Art Market at Historic Honey Horn to be Held This Weekend on Hilton Head Island

The Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head Island presents its 9th annual Art Market at Historic Honey Horn April 30th and May 1st.

The juried fine art and craft show features works by artists from around the country in various media including clay, wood, fibers, metals, glass, jewelry, watercolors, oil, mixed media and photography. A few South Carolina artists will also be on hand including Christine Crosby, Jack Thames, Diane Dean and Alicia Leeke.

The event is part of BRAVO - Celebrate the Arts! Festival held in May each year. BRAVO is a month-long celebration of the area's vibrant arts community and diverse cultural heritage in partnership with the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce.

The show is open to the public on Saturday, from 10 am until 5 p.m. and on Sunday, from 11 am until 4 p.m. There is a $6.00 per car parking donation, while admission to the show is free. Demonstrations throughout the weekend will be held in glass, pine needle basketry, clay and much more. Food and beverage are also for sale during the event.

For more information, please visit: http://www.coastaldiscovery.org/artmark.html.

Color the Arts Event Showcases Local Talent This Evening

The Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties presents its 7th annual Color the Arts fundraiser tonight at the First Citizens Center Courtyard Plaza from 6-9 p,m.

This “colorfully casual mini-arts festival” celebrates the diversity and quality of the arts in the greater Columbia area and showcases extraordinary local talent in an art exhibition and sale. Other activities include live music, performances and a silent auction.Proceeds from Color the Arts support The Arts Fund which provides grants, technical assistance, and arts education programs for artists and arts organizations in Richland & Lexington counties.A few of the artists participating in the event include Cindy Saad, Warren Brusse, Jennie Branham, Karen Langley, Alicia Leeke plus several others.
Tickets can be purchased online via the Color the Arts website at http://www.colorthearts.info/.

Artista Vista Tonight!

Columbia South Carolina’s largest gallery crawl returns tonight for its 20th annual Artista Vista event to be held from from 5-9 p.m.

Local artists and galleries will open their doors in the heart of the Congaree Vista in downtown Columbia, South Carolina.

New paintings of Alicia’s can be seen tonight at the Gallery at Nonnah’s located at 930 Gervais Street. She will also have greeting cards and wine totes available for purchase.

Resident artists at Nonnah’s include: Bonnie Goldberg, Ingrid Carson Edie Biddle, Jan Fleetwood, Betty Mandell, Alicia Leeke, Donna Rozier and Christy Lekeup.

Artfocus: Tuscan Villa

THE STORY BEHIND THE TUSCAN VILLA PAINTING

My work is tremendously inspired by the French. If reincarnation exists, I was certainly French in a former life for my love of the countryside, buildings and food.

This painting, entitled Tuscan Villa, was created in April 2005 and is in my personal art collection; however, prints are available on my website at (www.alicialeeke.com). It was inspired by the Senanqu Abbey in Provence, France, but with my own personal twist.

Creative license played a major role in the creation of this painting. Up until 2008, I painted very little with grey as a major component in my compositions (I think to date only three so far and mostly as color field studies for landscapes). As a matter of fact, I find grey to be the drabbest color in the color spectrum and try to eliminate it from all paintings where possible (Until the painting of Stockholm and Five O’clock Shadows in 2009). In real life, this Abbey is very brown / grey with beautiful contrasting fields of lavender.

But due to my dislike of grey at that time, and my love of harvest gold, I turned this painting into a tropical paradise making the building a creamy gold with a red Spanish-style shingle roof and lush tropical lime-green trees and blue sky. While beautiful, the lavender fields were replaced with lush crops in varying shades of green dotted with hints of red, gold and a tinge of lavender.

This is truly a painting I painted for myself! I love the distorted lines and lack of perfection in perspective. In fact, I believe freedom to create without worry of judgment is what sets my Cityscape paintings apart from other artists.

The two abstract shapes in the foreground are actually people harvesting lavender. I liked the figures so much as they were unfinished; I decided not to clothe them.

In May 2008, I went on a Spiritual retreat in Star, North Carolina with Gary Spivey and met some incredibly interesting people. Later, I was commissioned by a fellow guest to paint a similar version of this piece. This commission is much larger than my 16 x 20 original at 30 x 40 in size, and after a few conversations, the painting is taking an additional direction and turning into a Montresorri School. The requestor asked for stained glass windows to be added signifying her love of children. Ironically, I don’t believe she knew the original piece was of an Abbey.

