Search results for: “Amy Rice”

Announcing “Curb Appeal” a Solo Exhibition with Amy Rice

We are beyond excited to announce our 4th (!) solo exhibition with Minneapolis based mixed media artist and long time Art Star artist, Amy Rice. The show, titled “Curb Appeal”, will be up in our gallery space from March 25th through May 21st, 2017. We will be hosting a reception with the artist while she is in town on April 8th from 5-7pm. Light refreshments will be provided.

“Curb Appeal” is inspired by Rice’s recent purchase of her first home with her partner, Matt. The artist describes her new house as a “seriously distressed foreclosure”, so the term “fixer upper” would be putting it lightly. The couple quickly dove into renovations to make their new house their own. Around the same time they also purchased some rural property in what they call a “Scandanavian Pride” town where all the homes have over the top decorations like fancy gables and hand cut decorative window trims. Her latest body of work is an exploration of all that we do to make a house a home – bringing in plants and potted flowers, adding art work, building window boxes, adopting pets, and adding all our own personal flourishes to create Curb Appeal.

Amy recently wrote and illustrated a Zine titled, “How To Grow Zinnias”, which comes with two zinnia seeds in hand-painted seed packets. The book will make its debut at our reception with the artist on April 8th. Stop by to pick up a signed copy!

Amy Rice’s nostalgic, subtly street art-influenced works are deeply defined by her Midwestern roots. Growing up in a rural area, Rice found inspiration in the surrounding flora and fauna; she naturally developed an intrinsic appreciation for the simplistic yet beautiful things in life. Rice is most satisfied when a tangible or visceral connection is built between the materials used and the image rendered. Her work is deeply layered, often both literally and figuratively. Her evocative, wistful imagery is largely biographical and reflective of her pensive nature.

Using non-traditional printmaking methods such as hand-cut stencils and a Japanese toy Gocco printer as a jumping off point, Rice develops the basis for her signature, one of a kind mixed media pieces. She combines, layers and experiments with many different mediums and tools including enamels, acrylics, gouache, inks, hand-carved linoleum print blocks and a antique letterpress machine. Rice searches out unique and meaningful surfaces that can run the gamut from antique papers such as handwritten love letters, journal pages, sheet music and maps to antique fabrics including heirloom embroidery and feed sacks from her family’s dairy farm.

She has exhibited her work extensively in galleries in the US and beyond. She has received the Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant as well as the Metropolitan Regional Arts Board Next Step Grant.

Rice enjoys working themes and imagery into her pieces such as bicycles, found objects, gardening, collective endeavors that challenge hierarchy, acts of compassion, downright silliness and things with wings.

February 15, 2017
Amy Rice “Rooted” Exhibition

"Rooted" / Spray Paint, Gouache, Cotton Floss, Flour Sack Fabric, Last Year's Morning Glory String on Feed Sack from Artist's Family Farm / 59" x 54"
We are pleased to announce Amy Rice’s 3rd solo exhibition at Art Star, Rooted, which will be on display from October 7th through November 20th of this year. We don’t host too many exhibitions these days but we are huge fans of Amy’s work, so when she came to us w/ her exhibition proposal, we accepted immediately. We love working w/ Amy – she is so professional & immensly talented. Her work is always evolving, so I am excited to see what new directions she will be exploring in Rooted. We will have an opening reception on First Friday, October 7th, from 5-8pm. The artist plans to be in attendence, so mark your calendars!

Artist Statement for Rooted
“Rooted” was inspired by a scrapbook I discovered at an antique store. It documents the activities of a rural American 4-H club in the 1940’s. I belonged to 4-H as a child, the same club as my Mom and my Grandpa Ed (Go Hubbleton Hustlers!).

Each winter 4-H kids choose their projects for the year from a catalogue listing all the things you can enter at the County fair. Of course there are the farm animal projects but also all sorts of arts and crafts, small engine repair, gardening and crops, baking, sciences, sewing, music, butterfly collecting and more (my Mom would never let me do the butterfly project). Then, kids meet with adult mentors and kids from other clubs throughout the county working on the same project. My parents wanted us to be excited and fully committed to our projects and so we were limited to 3 per year. I settled into sheep, rabbits, and art.

