New Website Coming Along

I’ve been telling you that we are working on a new website.  We started last year and had things about ready to go and the eCommerce website that we were using went out of business.

So, we had to start in December transferring to a new web host. It is really coming along and altho’ everything is not completed yet,  you can see where we are by going to…. www.possumcounty.com.

We are currently working on posting product.  But, we have several pages completed.

We’ve grown since we first started around 15 years ago. I started out with George and his Dad’s art. I remember the first time in Atlanta I had only one booth and had some tramp art by George’s dad.

 I had met Missionary Mary Proctor years before that show in Atlanta and we became such good friends. I am so grateful to her for her help and guidance. It is only fitting that I feature her when you come to my homepage.

We’ve met so many interesting people and were so fortunate to meet some of the early folk artists that no longer attend the folk fest show or have passed away.ie Joe Legge, Danny Hoskins, Chris Clark, R.A. Miller, Howard Finster and so many other great artists.

George and I believe we are so blessed to have been married by Reverend Howard  Finster at Paradise Gardens. After all, where would the folk art movement be today without Howard?

I’ll be adding to the blog more regularly once we get everything up and running. Keep checking back!

We have some great news! We’re now being featured in another southern Folk Art Gallery. George has just been accepted as a featured  artist at The American Folk Art Museum and Gallery located in the Tallahassee Mall in Tallahassee, Florida. It’s such an honor to have our items displayed next to art by our friend, Smithsonian artist, Missionary Mary Proctor.

We are so pleased that God has blessed us with this new venue. It is so nice for us,  we live so far north and it is difficult for us to travel down south where all of the good folk art shows are located.

If you get in the area, stop in to the The American Folk Art Museum and Gallery located in the Tallahassee Mall in Tallahassee.  If you get there……tell our dear friends Mary and Tyrone “HI”.

Winter comes to Northern Indiana. We got 12" of snow in our area.

We knew it bound to happen sooner or later, it has been cool for a while. One day I look out and see all of the leaves on our two big red maples out front and the next thing you know, they’re all laying on the ground. IT COULD BE WORSE, we could live FARTHER north! And now they are all coverd with white stuff! Oh well!

I look out and see our neighbors getting ready for the holidays.  Some have Thanksgiving décor up and others jumped right into Christmas.

We have been staying inside and working on the website.  George has added a lot of his dad’s artwork.  As many of you know, Dad lived to the ripe old age of 99 + ½ years. He had such a wonderful, full life. 

He was an instructor at an Auction School, Buildt models of Steamboats and Outhouses for museums, Tramp Art boxes, picture frames, sheves, clock cases, and canes.  He was a carver of swords, knifes and daggers and a world class penman and created such unusual items as penning the Lord's Prayer on the EDGE of an ordinary business card and on one side of a toothpick and his name, address and phone number on a single grain of rice.

I receive emails from collectors that have Dad’s artwork and sometimes someone will buy something in an auction or out of a collectors store and want to know if we can tell then anything about it. Last year a guy had bought a beautiful old flourishing Dad had made and wanted to know if it was really his. Those are fun emails.

His hand drawn pictures and flourishing are beautiful framed.  I encourage you check him out on the website. We own a large collection of dad’s original works! And will be adding new items all this winter.

Have a Great Holiday Season

Missionary Mary Proctor

Almost everyone in the Folk Art Community knows the name of Missionary Mary Proctor.

She experienced a tragedy in the 1994, when her grandmother and two other family members died in a house fire.  Mary was extremely close to her grandmother and shared with me one time that “If you don’t marry Tyrone, I WILL!” J She took her grandmothers advice and married a great man of God.

Mary was not an artist early on….she operated a flea market on some property she owned in Tallahassee. She was grieving her loss when she had that MOMENT in her life, when sitting under a tree, a voice urged her to paint.  She was reluctant because she had never painted before. She painted her heart out and set it up in the flea market…it got attention…and once day A New York gallery owned happed by and the rest is as they say..HISTORY!

Mary has been exhibited everywhere. She is in a lot of galleries and is a Smithsonian artist who’s works we on display for several months at the Smithsonian.