This is one of the few pieces in my body of work that I created about three open-edition, gallery-wrapped giclees. At this printing, I am not sure if I will do any additional open editions of any of my paintings because I personally prefer signed and numbered limited-editions.

Signed and numbered giclee prints of Tuscan Villa are available for $250 framed and matted, or $80 unframed. The current edition has 250 prints total with some still available as of this posting. The two open edition prints are available at investor prices and will be customized for the purchaser for provenance. For more information or to order your copy, email me at info@alicialeeke.com.

Image copyrighted by the artist. All rights reserved.

THE STORY BEHIND THE NONNAH'S PAINTING

I've been asked to send out images of available works and I'll be posting some works and a little information about the pieces with a spotlight on them one at a time.

To kick this feature off on my blog, I'll start with a few older works intermingled with newer works. Additionally, as events arise where I'm showcasing new work, I'll include that too.

The first work that is being highlighted is called "Nonnah's" and is very popular around the United States especially after customers hear the story behind it. I'm always glad to hear of other stories about the word Nonnah's which I have learned over the years from my customers during shows, so please share any you might have.

Nonnah's was one of the very first pieces created when I started painting in 2005. The original is in my personal collection and I sell prints of this piece at the Gallery at Nonnah's in Columbia or on my website (http://www.alicialeeke.com/).

Nonnah's is a local establishment in Columbia, South Carolina on Gervais Street. On one side is a restaurant that serves lunch and dinner weekly and on the other is separate Fine Art Gallery with about eight artists. I was included in one of their first shows in 2005 and later became a resident artist in 2008. Just before the opening night of Artista Vista, the state newspaper ran a photo of my mother and our friend Vasa walking down Gervais Street on the way to my first show there which was the inspiration for this painting. I later went back and photographed that building from several angles and painted three different versions (one of which was a commissioned painting.)

The original piece was named in French: MERE ET VASA AUX LIMIERE DE VISTA. However, I later simplified the name to just "NONNAH'S" to reflect the name in the painting and make it easier for customers to understand and give greater meaning to local residents and patrons.

The owner of Nonnah's, Maggy Groff, named her establishment after her daughter Shannon. So, Nonnah's spelled backwards is Shannon. Ironically, after showing the painting and subsequent giclees, my customers began to share with me that Nonnah's also means grandmother in Greek and Italian. Aside from the fact that the painting gives Columbia a "French" feel with this painting, it is also extremely popular elsewhere because of the stories behind the painting and the fact that customers just really like the piece and old world feel of it. I always like to tell the story that if Columbia were Paris (as much of the inspiration for my work is) this is what it would look like.

Gervais Street in Columbia is a straight street, but my creative license has it with a curve to add interest.

Signed and numbered giclee prints of Nonnah's are available for $250 framed and matted or $80 unframed. The current edition has 250 prints total with some still available as of this posting. To order your copy, email me at info@alicialeeke.com.

Image copyrighted by the artist. All rights reserved.

Chicago Fine Arts Examiner Highlights works of 26 Artists During One-of-A-Kind Show

Earlier this year, I mentioned my work was juried into the prestigious One-of-A-Kind Shows in Chicago and New York. These extraordinary holiday shopping shows feature the best in fine art and fine craft from over 500 unique artists and designers from across North America.

Each item for sale is hand-crafted and each artist is in attendance for buyers to meet the artisans responsible for creating their work. During the show, I had some really great press which I shared earlier on my blog about my work work being selected by top Chicago designer Julia Buckingham Edleman for her Artful Living Space.

Additionally, I would like to also share this article where my work was highlighted along with some of the nation’s very artists.

To see the full feature article with all pictures, please check out this article courtesy of the Chicago Fine Arts Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-15510-Chicago-Fine-Arts-Examiner~y2009m12d9-The-rich-variety-of-original-art-and-holiday-gift-items-enthralls-visitors-to-the-One-of-a-Kind-show?#comments.


The rich variety of original art and holiday gift items enthralls visitors to the One of a Kind show

December 9, 9:43 PM Chicago Fine Arts Examiner Jessica Kronika

…The One of a Kind Show and Sale at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, a holiday shopping show featuring fine art and fine craft from over 500 artists, artisans and designers from across North America had delights for patrons of all tastes. Each item on display was made by hand, one piece at a time, and every artist represented was in attendance. Visitors supported the independent artist community with purchases of unique art gifts for Christmas. An alternative to reproductions and retail this show was the ideal place to find a wide range of art and fashion for family and friends. Media and categories included: ceramics, children's gifts, clothing, fashion, accessories, fiber art, furniture, glass, gourmet, holiday, jewelry, metal, mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture, and wood. Shopping experiences were complemented by live music, fashion shows, expert presentations, gourmet cafes, bars and special events.