For a contemporary urban woman, I know a lot about small animal husbandry. I don’t think the art part of 4-H really shaped me much as an artist. What was formative for me was the year long commitment to a specific area of study and a corresponding project with an end goal.

The antique scrapbook was aesthetically and nostalgically compelling to me, certainly. But the reason I choose to make art inspired by the scrapbook came from comparing photos of individuals posing proudly with their ongoing projects and the fall group photo, which is labeled in handwritten ink “100% Completion, 20 members, 28 projects”.

In this body of work, I have used artifacts; found items and uncommon mediums: prints on antique handwritten letters of love and loss, feed sack bags from my family farm, antique atlas pages, and the string from last year’s morning glories among other things. Rooted celebrates 100% completion, hard work paying off, fall festivals, and earnest endeavors.-Amy Rice 2011

"Butterflies for Ella" / Gocco prints on antique handwritten letters of eloquent condolence, antique maps, paint brush bristles.
Biography
Beginning with not-so-traditional print making methods (hand cut stencils and a Japanese Gocco printmaking toy) Minneapolis based mixed-media artist Amy Rice makes original, one-of-kind pieces by additionally employing acrylic, gouache, ink and collage. Her “canvases” range from weathered wood panels and discarded objects to antique envelopes, age-worn love letters, and found journal pages yellowed with time.

Amy’s imagery, nostalgic and wistful, is largely biographical and reflective of her pensive nature. She draws inspiration from childhood memories growing up on a Midwestern farm, the urban community in which she live now, bicycles, street art, gardening, collective endeavors that challenge hierarchy, acts of compassion, downright silliness and things with wings.

Amy has exhibited her work in galleries throughout the United States, Canada and the U.K.

July 16, 2011
Happy 2012!

Thanks to all of our customers who shopped handmade this holiday season. Purchasing an item from our shop directly supports over 50 national artists – many of whom live right here in Philly. These times are tough, so we appreciate everyone that made a commitment to shopping local & handmade this season. It really makes a difference!!

Now that the holidays are over – its time to get organized. Pick up one of our 2012 Calendars by Art Star favorites: Amy Rice, Rachel Bone, Eleanor Grosch, & Kurt Halsey. We worked directly with these artists to create these calendars & they can only be found at Art Star. We only made a limited quantity, so pick one up while they are still in stock.

Rachel Bone 2012 Calendar

Rachel Bone is a Baltimore based artist, painter & apparel designer whose illustrative paintings center around women on absurd adventures with open ended narratives and symbolism. This series – titled I Bet You – plays with typographical design. Each painting subtly represents one alphabet letter, while still standing alone as individual works of art. Signed prints of the entire alphabet series are available through Art Star. Rachel also runs the hand-printed, folk inspired apparel line Red Prairie Press which is carried at boutiques across the country (including Art Star) and sold online.

Eleanor Grosch 2012 Calendar

Eleanor Grosch is a Philadelphia based artists who loves animals; you name it, she’s probably drawn it! Eleanor’s unique graphic perspective aims to simplify line and playfully arrange form to capture the essence of each animal she draws. She’s well-known for her graphic take on our feathered, furry, and fuzzy friends. With roots in modernist design, she brings the mid-century aesthetic up-to-date.

Kurt Halsey 2012

We have been working with Portland based artist, Kurt Halsey, since we opened up shop in 2004. We had no idea how huge of an online following he had when we asked him to exhibit his work in our shop. He is still by far one of our best selling artists!
Kurt captures small, precious moments in time through his sweet renderings of couples & animals just living life. The imagery is illustrative in nature & the artist typically incorporates text, which is simple yet poetic. The calendar includes all new work, rich in browns & sepia tones of drawings on collaged found papers. Grab this calendar while you still can. We only have 1 box left!

