He's a STAR!

Alexis Bittar is the 2010 Accessory Designer of the Year! At a star-studded fashion industry gala at Lincoln Center earlier this week, he was singled out for his marvelous creations.

Maddi's is so pleased and proud! We've represented Bittar since we opened eight years ago and grown along with his business. For all those years, his new collections and their first deliveries to our gallery give us squeals of delight. We call our customers: "the new Bittar has arrived!" and they leave work, lunch and family to get to Maddi's.

Our take on his success is simple: Who else has the creative energy to completely re-design his entire line twice a year? With Alexis there's always something breathtaking and new! And what's better than wearing a beautiful "old" Bittar no one else can get anymore? Color, style, material. Always unique. Classic, edgy, beautiful and brash. His creations span the spectrum. Congrats, Alexis. We're thrilled to know you!

Our Favorite Weekend of the Year

There's no doubt about it. We love our Folk Art Festival weekend! We get to see so many wonderful artists. Often, we haven't seen them for a year, so we get to catch up with their work and their lives. It's so much fun to see them unpack their work - we want to buy it all.

We love the simplicity of many folk artists - their work represents their life. Beautiful gourds, fun pottery and some funky outdoor metal pieces are waiting to be adopted. Not to mention paintings, jewelry and lots of pottery. And this year's Carolina Folk Art Festival is bigger and more exciting than ever. Now in its sixth year, the event attracted a host of new artists, and we can't wait to introduce them to our customers. Several of them are well-known folk artists like Jim Shores and Kathleen Taylor. We know a few who are really fun like Lulu whose booth, we promise you, will be a riot of color.

Please come, meet and talk to these wonderful folks. Many of them are returning for their fifth or sixth years. Some are brand new and very excited to be coming to our event. They all have interesting stories and wonderful, spirited work. It's a once a year chance at the best little art festival in the Charlotte area. It's the sixth annual Carolina Folk Art Festival at Birkdale Village, exit 25 off I-77. Birkdale is a beautiful, walkable village. Parking is free and there is no admission. See you Saturday, from 10 to 6 and Sunday, 11-6. We can promise you a very fun day!

Minnie Evans Bottle Chapel

Every once in a while, you come upon something that takes your breath away. Yesterday, it happened to me when I rounded the corner in a park and there in front of me was the most amazing structure. I couldn't wait to get closer and inspect every inch, becuase immediately I knew this was a one-of-a-kind experience. It was the Minnie Evans Bottle Chapel in Airlie Park, Wilmington, NC.

The bottle chapel is a seven-sided open air chapel built to honor folk artist Minnie Evans who died in 1987 leaving an amazing and mystical treasure of paintings and drawings. The chapel was the work of artist VirginiaWright-Frierson, who was there to tell her story and the story of this incredible building.

The chapel is built with wire, concrete and hundreds of bottles. Most of the bottles are still whole. You see the bottom of the bottle on the outside and the neck of the bottle on the inside. When the wind blows, the bottles sing! The artist incorporated Minnie Evans love of symmetry, nature, eyes, butterflies, rainbows, angels, trees and so much more. It is an incredible stucture, with a huge metal tree growing inside and countless details evoking Minnie Evans and her art.

Minnie was a large black woman who was employed at Airlie Gardens (where the Bottle Chapel is now located). She worked in a tiny, tiny ticket hut, where she sold admission tickets and painted. Cold in winter, blistering in the summer heat, and painting every day. Today her paintings sell for $10,000, $20,000 and more, but then Minnie often gave them away to visitors, although many were known to refuse them (their loss for sure!)

I don't know what was more moving, the story of this incredible folk artist or the story of building the chapel which was done as a labor of love. But it was an incredible afternoon and I would hope anyone who visits Wilmington, NC get to Airlie Gardens. I hear at night, when it is illuminated, the Bottle Chapel is truly magical, but I found it so in the middle of the day.

Alexis Bittar Trunk Show! This Week!

