Carlton ART Factory

OCAF Holiday Market 2011

2011-11-27T14:35:00.000-08:00

Mike and I will have sculpture and pysanky at the OCAF Holiday Market Dec. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Here's a link to learn more about it. OCAF

Examples of Mike's artwork for consideration by Moonlight Gypsy Market

2011-11-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

Mike's latest carving

2011-09-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

Mike carved this life-sized lab to lay at the foot of a guy's cemetery monument. The dog's chin will rest on the monument base and his eyes will look up at the monument.

Mike and Stephanie go to Japan

2011-08-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

There are lots of photos here, I know. Some are shrines, some temples, some cemeteries. We saw so many beautiful things!! The outfits you see Nick and Yukino wearing up top are outfits they'll be wearing at their wedding party and the bay cruise afterward. Japan is a welcoming, gorgeous place with tons of affordable, good food, beautiful sights, incredibly kind people, a great train system, and streets safe from crime. We had a fabulous time.

Yikes! It's been a long time....

2011-02-27T14:20:00.001-08:00

Mike and I have been so busy, I haven't even thought about blogging. We had a busy fall, the typical crazy Christmas, and then a January with a major snow and ice storm. Above is a pic of Mike's latest angel and a pic of her with all the tools he used to make her. Also, here are two pics of some of my bigger eggs. We're having some unseasonably warm days at the moment and it feels great.

More from Mike and me

2010-10-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

Here are the two latest monuments Mike carved. I did a peacock on a chicken egg as a special order. Mike's got lots of orders he's working on and I'm getting ready for the Christmas season.

Still Working......

2010-09-30T20:35:00.001-07:00

Here's the latest pic of the angel Mike is working on.

What Mike is up to

2010-09-17T19:09:00.001-07:00

Mike has just begun carving this monument. Someone wanted to order this monument from China, but the cemetery would not let them put a Chinese monument in their cemetery. They were looking for someone in the USA to carve it. After two monument dealers told them it COULDN'T be done in the US, the cemetery told them that they could order it here. Now Mike is carving it for Century Granite.

Grapes!

2010-07-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

We've been harvesting our grapes. It's the first time we've made our own grape jelly! mmmmmm

The Big Crafty

2010-07-24T15:33:00.000-07:00

We were up in beautiful Asheville, NC at The Big Crafty on July 11th. It was a great show with lots of cool stuff. By the time I got out to Mike to get a picture, he had already sold most of his things.

re-cut Mary and new garden sculptures

2010-06-30T20:48:00.001-07:00

Mike's been busy carving new garden sculptures and he's re-cut a bas relief Mary he carved a year ago. He and I will be at The Big Crafty in Asheville, NC on July 11th.

Mike's latest

2010-05-23T12:42:00.001-07:00

Comer Farmer's Market

2010-05-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

May 15th at the Comer Farmer's Market. From top down, pictured are: Jenny Ortman with produce from Jubilee Partners, Matt Gallagher with Blue Moon Farms, Jose Castro with his wonderful breads and pies, Leslie Chandler's homemade biscotti, jams, jellies and lemonade, market minstrel, David Court, who entertains with mountain dulcimer and harmonica, fanciful tea cups and bird houses by Barbara Bendzunas, Brittany Childs with her delicious goodies, blown glass by Paul R. Bendzunas (1st pic) and Josh Molliere (2nd pic) who create their graceful wonders at the nearby Bendzunas glass studio, intricately woven pocketbooks and scarves woven by Sai Meh, a Karenni woman from Burma who is presently staying at Jubilee Partners (one pic is of Sai Meh and Christine Dyck demonstrating the weaving technique).

Also pictured: David Harris with blueberries ready to plant (706-255-9993), Jonette Bell of Zoei's Artwork with fabulous smelling soaps and other fun surprises, Mark Davis with natural soap products and blacksmithing items, Diane Perry's beautiful jewelry (bracelets and rings, as well as earrings and other non-pictured items), bright happy art by Deena Parham, and eggs and egg jewelry by me (Stephanie Astalos-Jones).

