Spring Flowers.....

Spring flowers are everywhere I look! This is my absolute favorite time of year. My friend Bart Boehlert posted this photo of the Union Square Flower Market in New York on his blog Bart Boehlert's Beautiful Things...

...as well as this image of the tulips in Abingdon Square, our morning coffee spot when we are in New York....

and another favorite blog, Habitually Chic, posted this photo of the tulips on Park Avenue in New York. While living in New York, the tulip moment on Park Avenue, a street I walked daily, was a very special time of year and one that I will always long for.

If I can't have New York's Park Avenue in bloom with tulips, Flower Markets, and Abingdon Square, at least I can have Spring Flowers in the form of art by Big Easel artists. Here are just a few "Spring Flower" pieces to keep everything in bloom....

JULIE BREAUX
(Lafayette, LA)
MORNING GLORY
Acrylic on Canvas
18" x 18"
$ 475.00
www.juliebreauxart.com

KELLI KAUFMAN
(Lafayette, LA)
DECONSTRUCTED STILL LIFE
Oil/Wax on Canvas
18" x 24"
$ 600.00
www.kellikaufman.com

DAREN TUCKER
(Lafayette, LA)
SPRING BOUQUET
Oil on Unbleached Linen
14" x 18"
$ 375.00
available from Rue du Pont Galerie, Breaux Bridge, LA

HOPE HEBERT
(Lafayette, LA)
SPRING BREAK I
Acrylic on Canvas
16" x 20"
$ 475.00
www.hopehebert.com

BROOKE WILKE
(Lafayette, LA)
YELLOW FLOWER
Acrylic on Canvas
16" x 20"
$ 320.00

LAURENCE YOUNG
(Provincetown, MA)
BUTTERFLIES
Oil/Wax on Canvas
24" x 18"
$ 1,800.00
available from Rue du Pont Galerie, Breaux Bridge, LA
www.laurenceyoung.com

Need a great vase for your spring flowers at home? Glass artist Ginger Kelly makes fantastic ones including my favorite...

GINGER KELLY
(Breaux Bridge, LA)
Handblown and Painted Glass Vase
$ 85.00
www.gingerkelly.com

Isn't this necklace by jewelry artist Liz Juneau just fantastic? So happy making and I love that she named it "Garden Party Necklace". 

LIZ JUNEAU/Archipelago Jewelry
(Alexandria, LA)
GARDEN PARTY NECKLACE
Round Coral Glass Beads and Twisted Silver Wire
Barrel Pendant is 1" high x 3/4" wide on 20" silver chain
$ 46.00
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Archipelago-Jewelry-by-Liz-Juneau/175396942516173

A huge thank you to our 2012 Big Easel sponsors:

Henry J. Kaufman IV, M.D.

Surgical Oncology & General Surgery

The Big Easel Part 4...Collection 2 "To the Water....." Continued!

This week has been stunningly beautiful so I keep feeling the need to be at the shore....

Here are a few more pieces to help me get there if only in my mind...this collection includes pieces by 2012 Big Easel artists Joy Gardner, Jerome Weber, Carla Levers, John Clayton, Susan Carver, Zach Barfuss, Eric Svendson, and Mark Rabalais.

Joy Gardner
(Mobile, AL)
Turquoise Water Seascape
Oil on Canvas
36" x 36"
$ 1,150.00
www.joygardner.weebly.com
available from Jeffery McCullough Art & Design Consulting

Jerome Weber
(New Iberia, LA)
Crawfish Pond, St Martinville
Oil on Board
18" x 24"
$ 500.00
available from Potpourri Gallery, New Iberia

John Clayton
(Provincetown, MA)
Green Boat
Oil on Canvas
8" x 10"
$ 450.00
www.johnclaytonstudio.com
available from Rue du Pont Galerie, Breaux Bridge

Carla Levers
(Lafayette, LA)
Secret Serenity
Pastel on Paper
14" x 18"
$ 550.00

Susan Carver
(New Iberia, LA)
Blue Fish
Hand Painted and Torched Metal
20" x 9"
$ 225.00
www.susancarverart.com

Zach Barfuss
(Houston, TX)
Crashing Waves
Acrylic on Canvas
48" x 12"
$ 300.00
www.artbyzach.com

Eric Svendson
(Lafayette, LA)
Pelican
Black/White Photograph
11" x 16"
$ 90.00
available from Rue du Pont Galerie, Breaux Bridge

Mark Rabalais
(Pineville, LA)
Swampscape I
Charcoal on Wood
72" x 36"
$ 900.00
www.rabalaisart.com

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT:

The Big Easel cannot happen without the support of local businesses committed to keeping the arts alive in Acadiana. 

A huge thank you to our 2012 Big Easel sponsors:

Henry J. Kaufman IV, M.D.

Surgical Oncology & General Surgery

The Big Easel Part 3...Collection 2...To the Water.....

With weather as gorgeous as it is today, it is so easy to imagine being on the water! So for this Big Easel collection, let's go.....to the beach, to the lake, to the river or creek....

Pieces in this dream collection are by Big Easel artists Scott Bailey, Michael Eble, Jo Faulk, Candace Greer, Ginger Kelly, Linda Moncla, Lyndel Renoudet, and Laurence Young. Enjoy!

And look for these fantastic pieces plus many more on Saturday, May 5th, at The Big Easel.

