L Haywood Coffey

My Art At Liqudambar Studio: Opening Sunday December 4th

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 06:08:23 GMT

I have an opening reception this Sunday afternoon at Liquidambar Studio in Pittsboro NC, one of the nicest galleries around. I'll be there at about one, so come on down and visit the gallery, me and downtown Pittsboro.

Liquidambar Studio of Art

Location	80 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro, NC 27312
Affiliation	Liquidambar Gallery and Gifts
About	Liquidambar is an art gallery and gift shop in Pittsboro, North Carolina. We feature over 40 artists! In our home studio we mainly focus on clay and glass, but love combining all materials in to our work. http://www.liquidambarstudio.com/

Biography	We have Liquidambar Gallery and Gifts in downtown Pittsboro. And we have Liquidambar Studio of Art which is our private art studio out on the Haw river. Hours: Closed Mondays, Tues thru Fri: 10:30-5:30pm Sat: 9:30 - 5:30pm Sun: 11:00 - 5:00pm
Personal Interests	We love all things in art!

Email	contact@liquidambarstudio.com
Phone	919-542-1773
Website	http://www.liquidambarstudio.com

Gift Shop · Art Gallery · Pittsboro, North Carolina

My Art At Central Carolina Community College

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:17:22 GMT

Here's a photo of artwork I have now in Central Carolina Community College. The guy in the photo is student in the culinary program. The painting is in a classroom adjoining the work area of the culinary program.

Artwork Portfolio

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:31:00 GMT

Artwork Portfolio

........click the link above..............

Carrboro Spiritual Circle

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 23:43:48 GMT

Those lucky enough to find it will happen upon a stone spiral just outside Carrboro located just off Johns Woods Road. Made up of huge boulders and cut stone adorned with brass plaques emblazoned with totems and poems, this is the Carrboro Spiritual Circle. Since not many people seem to know this circle exists these photos are proof that while the Spiritual Circle may be a state of mind it is not imaginary.

My Art In Southern Pines at Flynne's Coffee Bar

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 04:14:00 GMT

My art has come down from the walls after a month at Flynne's Coffee Bar in downtown SouthernPines. It was nice to have it there in that town, and below are photos of it when it was there.

Here's the link to Flynne's myspace page. Stop in and tell her you saw her listed on my site and say "Hell" from me!!

Southern Pines is a lovely town that must be seen to be appreciated.

Flynne's Coffee Bar
115 NC Broad Street
Southern Pines N.C.
910-693-1999

Here is the place from the outside:

Here is my art hanging inside:

My Art In Southern Pines at Flynne's Coffee Bar: Reception June 5 from 5-8

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:48:00 GMT

I now have art hanging at Flynne's Coffee Bar in downtown Southern Pines. My plan is to go down there next Friday and do a little painting in front of her shop and hang around till the early evening. Come on down. Southern Pines strikes me as a town where the streets are paved with gold. It reminds me a little of a beach town but cooler. Below is Flynne's Myspace page. If you need it, here's the link to her myspace page .

Panorama articles

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Thu, 22 May 2008 19:37:00 GMT

Below are articles I wrote for Panorama North Carolina Magazine. Panorama has folded but my articles are below the photo:

The Sanford Pottery Festival

The Sanford Pottery Festival is the largest pottery event in North Carolina and certainly the largest event of it's kind within the readership of this magazine. While the main emphasis is on North Carolina and "Seagrove"
pottery, the Festival accepts potters from all over the country and has had exhibitors come from as far away as Washington State. The show features well known potters both regional and national and hosts over one hundred and twenty unique artists.

North Carolina is a state known world wide for it's pottery with the town of Seagrove and the Seagrove area being the national pottery capitol, but the term "Seagrove Pottery" is an all encompassing phrase referring to potters of a five county area that includes Chatham, Lee, Moore, Montgomery and Randolph Counties, Randolf County being home of the actual town of Seagrove, and also home of the Seagrove Pottery Festival, the "original" pottery Festival in North Carolina. The town of Seagrove is recognized as the birthplace of traditional North Carolina Pottery. It turns out that the Sanford Pottery Festival has it's roots in Seagrove through Richard Gillson, the driving force and inspiration behind both Festivals.