2010-04-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

Mike and I had a good show in Atlanta, but I forgot the camera (d'oh!), so have no pictures to show. I'm now in Asheville. Tonight, April 24, Lisa and I will be performing, "It Was Open Mic Nite At Ye Olde Rustic Inn" at the BeBe Theatre. 20 Commerce Street Asheville, NC 28801-3306 - (828) 254-2621

If you're in the area, come on out!

Bad blogger

2010-04-11T18:29:00.001-07:00

OK, so it turns out I'm a pretty bad blogger. I don't know how people have time to blog about what they're doing while they're doing what they're doing. Since my last entry I've produced a play that I created by interviewing residents of our county and taking their life stories and combining them into a play. It was a wonderful experience. We've had a public art show in our home featuring our art and the art of neighbors and friends. My writing partner and I have performed in Atlanta. My husband and I are in training to become CASAs (court-apppointed special advocates). A CASA works with children in foster care to make sure their voices are heard by the judge while decisions are made about their future. Also, Mike's become a city councilman and is busy with city business and we're both working with other folks to try to fight the establishment of a huge trash incinerator in our area. Not to mention we've both been busy making art and Mike's been working on lots of monuments.

This week we'll be in Atlanta at the Druid Hills Tour of Homes Artist Market. If you happen to live in the area, come on down. It will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 16th, 17th, and 18th. I'll try to post pics from it next week. Thanks for reading.

2010-01-20T13:11:00.000-08:00

Hey, everybody. I see I haven't posted on here since September! That's how it is around here. October - December are crazy with holiday markets and art festivals. One quick note, times being what they are, I'VE CANCELED MY PYSANKYJEWELS SITE. But, you can still see our work on carltonartfactory.etsy.com

Some things we've been making

2009-09-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of the things we've been working one. I particularly like the cherub with flower.

Pink granite Jesus

2009-06-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

Mike just finished this. He will now carve half-serpentine wings that will jut out on either side.

Some of Mike's finished things

2009-06-14T13:44:00.001-07:00

Here are a Madonna and the two angels Mike is working on in the post below.

2009-06-10T19:02:00.001-07:00

Hey, Everybody,
The morning after Mother's Day lightning hit our house (guess I should've had a pysanka hanging under the eaves). We've just gone a month with no computer, but now we're back up and running. We'll be adding pics soon. Mike's been busy sculpting lots of things.

two angels

2009-04-13T07:15:00.000-07:00

Mike is busily working on two angels at the moment.

The Schmeckles Return!

2009-03-31T06:17:00.001-07:00

The Schmeckle Sisters, Cora Lee and Carlene, Milk 'n' Honey, and many more bring their hilarious show, "It Was Open Mic Nite At Ye Olde Rustic Inn", to Comer, GA. They will perform Friday and Saturday night, (April 3 and 4) at 8:00pm at Saving Grace Cafe. If you're in the area, don't miss this chance to witness this comedy extravaganza. Tickets, $15.00 at the door

Pysanky Class

2009-03-30T18:00:00.001-07:00

I've been teaching pysanky in Elberton, GA. They wrote a grant that would allow the 4-H kids to learn pysanky. They are wonderful students and are making great pysanky.

Mike's latest

2009-02-11T18:47:00.001-08:00

This is a 4ft granite stone with Gothic arch that Mike just finished. They will be adding smaller stone panels on either side to create one large monument on a black base.

retrospective

2009-01-24T09:58:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've posted pictures that show the variety of our art. This is a sampling of just a few of the things we've made in the past.

Oliver's Southern Folk Art

2009-01-24T09:50:00.001-08:00

You can now find Mike's art at Oliver's Southern Folk Art in Hendersonville, NC. We drove two big stone pieces up there and visited with Ted Oliver, the owner (pictured) and Nichole Livengood (Mike's new artistic liaison).

more from Mike

2009-01-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

This is a bust of Jesus Mike just finished. It's granite and I think he has an awesome face and sacred heart. Come back soon. We've got gallery news I'll be posting in a few days. Also, "White Lightnin'", the movie I worked on in Croatia, premiered at Sundance Monday night. Keep those fingers crossed.

couple new monuments

2009-01-10T11:21:00.001-08:00

Here's two monuments Mike just finished. I'm working on lots of new pysanky. Happy New Year, everybody!