Amy Rice 2012 Calendar

Beginning with not-so-traditional print making methods (hand cut stencils and a Japanese Gocco printmaking toy) Minneapolis based mixed-media artist Amy Rice makes original, one-of-kind pieces by additionally employing acrylic, gouache, ink and collage. Her “canvases” range from weathered wood panels and discarded objects to antique envelopes, age-worn love letters, and found journal pages yellowed with time.

Amy’s imagery, nostalgic and wistful, is largely biographical and reflective of her pensive nature. She draws inspiration from childhood memories growing up on a Midwestern farm, the urban community in which she now lives, bicycles, street art, gardening, collective endeavors that challenge hierarchy, acts of compassion, downright silliness and things with wings.

Amy has exhibited her work in galleries throughout the United States, Canada and the U.K.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

January 3, 2012
2014 Wall Calendars

We created two Art Star Exclusive 2014 Calendars this year with Jamie Fales of Noosed Kitty and Minnesota based artist Amy Rice. Each calendar features a full color image that accompanies each month and the calendar was designed so you could cut and frame the images once the year is through! Both calendars were designed in house at Art Star in collaboration with the artists and printed right here in Philadelphia at Fireball Printing!

We love Jamie Fales’ Narwhal illustrations so much that we asked her if we can do an entire calendar dedicated to this beloved animal. It includes some old favorites but also some new pieces that she made just for the calendar. Only 50 of these were printed, so it is sure to become a collectors item. Pick this up for $24 before it is gone!

Back by popular demand is our 2014 Amy Rice Calendar! We made one with her back in 2012 and her fans were so sad that we didn’t have one in 2013! This calendar is filled with a selection of Amy’s art work from the past year. We love how she combines her stencil work with antique letters and other found materials. Her use of color and pattern is absolutely stunning! Her adorable dog, Pumpkin, makes a few appearances too! Only 25 of these were printed. Grab one for $34 ASAP!

We also have a few different wall calendars by Paper Sparrow. These are single 11×17″ digital prints that feature 2014 at a glance. Choose from Two Foxes above, Animal Party or Instruments. These are just $15 a pop and fit in a standard sized frame.

December 27, 2013
Affordable Art for your Walls

I don’t know about you, but I am ready for spring! I am sick of spending so much time indoors……Unfortunately, I think we have a few more weeks of cold and blah. Since I’ve been inside so much, I’ve been dreaming about redecorating my own space and hanging some new prints. Here are some of my favorites from the shop that are sure to bring some pops of color and happiness to your walls and (hopefully) a temporary cure for the winter blues. Most are motivational and remind me of sunny days to come, others just put a smile on my face.

This print is of an original piece titled “Root” from Jen Corace’s solo exhibition at Art Star. It is an archival pigment print on Hahnemuhle 100% cotton rag paper. We use Silicon Fine Art Printing here in Philadelphia, so it is extremely high quality. It is a signed, limited edition of 100 and is $40. Buy it Here.

You’ll see there is a theme here. I have plants and nature on my brain. This print is by Minneapolis based artist, Amy Rice. Amy is a prolific artists whose work we’ve carried since we opened in 2004. She is one of our absolute favorites! Luckily for my wallet, Amy offers a line of affordable art prints like this one. She enjoys painting/printing on antique letters, journal entries, maps and even high end wallpaper, like this one. This is a hand set and hand pulled letterpress print. I just love it! $40 Buy it here.

Another floral piece with a motivational phrase. I need it this time of year! I love Mai Autumn’s delicate watercolors, they are so beautiful! This one will also add a nice pop of color to any room! This piece is available in both 8×10 and 11×14, which are both standard frame sizes. Printed with archival inks on Canon Pro Luster Pape and $20/$35, depending on which size you choose. Buy it here.

A daily reminder – ha! Plus, it makes me laugh a little b/c there are seriously bobby pins all over my house. In the oddest places too! For this reason, I think they are the bane of my husband’s existence. Just kidding. This is a screenprint by Bryan Sculthorpe of Yardsale Press, who I fondly refer to as “talls” because he is a giant and I am a midget. Just $15 – buy it here.