Breck Armstrong and Jason Weir, of Moss Studios, reclaimed metal, chain and blown glass. Sculptor Breck Armstrong, of Moss Studios, presented fine furniture and decorative items, all crafted by his team from recycled and repurposed materials. Glass work by Moss Studios collaborators, Jason Weir and David Taylor, was enhanced by reclaimed metal chain, letterpress blocks and antique film reels.

Alicia Leeke, Changing Seasons, acrylic on canvas (Pictured left). Painter Alicia Leeke’s contemporary impressionist landscapes exhibit strong color balance and big confident brush strokes. The combination of painting en plein aire and photo references gives Leeke’s work a sense of place and a dynamic of color and light which must be seen.

Kristie Hyde, silver and gold plated orchid leaf, with patina, turquoise, cendalusite and smoky quartz beads, leather cord. Jeweler and painter Kristie Hyde works in precious stones, silver and gold. Hyde’s most unusual work takes its cue directly from nature. With real orchid leaves, which the artist silver plates, then touches with twenty-two karat gold and embellishes with a patina, Hyde creates necklaces of presence and style.

Ruth Eckstein, The Good Land/Haaret Hotova, oil, varnish on canvas. Ruth Eckstein works intuitively with oil paint and a palette knife to create her alternately whimsical and politically charged works. Delicately balanced between abstraction and ambiguous figurative subjects, Eckstein’s paintings are big, bold and intriguing.

Rick and Susan Bisgyer of Ridgetop Pottery, Morning Fog series, Sailing. Vessel and open vessel, hi-fired porcelain. Potters Rick and Susan Bisgyer of Ridgetop Pottery work the landscape in sensuous turned dishes, cups, bowls and “Sailing Vessels.” Their distinctive color schemes in glaze and simply elegant forms call to mind the rich natural landscape of their home in the mountains of the Blue Ridge.

David Goldhagen, Goldhagen Art Glass Studio and Gallery & Elmer Marouch, Floating Vessel and Snail, blown glass, forged steel. Glass blower Goldhagen works with enthusiastic and playful forms and colors. In works like “Snail” and his series of “Floating Vessels” color, transparency and the grace of liquid glass are frozen. Working collaboratively with Elmer Marouch to create one of a kind stands the pods of “Floating Vessels” are perfect for wall or mantle centerpieces, inviting the eye to linger within their undulating forms.

Ed Pribyl, George Washington astride his horse, basswood, hand carved and aged. The folksy characters of basswood carver Ed Pribyl recall the history and traditions of Americana. With his creative take on characters such as Santa, George Washington and his series of “Retro People” these hand aged wood sculptures are great gifts for that special person.

Michael Cole of Red Klay, Unlock the past, mixed media construction with key, brass faceplate, vintage paper collage, vintage and hand crafted wood moldings, letter press blocks. Mixed media artist Michael Cole incorporates found and recycled materials into his highly dimensional wall pieces. Within them, viewers will find paintings in acrylic of lovely landscapes paired with dynamic arrangements of letter press blocks, finely wrought handmade wood frames and an assortment of salvaged paper. Works like 1937, a piece from his “Bullseye Series”, incorporate a collage of newspapers from that year and paint.

Jacqueline Crivello Photography, selection of wildlife portraits, digital photography, with presentation formats by Tim Emerson of Duraplaq. Photographer Jacqueline Crivello presents exciting views into the wilder life, featuring wolves, wild horses and other natives of the West. Collaborating with Tim Emerson of Duraplaq, Jacqueline’s works are presented on dynamic mountings, ready to hang as the show piece of a room.

Ed Kydera, bells crafted from recycled gas tanks and metal, embellished with soldered and torch brazed designs in copper and bronze. Metal smith Ed Kydera’s original gas tank bells are recycling at its best. Featuring cut tanks, embellished with hand soldered decorations, tinted with torch brazed copper and bronze, these bells have a delicious range of sound and can be acquired with hanging cords or free-standing.

Davis Glass, Jared and Nicole Davis, hand blown transparent glass, with opaque glass powders, and sandblasted texture. The hand blown works of Davis Glass vividly recall the striations of canyons and rock formations. Created with a unique process that combines transparent and opaque glass, powders and sand blasting, these vases are elegantly proportioned, dramatically hued, and delicately textured so that when lit from below or behind they shine and glow with an inner animation.

