Ed Farr's 5 and 10 cent store

sold

My reproduction of a late 19th century "5 and 10 cent store" sign. Made of horizontal boards mounted with antique square nails to 2 vertical back cleats. The original sign was 59" high x 39" wide. I opted to go a little smaller, and made mine about 42" high x 28" wide.

Pennsylvania hanging cupboard

Reproduction early 19th century Pennsylvania hanging cupboard in heavily distressed black paint. Raised panel door, one drawer, solid pine, square nails.  H28.75" x W26.5" x D10.25"   Sold.

Entertainment & Spiritous Liquors

sold

My reproduction of a very rare 1825 New Hampshire tavern sign. Applied trim and moulding. Hook on back for hanging. W42" x H18"   

Primitive Wall Cupboard





sold

A smaller sized wall cupboard made from old attic-surface wood, antique square nails, hand dovetailed case and raised panel door. Aged H-hinges and tin repairs, with layered and distressed putty-grey paint applied by me. Interior cleat (of same attic surface wood) for secure wall mounting. W23.5" x H16.5" x D7.5"  

Figures

Ebenezer

the Crone

These were a bit of a departure for me, but one that I really enjoyed. In my days working as a propmaker I did my fair share of larger-scale armatures and figures, but these were a different thing altogether. The bodies were carved from pine, and then built up to completion with everything from paperclay to polymer, fabric, pasteboard etc. I was glad that they were so popular, because they were a welcome change of pace and I plan to do more in the near future. Sizes vary from about 10" to 18.5" tall. All sold.

Furnished Rooms



49.5" wide x 20.25" high plus hooks.  Sold



F.Morse Boot & Shoe Maker

sold

Reproduction of an 1800's boot&shoe maker sign. H24" x W18.5" Done on a single 150yr old wide board with applied trim, antique square nails, and aged and rusted eye hooks. Hook on back for hanging.

Harness/Shoe repairing

sold

My reproduction of an early 19th century sign for harness & shoe repairing. H32.25" x W18". Old wood with found metal strapping, spike and antique square nails. The original was larger, at H40" x W24"

1897 Phaeton

businessweek via Reynold's Still

Just because I love looking at it...the 1897 Henriod Duc Kellner Phaeton. The first eco-friendly-ish motorvehicle. I've seen a lot of really great steampunk around lately, but few that can hold a candle to this.

New England wallbox

                        My reproduction of an 18th century New England wallbox.
                                             H14.5" x W10" x D6.25"

 

             Custom made butterfly hinges, early square nails, very aged interior.  Sold.

Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon...

I am obviously new to this whole blogging thing, and I'm still trying to decide how I should organise everything...if it should just be for my work, or include things that inspire me, interest me, and in what order, if any?  But it never fails. The minute I start going through my files of pictures, moving things into folders....this song comes into my head. And it sticks there and I end up singing it under my breath for hours. So what the hell, I'll put it on here and let it stick in your head. Ah, it's still a great one to have in there.

18th Century adjustable candlestand

Reproduction 18th century treen candlestand. These were originally made so that by pulling out the 'key' you could adjust the candlelight up or down, depending on your needs. Completely hand carved of pine, my reproduction is overall about 31.25" tall x  10.25" wide x 6.5" deep. Candle height can be adjusted to five heights between 16" and 29.5". Shown at a height of 23.5"   Sold.

Woman with Blue Book

The early original of this painting was a miniature, a little more than 3.5" x 4.5". For my reproduction I enlarged it to 10" x 12.75". Including the frame it is about H17.5" x W14.75".  Acrylic and watercolour on paper, mounted to pasteboard. Painted pine frame. Aged front and back, with an old wire hanger. Sold.

Pantry boxes

sold out

We usually have a good selection of these,  (Sold out) In a range of colours and sizes from 2" diameter to over 12". Sturdy papier mache with "faux" tacks, painted to look like the old wooden bandboxes in chippy muted colours. Larger sizes may have aged bail handles. Update: for prices and additional photos, click here .

Putty wall shelf

Sold

Reproduction wall shelf in heavily distressed putty-colour paint. Hand-dovetailed joints and carved 'hooks' with antique square nails. W42" x D11.25" x H14.75"

2-drawer sideboard

sold

Blue/green 2 drawer reproduction sideboard. W59" x H30" x D14.25"

Fractur Bookplate



sold

 Reproduction of a framed 18th century fractur bookplate. The original bookplate was 2.5" x 4.5". I enlarged mine to approx. 3.75" x 6.75". Watercolour and acrylic on a page from an old book. Frame is painted wood. Click to enlarge.

