Craving Spring

I don't know about you, but the snowy weather has given me spring fever!!!  Just walking into the gallery puts me in a better mood because all the new inventory is just ALIVE with color.  There are so many fun things to brighten up your home (and your mood)!  Take a look.

These antlers would be perfect in a grouping on the wall.  These are made from REAL antlers, not molds!  We currently have 3 in stock: turquoise, red, and champagne.  We will have more soon, or if you would like a specific color, just let us know! 

We also have these great checkbook covers/business card holder combos.  We have lots of different designs,  and they are all super cute.  Every stylish lady needs one to jazz up the mundane tasks usually associated with checkbooks! 

Another great addition to our inventory are these adorable tea towels.  We have 2 different styles -- screen printed with various designs (such as bicycles, honey combs, and electrical poles) or accented with pretty spring colored fabrics and brick-a-brack. 

In addition to the new inventory, we've rearranged the store.  Come by and see -- you never know what you might find!

Artist Feature: Helen Eaton

We thought it would be fun to do a feature on each of the artists whose work hangs in the gallery.  Each painting carries a little piece of the artist within it, and we wanted you to know their stories!  We are starting the series with Helen Eaton, an elementary school teacher and Fayetteville resident who took up painting when her children learned to drive and she had time to learn something new.  Helen took her first art lesson, a 6-week Intro to Oil Painting class, in 2007 and hasn't stopped painting since!  Helen has always told stories through her writing, and now she is doing the same through her painting.  And we are so glad!! 

Check out our "interview" with Helen.....

RH: What is your favorite piece that you have painted? 

HE:  My favorite painting is always “the one that I just finished.”  I always love the one that’s still drying on the easel.  But, if I have to pick one that I never tire of looking at, it would be “Aspens in Autumn.” I love the big size, the colors, the shapes, and the warm, peaceful feeling it gives to my living room.

RH: Where do you get your inspiration? 

HE:  I choose to paint images that tell a story. I love to paint people (especially toddlers) from a back or side view who are doing something that they love – blowing a dandelion, feeding ducks, touching a butterfly, reading a book, climbing a tree...

 

I love to paint flowers or vegetables that I planted, watered, weeded, and picked myself.

I love to paint places that trigger memories of where I’m from, where I’ve been, or where I know I’d feel comfortable.

RH: What would you like to paint, but haven't yet?

HE: I want to paint a big tri-panel piece – a large piece that continues across three canvases.  I have kind of a vision for it in purples and greens, but I haven’t found the image that feels right for it... Maybe it will be mountains... or a bed of irises... or turnips!  I’ll know it when I see it.

RH: When is your favorite time of day to create your art?

HE: Evening.  But, really anytime that there’s not a long “to do” list of housework or errands waiting.

RH: Do you do commissioned work?

HE: Yes.

RH: What's the strangest request you've ever had?

HE: I painted the three portraits of someone’s pet monkeys.  Any truth about the human face or anatomy that I’d learned was skewed in a weird way to make this human-like animal... well, not human...

Helen combines her love of writing and painting in her blog, Art by Word Weaver.  You should check it out to see more of her work and read the story behind the piece.  Then, come by and see her paintings first-hand here at Red Hill.  We have several new pieces, including this adorable original that is perfect for Valentine's Day!

Happy 2011!

Happy New Year! I hope y'all had a great Christmas

and were able to spend time with the people you love.

The shop has been open more than a month and so far, so good!

We are grateful for the response we have had to what we are doing. We are still adding new goodies to the store, almost daily. We have lots of ideas and plans and are looking forward to sharing these with you in the coming days. (Along with LOTS of photos, of course!)

In case you didn't get one for Christmas, we still have some 2011 calendars.

There are super cute! and 25% off, too.

Have a happy weekend.

P.S. Find a copy of @Urban magazine to read an article featuring Red Hill Gallery's own Cari Humphry. One of her chickens even made the cover!