Gillson died in a tragic accident in January of this year after a fall from a ladder but his vision still lives in both festivals and many other pottery promoting endeavors started under his leadership. The upcoming Sanford Pottery Festival is paying tribute to Gillson because he did more than any other person to promote pottery in the heart of North Carolina.

While pottery fans sometimes somethings think there is a rivalry between the older Seagrove Festival and the newer Sanford Pottery Festival, they were designed originally by Gillson and Sanford Pottery Festival creator Don Hudson to compliment each other. The Seagrove Festival caters exclusively to Seagrove Area potters while the Sanford event was designed to take all qualified clay artisans with emphasis on Seagrove area potters. Both festivals have benefited from mutual cooperation by sharing information and advice throughout the years, and according to Don Hudson, the Sanford event would have never come into being without the visionary ideas of potter Richard Gillson.

In addition to creating the twenty-seven year old Seavgrove Pottery Festival, Gillon and Hudson also worked
to create the extraordinary pottery exhibit featured at the yearly State Fair in Raleigh, an all encompassing showcase designed to promote both festivals and regional and state potters. The State Fair exhibit has become so important that it has drawn attention of Raleigh lawmakers who have approached fellow members to encourage expansion of the annual display. Gillson created the Seagrove Pottery Festival 27 years ago and was the major in the creation of the Sanford Pottery Festival.The story behind the story of the two evens if one of of cooperation for the benefit of all, potters, pottery collectors and art aficianos. Since the beginning of the Sanford Festival, Seagrove show has grown significantly since the Sanford festival and this years Sanford festival will celebrate the life and legacy of Richard Gillson at the same time that it seeks to help raise funds to keep his vision of a permanent home for the Museum in downtown Seagrove.

Gillsons death leaves a great void in the pottery community and places many local pottery arts endeavors in
jeopardy, according to Hudson, who says that no matter what amount of work it took "Richard somehow got it done, with money, time, community support, whatever". Gillsons efforts include securing real estate and
financing for the Museum of North Carolina Traditional Pottery in Seagvove, which is now open to showcase the work of potters from all over the Seagrove area, the survival of which is now complicated by the death of it's visionary founder.

In keeping Gillson's vision the Sanford Pottery Festival was originally envisioned as a way of bringing one of the states traditional arts closer to the Triangle area of North Carolina utilizing it's proximity to Chapel Hill and Raleigh and the roads that connect the area to Sanford which has the thoroughfare of Highway 421 and is roughly forty five minutes from Raleigh, Chapel Hill and Durham and less than an hour from Greensboro, all major metropolitan areas bringing thousands of out of town art fans who also sometimes tour the entire town of Sanford. In Historic Downtown Sanford, visitors encounter fine brick buildings and unique shops. Extensive promotion usually brings between ten and fifteen thousand attendees to the event, most living outside Lee County. This year's featured potter is Phil Morgan who began college as a business major but "walked through the wrong door" into a pottery studio and after time became an artist. Now along with his wife Julia they produce fine hand turned porcelain enriched with unique crystalline glazes. In addition to featured artists at the Sanford Pottery Festival you can find traditional and contemporary clay creations in extraordinary variety. Each booth seems overflowing with one of a kind creations that are turned on a traditional wheel, hand built, carved clay sculptures and some done in techniques that can't be readily identified but are nonetheless extraordinary. Pottery fans know glazes and it's rare to find more beautifully finished pieces and colors than at the Sanford Pottery Festival. Traditional brown clay colored face jugs are just next door to avant guide colored bowls and large art items with detailed paintings with both traditional and modern motifs. Talking about glazes is a favorite pastime of those who collect pottery but it's rare that a potter will give up the formula to unique glaze recipes since it can often take thousands of hours of experimenting and years trying the right combinations to create that "special something" that makes a potters art their own. You can also see the unique vision of each potter in the way pottery items are created one at a time by hand. People interested in pottery will be amazed at the extensive selection and extraordinary artistic expertise displayed by the world finest clay artisans when attending the Sanford Pottery Festival. The festival is a great family event for all,and because of it's date near Mothers Day, it's especially a great day to show Mom how much she appreciated. Don Hudson, the festivals creator quips "Your mother gave you birth, the least you can do is give her pottery", and adds "Maybe money can't buy love, but you can invest in brownie points".

