Outside The Ordinary

Prior to finding this months featured artisan, I had no idea there was a category in the art world known as "Outsider" art.  I am familiar with "Folk Art" and after having looked it up on the net, I found that outsider art is art that is created outside the boundaries of official culture, particularly art created by those outside the of the established art scene.  Although there are a variety of terms used to describe "Outsider Art", I most like the term "Self-Taught".

Introduced to "Outsider" and "Folk" art over 10 years ago, my featured artisan 

Donna

and her trusty assistant

Ziggy

are owners of the Etsy shop

The Lizard Factory

Donna transforms discarded, found, and repurposed materials into whimsically delightful works of Outsider and Folk art pieces.

Donna writes...

"Welcome to The Lizard Factory! Here you will find a variety of funky outsider art made from discarded or found materials. Each piece is lovingly created by me; I sell originals and occasionally a signed, limited edition poster of an original."

Donna's works have inspired me to share with you some of her wonderfully creative works.

I love cats, cat cartoon characters, cat videos, cat pics, etc.  I love the diffent ways people portray cats and their individual take on cats.  Here's one of my faves of Donna's creations from the "Cats Meow" collection...

Whimsical Folk Art Cat Painting

An adorable Kitty painted on a 5 x 7 canvas and the sides are painted so as to not require framing.

Here's one that would make a great pairing with a custom "Cat on Duty" sign to hang from a child's or teens bedroom door.

Grinning Cat Painting

Fun grinning cat faces, acrylic on wood.  There are 3 to choose from.  Approximately 5.5" x 3.75" and come ready to hand with a sawtooth hanger.

Have Donna create a custom "Guard Cat" sign to go along with the "Grinning Cat" above!

Ziggy, Donna's cat pictured above was the inspiration for this painting. An acrylic on a piece of upcycled wood panelling. The painting hangs from a black silk ribbon and measures 7 7/8 inches wide by 11 3/4 inches long.

"Ziggy"

Have a custom painting of your own fur baby or one's of a friends to give as gift is something to consider as Donna takes requests for custom works.

I would also like to mention that a contribution in the amount of 20% of the net sales of Donna's cat art is donated to help in the aid of rescue cats.  The contribution is made to the organization... 

Sparkle Cat Rescue in Burlington, NC

Click on the link above to visit the Sparkle Cat Rescue Facebook page.

Donna's portfolio of paints and works aren't limited to Cats alone, as here are a few examples of her other marvelous works.

"Which Way"

It is the first of Donna's new mixed media pieces.   This piece measures 19.25 inches by 10 inches. It is acrylic on wood and comes ready to hang.  "Which Way" is a signed original.

From her "Flower Power" series

"Autumn Flower Power"

Was created in the spirit of the beautiful fall season. The flower petals are papier mache, created with 100% repurposed materials. The centers of the golden yellow flowers are vintage 1970s wood and cloth buttons and the orange flowers have acorn caps for their centers. The flowers are mounted on wood.

Donna would be happy to work with you on a custom color scheme created just for YOU!

Donna's creations also include a variety of three dimensional works like this wonderful

Funky Red Road Runner

This funky papier mache creation measures 8.75" tall x 9" long. 

"I started out with the intention of creating a bird. No idea what kind of bird or even what color it would be. I just let my inspiration lead the way."

These are just a few examples of Donna's wonderful creative works.  To see more or to submit a request for a custom work of art, please visit Donna and Ziggy at

The Lizard Factory

A special thanks to Donna (and Ziggy!) for allowing me to share her (their)

 wonderful and delightful creative works.

 

An Autumn Anticipation

With autumn just around the bend, I thot I'd share a post from past of some of my faved Etsy fall photographs .  I hope you enjoy the colorful browse...

"Autumn Reflection"

By

printed

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"Light In The Autumn Woods"

By

Light Color Nature Photography

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"The Green Barn"

From

CEJ Photography

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"Autumn On The Rocks"

captured by

ThoreauFair

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"Fall In Alberta Canada"

From

Photography4You

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"No spring nor summer hath such grace, as I have seen in one Autumnal face"

                                                                                                             John Donne

Naturally

"I’ll study a flower for hours and then try and capture it’s most striking qualities while leaving it isolated to make it truly stand out."

My featured seller is a self taught artisan who loves to work with different mediums, charcoal, paints, and pastels to name a few.  She hopes to bring more of these works into her Etsy shop.  Another passion is jewelry making.  I've had the pleasure of chatting with her and found her works exquisite and unique.  I'd like to share with you a little about...

