited about an exhibit in Tokyo that I was invited to participate in (this summer). More about that later.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Sorting through Archives (Illustration)

 Stacks of Playboy Magazines from 1991 - 2002 that my illustrations are published in.

A spread I did for Playboy, issue Jan 1992. My photo appears in the middle of the Playbill.

Here's an example of an illustration I did for Esquire magazine in 1991. 

A story by Robert Stone (who just died this year). 

I have done plenty of illustration work over the years for magazines and book publishers. 

Just look at the stack of Playboys alone that my work has appeared in (above). Eleven years of regular assignments.
Kerig Pope at Playboy was the first art director for a "big" magazine to call me in 1991, followed by Rhonda Rubenstein at Esquire. 

I have many more big name magazines and drawers of original illustrations to
sort through and catalogue like the example of Esquire above.

Right now, my website shows only part of my career history 

with an emphasis on my fine art.
I am working on it and I am working on writing a better bio of my entire art career.

The Art of Amy Crehore

National Kazoo Day

Here's a little ditty featuring kazoos in honor of National Kazoo Day. We recorded this in 1995. Our little band, the Hokum Scorchers used to play it at festivals such as Northwest Folklife-

Presenting Tickler # 3: "Twitch" Concert Ukulele designed by Amy Crehore, built by Lou Reimuller

You will find more information at the bottom of the photo stream and some links.

(Click on image above to enlarge)

Presenting the Tickler #3- A Concert Ukulele, “Twitch” by Amy Crehore (instrument designer, painter, illustrator) and Lou Reimuller (luthier, sculptor, musician and creator of Teenar): a uniquely designed and painted concert ukulele by artist Amy Crehore, lovingly hand-built to Amy's design with great attention to detail by luthier Lou Reimuller.

Featuring:

1.   Honduras mahogany sides with a beautiful, figured mahogany back

2.   Carbon fiber reinforced mahogany neck with ebony center stripe on back

3.   Maple top hand-painted with original painting by artist Amy Crehore

4.   Hand-carved ebony bridge (Amy’s unique scroll design, sculpted by Lou Reimuller), bone saddle, ebony bridge pins with pearl dots

5.   Bound catwood (a.k.a. ziracote wood) fingerboard

6.   Bindings and back stripe made of boltaron, wood veneer, and fiber

7.   Tiny hand-carved bow tie on headstock sculpted by Lou Reimuller, endgraft inlay, heel cap, top inlay- all are made of stabilized green dyed figured maple

8.   Amy’s uniquely designed headstock is enhanced by an original painting. Painted areas are varnished with polyurethane (hard, abrasion-resistant finish).

9.   “Peghed” brand geared tuners

10. French polished back, sides and neck

11. Interior braces made of Adirondack spruce

12. Ebony nut

13. Bound oval sound hole, Tickler Ukulele label inside

14. Amazingly beautiful harp-like tone

15. Most of the wood has been aged for over 30 years

16. Dimensions: total length 23 ½”, scale length 15”, side depth 2 1/2” -2 7/8” , upper bout across 6 ¼”, lower bout 8”, body length 11 1/8”, waist 5” (Large and deep body)

Twitch was the name of a cat who inspired this one-of-a-kind fine art ukulele. Here's the link to process photos of this ukulele being made. And, here's the link to the only other ukulele that I designed from scratch, a pineapple soprano (Tickler #2, 2009, sold). Huge thanks go to Lou Reimuller (luthier) for his incredible craftsmanship and dedicated, hard work on both of these rare and special instruments. Note: the concert size is larger than a soprano.

Inquire: amy@amycrehore.com
The Art of Amy Crehore

Thanks for posting about this ukulele, BOINGBOING- link boingboing 
And there is a new interview with me about this uke on Architects and Artisans 
and Huff Post