Do You Collect Folk Art?

This post is a reminder that the Thornton Dial show at The New Orleans Museum of Art will close after the final day on Sunday, May 20. The museum is open until 9 PM on Friday. If you have not seen this show, get over there now!

Thornton Dial at work

We had a couple of guests for Jazzfest who stayed over during the week between the two weekends of festivities, and we suggested going to the museum to see the show. We all had a wonderful time, an emotionally moving experience.

Jane Fonda collects Thornton Dial and loaned a piece of it for the show at NOMA - This is her loft

The Thornton Dial show amazes you with creative virtuosity, but even more with the emotions you will certainly experience. You will cry and you will smile. The show is hung like a four act play. It starts out hard and heavy, and moves into humor and life, and then into romance, and finally leaving with you with a sense of hope and redemption. If you live in New Orleans, you are a fool if you don't see this show.

Alberto and I have a very small and modest collection of contemporary Southern art, done by what some call folk artists, or outsider artists. I have always been attracted to folk art, and somehow owning a few pieces naturally occurred when we moved to Louisiana.

We got this piece from Mary Proctor when we were evacuated to Tallahassee, Florida after Katrina - We were out on a drive and saw this incredible junk yard of a place decorated with folk art - There was  a little shack called a museum and we entered- No one was around, and once we walked though we went out into the enormous yard and saw hundreds of pieces of art - All of a sudden we saw a woman sitting in the dirt in the shade and shadows, and she was making art - We made the accquaintance of the amazing artist Mary Proctor - This drowning girl made us think of New Orleans and Katrina

I loved the folk art museum in New York and was familiar with a wider vernacular of American folk art from attending exhibitions there, but there is something extra remarkable about the Southern self-taught artists still living and working today.

This is a black cat made from corrugated metal by artist Charles Gillam that hangs in the laundry room

Life imitates art - Kitty Kitty Bang Bang with the black cat art by Charles Gillam

Le Tango by Charles Gillam, a wood carving done for Alberto and me (I had red hair then) that Alberto gave me for my birthday - In my dreams I have my eye on a Thornton Dial piece for my birthday this year if we win the lottery

The Funeral by Lottie - The description written by the artist on the back says "She put him away fine and looking out for another one" - Contact Lottie in Patterson, Louisiana at 504 395-6677 -  I love this painting for the Grandma Moses quality of it, showing so many delicately painted details

Words in folk art are an important component, the art not only conveying a message but spelling it out - This saying is now identified with New Orleans coined by the famous artist Dr. Bob  - I loved this one because the background looks like old wallpaper to me - Note how the frame becomes part of the work of art

We commissioned the French artist Simon to do this sign for us - His signs are seen all over New Orleans, but especially on Magazine Street near his shop

This sweet painting of magnolias was done by dear friend Anne Farmen as a gift to me - She passed away at age 90, and painted this a couple of years before that

This amazing piece was done by Mary Gillam the sister of Charles. It is made from found objects, and I just love it!

Does folk art have a place in your home?
Go to all the links and check out these amazing artists.

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http://thevisualvamp.blogspot.com
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Peace, Love, And Misunderstanding

Eat Pray Love Italy

This weekend THE Summer chick flick is opening, which is "Eat Pray Love" with Julia Roberts. I am late to the book party, and am just now trying to finish the chick lit book of the same title.


I'm bogged down in Bali, and wish she would just do the guy already.

Eat Pray Love
Hubba hubba Javier with Julia

Italy was of course the best part, and if you could have Javier Bardem in that part be her lover it could have been a book (movie) unto itself.

Eat Love Pray India

India (in the book) was okay, and by the end of slogging though it, I ended up liking this part of the book more than I thought possible, and trying on her mantra to see where it will take me.

Eat Pray Love Bali

Bali is bogging me down, and I feel I will never finish this book. I think this book reads like a self serving series of blog posts. I'm not totally in love with it (or her), but I still come back for a daily post to see what happens.

But heads up: There is another movie that will be out next year that looks wonderful too, and I'm starting the buzz. It's called "Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding".

