October First Friday

Artist Alon Wingard goes over his notes in our gallery before his opening tonight!

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Death Cab For Cutie

At the Alabama Theater in Bham last night.  Merch Table. We sale luggage like that in the store!

Another satisfied customer!

INTERVIEW with artist LUMI9

One of the greatest things about owning a gallery is that I get to talk to artists one on one. I love to ask questions. My thirst on what makes people tick is insatiable! Here is my interview with artist Lumi9. His work is on display (and for sale!) in the gallery all month.

Name
Lumi 9

What college did you attend? What was your major?
I received my B.F.A. in painting at the Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Missouri.

What made you decide to choose that major?
I think I decided the major I would study after I painted my first few paintings in my first class solely dedicated to the subject in college. It seemed obvious to me that this denomination of creativity cast the widest net in terms of imaginative possibilities.

Were your parents supportive?
Yes, I believe my parents were always very supportive. But the awkward talks circling around the explanation of my future plans and why those plans wouldn’t mean disquieting financial uncertainty never ended.

How have you grown as an artist from graduating school to now?
I think the major difference is that I now actually see myself as one. When I was in school, I had no intention of ever being an exhibiting artist. Being in art school itself was my goal and the limit of my plans to that point. I think now, almost because of that perspective, my working habits weren’t wholly dedicated to the integrity of the final product.
Everything has changed now.

What inspired your body of work now hanging at Grace Aberdean? Explain the medium and basically how you feel/felt about the body of work you created. Feel free to elaborate.
There is a variety of work on display right now made over the course of over a year, so there are a variety of inspirations: biology, synaesthesia, comics, images found on the street. Some are as straightforward as the model I see during a figure drawing session, as can be seen in the assortment of small drawings I have. One big influence that had its affects on the later pictures was a trip to Belgium this summer where I was able to see a host of Early Netherlandish Painting, which I felt rhymed with my tendency to ornate the particulate.

Media-wise I use acrylic paint, markers that dispense India ink, technical pens and nibs, gouache, and watercolor on hardboard, canvas, paper and skateboard. The differences in media are meant find breaks in the impediment of habit disgising artistic essence.

How do I feel about the work?

I enjoy the works I have on display.

I believe it to be a diverse body of art that bespeaks a developed individuality attempting to avoid loss of democratic value. Hopefully I’ve maintained that.

What are you working on now? What is inspiring you right now?
Right now I’m working on a group of paintings on canvas following up with the final two pictures of this show.

Inspiration-wise: graffiti, the Flemish masters, travel photos from Belgium, delta blues, bad art, and the book “Paths to the Absolute” by John Golding has been my most recent library check-out.

Any words of encouragement for the general public?
Art puts hair on your back, then shows you how to comb it. I find that encouraging.

One last question. Everyone asks about your name lumi9. Would you care to explain or let us come to our own conclusions?
I don’t actually know what it means, but it describes me perfectly.

Thanks, Darick!
(LUMI9)

“I’m your prostitute… you’re gonna get some.”

A little spooky, a little voodoo, a little German…. Lykke Li everybody!!!

SEPTEMBER STORE!!!

Cards from Lumi9

still life by Junker's Daughter

Cheese boards by True Heart Studios

New Vintage Items by This ol' Thing Vintage

Roll Tide Earrings and Necklace by Chris Davenport

Bracelets by Chris Davenport Designs

Earrings by Made With Hope

Upcycled Tape Measure Earrings by iamthemandy. Buying these is less expensive then getting a tattoo of a sewing machine...

koala!!! By iamirasema

Felted Soap by Felt up Beet!

Men's Vintage by This ol' Thing Vintage

Remember our September Artist Lumi9 will be in the gallery all month!

Original Art by Lumi9

His original artwork starts at $67!

This ol’ thing vintage has brought in a lot of SUPER CUTE CLOTHES!!!! She just dropped a bunch off today that I want to buy so come save me from myself! Be sure to follow the store on twitter and on facebooks to stay on top of when I post random photos!!!

I’m leaving you with this cute little Gypsy!

Hugs and High Fives!!!
Jamie
(Gracie)

They have the big mac we have the big mc…..

Some of my favorite lines from the movie comming to america. That and the line, “good and terrible!” But I digress

Martha's got her succulents in jadite.....

We have ours in vintage pottery and glasses!

Lumi9 First Fall Friday!!!!

Well as many of you know, at the store we always have a “First Friday” celebration on the first friday of the month where we welcome a new artist to the store with food, friends, fun and spirits. And sometimes a live band! This month we did a second friday of the month and we were blessed with a wonderful turnout!!! I am always excited to see new faces and thrilled at seeing the familiar ones who came through the door! The weather was great, everyone who showed up was great and the art was FANTASTIC!!! I know I’m finally doing something right as a shop owner when the things I hear are, “whoa! this artist is really good!” Followed by, “This beer is really cold!” Cheers to fall!!!