The Sanford Pottery Festival has seven year tradition of being held the week before Mothers Day and will take place this year on May

3-4 at the Dennis A Wicker Civic Center There is plenty of parking and getting into the center is quick and easy. Admission is five dollars and children under six are free.

..........................................................................................................................................

Gulley's Garden Center In Southern Pines

A North Carolina native Pete Gulley was born in in the tiny Edgecome County town of Tarrboro. After serving in the US military as a Green Beret he attended East Carolina University and majored in physical education. Settling in Virgina Beach after college seemed like a logical choice after marrying in 1971, but after a time Pete began to feel the the flowering of another interest when he felt an inner urge to try his hand the art and science of horticulture. Discovering the existence of Sandhills College and it's renowned horticulture program, he and his wife sold literally everything and moved to Southern Pines so Pete could pursue his dream of working with plants. Living on the GI Bill and working toward his graduation Pete and his wife rented a vacant building and opened a garden center selling almost nothing nothing but azaleas. "Calling it a shoestring venture doesn't come close" says Pete. "I didn't even have the rent money at the time,but the azaleas kept selling".With each load I picked up and sold, I garnered more credit and attracted more customer interest in my business". After losing the lease to the original building they purchased the house next door was and filled the front lot with plants. From there the business grew says Pete: "My entire family became involved" and Gulley's Garden Center soon became a family concern employing his son Graham, daughter Megan and his wife, Linda who, sadly died in 2005.

Gulley's Garden Center has been in business since 1974 and has grown from humble beginnings of an near empty building selling little more than azaleas and a few flowers into an entire complex of structures located on Southeast Broad Street in the middle of downtown Southern Pines, just beside the railroad. The Garden Center features an extensive variety of plants, shrubs, a large nursery as well as many materials for the home owner, plant hobbies and even the professional landscaper as well as anyone looking to create green creations ranging from a window sill box to a fine and expansive garden. Pete Gulleys humble dream of keeping the business afloat from month to month has grown so successful that it now employees a dozen person staff, each of them fully educated in the field of plants obtained from years of practical experience and interaction with the different needs of customers. "One of our main focuses is on plant education" says Pete, "but sometimes our customers actually educate us". This close relationship and focus on service has lead to tremendous loyalty in the Sandhills area to Gulley's Garden Center.

Gulley's Garden Center isn't just a place to purchase plants and supplies and has been become a genuine tourist attraction which for some people is a destination spot not to be missed when visiting the area. A year round Christmas House now adorns a complex of buildings which are decorated with water fountains and water wheels with gardens that feature continuous music heightening the sensory experience of all visitors. Upstairs one building houses "The Military Museum" that features military collectibles dating from the Civil War to the modern theater of Afghanistan. Veterans will often visit the complex just to see this exhibit and often educational school groups are ushered into the museum which is free of charge to all. On the outside of building complex, antique gas pumps adorn the pathways with old farm equipment from various locales showcasing technology from different generations. Once inside one main building, there a sort of social gathering place where people congregate and converse in front of a unique wood burning fire place.

Gulleys Garden Center is not simply a place selling plant supplies to people looking for pretty flowers, but also a local concern that draws both tourist and locals because of a unique quality that combines both business and personal interests of it's owner, someone who has created an extension of his own personality by turning the ethereal nature of the love of plants into a concrete and mortar tribute to all his interests. Pete Gulley and his Garden Center is proof positive that those who try hard enough can succeed in the pursuit of the American Dream.

Art work I've done in the past

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 08:52:00 GMT

This is my artwork on the cover of "The Blotter",
a local arts and literature magazine.

This is one of my favorite motifs, Kokopelli.

"Kachina"

"Woman and Child"

"Merlin"

This is an attempt to do a Modigliani style painting.

