We enjoyed the Clydesdales

Last night the Clydesdales came to visit New Bern on their way to the Cherry Point Air Show. We had a record breaking crowd in our Downtown to greet them!

Here are a few photos of their visit.

Visiting Carolina Creations!

This shot was taken by our friend Chris Romano

This shot by Steve Shaffer

A good time was had by all!

Last Post About Home Tour I Promise

Still enjoying flowers from home tour 10 days later!

 

Because of the tour I never got out to take photos of the Azaleas and dogwood. My sister always looks forward to the photos - I'm sorry Bets! 

Top Picks from Donna

We have asked each of our ladies (and Michael) what their top picks are at Carolina Creations - here are Donna's!

Glass - I love all the glass artists we carry, glass is my favorite at Carolina Creations, it's colorful, shiny and so varied in size and shape.

Peace Poles, Garden Art Poles and Flower Pots - The colors and whimsy, and the words she uses are meaningful and inspirational. I love the ides of enjoying art outside!

Metal animals - Again the whimsy and idea of using these creatures outside, like the art poles, the pieces can be enjoyed anywhere.

I don't want to leave anything out because everything speaks to me at different times. When I need wall art we have it, when I need a gift we have it, when jewelry complestees an outfit we have the perfect piece. Sometimes pottery, stained glass, or specialty soaps are the must have items.

I love the variety we carry and have great appreciation that we reach all pocketbook levels!

- Donna B

Hydrangea Still Life painting party with Sally Sutton

Sally Painting Party Hydrangea Still Life May 12, 2016

Carolina Creations Presents

Hydrangea and stillife

Sally Sutton Painting Party

Paint your own acrylic painting of this image on canvas with artist sally sutton!

Thursday May 12, 2016  from 6:30pm - 9:00pm

Sip, snack and paint!

All supplies and snacks will be provided so all you need to do is be ready to enjoy some time with friends creating your own painting!

Sally will have the image drawn out on the canvas, she will lead you through painting it.

Wear clothing that is casual or bring an apron. Cost $55  Location: Francoeur Studio, 229 E Front Street, New Bern "click here to see location on the map".  Register here or by calling 252-633-4369.

If you get lost the evening of the party call 252-626-3376.

Due to the fact that the class size is limited cancelations must be made 48 house in advance so we can call people that are on our waiting list. For cancelations made less than 48 hours in advance - the fee will be held for you to use toward an upcoming painting party.

Price:  $55.00

 

Sign up by clicking here. 

New Artist at Carolina Creations Stephen Moore

Welcome to our newest artist - Stephen Moore. We have been following Stephen for years and talking to his brother about him, hoping someday to have his work in our gallery - well now we do!

Here is a little information about him -

Stephen Moore is an artist known for the color and light quality in his paintings. He is a native of North Carolina. He is a graduate of UNC in Chapel Hill and retired from a thirty four year career in family medicine in 2015. 

He was taught by Eleanor Seng, a North Carolina artist who studied with Emil Holzhaurer, a student of Robert Henri. Robert Henri was the leader of the Ashcan School of American Painting.

Eleanor taught him art beginning when he was in the fifth grade at a community art center. He
painted with her for twenty five plus years. She was a mentor and friend. 

Stephen has been painting about thirty six years beginning in 1980. He has traveled and painted extensively in Europe.
 

Painting interests also include coastal and other North Carolina scenes with an emphasis on local color. 

Though primarily a landscape painter practicing  plein air techniques, he is also interested in portrait, figurative, and still-life genres.

He is honored to now be represented by Carolina Creations in New Bern. 

His work is held in private and corporate collections around the world.

Stop in and see his work!

-Jan Francoeur

Where I create

There is a magazine called Where women create, so I thought I'd talk about the place I create.

My studio is usually a mess!

It's part of the creative process for me. I am usually working on many projects at once, often in different mediums. The result is a dozen projects in various states of completion, scattered about, accompanied by the tools used to create them. People ask why so many different projects at once - the answer is sometimes I get bored, or get stuck, or just have so many things to do it makes me feel better to bring them all along at once.

Since our house was on the  Home Tour my studio is neater than usual so I thought I'd share some photos.

I often work in the evening so I have the room set up like a living room, two couches - neither will ever be fit for company again, a tv, even a little refrigerator that usually just holds water. As for the couches, one has glaze ground into it in various places, and the other has Lucy the cats paw prints all over it where she stepped in some paint then walked across the couch. She's not with us any more so it's a nice remembrance when I look at them.

We have a large planter on the veranda across from where I sit that we grew lettuce in one year. This year we planted flowers in it. Flowers are one of those things that make me feel good so looking at them is inspiring to me. Most of my pottery has flowers on it as do most of my paintings.

I hate a dark room so when we were designing our house I voiced my concern that there would not be enough light, our architect said, you already have twice as many windows as most houses but he put in a second set of lites above. Even under the porches it made a big difference. You know you always hear artists talking about the importance of the light, it's true.


The studio is a huge room, so to make it a little more intimate we made room dividers out of hollow core doors. Half of the room is a class room where visiting artists teach workshops. We can move the walls if we need more space. That side is also a third bedroom if we need it for company.

Our pottery is on the first floor, we have an electric wheel where michael throws, a small kick wheel where he trims,

We have 4 kilns under the porch.

I have a slab roller where I make tiles and a messy table where I apply the clear glaze.

So that's where it all happens! We are lucky to have so much room.

Trent Woods Garden Club Flowers at our house

In case you missed the tour they did a beautiful job! Thank you

In our kitchen

Bedroom display in Sticks pot from Carolina Creations

Sunflowers on Murphy Bed

Orchids in living room

Herbs in fish pot (from Carolina Creations)

StudioM Pot

In entry way

I felt like a queen having all the activity dressing up my house.

Trent Woods Garden Club dressing up our house for home tour

It was a fun morning at the Francoeur house when 5 ladies from the Trent Woods Garden Club came and created 9 floral displays for our home.

Thanks so much!

I won't post photos of them until after the tour!

Well... here is a peek.

Great Designs on towels and how they are done

When I met these artists I said I don't need any more towels..... then I saw their designs.

Ok.... we DO need more!

The one that caught my attention first was Save the Bees.   We have a nice selection of bee items, and beeswax items, and are conscious to plant flowers in our garden that bees love. We all need to do whatever we can to help them.

Then we always are looking for biking items because so many of our customers ride and we have returning customers every year for the MS weekend.

Not only are the designs great but the towels are hand silkscreened.

Having done silkscreening I know what it takes to do it. Make the screen, make sure the material doesn't wrinkle, try to keep the screen from clogging, clean the screen (very messy to do) when you are done each day.

Here are a few photos of the process.

A nice addition to our offerings!