Lumi9 visualizing

Pieces start at only $67.00!!! Hours of the gallery are tuesday – friday 11-5 and Saturday 10-4.

(I don’t know if the caption is showing up for the photo above so I’m just going to write it! Here we have our pretty lady rocking a vintage purse she purchased from this ol’ thing.)
And it just wouldn’t be right if I didn’t mention my vintage clothes seller, This ol’ thing. She has the best vintage eye out there and from what I heard from all our new friends who stopped in from Arkansas with the Oxford American Mag, really good prices!!!

Here’s to cooler temperatures and football season!!!
hugs and high fives!!!
Jamie
(gracie)

I could see it on the horizon….

I have been keeping my eye on this trend and it’s finally here with full force. And that trend my friends is the color Orange!!! It’s everywhere! Even the buttons on my wordpress blog are highlighted in Orange! So what’s a southern belle to do who bleeds nothing but houndstooth and crimson?
Well accessorize or course!

AD in Martha Stewart's Living

From Martha Stewart's Living

"Good Things" Martha Stewart Living

Martha Stewart Living

Martha Stewart Living

Orange bedroom with Madonna posing a la Marilyn Monroe Living Ect.

photo from Living Ect.

How to bring this season’s hottest color home with you…..

Store Front at Grace Aberdean

Vintage Orange Lamps at grace aberdean

Support your local farmer's market and be stylish! Homegrown posters at grace aberdean

Together with our wit and charm we can carry out this orange theme while still sporting our crimson and white!!!

Hugs!
Gracie

“Daft Punk is playing at my house, at my house…….”

A little homage to lcd soundsystem. So a lot of you ask me what does my house look like so I thought I’d post a few photos of the clean parts of my home 🙂

some plants in the front yard

I plant drought tolerant plants along with some not so drought tolerant plants in pots to add texture to my front yard

These are a few plants I have in my front yard. I live in a garden home. I know, gasp!!! but I really love it. It’s a great size, I dig the layout and my neighborhood is really small. You’ll know it’s my house by all the plants in pots out front. The soil here is crapola. It’s fill dirt and half the time its so wet because it doesn’t drain and everything rots. So to combat that I plant a lot of high drought tolerant plants in pots. The lady who owned the house before me put down the cement and it had pea gravel around it so I just put grass seed in the pea gravel to have grass there instead. The oversized cracked pot is just that. I saw it in someone’s yard for the garbage and stopped and picked it up because I thought it would look really cool with a plant growing out of it!

Sputnik light fixture that I salvaged

This is my light fixture at my front door that I salvaged from my dad’s scrap yard when I worked there. I saw it on a truck and because it is brass I knew the customer was going to turn it in across the street at the metals warehouse. I radioed my brother in law and told him to please, please! put the light fixture to the side for me. When he came across the street he was holding the light fixture that was broken in half and three of the arms were off and the others were just hanging there. He looked at me and said, “this is what you wanted?” I said “YES!” I scooped up the pieces and took it to lighting plus and they put the little guy back together for me, re-wired it and even treated some of the new parts to make them look like the old ones! And i think it may have cost me $60. total.

Dinning Area

So this is where I eat. I don’t have a formal dinning area and a kitchen table like you’d have in bigger homes so I wanted to make my area a little more on the formal side with the vintage chandelier but keep it a little casual with my big wood table that I got handed down to my from my dad. The chairs are ones that I got from an estate sale that still need to be reupholstered but I love the shiloutte of them and the wall paper, YES WALLPAPER! is some that I picked out. It’s of cherry blossoms and it has an iradescent silver throughout to make it sparkle and to bring it up to date.

Storage!

So this is storage in the kitchen. The buffet piece I found in a thrift store and fell in love with it!!! My older sister wasn’t too impressed but whatever! The tray on the right is a present from my sister. It is a marimekko tray that i just love. On top are vintage glasses. The ice bucket owl is vintage, the martini glasses are a gift from my friend cristalle. The art on the walls are two pieces that I got from the Kentuck festival. The planter peanut salt and pepper shakers are two items that I got when I was a freshman in college and I went home with my roommate to fort payne, where she is from. I just knew when I found a house they would look neat!

Well I hope you guys enjoyed these photos and I will post more as soon as I vacuum and dust!!! If you have any questions please post and I’ll be more than happy to answer!!!

Happy Decorating!!!
Jamie
aka Gracie

Ideas for free! (Free Grace)

Short on storage?  Turn an every day ironing board into a jewelry holder!  Lori of this ol’ thing vintage did just that for junkers daughter.  “Sometimes the only way to go is vertical.” Lori said with a laugh.  Be sure to come check out all our new fall Vintage starting next Tuesday the 9th at 11a.m.
Also this month we will be re-launching a new website! Very exciting! Thanks for everyone’s patience for the store’s August reopening.
ROLL TIDE!
Gracie