Mike's new sculpting studio

2008-12-15T13:32:00.000-08:00

Mike has an official, professional sculpting studio now. The Jesus and the sacred heart Mary are his latest works. The studio has Italian plaster casts left by the last occupant. One picture shows the crane system that can lift 5 ton pieces of granite. It even has its own bathroom.

Athens Holiday Market

2008-12-14T09:19:00.001-08:00

This is an annual market held on the outdoor patio at Big City Bread in Athens, GA. It's always a lovely sight with lots of children and dogs and fires and lights and beautiful art.

OCAF Holiday Market, Dec. 6th and 7th

2008-12-09T15:52:00.001-08:00

The OCAF Holiday Market is always fun to do. Above are pics of: two large stone bowls by Russell Everett, 2) my booth, 3) one of Barbara Odil's primal spirits, barbaraodil.com 4) fun mugs by Mark Williams, www.otherbrotherpottery.com, 5) Peter Loose, folk-artist extraordinaire, peterloose.com, and 6) Kathleen, the happy raffle ticket saleswoman.

Our newest things

2008-12-04T06:37:00.001-08:00

These are pics of Mike's latest sculpture. I think she's amazing. You can see more photos of my ostrich egg at carltonartfactory.etsy.com

Field of Greens

2008-11-17T00:08:00.001-08:00

Saturday, Nov. 15th, I was at the "Field of Greens" celebration. It promotes local organic produce and had greens, baked goods, honey, organic nuts, etc. It was a very blustery, chilly day and the vendors had a tough time keeping their tents upright. I got a laugh out of the goat (above) who seemed to exemplify "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence".

Madison County Artist Market

2008-11-11T10:38:00.000-08:00

Saturday, November 8th, I did the Madison County Artist Market held in the old Madison County courthouse. Here's a look at the courthouse and my display.

This weekend

2008-10-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

Hey, Everybody,
This Saturday, Nov. 1st, Mike will have sculpture on the square in Elberton, GA.

I will be at All Saints Episcopal on West Peachtree Saturday and Sunday with my pysanky and pysanky jewelry. Nov. 8th I'll have my things in Danielsvill, GA at the Madison County Artist Market.

It's getting cold here. I dug up two of our pepper plants and brought them in to try and get them to survive the winter. Outside we have arugula, lettuce, radishes, mustard greens, mint, collards and more. Happy Fall.

Granite Jesus

2008-10-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

Mike's wanting to start making Victorian-style cemetery monuments. For years, he and I have liked going to cemeteries and looking at sculpture. The modern markers lack a certain soul that the old ones have. Here is a granite Jesus he's working on. When he finishes this one, he's going to carve an angel.

If you'd like Mike to carve a monument for you or a loved one, you can contact him at victorianmonument@yahoo.com

"Hauntings" opening

2008-10-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

I performed tonight at the opening of the "Hauntings" exhibit at Blue Bell Gallery in Comer, GA. Here are a couple pics.

Candler Park Fall Fest

2008-10-13T07:52:00.000-07:00

Mike did the Candler Park Fall Fest this weekend. It was lots of fun and very successful. Here are some pics. A friend brought his 2yr old by to visit and we had a lot of fun. The colorful band playing is the famous Atlanta band, Kelly's Seed and Feed Marching Abominables.

Yay, Tramfair!

2008-10-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

TramFair was great. We both sold a ton of stuff. Mike has Candler Park next week, so is busily making new stuff as I type this. I put my "etsy stuff" aside and don't bring it to shows, so I still have my etsy items. I, too, am working on new ornaments, new pins and new earrings.

update

2008-09-29T23:38:00.000-07:00

ooops. It's been a long time since I've posted anything. Our son got back and is doing great at UGA. Mike and I are both getting ready for the holiday show season. We're making lots of art.

We'll be at TRAM Fair (Traveler's Rest, South Carolina) this coming weekend...Saturday, October 4th, 10:00 to 6:00.

