R&F OIL PAINT STICKS DEMO
COME TRY SOMETHING THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND!
SATURDAY, MARCH 23 at 11:00 am R&F WILL BE DEMONSTRATING THEIR AMAZING OIL PAINT STICKS AT OUR NEW ORLEANS STORE. EXTREMELY SATISFYING TO USE AND WITH A UNIQUE RANGE OF COLORS, R&F HAS MANAGED TO MAKE OIL PAINTING FEEL…
MODERN!
Mo's NOLA New Mural!
be even more inspired…coming and going!
Thank you, Gus Harper!
all locations back to regular hours!
we’re back, baby!
regular business hours at all three locations. Whoop, whoop.
So come on back, y’all.
Almost normal hours…
Covington Mon-Sat 9-5
Baton Rouge Mon-Sat 10-5
New Orleans Mon-Sat 10-5
almost normal business hours...
stay tuned…we will eventually add the hour from 5 to 6. but for now we’re working 9 (or 10) to 5, what a way to make a living!
Mo's reopening post-Ida!
mo’s is opening!!
All locations reopening with limited hours this week. We will increase as demand dictates, so stay tuned and feel free to call in case we stayed longer!
covington: tues-sat 10-2 (985) 809-6854
baton rouge: tues-sat 10-5 (225) 831-4870
new orleans: tues-sat 10-2 (504) 571-5030
Hang in there Louisiana Artists!
We will keep you posted as soon as we reopen. Stay safe….
Hurricane Ida Closures
Looking for a part time employee in NOLA
Opening for Thursday/Saturday position at our Mid City New Orleans location to start last week in July! Send resume & contact info to: mosartnola@gmail.com
PART TIME POSITION AT MO'S NOLA STORE
You're Welcome, Adorable Children!
Please pause to acknowledge the adorableness of these little BR kids who just finished their last art project of this challenging school year. Awwww.
Here’s to the resilience of students and teachers! Yay- Next Year!
Still from a video of kindergarteners saying “Thank you, Mo’s Art Supplies”
In Register Article: 9 ITEMS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT AT MO'S
Thanks In Register Magazine for highlighting some great new items at Mo’s!
Our sweet neighbor in Covington, artist Marianne Rodriguez, gives Mo’s a shout-out in this month’s issue of Southern Living!
Marianne Rodriguez gives us a shout-out in Southern Living!
thanks Marianne!
Giant Mardi Gras Decorations, Anyone?
Planning to turn your home or business into a static float? Mo’s has what you need!
Float decorations have 3 things in common: COLOR, DIMENSION, SPARKLE
FLOWERS are among the most common and diverse of all float decorations. They are also easy to modify for a simple or elaborate project. And you can make a big impact with just a few-especially if you size up!
Mo’s has these essential supplies: large sheets and rolls of colored paper, Montanta spray paint, half-gallons of acrylic, imitation gold leaf, glitter, spray varnish, foam primer, 72” wide canvas by the yard, spray varnish, polymer medium (coating will help outdoor decorations last longer!)
location specific:
Covington has a huge selection of solid color sheet stock 20x26 and 22x30 on sale for $.50 per sheet!!! Regular price $2.99-$3.50. We will make a deal for bulk purchases of 100 sheets or more.
New Orleans has the full range of Montana Gold and Montana Black spray paint. Discounts when purchasing 12 cans or more. (Other two stores have shorter ranges.)
helpful hint: try googling floats from krewes known for the most beautiful and artistic floats such as Proteus, Comus, and Rex. You will also find images of old float designs which can be very inspirational (& weird!)
Comus float design. Not sure what year??
A Good Resolution
A humbling sentiment from, possibly, the most pretentious people in the world.
You just never know….
Flipping through the January issue of Vogue (a magazine I find increasingly less relevant to me) I saw this communal resolution from the editors. It is GREAT! I’m going to plagiarize and coopt this really eloquent statement and personalize where needed:
A new year, a new beginning- and a time to recommit to our values. Mo’s believes in joy and optimism. We strive to live sustainably and advocate for independence, individuality, and creativity. We honor meaning and craft in ALL ARTISTIC PURSUITS. We insist on inclusivity and respect— and will hold ourselves accountable to those ideals. We will endeavor every day to discover and support new talent. We believe in the power of communities and families of all kinds. Our work matters.
THE STAFF OF MO’S ART SUPPLY
HAPPY NEW YEAR ARTs COMMUNITY!