I met her at Finster Fest one year.  I started collecting her artwork and she would always home something patriotic for me. One time she asked me if I was an artist and I told her I was not but my husband George was. She encouraged me to open a gallery and represent artists since my background was in sales and promotions. She became my 1^st folk artist and encouraged me to do Folk Fest in Atlanta with George’s works.

Mary and I have been friends since that early meeting and I am so thankful for her.  She is compulsive; and by that I mean SHE HAS TO PAINT! She can sure put it out.  She reminds my of George because he has that same drive.

Folk art makes great gifts for Christmas….thanks for supporting our artists!

I'm Back

It’s exciting to be back on the website again and back to blogging.

It’s  been a while so there is  a lot of catching up to do.

We’ve added a lot of new artists to Possum County and I encourage you to visit their pages and get to know them too!

George has been really busy and between working shows this year, he participated with a group called Walldogs.  They are mural artists that work one show a year (One town a year) and do 13-18 murals in 3 days.  All murals are historically accurate.  It takes 2 years to get all of the information together and the art renditions approved.  I encourage you to visit Thewalldogs.com and also Shipshewanawalldogs.com   

With shows ending, George will have more time to do the creating that he enjoys so much…FOLK ART!

And hopefully, we will have time to take in some blues shows too! We are going to go see our friends Bruce Katz and Chris Vitarello  next week.  We were able to see and meet Tab Benoit this year.  George presented him with a plaque (like ones he has done for other blues artists and friends).

So , keep in touch and checking back….I’ll be posting regularly……Sheila

OTTO the Folk Artist

Our artist OTTO has been busy lately. His work is flying out of the gallery. Be sure and check him out on the website

Nelson says: Making a 16 piece assemblage of just OTTO!

Lori says: Selling pieces before I even get them out of the car and into the gallery

Gaby says: love the new pieces of Otto we added to our Otto collection!

We recently received several new pieces from OTTO and I have to tell you...HE'S HOT!

Be sure and check him out on our website:
http://www.possumcounty.com

Get in while the prices are still low!

MUROB FOLK ART GUITAR + Billy Flynn

Back in early March Billy Flynn came to the house for a folk art visit. While he was here he asked if we had a guitar he could play. We had this blues guitar George made. Let me tell you, it makes a difference when a Professional plays...this guitar will never be the same.

Billy won his grammy for his extraordinary talents on guitar in the Cadillac Records movie starring Beyonce'. Be sure and get the CD and visit our website for more art
www.possumcounty.com

Folk Artist BiscuitV

We have so many talented artists at Possum County. BiscuitV is one of them.

Over the Easter week-end he turned his painting talents to another direction...FOOD!

Biscuit outdid himself on this Easter "cake" made out of Rice Krispie treats. He added his own bright colors to the Peeps.

Looks good enough to eat, huh?

WHOHADADA FOLK ART

WHAT? You may be saying! This is a great website full of fantastic folk art by some of the top artists in the nation.WHOHADADA

When I talk about COMPASSION and COMPULTION in creating, these artists come to mind. They work their hearts out to follow their dreams! What are we without dreams and goals? They carry on even after devastations like Katrina.

Hearded down the road by leader Paul Flack, the group travels around the country together and individually to offer their great works for sale. When weather doesn't permit travel, you can find their websites and contact info on the Whoha site

.
Be sure and check them out! You'll spend lots of time browsing around!!! Tell them Sheila sent ya!

FUNKY CHICKEN MAN - ERNEST LEE FOLK ART

Let me introduce you to one of the FUNEST (Fun-est…not funniest altho’ he is a trip) Folk Artists around.
FUNKY CHICKEN MAN

Last fall Ernest Lee was in Chicago and a friend of mine called and said you need to get to know this guy! I called Ernest and we hooked up. Last August I took his folkart to Slotin’s Folk Fest in Atlanta.
SLOTIN’S FOLK FEST

Ernest creates such fun, whimsical and entertaining folk art. It brings a smile to your face.

Watching him at work is entertaining in itself! He puts on a show! Eveyone should have at least ONE Funky Chicken in their collection.

Quote from Ernest:

"Be what you are. Don't be what you ain't.

Because if you be what you ain't

then you ain't what you are."

