Art Scene

This first interview for PorchScene.com features Memphis artist Deborah Fagan Carpenter.  I commissioned Deborah to create the dust cover for my book of short stories that was published in April of 2011.  I have owned one of Deborah’s major paintings … Continue reading →

Word of mouth is apparently all they need to draw a crowd. Without any signage, who would guess that behind the weathered Delta Cypress wall, surrounded by thick bamboo, one would find an amazing art environment created by Merigold, Mississippi … Continue reading →

  Actor, poet, writer, puppeteer, artist and blues musician. Jimmy Crosthwait, is a Memphis, TN artistic and musical icon, whose art and performing style are as recognizable as is he. Welcome to the World of Jimmy! “Look, he isn’t wearing any … Continue reading →

He’s a double-fused stick of creative explosive known as Bobby Lounge and Dub Brock. Wowing the audience with steamy, soulful lyrics, Bobby Lounge has theatrically closed the “Lagniappe Stage” at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival every year since … Continue reading →

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, and a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Technology, Kathleen Armour Walker seems an unlikely candidate to own and operate one of the most successful and unique Pewter businesses in the country, Tennessee Pewter.  But an … Continue reading →

A small sign along Highway Alternate 27 between Bronson and Chiefland, FL is the only notice you have that a hidden treasure lies down the secondary county road that meanders between fields of watermelons and peanuts. The country road takes … Continue reading →

“Orthopedics is like woodworking in bone,” he said. Dr. Jeff Justis made the decision to become a hand surgeon when a fellow medical resident pointed out the similarities between that specialty and Dr. Justis’ lifelong passion for creating with wood. … Continue reading →

In the woods of the Ozarks, an unlikely location for a world-class museum, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is exactly that. Until recently, Bentonville, Arkansas was known only as the headquarters for the Wal-Mart Empire, but the top-notch museum … Continue reading →

A large green penguin might deliver the New York Times to your door at 21C Museum Hotel in Bentonville, Arkansas. A flock of the whimsical plastic birds dwell there, and are only one piece of the extensive art collection that … Continue reading →

“Let’s stay together and be as rusty as that ole tin.” This is one example of the straightforward wisdom flowing from the heart and hands of folk artist Mary Proctor- an uncomplicated, optimistic outlook for relationships, friendships and marriage. Her … Continue reading →

Is it Spring yet? I start asking this question every year around the beginning of February. I am done with Winter, thank you very much. I’m ready to see some flowers, sit on the side porch in the morning and … Continue reading →

An enormous silver chicken glistening in the pouring rain caught my eye as I motored down highway 231 near Brundidge, Alabama. The artistic fowl announced the existence of Art`wurks, located in an unassertive block building, and in which I assumed … Continue reading →

Artistic Yin and Yang will join the Fourth of July festivities in the Arkansas Delta this weekend. Porch Scene’s very own Deborah Fagan Carpenter, and Jimmy Crosthwait, last year’s July Artist of the Month, will be presenting an art exhibit … Continue reading →

“Everybody has a voice, and Memphis provides a platform for that voice.” The broad spectrum of Memphis and Delta history is brought to colorful life in the form of music, art, film, dance and story-telling at the Center for Southern … Continue reading →

If you find yourself in Alabama this May, I suggest you find time to make a trip to Montgomery for the Southern Makers Festival. Scheduled for May 2-3 in downtown Montgomery, Southern Makers is an annual two-day event that celebrates … Continue reading →

  Agnes Stark, Peter Sohngen, Brin and Dale Baucum — the Heartbeat of Memphis Pottery. In a community that boasts an enormous number of highly skilled and well-known potters, these four artisans have had a significant influence on the cities’ … Continue reading →

TRASH TO TRASHION by Deborah Fagan Carpenter  One man’s trash is—well—another man’s haute couture. Paul Thomas makes vogueish fashions from objects that many would consider useless rubbish, an innovative contribution to the art world that simultaneously calls attention to responsible waste disposal. Repurposing discards … Continue reading →