"POW"

"The Snake That Swallowed The World"

Clyde Jones, Bynum Critter Artist

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:41:00 GMT

This is a story I wrote and was published in the magazine Fifteen501 :

It’s not every day the most famous ballet dancer in the world pulls up in his limo in front of your house to chat and look around, but that’s exactly what happened when MikhaiBaryshnikov drove into the tiny town of Bynum to check out the artistic creations of folk artist Clyde Jones.It’s not unusual for people to drive up for a view of the “Critters” that inhabit the Jones estate, but it is unusual for one so well known to arrive, and it was probably more unusual when the driver of Barishnikov’s limo asked Jones about his famous passenger: “Do you know how famous that man is?” to which Jones replied, “Well if he’s heard of me, and I’ve never heard of him, I must be more famous than him.”

What is there to see at Bynum’s most noted residence? “Critters,” as Jones calls his wooden sculptures. Sometimes there are staggering amounts of Critters in his yard, numbering in the hundreds. And just as staggering is the assortment of animal shapes: giraffes, pigs, horses, cats, dogs, birds, mice and some animal shapes perhaps best left interpreted by the maker himself. Jones creates his Critters using a chain sawand tools assembled with various joiners and adorned with whatever items that seem to fit that can be obtained, such as tennis balls for eyes on pig Critters, leather saddles on horse Critters, hard hats on the construction worker Critters and occasionally festive holiday lights on the horns of deer Critters.Sitting on the porch of his house, where Jones “holds office” when he’s not creating, you can read a Critter visitor book signed by people from practically every country on earth: Norway, Australia, Germany, Russia, Africa, Canada andentries from every American state. Jonesproudly observes, “I’ve got art in every state in the country and pretty much every country in the world.” People really do drive hundreds of miles to seJones’ Critters. One entry inhis visitor book states, “I drove over five hundred miles to see your critters. Clyde, you are a treasure".

According to Jones, the current visitor book is just one of several. “I have a book like this over 20 pounds heavy at my brother’s.” Also, on the front porch you’ll find thousands of photographs of visitors to the Jones estate, all stapled or thumbtacked to the outside wall. A first visit to Critter Crossing generally results in stunned gasps and loud exclamations by even the most reserved individual. Such reactions are easy to understand. It’s impossible not to be impressed, amazed, stunned and flabbergasted when you encounter a house with an exterior painted with various animals, symbols an totems, and surrounded by a pasture inhabited with hundreds of brightly covered wooden animals. You do get a hint of what is to come as you drive into Bynum, a tiny village just off U.S. 15/501 a few miles north of Pittsboro. You’ll see the first evidence that something unusual is afoot when you spy the occasional Critter in the yard of one tesidence, then another. You’ll pass more houses with more Critters in more yards until you arrive at the home of Clyde’s Critters, where you are greeted by 10-foot tall sculptures on the curb with a tiny planked sidewalk and a sign overhead announcing to you and the world that youhave officially entered “Critter Crossing.” It all started with a walk through the woods. “I was walking in the woods and I started seeing animals in the trees innature,” he said. Jones’ art surely makes one think of nature with the fusion of wood and animals there to be seen by all. He tells me he got to the ninth grade, is from Pittsboro and landed in Bynum when his parents moved there. “I just started putting things together a little at a time,and eventually I had all of this” he said, pointing at his open expansive open air gallery. “Then people started noticing.”

That’s somewhat of an understatement, considering Jones’ worldwide fame—a fact that is even more unusual considering that he does not sell his work. An occasional child who wanders up sometime gets a free Critter, and he also donates some of them to the occasional local auction. But as a rule, Critters can’t be had for money. “I don’t do my art for money, I do it for myself,” he said. Not selling his art hasn’t put a damper in Jones’ art adventures. “I’ve been all over the country doing my art,” he said. For a man who doesn’t drive, Jones gets around. There seems to be no limit of interest in Jones’ work. During the interview for this story, a woman with two children arrived to implore Clyde to accompany herand her family to a festival at the North Carolina Coast, and an elementary teacher arrived with his own children in tow to arrange a tour of the Critter Crossing for his entire class. “I’ve got so much on me I can’t handle it,” Jones explained to the woman imploring him to attend the coastal event. He also tells the teacher: “Come onaround, but I may not be here … but you can go around the yard all you want.”