You are cordially invited, so come join the fun.

Friday, April 16 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Maddi's Gallery

1530 East Boulevard, Charlotte

Sasha Peck is coming from the Alexis Bittar studio with lots of unique goodies for us. Many of you may remember Sasha when she visited us a few years ago. She has a wonderful eye and knows what really works for her customers.

And the news: Alexis has been nominated by the Council of Fashion Designers of America as the 2010 Accessory Designer of the Year! This is the Academy Awards for fashion and Alexis is nominated along with Marc Jacobs and Proenza Schouler. The award ceremoly is at Lincoln Center on June 7th. Congratulations, Alexis.

So come see this wonderful trunk show. It's the collection that earned Alexis his nomination and it's has so many beautiful pieces. We'll see you Friday afternoon!

Why We Love Folk Art

In the eight or so years we have been collecting art for Maddi's, nothing has given us as much enjoyment as buying folk art. Not that we don't love beautiful fine craft and jewelry and the artists who create them.

But there is something so authentic and genuine about folk art that it is hard to describe. While few artists are truly wealthy, many folk artists are truly poor. The term "outsider" applies to many of them. And in the short time we have been buying and collecting folk art, many of our favorites are no longer with us.

Both Mose T and Jimmy Lee Sudduth, both Alabama natives are gone. We had the pleasure of meeting Jimmy at the Kentuck Art Festival in Northport, Alabama many years ago. At that event he was visiting royalty, arriving in an old, low car with huge fins, followed by a van holding all his paintings. When the back of the van opened, collectors rushed to pick up...anything. You could trade it around later. I think we bought about six paintings and made the check payable to the festival, because Jimmy didn't have a bank account. Nor could he read or write. His work was rough and graphic, made with old house paint, mud and cola. But his paintings were great and he played the harmonica and he was King of Kentuck.

Meet the Metal Artists: Christine and Lori

We were in Philadelphia about a week ago, slushing around in a few feet of snow, attending the Buyers' Market of American Craft. This is always an important show for Maddi's as we place orders that carry us right through the year.

One of the most daunting areas of the show is jewelry. First, it is all wonderful. The artists' booths are beautifully designed and the lighting is great. And there is so much to choose! Pricey gold and diamonds? Or silver and sea glass? This is when we wish our budget was simply unlimited!

One booth we really enjoy is shared by two metal-clay artists, Christine Steel and Lori di Magno. These gals are both part of an Etsy team and their jewelry is lovely, reasonably priced and very fun, too.

Christine hails from the sunny city of Los Angeles. Her work is very refined and even delicate. Lori is a Massachusetts gal and her work is a bit more robust and ornate. They are pioneers in the metal-clay category, a medium which lends itself to so many styles and interpretations.

The Buyers' Market also sponsored a "Design Challenge" contest, where any artist or buyer could make a small display using specific art items that had been chosen by the committee. The contest went on for several days, but in the end, Lori had won it all! Everyone knows she has a great design eye.

Now when you stop in and see their work, you'll know the talented women who created it.

P.S. They'll do custom orders, too!

They're not very big, but they are gorgeous! They're the tiny polymer clay works of art by Billie Tannen and her husband Bob Nielson. A new order just arrived and we couldn't wait to open the box. We are just in awe of this meticulous work, as are many of our customers who have seen their work at Barneys, NY and Gumps, San Francisco.

Just in time for Valentine's there are hearts, hearts, hearts. Pin one on your jacket for an immediate lift. And all sorts of petite treasure boxes. And last but not least, two special piggy banks. These are the best Billie Beads piggies we've ever seen. One is a pink princess and very bejeweled, but the other sports marvelously checkered feet, oh, my!

In a world where big and mass-produced rule, it's just wonderful to marvel at these small and hand-made treasures. Billie's work is so charming and delightful, it just makes a person ooh, aah and smile. You can see more at maddisgallery.com or come in and see them in person. But don't wait too long, Billie's work never stays around long.