This Sunday you’ll have two chances to look at two pieces of Birmingham’s past–a neighborhood and a landmark that also could play important roles in a revitalized city.

First, the East Lake Arts District will host its second Purple House Parade. I think this is a fantastic idea–show off newly renovated, affordable, historic homes for sale by using them to showcase local artists and musicians. It’s all part of an effort to encourage the revitalization of the East Lake neighborhood (and connected with a broader effort to entice creative types to set up shop in the city’s eastern neighborhoods). The event begins at 1:00 p.m., and you can find more information about the artists and house locations at the end of an article about East Lake in Pavo magazine. The artists are a mix of well-known names and newcomers, so you’ll see a good variety of work, plus I hear that the prices are affordable. Let’s go find out!

Also on Sunday, don’t miss an opportunity to see inside the Lyric Theatre, the vintage vaudeville showplace hiding across the street from the Alabama Theatre. This historic building is one of Birmingham’s treasures, and efforts are under way to begin raising money for its restoration into a live performance venue. When you walk inside and notice all the period detail, imagine how spectacular it will look once it’s all clean and gleaming. The open house extends to the Alabama as well–you’ll get to see how the famous organ works and peek into the projection booth. It all happens from 2:00 to 4:00 on Sunday, and admission is free.

Birmingham magazine is featuring my art in its December issue! You can find the print version on newsstands now–look for the “Canvas” section–and you also can see the article online at the magazine’s site. I really like how the prints look in the issue–they captured the colors well!

If you’ve found my blog through the article, welcome! I need to make some updates to my cbuchanan.net site, but if you’re interested in one of my prints, please send me a comment or e-mail or visit Naked Art Gallery, where I have a good selection of limited-edition and one-of-a-kind pieces available right now.

In the next few days, you’ve got a ton of opportunities to get unique gifts for everyone on your list–goodies created by local artists and crafters:

–Jill Marlar is showing her intricate, elegant, timeless intaglio prints at What’s on Second beginning this Friday evening at 5:00 p.m. You don’t see very many intaglio printmakers selling their work around here, so you should definitely check out her work.

–That same evening, from 6:00 to 10:00, Bare Hands Gallery is opening its “Shine” holiday show, but with a twist. In addition to ornaments and such, the art will include “sculptural trees and branches” to hang them on. That sounds intriguing!

–On Saturday and Sunday, Bottletree’s annual holiday craft bazaar will take over the cafe–and three other locations in Avondale. That’s likely the largest craft show the city has ever seen, so you’re sure to find some kind of fun or funky handmade treasure. Plus you’ll get to explore Bottletree’s cool neighborhood. Bottletree will be serving food and refreshments in multiple locations as well. The bazaar lasts from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.

–I’ve also learned that Pepper Place is hosting a special holiday market this Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. I haven’t seen much promotion for this, but it sounds like you’ll be able to buy fresh veggies, baked goods, and handmade gifts in the usual spot.

In the Great Depression, Birmingham and Jefferson County were dirt poor. Which made them prime targets for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), part of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal initiatives to put people back to work and energize the economy. Many of the projects the WPA built here still exist in some form today, including major sections of Trussville, UAB Hospital, and our state parks to our iconic landmark, Vulcan Park.

The Birmingham Public Library deserves major kudos for creating a fascinating new Web site cataloging WPA projects in Birmingham and Jefferson County. Their list isn’t complete, but it mirrors a new Birmingham Historical Society photo exhibit–”Digging out of the Depression: Federal Programs at Work”–on display in the central library’s gallery through Dec. 31. In many cases, the site includes modern photos with historical images to show how the buildings and landscapes have evolved over the years.

I am fascinated by the WPA–especially by how a government stimulus program was able to encourage an explosion of surprisingly good art and architecture, which continue to influence the fields of design, communication, and urban planning, not to mention communities across the country. When you go to that site, be sure to click “Murals” in the sidebar to see some of the beautiful artworks, created by local artists, that still decorate some schools and post offices. (On a related note, check out this al.com story on the status of the restoration of the big WPA mural at Woodlawn High School. There’s also a blog and Facebook group working to raise support to finish the restoration project.)

And if that’s not enough WPA for you, here’s a reminder about “Signs for Our Time,” a Naked Art show next June that is encouraging artists and designers to put a modern spin on WPA posters. For details on that, visit this page on Naked Art’s Web site and scroll down a bit.

Dia de los Muertos rolls around once again at Bare Hands Gallery this Monday evening, and I can’t wait. This festive, fun, colorful celebration of the dead is one of my very favorite annual events in town. If you haven’t been, you really should check it out, and if you have been, invite someone who has never been or–even better–someone who is new to Birmingham. It’s quite an unexpected spectacle–a homegrown mix of Mexico and Alabama decorating a corner of downtown.

This year there will be live bands, fire performers, dancing, children’s crafts, food, and plenty of Dia de los Muertos art for sale in the gallery. Be sure not to miss the roll call and procession, which last year featured at least one Frida Kahlo, a coffin, musicians, and two giant puppets circling the block. And take some time to look at all the altars set up in remembrance of the dead. All of them are creative, real, and very touching. The altars will be on display until November 14, but try to get to Monday night’s celebration if you can–there’s nothing like seeing them at night in a festive atmosphere.

For details on the festival, including the entrance location, schedule, and the admission fees, see the Bare Hands site.

This has been a busy month in my art studio–a.k.a. my living room and kitchen. Mainly, I’ve been working on ornaments and other little goodies for Naked Art’s annual “Kitschmas” show in November.