My husband and I have already begun planning our camping trips! This reminds me that in a few months we’ll be sleeping under the stars. I. cannot. wait. This is an 11×17″ poster illustrated by Andrea Lauren of Paper Sparrow and it is printed with vegetable + soy based inks. $18. Buy it here.

And finally, this gem. Because I love art with a sense of humor most of all. It is titled “Reflecting Pool of Shame”. It is a reproduction of an original painting on top of a photograph by Mauro Biaocco of Naughty + Nice. It was printed using archival ink and paper. Don’t lie, you’ve been there! $20 Buy it here.

I hope you enjoyed looking at my favorite Art Star prints and maybe you are inspired to pick out your own. What are your favorites? Shop our online collection here. Or stop on by – there is WAY more in the actual store.

February 25, 2015
Happy Valentines Day!

Art Star artist, Amy Rice, has put up these 4 Valentines that you can download for FREE!
(click the image above to download)
*Tips: Use a heavier stock white paper and set your printer to the highest quality.*

Also, check out our new Valentines Day Section on our website
& pick up a token of love for your sweetie.
Enter Promo Code LoveBird for 15% off your purchase through Feb. 15th!

Here are some quick gift ideas:

stitch up messages of love with these kits by Chez-Sucre-Chez, $12.50-$14.50

"I Like The Way You Smell" print on wood veneer by Spread the Love, $27

You're Sweet letterpress notecard by Sycamore Street Press, $4.50

January 28, 2012
Our Valentine’s Day Gift Guide!

Looking for a unique gift for your special someone on Valentine’s Day? Look no further. We’ve put together a list of handcrafted goodies that will make your girl or guy’s day!

First, start with the card! We’ve got a huge selection of hilariously adorable ones by Laura Berger. $4.50 each

Does your lady have a devilish side? How about this Angel/ Devil Ring by Kasie Strohm. Handcrafted from sterling silver with a gold fill halo. $32, various sizes.

This piece by Amy Rice is a hand painted Gocco print of a lillium on correspondance from 1911, how romantic! $60

Looking for something a little less serious? How about this wood heart handpainted with acrylic by The Maple Ridge. Features a saw tooth hook on the back for easy hanging. This art piece is also extremely affordable, at just $40!

Speaking of hearts, we love these anatomically correct ones by Julie Moon. Made from sculpted porcelain, painted gold luster and decals, these brooches can be pinned to your sweetheart’s coat and kept close to his/her own heart! $50 each

Your lady is a total fox and so are you! So pick up this Fox Love Pendant by Audrey Laine Collection. Hand cut from sheet brass and hung from an 18″ sterling silver chain. $65

Your boyfriend (like us sadly) spends far too much time watching cat videos on the internet. I think he needs this belt buckle featuring cats barfing rainbows. Though, who doesn’t need one of these. $24.

Cock Tee. That’s all you need to know. Get it for your man. $28

You just moved in together! Pick up this screen print by Yardsale Press and hang it in your new bathroom, cuz its official! (Also available are Hers + Hers and His + His. I don’t have them online yet but they are available in store. If you’d like to purchase one of those online, just email us) $15

Our regulars know that we will gift wrap your purchases for free, happily! However, if you are weird like me and LOVE to gift wrap, pick up this gorgeous screen printed paper by Bonnie Kaye Studios and Do It Yourself! Or let us do it for you! $6 per roll.

Those are just a few great Valentine’s Day gifts ideas, we’ve got tons more. Come on by and we’ll help you pick something special out. xo – Megan

February 11, 2015
“The Big Enough Company: Creating a Business that Works for You”

Please join Amy Abrams and Adelaide Lancaster, co-founders of In Good Company Workplaces, for a conversation about business growth, success and sustainability. In their new book, THE BIG ENOUGH COMPANY: Creating a Business that Works for You Adelaide and Amy offer a fresh approach to entrepreneurship. Rejecting the notion that entrepreneurial success is about size, the authors encourage entrepreneurs to instead lead with their own goals so they can build a sustainable and satisfying business that meets their needs.

Where: Art Star, 623 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123
When: October 11th, 7-9pm

Free & Open to the public, but space is limited. Please contact us to reserve your space.