A few of my favorite things accompanied by inspirational quotes.
Coming up are a few things and thoughts that you might find surprisingly delightful. Such as this picture of me with a wheelbarrow full of chicken s**t.
A Few of My Favorite Things Holiday 2020
Why not embrace the strange and sometimes absurd vibe that has defined 2020? It can lead to some interesting developments. Below is an edited list of some fun items that are probably not on anyone’s list, but will put a smile on their faces, nonetheless.
“If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path.” Buddha
Large Buddha candle that looks like a ceramic sculpture $16.50.
“As I ate the oysters…& drank the wine…I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy & make plans.” Hemingway
Books with suggestions about how to eat oysters and drink wine. Plans are up to you.
“And I think to myself- what a wonderful world.” Louis armstrong
Puzzle about street food of the world 19.99. Flashcards that educate kids and remind adults that ours is truly a beautiful world $12.99.
“…I am convinced that the only people worthy of consideration in this world are the unusual ones.” The Scarecrow
True dat, Scarecrow! Baselisk letterpress notebook $15. Sailor Jerry coin purse $4.50. Brain eraser (with specimen jar) $5.99.
“buying something on sale is a very special feeling. In fact the less I pay for something, the more it is worth to me.” Rita Rudner
All sets 25% off through December!
“This fruity pebble that ya dealin’ with I ain’t ya average jabroni. I’m like a big purple pinwheel, Rock, so go ahead and blow me.” John Cena
What, those are mandalas not pinwheels on these journals? Large mandala (pinwheel) leather journal $32.50. Small $21.
“sharing presumes and creates equality.” clementine wamariya
Hat Not Hate kit with ez-knit loom $24.99. One to keep and one to give away!
“life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” Kierkegaard
Kaweco Decades pens $70 each. For recording all your deep reflections on the year 2020.
Please remember, that while for some the year was a chance for changes and appreciating different things, for others it was pretty much just a wheelbarrow full of s**t. Consider acknowledging those who are enduring true hardship by making a donation to Second Harvest food bank.
May you have a warm place to put your feet, food on your table, people to visit, and much more laughter in the coming year!
Painting I made while visiting my cousin’s farm. After she made me clean out the chicken coop!
Get Thee Out of Doors, Creative Person!
Get out, get out, get out! It isn’t you’re only option- it’s a whole bunch of options. Here are some things to help you enjoy spending some MORE time outside. With or without children. While making or not making art.
Shake things up!
Take cocktail hour outside with this sturdy stainless shaker from Wild & Wolf. Comes with the jigger & muddler which fit inside.
Rediscover how many of the BEST things are found in nature!
Take these books outside for some quality time with your kids. You will find they are good reads for you too!
Vivia flat watercolors
These thin booklets of vibrant watercolor fit in a sketchbook or back pocket! I know it’s confusing, so just come see it in person. Amazing!
All you need to relax out of doors…
…a japanese sketchbook, a hydrofit water bottle with a zipper pouch for your phone, and a lazy best friend!
Or…Perhaps…
…a hammock to lay around in while you wait for your sun prints to develop??
Get your kids OFF devices and ON gardening & bird watching!
This will be hard- good luck!
We also have…
Solar cell phone chargers, stuff that makes your camp fire change colors, dry bags (for art supplies or other stuff), waterproof cell phone pouches, jax, sidewalk chalk, and oh so much more! nothing over $30, many things under $10. And as always, plenty of plein air easels and supplies which could be over $30 but not necessarily!
Power Pump Girls Spotlight
Flattery gets you everywhere!
As most artists would admit, it’s nice to hear your work praised. So I was very flattered that the Power Pump Girls, a non-profit in BR that recognizes achievements by women in the community, thought Mo’s was worthy of a mention. Click the button to read the article or scan to the bottom for a very sexy picture of my foot! (FYI the “pump” in Power Pump refers to a shoe…)
How to make $5 really count…
Kit contains: Two 6x6 canvases, four jars acrylic paint, three brushes
$5 Art Supplies- Priceless Good Times
Buy one and take to the park with a friend, or a kid, or a parent, or keep for yourself and make two paintings, or a diptych, or give the whole thing away as a gift, or make the paintings and give those away as gifts, or keep them and hang them in your house, or donate them to an auction, or sell them at an art market, or make them into signs for a lemonade stand, or a sandwich board around your body, or turn them into a robot mask.
Limited supply available at all three locations!
My studio!
Where at least four of the good things happen….and sometimes all of them!