Jones lives a sort of art fantasy life and is often sponsored by arts organizations and flown to various parts of the country to produce his Critter art. Not having a car, a computer or modern amenities doesn’t matter to him. The Critter Creator of Bynum lives a sort of rock star art life. Tour buses and tourists, and even longdistance bicyclists, make sure Jones’ house is a destination stop. While his fame is worldwide in the art world, a few locals still say “Clyde who?” when his namecomes up. This is a loss for those who don’t know about the Bynum Critter Crossing. Unlike most artists, Jones is highly accessible, and when at home, he is generous with his time—and generous with his art when the mood strikes him. If you’re lucky enough and young enough, you may just end up with a Jones Critter masterpiece yourself when you stumble upon Critter Crossing.

Hello, Dali

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:45:00 GMT

I love finding tidbits about Dali. Here's one I just discovered:

The famous surrealist painter, Salvador Dali [1904-1989], had come up with a way to remember what he saw in those moments. Legend has it that Dali will deprive himself of days of sleep, sit on a chair with a spoon in his hand, and after the clang of the spoon had waked him up, he'd start painting what he saw.

Area Trails, a story I wrote for the magazine Fifteen501

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:12:00 GMT

TAKE IT OUTSIDE
Triangle region offers some of the best outdoor trails

by L. Haywood Coffey

There's no shortage of nature trails throughout the Triangle, from those with endless miles of hiking and cycling trails to those ideal for sitting back and taking in nature's beauty. There's bound to be something for everyone, so whatever your pleasure, grab your sneakers and hit one of these featured trails.

Triangle-wide
In the Triangle, perhaps the most well-known trail is The American Tobacco Trail, which spans 22 miles and offers cycling, hiking and incredible scenery. What many don't know is that sections of the trail in Durham County, as well as the Dunn-Erwin Trail in Harnett County, are part of the East Coast Greenway, a new countrywide off-road path measuring 3,000 miles from Calais, Maine, to Key West, Fla.

Orange/Durham counties
In Orange and Durham counties, the well-traveled and well-known Eno River State Park travels along the Eno River for more than 30 miles. There are 21 developed trails throughout the park, all unique and worth exploring.

Eno River State Park, which offers primitive camping, fishing, canoeing and hiking, offers day hikers excellent opportunities, including a variety of trails, a swinging bridge, and paths that range from beginner to advanced. Most trails travel along the river with well-marked dirt paths and solid rock, but be aware that heavy rain can transform what already is a fast-moving river into a raging torrent that, while impressive, can be unsafe. However, it's still worth a visit after rain to see nature at its most impressive.

The Eno River Association offers guided wildflower hikes along the river each spring, while the Eno River Watch water quality-monitoring program welcomes volunteers to participate in its continuing programs.

Durham
In Durham, Duke Forest — owned by Duke University — comprises almost 8,000 acres, which are divided into six sections over four counties. The forest, which encompasses land from recovered farms and woodland purchased since the mid-1920s, also is part of Duke's forestry program.

While there, hikers can find educational materials and explanations of how forestry is conducted at ranger stations, as well as on the trails themselves. In addition to hiking and nature, there is something for every cyclist at Duke Forest, with at least 15 miles of trails, some casual and others that will challenge the most extreme cyclist.

Haw River Trail
The Haw River Trail, which stretches from Chatham to Forsyth counties, features a series of trails that connect the Triangle and Triad. Visitors can take part in a variety of activities on the trail, including fishing, paddling, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, camping and horseback riding. For paddlers, it offers calm stretches and rapids, while remaining an impressive home for all sorts of wildlife. Historic textile mills, Native American structures and small towns give the trail its unique character.

Hillsborough
The Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail in Hillsborough — home to one of the original NASCAR tracks — now is home a three-mile wooded nature trail on a 44-acre land tract and near Ayr Mount, a structure built in the early 1800s. Inside Ayr Mount, visitors can pore through antiques unique to that historical era, as well as more than 50 etchings by native North Carolina artist Louis Orr, making this trail site ideal for nature and art lovers alike. While there, be sure to take the PoetÕs Walk trail.

