by Tracie Griffith
The logo for the Port Fairy Ghost Stories project was launched on our website yesterday. It is the work of the wonderful Liz Gannon, a member of the Whale Bone Art Gallery collective. Liz is a professional sign writer by trade and well-known locally for her acrylic paintings and enormously creative themed upholstery.
Liz is also illustrating one of the stories in our book of ghostly tales, so get ready for another spooky creation from this talented artist.
The Port Fairy Ghost Stories Inc. Committee asked Liz for a scary logo. We described our preference for a ghostly skull and nominated green as the colour of choice (not too sickly; not too cheerful). And voila! Liz delivered in less than 24 hours. We spent several days finessing and jumping for joy before uploading the final version to the website.
We hope you love it as much as we do.
Although Liz has a soft spot for ghosts, her number one passion is her themed upholstery, especially her spectacular chairs.
“I get a kick out of doing it,” she said. “I’m at the stage now where I won’t even finish a chair before starting another one. And I get such satisfaction once they’re done.”
Liz obtains her furniture from local antique shops and often has pieces donated by admirers of her work.
“I’m always on the lookout for an unusual shape in a piece,” she said. “It’s about appreciating the work for something other than it being just a piece of furniture.”
The example in the following photograph is the oldest chair Liz has worked with to date. She found it covered in old books and paraphernalia at a local antique shop.
“I was determined to give it life again and another 100 plus years. The craftsmanship in old furniture surpasses most modern day furniture for sure.”
Liz enjoys delving into the back stories associated with her furniture. She stays in contact with the former owners of the pieces she uses and sends photos of the completed restorations. Recently, the previous owner of one chair sent a photo back to an even earlier owner, who was the original buyer back in the seventies.
So what other work is Liz responsible for around town? She created the current window design at Audley & Hall Artisan Chocolates. She also assisted with the realization of the ‘book stack’ signs on the exterior of Blarney Books & Art (artist Jodi Wiley).
Thanks Liz for such a great logo design. We can’t wait to see what you do next!
You can view Liz’s work at: