Bio-tiques
These playful, compact works of art are based on biotic details and nature entities. The word “bio-tique” is a word created by the artist, whereby the idea of biotics (biology) and antiques (the past) come together in a sort of manifesto to environmental issues. Watch for unexpected orbs or hidden earth entities in these small-sized, intimate pieces.
Vaughan has a mania for circles – in reference to the earth as a blue marble or feminine circle of its own. (Mother Earth) Therefore, marbles, pods, knobs and other circular forms are sometimes combined with her modern painting style. Her work is not about assemblage. It is about painting in a way to communicate messages relating to Man’s connection to Nature.
destination black wing | SOLD
8.5 x 8.5”
acrylic on wood with vintage Western Union signage
350.
A crow flies across an old Western Union emblem. As Man keeps transmitting and communicating in an ever-changing technical world, the natural world asks us to pay attention. This painting is a dichotomy of opposites sending messages.
wings of Farbe
11 x 9”
acrylic on rare book cover
500.
Fabre’s Book of Insects – written by illustrated by Edward Detmold
(200. book value – wax paper illustration covers within)
Tudor Publishing Company | copyright 1921
A painting of a dragon fly lands on a rare, old book that is exquisitely illustrated by Edward Detmold and written by Jean Henri Fabre, in his delightful narrative. His essays on everything from a the sacred beetle to locusts are written with spirited joy for insect life. He was an autodidact, generally self-schooled, and, yet, is considered to be the first father of entomology.
bunny chutzpah
20.5 x 13”
acrylic on wood with ceramic bunnies
1000.
When five 1950’s bunny salt shakers were found with one ear missing on each one, this inspired a humorous line-up of playful figures combined with painting to pay homage to survival instincts. Bunnies and people have to have “chutzpah” to survive obstacles in our world.
Oh, Canada! | SOLD
9 x 7 x 3”
acrylic on old book cover
400.
When finding this old book in a Nova Scotia thrift shop, the Victorian design and casing was beautiful to me. I taped things off and painted a meadow just down the road from us. It is my homage to the beauty of the place and the warmth of the people of Nova Scotia.
foot hills | SOLD
11 x 7”
acrylic on wood within Victorian organ pedal
300.
This little cliff painting within an old organ pedal frame, was a joy to paint from memory. Our house sat just 50 feet from the Bay. It was often a soothing respite to hop a roadside guard rail and climb down rocky cliffs to to get the water for a barefoot wade in the sea.
l’ll goliath | SOLD
7 x 5.5”
acrylic on wood within vintage Emil Fink scene
300.
A tree frog is inserted into a “kitsch” Hummel scene, a popular,
knick-knack in the 1970’s. He is large amid small forest blooms.
spright | SOLD
12 x 11”
acrylic on wood within old swivel frame
450.
A nuthatch known for being the upside-down bird moves with agility along tree bark. Their quick movements are entertaining to watch. These small birds are simply, sprightly in spirit.
pudge | SOLD
8 x 6.5”
acrylic on wood within old swivel frame
300.
This vintage swivel frame from the 1930’s is a beautiful way to display small, precious ideas. A fat house sparrow makes eye contact, reminding us to “breathe” and take delight in simple moments.
frolics | SOLD
23.5 x 8”
acrylic on wood with old ring toss topper
750.
An old 50’s hand-held children’s toy sits atop this painting of a raven making eye contact with us. Known for playful cleverness, this bird sits on the outside of the game looking in. “ Hello, kids,” he squawks, “I am here, too, for a reason. Pay attention. The earth is not a ring toss game of chance. Actions matter.”
dew drops
10.5 x 10.5”
acrylic on wood within old biscuit tin
600.
A titmouse sits amid a cascade of seedling and droplet. These small songbirds have a friendliness of life force in their presence. One could not dream up a more endearing living form.
dawn to dusk | SOLD
19.5 x 7”
acrylic on wood with retro brass parts
650.