But more about that later. First I want to show you this. It’s the print resulting from the really tough block I mentioned in my last post. And it’s debuting at a new–and somewhat unique–art event next month. Artscape is an auction benefiting the Freshwater Land Trust, an organization charged with protecting some of central Alabama’s most beautiful natural spots–treasures like Turkey Creek Nature Preserve, which needs a post of its own so that I can wax poetic about it. For Artscape, the Land Trust challenged artists to visit many of its protected properties and then create art inspired by those lands. You can see some of the resulting artworks here, and I think they’re fantastic. Among those, you’ll spot my other piece created for this event, a multiple-block-print piece on wood inspired by Red Mountain Park.

Speaking of Red Mountain Park, check out its totally revamped Web site. It’s got a lot of great features on it, but I particularly like the two movable maps: one showing what the park hopes to feature on opening day and another that presents some tantalizing additions for the future. (Find boht under “View Master Plan.”) The concept illustrations are great, too–they’re an exciting preview of what could become Birmingham’s crown jewel.

All right! Tonight I finished carving a very intimidating block, and the resulting print turned out fantastic, which means I’m on a little artistic high–which means it’s time to talk about intriguing new art exhibits in town.

First up in Christy Daniel’s new solo show opening at Naked Art this Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. I can’t wait to see what Christy has created for this one, titled “Woodland Wonder Misfits.” Her work often seems to be a cross between cute and bizarre–like a twisted version of a Rankin-Bass stop-motion holiday special–but it always makes me laugh. It’ll be a fun show.

There’s another show you need to see over at Bare Hands Gallery. Pat Snow’s “Would you like me better if I made you a pretty picture?” is a collection of random images–from stars to supermarkets–on mostly unframed paper. It sounds simple, but each image is painted in watercolor–expertly, I might add. I love watercolor, but I have no patience with painting with it; it’s so uncontrollable. Pat doesn’t have that problem, apparently. His pieces are detailed–some approach photorealism–and he knows how to use color or even shades of black to create a great image. Most of his images also feature text, from a simple phrase to stories several hundred words long. You can’t help but read them, and some will make you laugh or think, “Ah, I’ve been there, too.” For me, the text is an essential part of these pieces. It certainly adds an extra dimension to the art, just like the use of watercolor. Pat’s show is up at Bare Hands until Oct. 24.

I’m back from a week of vacation in Oregon–which was fantastic, and which I’ll revisit in a future post comparing Portland and Birmingham. So I’ve got some catching up to do.

But one thing I wanted to alert you to is a new group for Birmingham printmakers–of any kind. The printmaking community isn’t huge here, but there seem to be a lot of people creating some really interesting things–and I hope this group will provide an arena where we can see each other’s cool work, learn some new things, get to know each other, etc. Students, people who want to know more about printmaking, and those who appreciate it are welcome, too!

Right now Birmingham Printmakers is simply a group page on Facebook (search for it there, and you’ll find it easily), but I hope it will evolve into get-togethers and perhaps some shows, either formal or informal. If you have ideas for the group or want to know more, please e-mail me here or on Facebook, and if you know any printmakers, please pass along the info about the group.

Also, some of my one-of-a-kind, multiple-print pieces from Artwalk will be available in October at Naked Art. I’ve also resupplied the gallery with a bunch of matted single prints. Do your holiday shopping early!

Thanks to everyone who came out to see me–and who bought my prints–at Artwalk! The weather turned out wonderfully, and it was very gratifying to see how much people can enjoy an art festival even in a down economy. I really enjoyed meeting everyone, and I was especially excited to talk with a few newcomers to Birmingham who were discovering our city/art scene.

If you liked my prints, be sure to visit Naked Art Gallery year-round to see my newest pieces, including single prints, one-of-a-kind wall pieces, and functional art. There’s more of my work in the gallery than you’ll see on the Web site, so stop by–and don’t miss one of the show openings. They’re always fun, and I’m usually there taking pictures. Many of my remaining Artwalk pieces will probably end up at Naked Art before the holidays. If you recall a piece you liked, e-mail me, and I’ll let you know its status and location.

Also, I got a lot of great suggestions for new prints this year, and you might see some of them in block-print form by this time next year. I love suggestions anytime, of course, so if you’ve got something in mind–a sign or landmark or piece of architecture–please e-mail me and let me know its location!

Amazingly, it’s that time of year again. Tomorrow night, the biggest Artwalk ever will be under way, and you don’t want to miss it.

This year, there will be more than 130 artists and art organizations scattered across Morris, 1st, and 2nd avenues in the downtown loft district. You’ll see plenty of artists who are new to Artwalk–and plenty of artists who are just plain new, showing their work for the first time. Along with artists inside businesses and lofts, you’ll discover more artists exhibiting outdoors in tents. Plus you’ll see a bigger Kidzone and street performers popping up unexpectedly around the site. And don’t forget that this is your opportunity to check out some of the new restaurants and shops that have popped up in the area in the past year or two.

Things will be a little different in my space over on 1st Ave. N. as well. I’ll be showing more one-of-a-kind, multiprint pieces than ever before, so you’ll have the chance to take home something truly unique. I’ve also got some all-new single prints making their debut at Artwalk, and I’m planning to bring the large wall piece you saw me make on HGTV to the show. Of course, I’ll have the classic prints available as well. With the exception of the HGTV piece, no price will be above $50, and you can buy many of my prints for as low as $18.

Hopefully I’ll see you there! Artwalk is free, and it lasts from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. tomorrow and noon to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. For further details, visit Artwalk’s Web site.