Quirky Combos
The printed fonts and design images on old game boards, crates or various vintage items are of primary interest to the artist in these funky, whimsical pieces that sometimes evolve into functional wall boxes, tables or cabinets. Flat, worn surfaces or panels are used alongside Vaughan’s paintings in these unique constructions that have a quirky aesthetic.
Vaughan says:
“It is the irony of the panel or old piece that interests me most when combined with my painting. I don’t bring it home unless I can see a piece culminating in my head. People underestimate this process of “finding” as playful whimsy. It is, of course, a kind of play, and enjoyable, but often serious in nature with mindful invention. Friends quickly discover they don’t like going antiquing with me as much as they thought they might. It becomes the pinpointing of a message I am committed to. I spend hours collecting and thinking when I search. It is not a quick process.”
roulette
37” diameter
acrylic on wood with old wire overlay
1500.
This quirky spin on traditional painting, finds meaning in garden-like abstraction caged behind a metal industrial fan cover. Four solid colors flow around the composition, attempting to ground things, but the feeling this fun ode to Nature brings, won’t quiet down in its designer playfulness. Care for the earth on the larger stage seems a game of roulette, yet every individual foot print counts. Small eco-actions are significant gifts.
patchwork bog
21 x 16”
acrylic on wood with vintage kitchen linoleum
1000.
A blue heron struts a flat marsh with an almost-comical look of fortitude. The nostalgic pattern below ties the past to the present as a symbol of Man’s connection to Nature.
paint box reverie
18 x 28”
acrylic on old blue paint box
1500.
A Sonoma County land scene in full bloom is painted on an old blue paint box. The metaphor here is “carrying” the reality as well as the dream of such earthly beauty with us each day. The goal is to appreciate these heaven-like vistas as much as work on our own foot print that may or may not impact them.
music of the earth | SOLD
21 x 22”
acrylic on wood within old music stand holder
800.
An old music stand holder houses a cut-out painting with two blue birds of happiness interacting amid their terrain. They represent the song of the earth which greets us each day through the endearing sounds of the songbird.
pep wall box
17.5 x 10.5 x 4.5”
acrylic on wood with old Pepsi panels
1000.
It was inspiring to build a narrative around these beautifully weathered Pepsi-Cola panels. Weather, wind and seedling fill the painted image based on colors of the vintage logos. A spry titmouse perches on a twig as if asking us to pay as much attention to the planet as the product.
buzzard | SOLD
28 x 14 x 4”
acrylic on wood with Old West toy topper
1200.
A playful 1950’s cowboy game rests above a raven squawking with a sense of alarm. Perhaps he senses the smaller raven toy swinging above as target practice. This humorous piece suggests Man might be the real “buzzard” – a cowboy term meaning a not so bright, foolish individual.
mender wall box | SOLD
12 x 5 x 4”
acrylic on wood with old sewing machine drawer
700.
A hummingbird spreads its fleeting wings almost like a religious symbol, reminding us they appear at times of passage and loss. These small, quick, remarkable creatures signify new beginnings and help us mend old wounds and tribulation.
Because the Sandhill crane is described as dancing when it begins its mating ritual, each of the four large crane head paintings have been named after famous dancers. The idea here, was to have these substantial bird portraits dominate the gallery for Wings Over the Platte at Stuhr Museum with a sense of humor and watchfulness.
Astaire | SOLD
(named after the American Musical Dancer – Fred Astaire)
73 x 62”
acrylic on wood with retro pattern
5000.
Flatley | SOLD
(named after the Irish River Dancer – Michael Flatley)
73 x 62”
acrylic on wood with retro pattern
5000.
Tharp | SOLD
(named after the contemporary dancer – Twyla Tharp)
97.5 x 49”
acrylic on wood with retro pattern
5000.
Duncan | BOLD
(named after the pioneer of Modern Dance – Isadora Duncan)
97.5 x 49”
acrylic on wood with retro pattern
5000.
fin to wing | SOLD
40 x 14.5”
acrylic on wood with vintage duck cut-out
1000.
There is abundant life within a pond and this unexpected, quirky painting pays homage to water life, plant life and bird life all in the same fleeting instant.
s’marvelous | SOLD
41 x 13”
acrylic on wood with 1950’s album cover
1200.
This zany combination of abstract painting alongside a 1950’s album cover, blatantly reflective of the roles of men versus women at the time, is sheer fun. What is s’marvelous? Certainly, the giddy joy of three men singing gleefully around a pretty women in mink, yes, but also anything related to the miracle of the earth, as seedlings sprout into random bloom above the Mad Men scene. I just loved the dichotomy of opposites in this combo, as superficial Man is placed next to Nature.
clueless | SOLD
19.5 x 19.5”
acrylic on Clue board (1949)
500.
This old Clue board displays a pensive blue heron at its center. The game board captures a mansion with many rooms of ample space to its design. The floor plan is similar to the way Suburbia has sprawled over the decades, taking over the natural terrain in favor of decadent material wealth. This autonomous bird wonders where his marshes with fish in them went and why he often has to bathe in city parks and nab at trash that moves.
bunny hop | SOLD
16 x 48”
acrylic on wood with white metal panel
2200.
When finding this industrial metal strip of repeating form, the artist was inspired to paint accompanying white bunnies for the sheer delight of it. In art school, Vaughan met Robert Storr a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who encouraged her by saying, “when in doubt, go back to the object on white and become a better painter.” From time to time, Vaughan does this, and this piece was not only an exercise in realism, but keeping up the ritual of tapping into the child with in her from time to time.