Carrboro/Chapel Hill
In Carrboro, there is Adams Tract, which is accessible via Wilson Park and features a stunning, winding, and seemingly endless trail. Hikers and cyclists will find abundant flora and fauna, in addition to a train trestle and what appears to be the foundation of an old mill. In 1950, Dr. J. Edison Adams, a University of North Carolina professor of botany, purchased the land and restored the homestead on the property.

Not far from the Adams Tract Trail is an unusual trail situated alongside the Chapel Hill Library. Pritchard Park offers a one-mile loop around the library and two connecting side trails that funnel back into the main pathway. For those who love books and hiking, this unique combination can't be beat. Be sure to look for the small stream running along this undulating trail.

Chatham County
In Chatham County, Jordan Lake is an outstanding hiking and cycling location, as well as an ideal spot to watch bald eagles. The site, which attracts more diverse wildlife than just about any other spot in the region, has more than 12,000 acres of water and is surrounded by more than 32 acres of game land and recreation areas, including, overnight camping, fishing, boating, hiking, cycling, and wildlife.

Pittsboro
Perhaps the most spectacular sights to be seen when hiking are a bit south of Pittsboro, just off Highway 15-501 at White Pines Nature Preserve, where the Rocky River converges with the Deep River. The sight of two rivers coming together like a street corner is one that must be experienced.

Photographs cannot convey the feeling one gets when seeing this spectacle of nature. There also are several stands of white pines, which typically are found in cooler mountain climates. Other plants generally found only in the North Carolina mountains such as Catawba rhododendron also grow at White Pines because of its unique ecology. Its hiking trails offer beautiful views of the forest and river, and range from high overlooks to low-lying areas along and adjacent to the rivers themselves. This truly is the must-see hiking area of the Triangle.

I'm Famous, sort of.........part 2

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 07:50:00 GMT

About two weeks ago and two posts ago, I wrote about doing a vanity search of my name on the net and finding my name listed at the Danville Museum Of Fine Arts, which I thought was pretty cool, but what happened to me last Friday was even cooler. I found myself near Danville with a carpenter and suggested we go to Danville, not for the art, but to see the incredibly beautiful pre Civil War houses that line the street near the Museum, which to me are the most incredible domiciles I've ever seen, many actually look like castles. When we got up there, I suggested we check out the Museum, something I do if I can while there, since I did once have an art show in one of the galleries there in the late nineties. When I hung art there were two galleries, but now there are there, and when I walked into one gallery I found first something I didn't know existed, prints by Howard Finster. I had no idea Finster did prints, I was under the impression that all Finster work was original. I then found few other artists I had some knowledge of and was enjoying the stuff I saw when I turned around and saw one of my own paintings. I honestly had no idea it would be hanging, and really wasn't planing on going to the museum, it was a total lark. I'm glad I got there. I have no idea how long my painting will hang there, but it was cool to find it. Hopefully my stuff will hang in many museums in the future.

Now I'm famous........sort of..........

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:07:00 GMT

While doing a vanity search on my name, I was surprised to find out that my name is included in the "permanent collections" of the Danville Museum of Fine Arts:

Here's the link .

Art Review of My Art

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:52:00 GMT

The Art of L. Haywood Coffey

Viewzone review by Susan Laslo

One exciting opportunity on the internet is the potential to find new and uniquely interesting objects d'art. "Art" is a very large category on the search engines.

If you dig deep in to the pages of links, you will sometimes find devoted or new artists who don't have agents or galleries to hinder their creativity or affordability. These artists create because they are "who they are." Often they, themselves, are mystified by the work that comes through their own hands.

I have an absolute fascination with masks. It started when I was given a rather frightening ceremonial mask from Bali. I had so many comments from that one mask that I bought another "to keep it company." Soon friends and family were giving me masks from their travels all over the world. Masks are kind of a signature of culture- often taking their origin in religious or ritual heritage.

These masks by North Carolina (US) artist, L. Haywood Coffey, struck me as icons of a different kind.

Created from a sudden epiphany of inspiration, Coffey's bold masks demand attention. At first glance they are totally unexpected and sort of shocking. After a moment of observation, though, they transform into a pleasant celebration of shape and color.

