Visiting Jim Brunelle's Art Studio At The Farmington Valley Art Center, Avon, CT

Jim Brunelle, Retro-Chic-Quirky Pottery And Mixed Media

What can I say about Jim Brunelle's art studio at the Farmington Valley Art Center in Avon, CT ? His studio is just like him.....filled with ENERGY....color......creativity and retro chic quirky objets d' art. You would totally guess that you have just set foot in Jim's studio, an accomplished potter, mixed media artist and art educator. His art space sings with excitement as Jim has created vibrant vignettes of his contemporary style pottery and paintings.

Jim Brunelle Art Icon In Avon, CT

Jim Brunelle is what many would consider an art icon in this region. He has been here, there, and everywhere. Jim knows every one in the art world and can be found every morning, afternoon and even at night buzzing around The Farmington Valley Art Center keeping this suburban art mecca
rich with gallery openings, classes and special events.

A Look At Jim Brunelle's Studio 11a

Recently with the opening of "Art On The Line" in the Main gallery, Jim was motivated to completely re-do his own studio which can be found on the first floor. I mean, company was coming to FVAC and Jim and Michael knew drastic measures were in order to zap the studio into guest ready mode.

Loving The Retro Turquoise Formica Table

I snapped some photos of his delightful ceramics, mixed media pieces and studio furnishings. Don't you love how he has his work staged on an old 1950's Formica and chrome table? Love it....love it...love it!
Farmington Valley Art Center
25 Arts Center Lane
Avon, CT
860-678-1876


C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of I Antique Online an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link: C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.comVisit my website, CDianneZweig.comDianne is a member of:The American Society of Journalists and AuthorsThe Society of Professional Journalists

Getting A Little Funky With Your Antique Mall And Shop Displays

Retro Tomato-Orange High Heels
Make A Hip Display

Who said your antique and collectible displays have to make any sense? Sometimes getting a little funky is just what the doctor ordered. I love it when I find kitschy arrangements of objects. Today at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, it seems that funky was featured!

Size Six If You Are Wondering

It's hard to walk past these lady's reddish orange pumps. I have no idea how old they are or what they are made of. But I can tell you that they were a size six. For a moment I actually thought about trying them on....I could squeeze into a six.

Mingling Odds And Ends Into A Perky Display

After I finished amusing myself with the idea of trying on shoes the height of a New York skyscraper, it was onto a booth which flaunts funk. Come on, don't you agree that this dealer's creative use of wall space and attention to shapes and size make for an attractive display. This is a very nice job of mingling odds and ends into a very perky display.

Why Not: It Doesn't Have To Make Sense

Last but not least, is this wonderful woven vase sitting on top of a turquoise plastic play oven. Hey it works, even though the whole idea is a bit silly. The vase is indeed big and looks as bit foolish hanging out on top of a toy oven. But it did get my attention. And besides, the colors brown and turquoise look great together . So why not use the oven as a neat way to display a cool looking vase? Funky is fun and we all need a little playfulness now and then.

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link: C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.comVisit my website, CDianneZweig.comDianne is a member of:The American Society of Journalists and AuthorsThe Authors Guild, Inc.

The Kitschy Collector Drops In On Three Favorite Retro Families

Dropping In On Ozzie and Harriet Nelson

I thought it might be fun to visit with some Retro families from the 1950's.I dropped in on Harriet Nelson first. She and Ozzie had just come back from a Tide Laundry detergent promotion. I imagine that over the years, that the Tide people must have given her lots of freebies, which is probably how she managed to to keep David and Ricky looking so crisp and clean.

Harriet told me that her series "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" started as a radio program (1944) and aired on T.V. from 1952-1966.

Having Tea With The Cleavers

Next I thought I would see if June Cleaver was back from the market. Luckily she and Ward were home, but Beaver and Wally were out mowing lawns.

June was excited to show me her pearl necklace that I bet Ward bought her when they began their T.V. series in 1957. She wore that necklace everyday until the show ended in 1963.

Last Stop, Chatting With Margaret and Jim Anderson

After some lovely tea that June prepared, I headed out the door to visit with Margaret and Jim Anderson . They were eager to share with me stories about the family and how the ever popular series "Father Knows Best" began. It seems that the episodes began on NBC Radio in 1949. Jim was an insurance agent back then and known to be very paternalistic and sarcastic. He softened up quite a bit when he went on T.V. in 1954.
Although Jim had lots of rules, he adored his kids, Betty "Princess", James, "Bud" and Kathy, "Kitten".

It was getting late in the day so I wished the Anderson's well. I promised Margaret I would send regards to Lucy and Ethel when I see them next week at the "Vitameatavegamin" Meet Up.