Michael Eble
(Morris, MN)
Estuary I
Acrylic on Panel
30" x 40"
$ 1,000.00
www.michaeleble.com
available from Jeffery McCullough Art & Design Consulting

Kelli Kaufman
(Lafayette, LA)
Sunset on the Marsh
Oil/Wax on Canvas
16" x 8"
$ 200.00
www.kellikaufman.com

Scott Bailey
(Broussard, LA)
Island Retreat
Oil on Canvas
8" x 16"
$ 275.00
available from A & E Gallery, New Iberia, LA

Laurence Young
(Provincetown, MA)
Breaking Day
Oil/Wax on Canvas
16" x 20"
$ 1,800.00
www.laurenceyoung.com
available from Rue du Pont Galerie, Breaux Bridge, LA

Candace Greer
(Lafayette, LA)
Southern Crosses
Oil on Canvas
16" x 20"
$675.00
www.candacegreerart.com
available from Jeffery McCullough Art & Design Consulting

Linda Moncla
(Lafayette, LA)
Ready to Sail
Watercolor on Paper
11" x 16"
$ 200.00, unframed

Whether at a picnic by the water or on a table in a beach house, isn't this piece by Lyndel Renoudet perfect for a bouquet of flowers clipped from the yard or on the way to the water? 

Lyndel Renoudet
(New Iberia, LA)
Porcelain Pitcher
$ 75.00
available from A & E Gallery, New Iberia, LA

Speaking of To the Water, I am curating a show called "To the Water........" that will open June 9th at Lounge Gallery during 2nd Saturday Art Walk...details to come in the next month.

Enjoy beautiful Spring wherever you are!

The Big Easel...Part II..collection 1

The Big Easel is the only event in Louisiana where you can see art by seventy artists in one place on one day...and for free!

As a designer and art consultant, I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to put together collections for my clients. It is my favorite part of each job that I complete. Over the next few weeks, I will assemble dream collections using pieces that will be shown by the talented artists participating in the 2012 Big Easel Art Show...Saturday, May 5th, 10 am- 5 pm, Town Square in River Ranch.

Here is collection 1 which includes works on paper (Dan Spiller, Jr; Marcia Holmes), photography (Kerry Griechen; Sonny Monteleone), oil on canvas paintings (Lue Svendson; Laurence Young), acrylic on canvas paintings (Hope Hebert; Jennifer Kappel), and jewelry (Janet Ullrich-Theriot)....

Dan Spiller, Jr.
(Lafayette, LA)
Canopy of Oaks
Oil Pastel on Black Museum Board
20" x 35"
$ 1,900.00, framed
available from Rue du Pont Galerie, Breaux Bridge, LA

Kerry Griechen
www.myeyephotos.com
(Lafayette, LA)
Into the Light
Digital Photography on Metallic Paper
16" x 24"

$ 100.00 unframed
limited edition of 100

Laurence Young
www.laurenceyoung.com
(Provincetown, MA)
Yellow Boat
Oil/Wax on Canvas
11" x 14"
$ 750.00
available from Rue du Pont Galerie, Breaux Bridge, LA

Hope Hebert
www.hopehebert.com
(Lafayette, LA)
Seven Lakes I
Acrylic on Canvas

10" x 8"
$ 275.00
available from Rue du Pont Galerie, Breaux Bridge, LA

Jennifer Kappel
(New Iberia, LA)
Sunday Morning in the Quarter
Acrylic on Canvas
11" x 14"
$ 275.00
available from A & Gallery, New Iberia, LA

Lue Svendson
www.luesvendson.com
(Lafayette, LA)
A Change of Style
Oil on Canvas, framed
16" x 20"
$ 1,200.00
available from Rue du Pont Galerie, Breaux Bridge, LA

Marcia Holmes
www.marciaholmes.com
(Mandeville, LA)
Winter Persimmons
Pastel on Paper, framed
18" x 18"
$ 1,850.00
available from Rue du Pont Galerie, Breaux Bridge, LA

Sonny Monteleone
(Lafayette, LA)
New Orleans Balcony
Photo Watercolor Print, framed
13" x 19" image
18" x 24" framed
$ 325.00
available from Bella Arti Studio, Breaux Bridge, LA

and wouldn't the lady of the house look grand wearing this creation:

Janet Ullrich-Theriot
(Lafayette, LA)
Turquoise Festival Pendant sterling silver tubing and sterling silver
wire with Turquoise pebbles. The pendant comes on an 18" clear rubber chain$ 45.00
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SilverSisterArt

See all of this and way more on Saturday, May 5th...see you there!

Jeffery

The Big Easel 2012....Part I

For the fourth year in a row, I have the privilege of chairing The Big Easel Art Show in Lafayette. The 2012 event will prove to be the best yet with seventy (that's a big 70!) in one place for one day only. Saturday May 5th is the date, 10-5 is the time, and River Ranch's Town Square is the place.

This is a NOT to be missed event. The artist committee juried hard this year and there were moments when even I, as chair, wanted my vote to count as two when the results were coming in. I was shocked at how tough (and fair) Hope Hebert, Kelli Kaufman, Kim Landry, and Lue Svendson were being when making the most important decision of all: who is good enough and will "bring it" to the event to make it the best yet.

In addition to the artist committee, we added Renee Matamoros and Laura Ketteringham to the planning committee. Renee, marketing director for City Club at River Ranch and River Ranch Institute (our partner this year), has organized entertainment and food for the event and Laura Ketteringham is running the children's activities portion of the day.

Over the next few weeks I will feature pieces by the 2012 Big Easel artists. For now, here is our incredible 2012 poster featuring "The Big Easel Palate" by Lafayette artist Julie Breaux:

And a HUGE thank you to our main sponsors this year:

The Village of River Ranch
River Ranch Institute
Acadiana Plastics Molding (APM)
Giles Automotive
Henry J. Kaufman IV, M.D.
Community First Bank

and to our in-kind sponsors:

Impressions PDM
Event Rental
Event Restroom
City Club at River Ranch

It truly takes a village for The Big Easel to happen....and I hope to see all of you in the village of River Ranch on Saturday, May 5th!