"Leesa"

and her lovely Etsy shop

IN BLOOM GALLERY

We hope you enjoy...

    Tell us a little about the person behind the scenes at In Bloom Gallery. 

I graduated from college with a degree in History and English. I took a couple art classes but never thought I’d be able to make a career out of it, so I moved on. Years later I find myself having given into that artistic side and embracing it. I’m self-taught in both my drawing/painting as well as jewelry making. I’ve often thought of taking up photography as well.

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What does handmade mean to you?

Something that has been created with the utmost thought, love and care.

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How did you come to name your shop "In Bloom Gallery"?

I focus most of my artwork on nature, particularly flowers. I tried to think of something that would incorporate both the art and the jewelry I love making, and “In Bloom” seemed to work – it relates to the jewelry in a way as designs are always changing, and hopefully I continue to learn and grow as I work.
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From where do you gain your inspiration?
 
From everywhere, really; I’m constantly looking at what people are wearing and find myself automatically thinking of what I like about it as well as what I would change about it. 

Colors and shapes are inspiring as well…if I find a particular combination I love, the search to find components to make the perfect piece begins.

Inspiration for my artwork mostly comes from nature - there’s something about the classic, graceful, simplistic beauty of nature that I love to try to capture. I like things designed with clean lines, and I suppose I try to translate that as well.

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What do you find most challenging in the creation of your works?

If something’s not quite right I’ll take it apart and start from point one…meaning lots of materials are wasted at times. But if I’m not completely satisfied with the way something turns out, I can’t stand it and immediately start over.

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Your shop offers a nice variety of items. Do you have a favorite?

Lots of favorites…ha ha; in the art category I would say the Tulip Tryptich…

in the jewelry category I would say the Chan Luu style bracelets with cube beads and any of the wire wrapped earrings.


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Where can one go to find and learn more about In Bloom Gallery?

In Bloom is on both Facebook and Twitter – follow/like us for sale notices, coupon codes, etc!

Facebook: In Bloom Gallery

Twitter: In Bloom Gallery

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On the lighter side....

One word that describes you best?

I would say determined. My husband begs to differ and has actually made up his very own word to describe me: “Symplexity.” He defines it as: Desires are simple but reaching them can become complex. I don’t know what to think of that, ha ha!
Ahha! I Googled the word "symplexity" just out of curiousity to see if I'd find anything and here's a definition I found: "At the edge of meaning in the age of chaos".  I prefer your husbands definition! 


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What was the craziest or wildest thing you've ever done?

I suppose getting a tattoo could make the list…

or piercing my own nose with nothing more than ice cubes and a needle – that hurt. Nose piercing is long gone, tattoo is still there.


Easy as 1, 2, 3, 4!  Ouch!






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What if any, was your most embarrasing moment?

Oh, good question! I say that because it happened recently, and even as I type this I’m shaking my head. I was working on a new bracelet one afternoon and thought I smelled something strange, so I went to check it out. There seemed to be a light haze of smoke in the back area of the house but I figured it was just the dryer vent or something, so I turned the dryer off and went back to work. About ten minutes later I went back to double-check and the smoke had increased – a lot. It was pretty bad, so I figured something must be on fire, called 911 to have it checked out. I was thinking maybe a fire truck would come out and see what was going on. Well…not one, but three – yes three – fire trucks roared up to the house, accompanied by at least 2 unmarked trucks and I don’t know how many other vehicles with flashing lights.

 These guys piled out of the truck in full gear

 – with axes – 
and stormed toward the house. So what was the culprit you ask? The AC unit was overheating – and sure, the firemen and later the AC repairman said it was good to call because there was a part that was seriously melting,

 but did it warrant three trucks, backup vehicles/volunteers, and axes?

 Probably not. Ok, definitely not – but in my defense, how was I supposed to know where the smoke was coming from? So, so embarrassing. And probably the worst part is that after they all left, I turned to my husband and said, "I can’t believe they had to come in here when it’s so messy – I didn’t get the chance to clean today".

Yes indeed, that’s the odd way my brain works.


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Living or deceased, what famous person would you most like to meet?
 
Edgar Allan Poe would make the top of the list.

Ok, so it's not an actual image of Poe!
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And lastly....

If Guiness asked you to set a worlds record, what would it be and why?

Probably the ability to get out of social situations; I have anxiety issues and can pretty much work my way around anything. Ha ha!

All in good fun Leesa! 

We hope you enjoyed getting to know a little about Leesa and hope you'll stop by for a browse of her shop

In Bloom Gallery