October 10th and 11th Mike will be at the Candler Park Fall Fest, Atlanta, GA

We've got more shows coming. I'll post about them later.

Our son is coming home!

2008-08-13T20:31:00.001-07:00

Our son has been living in Yokohama, Japan for 10 months, but soon he'll be home.

Celtic Cross

2008-07-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

Today Mike erected a Celtic Cross he carved out of local granite. Check it out.

Mike's gig

2008-07-17T21:06:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pics and a very short video from tonight's gig. I have an older digital camera and I only get about 14 seconds of action at a time. The gig was held in Athens at The Melting Point.

gig in Athens

2008-07-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

If you're in the area, you can catch Athens A-Train Band at the Melting Point Thursday, July 17th, 7:00pm. Come on out and catch some jazz.

art with the neighbors

2008-07-15T08:05:00.001-07:00

We like to let neighbor kids come by and make art. Today they worked with air dry clay.

some flowers blooming today

2008-07-10T15:07:00.001-07:00

There is a huge drought in Georgia. I hear rumbling in the distance. Rain is coming. Yay!! Here are some flowers that are blooming in our backyard right now.

some of our stuff

2008-07-09T17:31:00.001-07:00

About Stephanie

2008-07-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

I'm an actor, writer, pysanky artist, palmist. I've written a tongue-in-cheek salute to the poetry slam entitled, "Disgruntled Fumes". The character with the saw is Marva who recites her poetry while playing the musical saw. You can also see me in the upcoming film, "White Lightnin'". I play Birty Mae, Jesco's mom. Warning...the film is not for the weak stomached.

My writing partner, Lisa Mende, and I have an original two-woman show, "It Was Open Mic Nite At Ye Olde Rustic Inn". Pictured are the Scmeckle Sisters from said show. To see and hear the Schmeckles in action you can visit myspace.com/yeolderusticinne

I love making pysanky (Ukrainian eggs) and egg jewelry which I cut from goose egg shell. The folklore and symbolism involved in pysanky sucked me in and I haven't stopped making them since I started 14 years ago.

About Mike

2008-07-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

Mike's been making art since he was a kid. We were friends in high school and he was always
making something. Back then he made miniature furniture. For a while he was sculpting limestone. Now he sculpts stone, granite, wood...whatever he can get his hands on. A lot of his stuff is mixed media. He'll find an interesting piece of metal or a nice pair of marbles or some tin and want to incorporate into something he's working on.

He's also a jazz musician. He plays sax. He used to play in a band called "Donkey". Anyone remember Donkey? They were around in the 90s. They were great. (OK, just to be clear, I, Stephanie am writing this. I LOVED them.) He plays in several bands now. One is the Tiny Jazz Arkestra, a great jazz trio. Another is Athens A-Train, a jazz band with a female singer...great at weddings.

Mike is completely self-taught. He just starts in, with no particular plan, and carves. It amazes me that a granite Madonna can come out of a guy who's never taken a lesson in his life.

Our house

2008-07-09T13:04:00.000-07:00

Here's some photos of our house.....the front door, the hallway and various looks kitchen.....the kitchen window, the sun in the ceiling, and a look at the kitchen window from the outside of the house.

It's my first day

2008-07-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

Hey, I'm Stephanie. I'm creating this blog so folks can learn a little more about Carlton ART Factory. My husband, Mike, sculpts and plays sax. I make pysanky and am a professional actor. You can see our work at carltonartfactory.etsy.com or www.pysankyjewels.com

We bought an old (1920s) house that had termite damage and a lot of problems. Mike tore out almost everything and has put in new floors (some of them slate and tile), new windows, torn out walls, etc. and has made us a great place to live and create art. He built a granite herb garden in the backyard. That's also where some of his bigger pieces hang out. Here's a little peek at it.

Mike creates wood, stone and mixed media sculpture. Here he is in action.

I've got to go mix up a bunch of dyes. I'm teaching a pysanky class tomorrow. So not much time to learn about blogging. But, it's a start. I'll be leaving posts about our art, our performances and maybe some of the adventures of the neighborhood or stories of our son who is living in Japan.....