John Flemming,hand pierced, cut, dyed and shaped rawhide, with embellishments. The expressive leather work of John Flemming includes belts and purses, bags and masks. The masks are the colorful and astounding element that stopped many shoppers at this year’s One of a Kind. Featuring hand shaped, pierced and dyed leather, these masks have been appreciated by Cirque du Soliel, and been part of costumes in a variety of theater and films.

Christopher Mosey,at front Tidepools, blown glass, at left rear and right rear, geodes, crushed and molten glass, at center, poured resin, acrylic, and inlaid gold on burnished and torched wood panels. Working with crushed and molten glass, sculptor Christopher Mosey crafts “geodes, thermal bowls, and tidal pools,” inspired by the forms and intricacies of nature.

Bozenna and Lukasz Bogucki of B'os Art, industrial stainless steel mesh of varying thread counts with torch detail. With industrial grade stainless steel mesh of exceedingly finely woven construction, Bozenna and Lukasz Bogucki craft silky purses decorated with captured feathers, leaves and torched iridescent designs.

Paul Pearson, hand cut and forged stainless steel, teeth, fossilized shell, precious stones, leather belts. The handsome and sturdy belt buckles of Paul Pearson involve a complex process of mosaic, found and crafted materials. Incorporating glass, sharks teeth, one of a kind cut and shaped metal backings and borders, these buckles are sought after by all, including such notables as Dolly Parton and Steven Tyler.

Gina Pannorfi, Inc, wet felted wool and silk. A range of gem tones, in wet felted wool and silk, define the original fashions of Gina Pannorfi, Inc. With ravishing sculpted profiles and delicate textured assymetrical falls, these dresses, separates and scarves promise to heighten the natural allure of any woman.

Tom Sourlis of Sourlis Glass Studio, art glass lamp, low temp fused glass with streamers, fractures and frit. Accomplished tiffany style glass sculptor Tom Sourlis has created a new style with his fused glass works. Incorporating three types of prepared glass for low temp fusing these works have a richly hued palette, subtle sculptural detail and greatly enhance the lamps for which they are created.

Alexis Silk, hand blown and sculpted glass with natural elements, hand forged metal stands, found hooks. The freehand sculpted blown glass of Alexis Silk step out of the decorative realm, making statements through the figure on contemporary concepts of physical beauty and identity. These startling glass figures with their hand forged metal stands and braces encourage inquiry and glow with the subtle play of transparency and color. Silk’s glass heads with latticework suggest the unlimited boundaries of the human mind.

Debra DeWolff, assorted jewelry, wet and needle felted wool, polymer clay and beads. The playful wet and needle felted wool and fimo or polymer clay jewelry of Debra DeWolff recall the fun of animated classics and provide a sassy dash to your holiday ensemble that can’t be beat.

Yantar, Teresa Maria Widuch, drapes and jackets, wool and suede, hardwood pin fasteners. Yantar’s own fashions, by Teresa Maria Widuch, with hand crafted hardwood pins by her son, hug the figure while draping flatteringly from the shoulder. These wool and suede jackets and shawls, round out any outfit with their strong colors, subtle and simple styling, and dynamic accents.

Studio Tatijana, selection of works, water media, pastels. Featured artist, Studio Tatijana, brings the tradition of gestural work in pastel to new heights with her sensitive portraits, expansive landscapes and intimate still lifes. Using under paintings with water media, and striving to meet the challenges of people as a subject, these pastels are a colorful and gestural wonder that captures the subtle emotions of her subjects.

Dana Killion, Stone loop knit cowl neck top, black draped jersey skirt. The evening fashion show, Friday, December 4th, featured a range of outfits, dresses, accessories and jewelry. Some audience favorites included the draped black jersey skirt of Dana Killion, a red knit shrug by LANA, and the wool, felt, and silk hand dyed shift dress and scarf of JillLynn Ltd. LANA, gray leather woven bag, red knit shrug, knit hat, belt. JillLynn Ltd., bright wool, felt, silk hand dyed shift dress and scarf.

Dining options at the many café’s within the show floor included a range of prepared sandwiches, salads and snacks. This author found the fruit and cheese plate to be a delight to share, featuring a selection of three cheeses, strawberries and green grapes, and a selection of four types of snack crackers, and sweet raisin bread.

In addition, the event supported a cause close to Chicagoan’s hearts, with ticket sales on

Thursday, December the third and the proceeds of sales by show sponsor Votre Vu of Paris on Friday, December fourth going to Children’s Memorial Hospital. Ticket sales raised thousands of dollars, while sponsor proceeds raised $5,000 for pediatric brain tumor treatment, research, and family services as a result of our Friday sale at the One of a Kind Show-Chicago. Actual proceeds of $2,500 in sales, were doubled by CEO Harold Zimmerman, who opted to match that to make a donation of $5,000.

