Summertime

This is still a blog about art, though my recent postings haven't exactly reflected that. Has anyone else noticed that blogging goes a little slower in the summer, the writing of them as well as the reading of them? We are still working hard, making pieces for our orders, spending the better part of our days working, but when we aren't working there are barbeques, a glorious front porch to sit and dream on, walks to Ann Arbor's bustling downtown, puppies, children, families and friends to play with, gardens to grow. I write the blog in my mind, though enjoying the long summer days seems to be what is capturing me. Happy Summer.

Pulling it Together

We have had one of those weeks where many outside tasks have demanded our attention and so today, at last, we have had one of those lovely days where we could devote our entire day to work...... which was going swimmingly until I broke a glass while I was washing dishes and badly cut my finger. It might need a stitch, but since we don't have health insurance we bandaged it up and on I went, not willing to spend another day away from working. Sitting in an emergency room is not my idea of how I want to spend a day, especially after spending half a day yesterday, waiting to renew our driver's licenses and then an afternoon of physicals at our doctor's office.
We have flowers, fish, cats, suns all in the works and so it was with a great deal of accomplishment that we were able to finish the two cats and sun today....completely.
This guy is going to Garden Argosy, the gallery in Sarasota that carries our work.
A green version, from the same litter, also heading to the same gallery in Sarasota.
....And a sun for my younger sister Mary, who was a mermaid in another life.

We are determined to completely finish more tomorrow. Nothing is planned. We are sequestering ourselves because suddenly we have a very full bulletin board of work and so it's time to get busy.

making friends with the barn

We found our house and studio on craigslist from Key West and made all of the arrangements through e-mail. We knew when we arrived that the barn was going to be getting a new roof and that the old roof was going to be taken down, right to the top of the stone on the second floor, and that we wouldn't be able to use it till it was all done. Today was a momentous day! Everything is finished and all of the detritus shown in this photo in front of the barn has been cleaned up and cleared away. It is completely our space. With all of the debris gone I even found a lovely bricked in flower bed right in front of the barn, begging for flowers
This is a truly gorgeous building, the oldest stone building of it's kind in Ann Arbor, built in 1898.
Markel setting up for mosaic base making.
The barn has an immense wood-burning furnace with blowers that works just fine. It needs to be cleaned some time before the fall and some of the stovepipe needs to be replaced. We've hardly even set up the work-space. We're getting the feel of the place first.
This is my favorite part, the second floor, notice the new roof beams. It's a big open area and both Markel and I will use it to make our bigger works. Markel is talking about some big sculpture and maybe some large paintings too. He's been writing every morning for over a month now, a long time desire, that I am so happy to see him fulfilling. Maybe some of his condensed ideas will end up in his painting.
Our front porch, my flower box newly planted, and our beautiful neighborhood. Our neighbors, who are also artists, have the most beautiful garden on our block, lush and intricate. I love this neighborhood.

purplebabydaddies in Ann Arbor at Red Shoes

Tadaaaaah! Finally. It's taken us a little while but we are finally showing in southeast Michigan, in Ann Arbor, where we got started on this crazy stuff such a long time ago. We're at Red Shoes ,a most creative and jam-packed with goodness store. We are back in Michigan after 7 years in the Florida Keys and we think we are better than ever, wiser and more seasoned.

Red Shoes, Catherine Thursby's delicious store, is off the beaten track at 332 South Ashley (located just one block off of Ann Arbor's fabulous Main street) If you haven't discovered her store, you are missing something special, and when you do go, you're in for a big treat. Catherine, the lovely owner, features her own artwork which is funky and great, vintage finds, art by other's (like us), and other yummy things for the home, you and the kiddles in your life. I want one of everything when I go in there. Her hours are
10-6, Monday through Saturday.

We are extremely honored that she will be carrying our work locally. We dropped off fish, a hummingbird, a butterfly, some flowers. We'll be adding more to her store over the coming weeks, including suns, mini scupture, a little of this and a little of that.

Make sure you click on the link above for Catherines entertaining and witty blog where she posts all of the wonderful new things that she has added to her store, talks about her latest projects and other people type things.
Click here, Red Shoes website for more info....oh, and make sure and check out her fairy inhabitants.