A titmouse lands amid blooming abundance with his eye on the viewer. Top and bottom brass forms symbolize the rising and setting of each day. So few things are as constant and uplifting as songbirds who greet us each morning and quiet down each twilight.
blue snap
21 x 6”
acrylic on wood with 1940’s Servel Refrigerator Part
700.
A retro, light blue part sits atop a playful painting of an alert titmouse, darting back for an instant to take a gander at us. The metaphor behind this painting with a beautiful WWII-era topper, is the hopeful idea that Man lives alongside Nature, not against it.
blue blazes | SOLD
10.5 x 10.5”
acrylic on wood within old biscuit tin
600.
A passerine pauses amid seaside current within an antique tin as a symbol of good fortune. Man alongside Nature is also part of the concept as an object of days gone by is combined with a present-day ode to the earth.
morning side | SOLD
10.5 x 10.5”
acrylic on wood within old biscuit tin
600.
An songbird poses amid an old biscuit tin as sign of new beginnings. This old tin window box acts like a diorama, housing a scene where the bird is a character with the theatre of the earth.
night moves
8.5 x 9”
acrylic on wood within vintage Sunshine biscuit tin
550.
A green heron who often comes to life at night, sneaks across a fertile terrain, looking for its next meal. Slowly, with tenacity, this bird waits and is a symbol of patience.
can’t buy me love | SOLD
10.5 x 10.5”
acrylic on wood within vintage Merchants biscuit tin
600.
A blue warbler lands amid foliage long enough to send us a message of hope. Biscuits were once marketed and sold in these old tins, thus the title – one cannot buy such miracle of earth found in a songbird. One can only pay attention and honor it for the gift it is.
antiquity | SOLD
23 x 6”
acrylic on wood with antique parts
600.
Sparrows are common birds, neutral in tone and often fly in hosts of many. Here, one pauses long enough for us to consider how old they are in relation to Man. They appear in the Bible as symbols of humility and are known for remembering humans.
turnovers | SOLD
24.5” x 9”
acrylic on wood with vintage tin footballs
750.
Pink Earth Lichen bursts from rock, stone and moisture in this image. This painting reminds us that things decay or change and that process is a tenacious act of Nature. Vintage football candy containers from the 1940’s, accompany this scene, adding a playful touch of Man. The title is a football term, but also reflects the constant transformation of life form.
pooh bah
13.5 x 10.5”
acrylic on wood within German Hummel shadow box
600.
These kitsch panoramas by Emil FInk sold like hotcakes in America in the 1950’-70s. Taking the original image of a young peasant girl out of the frame (it is on the back of this piece) and replacing it with a bird perched on a woodland branch, this image takes on a hilarious setting. Small blue-headed wooden birds show hero-worship for an unexpected feathered friend in the forest. They turn their joyful attention to their very own giant pooh-bah.
time flies | SOLD
21 x 6”
acrylic on wood with old clip board topper
600.
A blue bird fledgling stares us down amid the brambles and one of his first ventures away from the nest. This playful piece is constructed with an old clip board calendar topper that logs each passing day. This image is metaphor to our own fleeting hours and youth that simply flies off so quickly in time.
swash | SOLD
13 x 10.5”
acrylic on wood within old swivel frame
450.
A frog on the edge of a bubbling water bank stares us down, going silent when we walk by as they often do. This little ode to small earth entity reminds us all life forms are connected and part of the vast cycle of regeneration. The sound of a croaking amphibian at brookside is a sign things are going well within the terrain.
red rover | SOLD
10.5 x 10.5”
acrylic on wood within old biscuit tin
600.
A sandhill crane struts across a paddock within this man-made old tin. This ancient bird has a way of cheering us up with an ornithological sense of humor and beautiful crimson crown.
little prince | SOLD
10.5 x 10.5”
acrylic on wood within vintage biscuit tin
600.
A kinglet darts into the scene, aware of our presence. The landscape background reminds us to pay attention to the natural world, where lessons of quietude versus haste can be found.