Comical Aprons

Fig Street Studio sells comical aprons on the web at http://www.zazzle.com/figstreetstudio/aprons

Comical designs from alligators to Zydeco music, crawfish, and Mardi Gras. Take a look at the Lobster and Road Kill Cafe Aprons at Fig Street Studio.

Pie Lady by figstreetstudio
Buy cooking aprons on zazzle

Gooseberry Wine by figstreetstudio
Buy cooking aprons on zazzle

Art On Postage Stamps From Fig Street Studio

Unique art on postage stamps. New Orleans artist JK Schwehm sells art on postage stamps on the web at his Zazzle shop, http://www.zazzle.com/figstreetstudio/stamps

Fig Street Studio Matisse Style Stamps by figstreetstudio
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New Orleans Art On Greeting Cards

New Orleans artist JK Schwehm sells his art on greeting cards on the web at http://www.zazzle.com/figstreetstudio/cards

Unique paintings and graphic designs on cards some with matching postage stamps. The cards can be personalized and customized on the web. Add in names, logo, or sentiments right on the web page. Many cards to choose from and sales help rebuild.

Blues Singer by figstreetstudio
Browse other Blues Cards

New Orleans Canal St Snow 1885 by figstreetstudio
Shop for a different greeting card on zazzle.com

Black Cat Christmas Snow by figstreetstudio
Browse more Black Cards

Jackson Square Seasons Greetings Two by figstreetstudio
See more stamps on Zazzle

The Palm Tree and Lion at City Park

In 1974 when I was a Probation Officer at Juvenile Court in New Orleans I saw an elderly man collecting seeds from the many beautiful palm trees along Loyola Ave by the Civil Courts Building. He told me he planted the seeds in empty coffee cans and grew them for sale. He was correct because I followed his advice and had many palm trees to plant in my yard. New Orleans has many beautiful palms and they make the landscape very interesting. I purposely painted the the palm tree behind the lion in the above painting because with the moon the painting looked like another place not New Orleans City Park. The park has some unique and beautiful spots that could be found in Europe .

Last November while visiting the park I decided to collect some seeds from that big beautiful palm tree near the Peristyle. I wasn’t sure why. I had already collected seeds from palm trees on Magazine St and they were sprouting. This weekend I was in city park and discovered to make room for “improvements” that big beautiful palm tree was cut down and laying ready to be cut up into pieces. Now I know why I stopped to collect the seeds. I will not only have a beautiful palm tree but one from the big palm tree that once stood majestically near the Peristyle in City Park making my painting even more cherished.

Piano and Chair

Once when I lived on Fig Street my neighbor was trying to give away an old piano. It wasn’t easy because they are so heavy and costly to repair no one wanted to bother with it. She was telling me all about it and I said I’ll take it. All I had were the electronic keyboards, it would be nice to have an old piano. Well I quickly learned why no one wanted to bother. I got it to the front sidewalk and had to call for help. My son and several of his friends arrived and we pushed it to my front steps then rested as going up was not easy. We made it up and set it inside with my old chair in the living room. A friend is a piano tuner and he came buy to tell me the poor old piano was too old and worn to bother tuning. So what, I couldn’t play well either so we were a perfect match.

I usually paint on a painting table that was set up across the room from the old piano and chair. One day I was painting the Mississippi Queen River Boat with a lot of detail and had to rest. As I looked off to rest my eyes I saw the old piano and chair with my shoes on the floor. To me it looked just like something Van Gogh would paint. He painted his room, chairs, shoes, almost anything that sat still. So I quickly sketched it onto an old piece of paper sitting on the table I used to clean off white paint from my brush, not thinking I would actually finish it. As I sketched then painted it started looking good until I began to shake. If I do not stop to eat I begin to shake from some sort of sugar problem. I finished the painting but was a little upset with the squiggley and shaking lines in it. I put it on the side went to eat and basically forgot about it. As I cleaned up the painting table from the original riverboat painting I saw the Old Piano and Chair so I put it in a cheap frame but did not hang it up. My son saw it and said he thought it was fine and the squiggley lines did make it look Van Gogh like. Maybe Van Gogh had a sugar problem? A friend stop by once and said it was her favorite. So I never really know what a painting would do or how it would affect someone. Mostly I paint for the fun of doing it. Oh, the Old Piano is no more we finally gave it away too, so I am glad I took a rest from painting that day and did the Old Piano and Chair.

The Blue Dachshund

I have a friend who loves Weiner Dogs so I developed "The Blue Dachshund" that also comes in many other colors for note cards, shirts, and Christmas Cards. This year I added two Valentine Cards of the Blue Dachshund . See them at both at my Cafe Press and Zazzle Stores on the web. As I come up with more places for the Blue Dachshund to show up I'll add them into the ones already available so stop back next month to see more designs. I have a comical one where he is the horse under Andrew Jackson.