Runde1: Die 15. Art, den Regen zu beschrieben

                                                 "15 ways to describe the rain"

Waterloo Storage Cupboards

sold

sold

Reproductions of 1825-1850 Waterloo county, Ontario storage cupboards.
H42" x W33.25" x D14.25".  Solid pine, 3 drawers, raised-panel door, H-hinges,

antique square nails, hand-carved turnbutton and custom knobs

Gourd cup

Sold

One of many of the gourd cups and vases I've done over the past few years, inspired by the horn cups made in the late 1700's - mid 1800's. I love the combination of the naive scenes, dates, initials etc. with the natural mottled surface of the gourd. A fitted wooden bottom is pinned in place with antique nails. They are usually 6-9 inches tall and 4-6 inches in diameter, with pyrography on the exterior, stained and varnished interior.

Simon Schama's Power of Art

I have been waiting for this for over 2 years! Since 2008, when the BBC Documentary Simon Schama's Power of Art first aired on PBS HD and TVOntario (I missed it altogether,) I have been keeping one eye open for it. I had finally all but given up, when 2 weeks ago, surfing the channels at midnight...there it was! Again, I've missed the first 5 episodes, but at least I have seen enough to know that I'm definitely ordering the DVD. (or, my birthday is coming up!!!) The first episode I watched was number 6/8, Van Gogh's Wheatfield with Crows, and it was absolutely worth the wait. Episode 7 was Picasso's Guernica, next week Mark Rothco's Black on Maroon. Definitely check it out, Monday night at midnight on "K:"  Beautiful. Here's a clip, but you really have to watch it in HD. Opening title music is Beethoven's piano Sonata # 14 in C sharp minor. Another favorite...there's still occasionally something worth watching on TV.

A few examples of Nicole's primitives

One of Nicole's hand-hooked rugs. Sold

Muslin gourds with vine stems

Horse pulltoys

aged doll in chair.  sold



A few examples of Nicole's primitive folk art and textile work. She works with hand dyed, painted and aged fabric, sewn on an antique sewing machine. Wooden bases, chairs, etc. are done by me. Her hooked rugs are hand-hooked on burlap or monkscloth with wool (often reclaimed) that she cuts and dyes by hand. Please email me for additional pictures or information.

Horse pulltoy

sold

I really enjoyed making this one, except that getting the angles of the legs right proved to be a challenge. Carved out of pine, it was all assembled using antique square nails, leather from an old harness strap I found in my grandparent's barn, and bits of old tin and wire. The wheels were weathered cast iron, the front right one wobbly like the original. Approx. 16"tall.

Schwenkfelder candlebox

My reproduction of an early Schwenkfelder candlebox. I made this one the same 11" size as the original, with hand dovetailed joints and sliding lid. The original had a divider running lengthwise, making it 2 compartments. I omitted that to make it more usable, and changed the original initials of "EW" to "EB". The original sold at auction in (I think) 2000 for $88,000. Mine was made as a gift for a friend. (EB)

Dart board

sold

My reproduction of an early 1900's dartboard. I have done a lot of gameboards in the past, but lately I'm finding that I'm more drawn to the graphics of target boards and fairground art, so watch for more of that in the future. This dart board was 19.5" x 19, and has sold.

Christmas in March?





  

Pinecone Santa, based on an illustration
from Dec.1867 Harper's Bazaar

aged paper trees



 

 I know...Christmas in March? But, I didn't have a blog in December. The stockings are another project that Nicole and I worked on together. I aged the fabric and added the text and graphics to look like the antique grainsacks from Europe, and she made it into stockings. We had several different styles which all sold, but we'll be sure to have more done in time for next  Christmas.



Drysinks





sold

sold





sold



 Originally, a client brought me a picture of the original antique drysink and asked me to reproduce it. I loved the primitive simplicity of it, the plank door, compact size and wide stiles, and ended up making a few for myself, giving me an opportunity to experiment with different colours and finishes.

Past signs

sold

sold




sold

 




sold



Portraits



sold



sold



detail

detail



 I can't think of anything that brings a feeling of history into a space like an aged and distressed portrait. I try to have at least one in the booth at every show we do, and they are always one of the first things to go. While I usually neglect to photograph them, here are a few reproductions I've done in the 'flat' style of William Matthew Prior, with my own crackled, grubby twist. Sometimes done on old wide boards, sometimes canvas, and with frames built and aged by me.