With a Little Help from my Friends no. 2

This week's featured artists are very near and dear to my heart..as well as talented!  Please meet my good friends, and fellow Texas artists, Gwen and Pat Knieff.

Gwen is a woman of many talents, which she currently showcases in her BaiBai Emporium shop on Zibbet.  She creates adorable little fairies, just bubbling with personality.  The tiny details that she paints on their faces are amazing!  She pours the molds, paints and fires them, then dresses each fairy and gives it a home and a personality!   This is Fairy Joan

                                        and this is Geraldine Showing off her Crystal

Gwen's equally talented husband, Pat, is a photographer who sells his art on Fine Art America.  You can find him at Pat Knieff Art.  
His works range in subject from stunning beauty to downright funny!
Here are a couple of favorites:

                                                                    Delicate Flowers

Beautiful Fowl




                        




               And this fine piece to make you laugh:

                                         Unique Hair Piece









Gwen and Pat are new to the online world of arts and crafts.  Stop by their shops and show them some love!  Tell them Texas Eagle sent you!

Possibilities!

I'm married to a true visionary!  This can be such a blessing....and can also drive me to madness!  I've never met anyone who can walk through Home Depot and find an alternate use for every single product on the shelves.  When asked if we need help, I usually just grin and say "no thanks" because explaining is way too complicated for my simple mind.

We've used plumbing fixtures for furniture, galvanized gutter for crown molding, cattle tanks for bathtubs, and on and on.  I plan to share more about the projects soon.  Today I'm remembering my introduction to "creative thinking" and recycling.....not to mention a life of crime!

Many, many years ago my dear hubby came home from work with a sparkle in his eye and a plan in his mind.  He'd seen a railroad cart in a trash dumpster and had to have it.  I was told to dress in black, put my hair inside a dark ball cap and join him for a ride.  We drove in the darkness to an industrial area, parked in a nearly empty lot and snuck inside an open fence.  He stealthily climbed into a huge dumpster and handed down a large dirty cart.  It was heavy and I was frightened, but exhilerated at the same time.  We quickly packed the treasure into the truck and headed home.   I didn't sleep much that night, partly from fear, and partly from the noise in his workshop.  By morning, he'd dismantled the cart into neat piles.  I was told this would soon be my new coffee table.  Hmmmmm.....not so sure about that one, pardner!

Within a few days the weathered wood had been sanded and stained.  The metal parts had been cleaned, primed and painted.  I wasn't so sure of the bright green and red, but like always, I trusted his artistic eye and keen sense of style.  This was the result:

This beauty now graces my living room and is such an amazing source of pride and memories.  It was our first "project" together, and set the tone for our future artistic adventures.  We've since built a new home and are still in the process of putting that personal touch into the final finishes.  I still value dear hubby's vision and eye for seeing the possibilities!