Strolling around Madison Georgia is like walking through the movie set of a stereotypical, small Southern town. Streets radiate out from the ubiquitous town square which is anchored by stern, civic buildings and surrounded by charismatic, small shops and restaurants.
It’s no secret artists are often inspired by nature. It follows, then, that artists often choose to live and work in natural settings. This certainly was the case for the artists I met during the Northeast Georgia Arts Tour.
We’ve all been there―guests are about to arrive and we’re rushing to make our home look its very best. First, there was a flurry of decluttering, cleaning and primping. Then, there’s zhuzhing up with special touches like fresh cut flowers.
Fortunately, our hydrangeas were at the ready when I found myself in this situation recently. It was easy to snip some flowerheads and fill the house with pops of vibrant color. Hydrangeas for the win!
Following last week’s teaser about the Cloth Art Doll workshop, I’d like to introduce Snappy Sparks, my one-of-a-kind cloth art doll.
I won’t give away all the secrets of Charlie Patricolo’s workshop project but I will share some insights into the dollmaking process as well as some great tips and tricks.
A recent announcement for a new, hands-on art class caught my attention. It was a three-day workshop to make “Cloth Art Dolls”―taught by Charlie Patricolo and hosted by the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation. Dollmaking is not something I would normally seek out but I was curious enough to investigate.
It all started with a seven-foot hamburger. Known as Floor Burger, the bigger-than-life artwork is made of painted canvas and stuffed with foam rubber and cardboard boxes. Pop artist Claes Oldenburg, who created the giant hamburger in 1962, is quoted as saying “If you’re going to make sculpture out of real things around you, then why not try to make them soft so that you can push them around, and they’ll change shape?”