Postscript

As you probably gathered, my blog post leaped into T.V. land where creative writing often trumps reality. For more thorough and reliable information on Retro T,V. families........visit these museums or read more:

Museums

The Museum of Broadcast Communication http://www.museum.tv/
The Museum of The Moving Image http://www.movingimage.us/site/site.php
The Paley Center for Media http://www.paleycenter.org/

FURTHER READING On Leave it Beaver

Applebaum, Irwyn. The World According to Beaver. New York: Bantam, 1984.

Golbout, Oscar. "A Gift from the Children." New York Times, 8 December 1957.

Liebman, Nina. Living Room Lectures: The Fifties Family in Film and Television. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1995.

Shayon, Robert Lewis. "Beaver's Booboo." Saturday Review (New York), 1 February 1958.

Shepard, Richard. "Busy 'Beaver' and His Brother." New York Times, 30 October 1960.

Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal In Postwar America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.

"TV's Eager Beaver." Look (New York), 27 May 1958.

FURTHER READING On Ozzie and Harriet

Ames, Walter. "Home Life, Show Life Same in Nelson Family." Los Angeles Times, 16 November 1952.

"The Full Nelson." Time (New York), 16 February 1948.

Gross, Ben. "Ozzie Nelson Gives Secret of Happy H'wood Marriage." Sunday News (New York), 5 March 1961.

"Harriet Hillard." Variety (Los Angeles), 14 August 1938.

Holmes, John R. "The Wizardry of Ozzie: Breaking Character in Early Television." Journal of Popular Culture (Bowling Green, Ohio), Fall 1989.

"Mourning in Sitcomville." The New York Times, 5 October 1994.

FURTHER READING On Father Knows Best

Denis, Christopher Paul, and Michael Denis. Favorite Families of TV. New York: Citadel, 1992.

Leibman, Nina. Living Room Lectures: The Fifties Family in Film and Television. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1995.

Taylor, Ella. Prime Time Families. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1989

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.

To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link:
C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff

Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com

Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com

Dianne is a member of:
The American Society of Journalists and Authors
The Authors Guild, Inc.

Collecting Whimsical Bottle Cap Figures: Retro Assemblage Art

Having Some Collectible Fun
Do you need a little fun in your life? How about adding a touch of whimsy to your next party or gathering by serving nuts or candy in a "Bottle Cap Figure". Way before re-cycling was a household name, clever collectors saved their soda pop caps and used them to create funky characters which were not only decorative but practical. These colorful assembled "people" are collectively called "Bottle Cap Men" and are often referred to as a form of Outsider Art.
Assemblage Art

Bottle Cap figures which can actuallly be men or women are a form of assemblage or folk art in which odds and ends are added to a figure made from old bottle caps. Common household items such as thumb tacks, curtain rings were often used for embellishments.. Most stand 12 inches high. On eBay they are generally listed under the category “Bottle Cap Man”. Characteristically these figures held a bowl in front of a wood block that serves as the bodice. Metal, plastic and colored aluminum and other materials are often used for the bowl which might hold snacks such as popcorn, nuts and chips.

"Nuts and Butts"

Collector Philip Lamb has coined the term "Nuts and Butts" to describe how many of these these fiigurative constructions are made to both hold an ashtray and bowl for serving nuts. Sometimes the bottle caps are sprayed a color and other times they are left in their original form showing the vintage of the caps used.
Carmen Miranda

These hand made art forms have been around for ages and incorporate the popular images, personalities and advertising icons of their times. They were especially common during the 1940s -1950s. Many of these charming figures are reminiscent of the 1951 United Fruit Company’s “Chiquita Banana” advertising icon adorned with a head bowl filled with plastic fruit. Interestingly, the Chiquita Banana symbol herself resembles the character of the very popular 1940s Brazilian movie actress Carmen Miranda. Some collectors have suggested that indeed these figures were souvenirs from tropical islands which may explain the Carmen Miranda connection.

Tribal Influences

Many bottle cap figures appear to show other influences as well. . Earlier Bottle figures can have a folk art feeling or may be a bit more primitive looking with nose rings, large dangling earrings, painted faces on dark stained wood tones suggestive of an African tribal look

When colored aluminum or pastel color ornaments are added to these whimsical figures these additions would give you clues that the piece was made in the 1950s or later when these materials dominated the market.

Who Has the Big Collection?

Today baby boomers as well as younger collectors are falling in love with these scavenger art figures.Expect to pay $24.00-28.00 for these kitschy objet'd'art pieces. If you would like to see one of the largest collections of Bottle Cap art check out ww.philiplamb.com/Bottle.html. Another useful site which covers the history and background of Bottle Cap folk art is www.interestingideas.com/out/cap.htm.

Top two photos courtesy of Photo by: Don Manley, http://www.bobdonpaul.com/

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.

To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link:
C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff

Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com

Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com


Dianne is a member of:
The American Society of Journalists and Authors
The Authors Guild, Inc.