Christmas Ornament History

German settlers in Pennsylvania are said to have started the Christmas tree tradition in the USA..
The Christmas tree was popular in parts of Europe for a long time before coming to America.. In England Queen Victoria made Christmas trees fashionable by decorating the first English Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1841. The first Christmas tree to appear in the White House was erected in 1856 by President Franklin Pierce.
Christmas ornaments to decorate the tree were imported from Germany and Christmas tree popularity was in full swing the U.S by the 1900's. Some people made their own ornaments out of fruits and paper. Each Christmas I design new Christmas ornaments to add to the many already available at my Fig Street Art Studio store on the web.
This Christmas I have created several new designs and some using classic Christmas images. Stop in the store on the web or locally at Bucktown Pharmacy to see them. See the many New Orleans centered ornaments and Christmas cards sold at the Cafe Press, Fig Street Studio store.

Fleur De Lis Tile

The several fleur de lis designs on tiles offered at Fig Street Art Studio made the news recently at TOPIX. Google has them listed high up in the search engine under 'fleur de lis tile". The many new designs are selling well both on tiles and t-shirts. The designs are specially made in a French style to go along with the French Quarter and French Market in New Orleans. Stop in and take a look at the at http://www.cafepress.com/figstreetstudio/1925039

Chicago My Town Shirt

I did a design for a shirt to celebrate Chicago, home to several family members. I was selling it and thought because the guys in Chi-Town I know liked it. Then I found out I won a little design award for it I did not know about, so here is the link and the notice it won an award http://www.zazzle.com/figstreetstudio/product/235076293369506326

Pet Portraits

A friend who is a veterinarian asked I paint the family pets as a gift for her parents. The idea on my end was to show how it can be done and how nicely they would look on tiles and other gift items available from my shop on the web. Above is my favorite of the three 'Dixie'. While painting it it became real to me and I would talk to her, after all she looks like she is listening. Here is the link to all of them and the many products they come on, http://www.cafepress.com/figstreetstudio/4159860 Her mother got the tiles, pillows, and clocks, her Dad a men's tie. All were very happy with the new idea in gifts. Here too is my web page about getting a pet portrait, http://www.figstreet.com/studio/petportraits.html

Christmas Ornaments In The News

Fig Street Studio's porcelain Christmas ornaments were featured in "Cool Stuff" in the Times-Picayune on December 1, 2007. The porcelain ornaments with images of New Orleans and other art are for sale at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Canal St., Bucktown Pharmacy, in Metairie, La. and over the web at http://www.fighstreet.com/studio.

"Nice Rack" Shirt Featured At Cafe Press

My "Nice Rack" woman's half sleeve shirt at Cafe Press is featured as a suggested Holiday Gift see http://www.cafepress.com/figstreetstudio/452440 for more styles of that shirt.

Square Dance Christmas Card Wins Award

The little Square Dance caller saying 'Do Si Do' on a Christmas card won an award.

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Red Ribbon
You're in Today's Best!

Hi figstreetstudio,


Congratulations!

Your product, Square Dance Christmas Card, has been selected as one of Today's Best on Zazzle!

This means it will appear on the Zazzle homepage for the rest of today and it will also be added to the Todays Best Awards Showcase. Keep up the great work!

Bask. Glow. The honor is yours to enjoy.

-Zazzle

Black Smith Shop Card Award Winner

The Christmas card featuring my Black Smith Shop painting won an award.
-------------------------------------

Red Ribbon
You're in Today's Best!

Hi figstreetstudio,


Congratulations!

Your product, French Quarter Christmas Card, has been selected as one of Today's Best on Zazzle!

This means it will appear on the Zazzle homepage for the rest of today and it will also be added to the Todays Best Awards Showcase. Keep up the great work!

Bask. Glow. The honor is yours to enjoy.

-Zazzle

New Orleans Art Ceramic Tiles

Reading my blog this morning all my posts are Katrina related art. I assume that is because I am so busy with cleaning up my studio, home, and helping friends clean up storm related debris. I do have many art pieces not related to the storm, including many different ceramic tiles. I had these made from my paintings and graphic designs so some friends could have copies of my paintings at a reasonable price and something useful. Some have made table tops, kitchen backsplashes, and other unique things from the tiles. I have mine just displayed on the table and used as coasters. Featured above is my painting "French Quarter Balcony". As an exercise I painted from and old photograph and an old postcard of New Orleans. Later I saw the same setting in an old photograph at the Art Museum. Seems several photographers have taken pictures from the same balcony on Orleans St. in the French Quarter over many years. You can visit the framed prints on my web page or the ceramic tile. One of my favorite paintings which is also on a paperback book cover called "PoBoy" by Alice McDaniel.

http://www.cafepress.com/figstreetstudio.13914433

New Orleans Art On Cards

Several people asked I do Valentine's Cards like the New Orleans Christmas Cards I have on my web page so I took 3 of my paintings and added in some funny hearts and this is what came out. The other designs can be seen on this link: http://www.cafepress.com/figstreetstudio/456495