Coffey, in his late 40's, only recently discovered his painting talents. Originally a jewelry maker and leather worker, Coffey took some painting classes and felt something inside of him come "alive." Within one year, he painted over 200 canvases and started to create his unusual masks.

His paintings, like his masks, are mostly primitives, with symbol-type designs and lively palettes. His unorthdox use of color and ragged shape impose visual dominance, and evoke an immediate reaction. The odd symbols and shapes seem ready to speak to us through some forgotten language. His masks are almost haunting images, yet somehow they seem strangely familiar.

Coffey creates the masks from pieces of leather in a process that is almost "magic." "They pretty much just happen..." confesses Coffey. "The ideas that I have when I begin are seldom present in the result. What I create is something that seems to come through me and express itself. The drying of the leather allows the mask to really take a form of its own."

His creations, 2 to 3 feet tall, are not representative of any specific religion, culture or ceremony, but they do seem to have an almost "esoteric" quality. Even if you're not a collector of tribal or cultural art pieces, the color and shape of these strange creations are temptation enough to make you want to own one.

Link to original article

Sister Wendy

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 07:50:00 GMT

Art critics are scum. Movie critics are scum. Pretty much all critics who review anything are scum. Until Ebert of Siskel and Ebert died, I didn't know which was which and I refered to them as "The Fat Boy and the Bald Headed Weasel".* Anyone anywhere who listens to critics is an idiot. Anyone who has to have others feed them opinions is a moron. If a person can't make up their own mind about things, they should put a plastic bag over their heads and facilitate themselves in an effort to stop breathing. The opinions of critics are no better than the opinions of the average wino on the street, only the average wino probably smells better than an art critic. Indeed, the average wino almost certainly has more fortitude than anyone who would place value on what a critic of any stripe says about anything.

Still, in all things there are exceptions. In the land of art critics, if indeed you can call her that, there is the eccentric Catholic Nun, Sister Wendy.

Sister Wendy is an English Catholic nun who somehow got herself TV show all about art. She seems to have access to every major art museum in the world from what I've seen of her shows, some I've rented on VHS, some I've seen on TV. However she got the gig, she knows her stuff, and she obviously loves the art she reviews. It's pretty clear Wendy is a nutty old broad as well, a true eccentric is all ways, which to me, makes her doubly cool. It's a good thing Wendy sought out the nunhood (is that a word?) because it's doubtful she had much future as a Playboy Centerfold**. Sister Wendy is filmed with the art she adores and reviews, usually directly in front of the paintings, at the locations of the residence or towns where the artists lives while she talks about her ideas of the art and the history of the artist in her somewhat raspy and lispy voice. The fact that this woman is famous in the art world and on TV is to me, a fantastic fact since I love just average folks getting world wide attention. I also love if that she seems truly in love with the subjects she covers, the art, the people, and the locations. If you haven't seen Sister Wendy, you need to seek out her videos. I wish I owned them all, I could watch her hours on end.

The Works of Sister Wendy

*in reality, I was much less nice in my description but I try to keep the site family friendly.

**(but hey, Hef is getting on up the years now and I doubt his eyesight is as good as it was in his youth).

Jewelry

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 23:48:00 GMT

These are jewelry pieces I've made over the years. I once attended Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and was once awarded a small scholarship for jewelry making. I've made more items than pictured here and I'd like to make more still in the future.

The above chain is hand made from fine sterling silver and it took me three days to complete. It was my first experience with making a chain from scratch. The pendant is jewelers brass and acid etched after a free hand drawing using a resist.

The cuffs above are made from bronze on the top and brass on the bottom. I drew the patterns on free hand before acid etching them.

The above cuffs are made exactly like the pendant and brass cuffs using free hand drawing with a resist before acid etching, but these cuffs are sterling silver.

Art fom the Past, Again

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:47:00 GMT

Art from the Past

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 12:56:00 GMT

These are paintings I did in the nineties and early 2000s. I found them online and now I'm putting them here.

Art Slide Show

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 23:57:00 GMT

I found this cool art slide show widget and thought I'd give it a try.

Watercolors

triangleinformation@mailcan.com (L Haywood Coffey) — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 23:30:00 GMT

I'd forgotten about these watercolors but I found them posted on the net by the person who purchased them.