Jane Fonda in "Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding"

Jane Fonda and Catherine Keener are teaming up for a little "Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding," a multi-generational indie film to be directed by Bruce Beresford.
The production designer is Carl Sprague.

BCDF Pictures is producing and financing the picture, which is shooting now in New York's Hudson River Valley.

Christina Mengert and Joseph Muszynski wrote the script, which centers on a conservative lawyer (Keener) who, after her husband leaves her, takes her son and daughter to the house of their estranged, hippie grandmother (Fonda) in Woodstock, where they each find love in unexpected places.

Jane plays an artist and took painting lessons

Jane also took pottery lessons
Go to her blog and read all about what she does to prepare for a movie!

A couple of months ago the fabulous Julia from Hooked On Houses, did a weekend links post that led me to the Jane Fonda Blog. I cannot thank her enough for this connection, as I have been enjoying Jane's blog ever since, and I urge you to add it to your blog list, and read it frequently.

Peace, Love and Misunderstanding is filmed on location near Woodstock, NY
Which still looks like 1967

I've gathered a few pictures from Jane Fonda's blog to show you the set design for Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding. It's pretty fabulous. It's being filmed on location in upstate New York near Woodstock.

The production design, and costume and hair and make up are spot on for the era. Jane's wigs are incredible.

This is Jane's character's car! You know I want it!

The women doing a full moon dance in the movie
Did you ever do this????

Jane documents her life of movie making, taking tons of behind the scenes photos, and telling you all about the process, and the people she is working with.

Prop girl Annie is the chicken wrangler too!
This scene is in Jane's character's kitchen
Hippies had chickens way before Martha ha ha

She looks fabulous and seems to be working alot. She just finished a film in France, where she spoke French and learned to dance tango!

Jane Fonda dancing tango!
Look at that 70ish year old body!

From Jane's blog: "I have arrived in Paris to begin work on a French film called “…Et Si On Vivait Tous Ensemble?” (“And If We All Lived Together?”) Geraldine Chaplin (Charlie’s daughter) is the other woman and the men are all iconic French actors, beloved here. Guy Bedos, Claude Rich, Pierre Richard. I love how the French are loyal to their stars even when they are no longer young. The young German actor, Daniel Brühl, who was in Tarantino’s “Inglorious Bastards” is also in it. He and I have some lovely scenes together. He plays a graduate student studying the lives of seniors in France and how the population relates to them.

It has been 50 years since I made a film in French. Fortunately I have remained fluent though on the days when I have several scenes with a lot of dialogue I will be tested, for sure."

The Kitchen Set for Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding

So we have two incredible Jane Fonda movies to look forward to!

The Dining Room Set Design
Is that a Suzani on the table?!

This is a photo in the actual house they are using
The little dog is Jane's dog Tulea who she takes everywhere with her

The Living Room Set
Note the drum coffee table (which I love!)

Here's another Living Room Set
Not sure where in the house this is

Here's Jane with an accordion that the set designer added

It has the character's name on it (Grace)
This kind of attention to details thrills me!

Here is Jane The Hippie Queen!
She's sitting in her magic bus

Check out the sunburst mirror(s) on the ceiling of the bus!
Suzanne Kasler make a note of this ha ha

We'll probs see this in the Anthropologie catalog in the future

Here's the exterior of the magic bus
It actually belongs to someone at the location
Ever taken a ride in one of these?

Here's Jane with a couple of the local artists providing things for the movie

Stevie Nicks eat your heart out!!!
Jane Fonda as Grace in Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding

Jane's web site also has a store where you can get her book, her fitness DVDs, and her "Mug Shot" merchandise.

Proceeds from the store go to benefit my Non-Profit the "Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention" (G-CAPP). For more information please visit the web site GCAPP.org

Mug Shot clutch HERE
I am so getting this AND a shirt too!

I hope you enjoyed my little compilation from Jane Fonda's blog. There is so much more there to see, so take the time to explore it. She is a very good writer, and very accessible in her approach. This is no fake celebrity blog written by flunkies.

Happy Weekend! And tell me what you think of Eat Pray Love (the movie and the book).