Fair Warning: The next few posts are all about puppies, kids and our new, Michigan front porch. For more purplebabydaddies art keep on scrolling.

purplebabydaddies studios- fall/winter 2007

Big contrast going from the Keys to Michigan. It has been a weird winter, 40's- high 50's and am I remembering 60's (?......pacific northwest weather). In any case, then it plunged into the subzero's.
Note the wild fluctuations in the weather. Very weird, and how very monumental and impressive, this earth's reaction is, to what is hurting it.
Winter has really put me into a reflective state. It is so cocoon-like. There is a real drawing in which I must say I have enjoyed, but oh the weather. It has been extreme.
I am here for a very good reason though and would rather be absolutely nowhere else...(for now, most likely a fairly long now).
In any case, Markel and I have continued to do our work for our galleries (listed below) and we are slowly storing up work for art fairs and a gallery showing at some point, we haven't even started looking for galleries yet. We're still reacquainting ourselves with stretching our wings. It's a balance that we're always striving to accomplish.

We actually notice feeling guilty when we take time out of the design work to do our originals. Frustrating when you can't take the time to really be creative, but the sculpture and paintings are a future sale, while the design work remains popular and instant money ( and here's where I have to say thank goodness, so fortunate that we have work that sells so well). In any case, I think we've been doing a lot better with our balancing act, slow and steady go the turtles.

I've added a lot so don't forget to scroll down.

We will be showing at the Ann Arbor Art Fairs in July. More information coming,

or call 1-734-883-5797

email: leslievictorialeland@hotmail.com

Fall-Winter (2006-2007) Work by Markel and Leslie

markel sculpture

markel's new sculpture

Mini flowers and wall pieces

We are well known for our standing sculptures, which we still make and sell, however we have added mini sculptures and wall pieces to our repertoire.

Having our store in Key West and serving a traveling clientele who we shipped to regularly, alerted us to the fact that pieces that easily fit in a suitcase like the mini's and smaller wall pieces do, were an attractive alternative for easier, more economic transport, .
Our customers also requested pieces for the wall and more affordable pieces, which is why we have developed the mini-size sculptures for a table-top. All of our work is available for sale without the stem and base, with a wire added for hanging indoor or outside on a patio, pool, or deck wall.

The top photo shows a collection of the mini flowers that we do, and a mini cat at far left.





Also shown, in middle photo above, a wall fish. They come in sizes from tiny, 9 inches to as big as a customer wants. The one shown is approximately 24 inches long.
Bottom photo- Wall sun by Markel. This one is large- about 30inches x 30 inches. We also do these much smaller and much larger.

purplebabydaddies: large wall suns

This is a markel sun for the wall and suitable for placement inside or out. It is 2.5 feet by 2.5 feet. Colors shown are not necessarily true as it is difficult to accurately photograph and print them. It is very vivid and hot in color.
This is a close-up of the markel sun shown above, a mixture of painted metal, wire, hand-painted glass, and clay.
Markel sun for the wall in cool colors, also 2.5 feet x 2.5 feet and suitable for indoor or outdoor palcement.
Close-up of Markel sun from above. The suns were completed on May 18th, 2006 and are available from Island Style Gallery in Key West- 305-292-7800

purplebabydaddies: New Faces in New Sizes

Markel and Leslie Leland, designers and producers of the purplebabydaddies design line have reprised the tabletop sculpture sunface that they briefly began making last spring.

It is as detailed as the larger pieces but it's smaller size makes a place on the mantle or an outdoor garden table an easy addition.

On the studio table, very close to being finished are two large markel sunfaces specifically made for the wall.

Markel continues to increase the complexity of the surface design with his use of metal, paint, wire, glass, plastic and clay. The finished pieces will be shown on this site within the next few days.

The new-sized suns will be available for sale at Dennison-Moran Gallery in Naples and at Island Style galleries in Key West and on Sanibel Island very soon. Please call the galleries for information on purchasing one.

purplebabydaddies: Markel Leland New Work

3-D sculpture before painting it
Leslie and Markel- May 2006