September 24, 2011
ASCB Volunteer Picks: Heather DeRonck

Hi. I’m Heather. I have been volunteering at ASCB, I guess since the 2^nd or 3^rdyear – a long time. My friend Patty and I started back then and more friends joined in over the years. Now there are about 5 of us who help out every year. We always work the first shift of the first day; setting up tables and helping vendors find their way to their booths and lending a hand with hauling their loot. So if you see a pack of small women trying to unload your car for you, fear not, we are there to help – not mug you.

Art Star Craft Bazaar is one of those events I look forward to all year. I squirrel away money for months, I make lists of whose booth I must be sure to get to, and what things I can’t go home without. Every year I make sure to pick up a couple of pieces of distinctive jewelry, a cute bag or two, a summery skirt, a fun print, and usually t-shirts for my husband. And that is just for myself, then there is time spent looking for stuff for my shop!

The aforementioned husband and I own Bicycle Revolutions, an independent bike shop in the Queen Village neighborhood here in Philly. One of the unique things about our store is that we sell all sorts of bicycling lifestyle items. We love supporting other small businesses and craftspeople and we stock loads of local + handmade hats, jewelry, shirts, and all kinds of bags – mostly from people I have met at ASCB. My first order of business for the day, once my shift is over, is to touch base with some of my favorite folks from previous years.

Endless Hats

First stop – Emily and Nick from Endless Hats. They are the nicest people and make the loveliest hats. Each year I buy more and more of them, our customers love these hats and so do I. They use repurposed fabrics: breezy linens, soft corduroy, cozy wool. Endless hats = perfect.

Vaya Bags makes cycling bags and accessories that are well made and look good; who could ask for more. The recycled inner tube bags and pouches make me week in the knees. I have more than one of the hip pouches and we have been selling them at the shop for a few years. They are incredibly handy, totally waterproof, and super sturdy.

Maureen Duffy Bicycle Carcass Necklace

Two year’s ago I met Maureen Duffy at Art Star and instantly fell in love with her bike carcass necklaces. She takes photos of abandoned bicycles and makes jewelry out of the image – genius! She also has lovely silhouette earrings that are affordable and so cute.

Horrible Adorables is a vendor I am so happy to see coming back. I didn’t make it to their booth until late in the day last year and missed out big time. Their plush taxidermy is so indescribably wonderful. I am not leaving without one this year.

Ipad Techee Sleeve by Rogue Theory

There are tons of amazing new vendors on the line up this year. My must see list is long, but the highlights include:

Rogue Theory makes small bags that are so perfect. From fabric choice to smart design, to impeccable stitching, to reasonable prices – they really have nailed it. Not to mention that they could very well be the nicest people on the planet. No, I do not exaggerate.

Amy Blasco’s jewelry is one of my favorite things ever. Her thought bubble pins are such a great gift (to yourself or someone else). I love anything personalized and being able to pick out just the right word or saying makes me too happy. I am starting a collection for sure.

Fabric Horse – I swoon, so many wonderful things. Carrie has created some often copied cycling accessories that are smart, practical, and fun. Lock holsters, utility belts, spats, tote bags, wallets and phone cases, oh my! We carry bunches of Fabric Horse stuff at the shop and they fly off the shelves.

I hesitate to even mention my last (but definitely not least) pick: Katie Henry’s Made by Hank. She is the first stop on my list as I am sure she will have a sell out. Her tough ruffle bags and sewn drawings are nearly impossible to get your hands on. I covet nearly everything she makes.

Thanks Megan and Erin for having such a great event year after year. You ladies are the best!

*No really, you ladies are the best – Megan

May 11, 2011
Crafter’s Dozen at Tattooed Mom’s

Our friend Amanda from Mello Press has curated a lovely group of crafters that will be set up & selling at Tattooed Mom’s on February 12th. We will be there along with many other talented Philly crafters (Foxglove Factory, Amy B Jewelry, chez-sucre-chez….) Pick up a gift for your Valentine & have a drink with us!

click the flyer for more details…

January 31, 2012

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