Votre Vu was on site with several booths on Thursday and Friday to share samples of products. This author tasted their refreshing low sugar energizing drink, “Snapdragon,” and enjoyed the rich and warm scent of the skin softening non-greasy hand lotion, “Duette.”

All photos by Carol Johnson, images sized and manipulated for article by J.L. Kronika. Wtch for Artist Profiles from this author over the duration of December and into January 2010. For more information about the One of a Kind show: http://www.oneofakindshowchicago.com/showoverview/ For information about Children’s Memorial Hospital: http://www.childrensmemorial.org/

For artist information:

• Breck Armstrong, of Moss Studios and collaborators, Jason Weir and David Taylor http://www.mossstudios.com/
• Alicia Leeke www.alicialeeke.com
• Kristie Hyde www.kristihyde.com
• Ruth Eckstein www.rutheckstein.womanmade.net
• Rick and Susan Bisgyer of Ridgetop Potterywww.RidgetopPottery.com
• Goldhagen Art Glass Studio and Gallery & Elmer Marouch www.goldhagenartglass.com
• Ed Pribyl www.edpribyl.com
• Michael Cole of Red Klay www.redclay.com
• Jacqueline Crivello Photographywww.JCrivello.com
• Tim Emerson of Duraplaq www.duraplaq.com
• Ed Kydera bells www.edsbells.com & www.kiderafineart.com
• Davis Glass, Jared and Nicole Davis www.jareddavis.com &www.northrimglass.com
• John Flemming www.johnflemming.com
• Christopher Mosey www.christophermosey.com
• Bozenna and Lukasz Bogucki of B'os Art www.bosart.net
• Paul Pearson www.mosaicbuckles.com
• Gina Pannorfi, Inc www.ginapannorfi.com
• Tom Sourlis of Sourlis Glass Studio www.sourlisglassstudio.com
• Alexis Silk www.nogasilkartglass.com
• Debra DeWolff www.debradewolff.com
• Yantar, Teresa Maria Widuch www.yantar.com
• Studio Tatijana www.tatijana-jacenkiw
• Dana Killion, http://www.killionclothes.com/
• LANA, http://www.shoplana.com/
• JillLynn Ltd., http://www.jilllynn.com/
• VotreVu of Paris, France www.votrevu.com

CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN PAINTER ALICIA LEEKE’S WORK SELECTED FOR CHICAGO ARTFUL DESIGN SHOWCASE

Two of Contemporary American painter, Alicia Leeke’s abstract landscapes were selected by Chicago Designer Julia Buckingham Edleman of Buckingham Interiors for Chicago’s One of A Kind Show and Sale Artful Design Showcase held December 2-5.

Pictured here (left to right), the two 30 x 40 paintings, entitled, Five O’clock Shadows and Stockholm painted by Leeke adorn grey and white wallpaper Edleman chosen from Farrow and Bali’s -  The Lotus Paper collection for the wall covering. Centered in the room is a mirrored bookshelf flanked by two white leather chairs and hand-crafted, chain-link side table. Above the chairs sit Leeke’s paintings.

Edleman handpicked the works of for her space out of more than 500 exhibiting artists. According to Edleman, “The space shows customers how to implement hand-made and one of a kind art objects into their living space.”

Edleman believes “there is no such thing as 'luck' in great design." Interior spaces should be filled with the excitement of beautifully crafted environments and her "Out-with-the-boring, in-with-the-bold" style is recognizable in every space she designs.

Edleman has been praised for her design creativity in her client’s spaces and she and her firm bring over 10 years of client relationships and their happily inspired homes to the forefront of many national and local publications. Traditional Home, Metropolitan Home, Home Magazine, The New York Times, Chicago Home + Garden, and The Chicago Tribune to name a few.

The ninth-annual Chicago One of A Kind Show is a holiday tradition where 50,000 shoppers can find truly unique gifts and home décor items by North America’s best artists, artisans, and designers.

Alicia Leeke is a native South Carolinian and an avid painter whose works are highly coveted by corporate and private collectors from New York to California and Paris.

For information on purchasing one of Leeke's paintings please call (803) 429-5456, via fax at 888-429-5456, or via email at leekeka@hotmail.com. Examples of her work and experience can be viewed at www.alicialeeke.com.