-- Ernest Lee

THE MIDWAY TAVERN AND DANCE HALL

I want to share our favorite blues venue with you. We met Albertina Wassenhove about 6-7 years ago. George had heard Ole Harve’s Blues Revue radio show Ole Harve and called me at our store and said you have to hear this piano player. It turned out to be Honey Piazza from the Mighty Flyers (George knows I love a piano!!).The Mighty Flyers.

We went to the St. Patrick’s Park Blues Fest and saw the Mighty Flyers for the first time and we had to have a CD…They were sold out there. Turned out Pinetop Perkins was also there. That’s where Albertina comes in. .

She personally delivered the CD to me at my store. I learned about her blues bar and the next show she had we were there.

The history at the Midway is wonderful. Albertina’s Mom and Dad started the bar in 1924 after immigrating to the USA from Belgium. They went through the depression and survived (be sure and watch the video).MIDWAY VIDEO And also they had an interesting guest from Chicago during those depression years, which is also on the video.

Albertina’s Mom continued with the bar after her husband passed away and was inducted into the bartenders hall of fame after tending bar for 67 years at the Midway.

86 years later Albertina is still carrying on the tradition. It is a treat just to visit the Midway …all of the good music is an extra bonus. Everyone that plays there signs the walls. Everything inside is original including the bar, back bar, booths, fixtures, etc.

Check out the show dates on the website. Come to the Midway and become part of the family. You’re always welcome at the Midway…even if you are non-drinkers like us!!!

Wanna Have Some Fun???

Wanna have some fun????

Got a little time on your hands? Well, go to the Musicians Links page at www.possumcounty.com.

We’ve got tons of music links for you to enjoy by the finest entertainers in the business.

We’re proud to say we’ve met most of them and even had them visit with us at our home

Blues folks are just like folk art folks. Once you meet you immediately have a bond. There are no pretenses in either art form. Both groups want to share their love of what they do with you. They have so many experiences to share. It reminds me of sitting down with my relatives that served in the military and listening to their stories.

Catch a show if they are ever in your area. Everyone needs a break now and then whether it’s a live music show or a folk art show!

When you can’t get out to one or the other browse through our folk artist pages and check out some really creative people!

Sheila

Blues Greats Billy Flynn & Lil' Frank Krakowski

WHAT A FUN DAY!

After a great show last night at the Midway, Grammy guitar winner Billy Flynn.... http://billyflynn.com/.....(Soundtrack for Cadillac Records) and Lil’ Frank Krakowski...http://www.littlefrank.net/... (Super guitar player from Lil’ Frank & The Premiers) stopped by the house today! We shared some folk art stories with them and they shared some blues stories with us. A good time was had by all!

POG had made a blues guitar from a Harmony guitar. (You all will know this is not the top of the line in guitars but a beginner). Billy tuned it up and he and Frank played it like it was a top of the line musical instrument. If you’ve got the talent you can make the best of any situation.

Frank’s wife Melissa came, too. They had to take off for her to get to work right after we shared a quick bite to eat.

If Lil’ Frank and the Premiers or Billy are ever playing in your area be sure and catch the show. YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED! Frank will be performing on stage at the legendary PINETOP PERKINS show March 10th in South Bend at CLUB FEVER…Get your tickets now. Don’t miss out on this show!! You get Pine, Frank, Willie "Big Eye” Smith and Bob Stroger. Pine, Willie and Bob played with Muddy Waters! Can’t wait!!

POG will be posting pictures from the show soon...keep checking the musician friends link.

Sheila

Pinetop Perkins Coming to South Bend

GREAT NEWS! The Legendary Pinetop Perkins is coming to town.

March 10 at the Club Fever in downtown South Bend. We are thrilled and were first to get our tickets.

Pinetop is 96 years old and a former Hoosier from LaPorte. He will be joined on stage with a local friend of his and great guitar blues man Little Frank , drummer Willie “Big Eye” Smith from the Muddy Waters Blues Band and Pinetop's longtime friend Bob Stroger.

Pinetop joined the Muddy Waters band in 1969 replacing Otis Spahn

Pinetop Perkins is one of the last great Mississippi bluesmen still performing.

He was originally born in Belzoni, Missisippi July 7, 1913. He’s played with almost everybody, lives in Austin, Texas now and was inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame

This is a once in a lifetime treat to have Pinetop back in our area!!!

YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS SHOW!!

Sheila