7 Good Things That Have Happened During Quarantine!
I wrote this for an interview with a distributor in our industry for their blog. Seemed like time to acknowledge a few nice things in the midst of all the worry & uncertainty. They ARE still happening!
Seven good things that have happened during quarantine:
1. People unleashing their creativity onto the world. People who “used to”, people who “never have”, people who “always wanted to”, and people who already were. Everyone with more time, sitting down and using some of it to express themselves in new ways with new thoughts, new perspectives, and a greater sense of freedom to experiment.
2. People lounging. Without the guilt usually involved. Binge watching, sleeping late, sleeping in tents, sleeping on sofas, sleeping in the middle of the day, staying up late, making comfort food, drinking cocktails at home, taking unnecessary baths, sitting in hammocks, sitting on porches, watching birds, playing games, having picnics, making bonfires, listening to old music.
3. People not being compulsive consumers. I have always embraced the notion that limitations foster creativity. I like challenging myself to cook things with only ingredients I already have in the house. I like moving around the furniture and artwork I already own. I like making a new outfit with clothes already in my closet. I like painting from poorly composed, fuzzy snapshots. Sometimes I forget I like all these things, but not now!
4. People enjoying nature. Everyone, everywhere knows what I mean. It’s as if people forgot how wonderful it is to be outside, and they finally put down devices and remote controls, and stepped out into the world they had abandoned. I know not everyone has been so lucky, but we have experienced, without a doubt, the most spectacular spring that Louisiana has ever seen. Usually spring is not even considered a real season here, and this year it has lasted well into May! Unbelievable. I have asked old people, like my Dad, if he can ever remember a spring in New Orleans this good. He said “never”.
5. People writing. We have sent and received more personal letters during this quarantine than probably in the last five years combined. Real letters that arrive in a mailbox. Another thing we forgot could be so exciting.
6. People learning to be alone. This is a complicated one. Society has become a bit neurotic about needing to “be a part of”, “be included in”, join, and above all make sure they share every single experience they have with whoever is willing to look at a post. For a lot of people this quarantine period has erased the pressure to worry about being so social, and it feels like a collective sigh of relief. I’m not saying that a community is not important and that we won’t be glad to get together again, but the ability to quietly enjoy spending time with yourself is still an incredibly important and rewarding skill to be honed. A lot of artists are already ahead of the game with this one!
7. Kids doing awesome kid things. And parents agreeing to them. Here are a few from our house: dyeing hair (warning- we now have one pink and one blue bathtub), cutting off dyed hair, making pinatas, learning to flip crepes, having food fights, learning Morse code (warning- a lot of beeping noises instead of words), learning to play chess, switching rooms- twice, abandoning rooms and moving into tents, star-gazing, writing poems, writing songs, writing letters, writing menus, staging dinners, being chefs, being waitresses, planting seeds, helping stock art supplies, trying new art supplies, making a thousand paintings & drawings, canoeing, fishing, dog-training, learning horrible internet dance moves, learning how to use a vacuum, and a washing machine, and a dryer, and a dishwasher. Don’t get me wrong- we’ve all been pills and had mood swings, and needed to take a break from each other. But still- pretty awesome.
National Art Materials Trade Association Spotlight
Click the link below to see an enthralling interview!
Graphite Drawing Kit $75
Includes: 18x24 sketch, 18x24 newsprint, 11x14 sketch, notebook, fabric cover blank journal, 12 pencil set, woodless graphite set w/tin, 2b, 4b, 6b flat pencils, eraser set, sharpener, pencil box, *mesh storage bag, FREE art storage binder (not shown)
BOREDOM BUSTER CREATIVITY KITS! HUGE DISCOUNTS! LIMITED QUANTITIES! NEW KITS EVERY MONTH!
Charcoal add-on Kit $25
Add to your graphite kit above & have EVERYTHING for drawing at home! Includes: Conte crayon set, 4 degrees charcoal pencils, compressed charcoal, willow charcoal, set of blending stumps, chamois, kneaded, pink, and vinyl erasers, plastic storage box
Kid Creativity Kit #1 $35
Includes: Nicer quality WC set, markers, crayons, glue, 2 brushes, rainbow colored paper journal, notebook, 9x12 drawing paper pad, *mesh storage bag & FREE art storage binder (not shown)
Kid Kit #2 $35
Includes: Blank book, notebook, 20 large sheets colored paper, WC set, markers, crayons, x-treme glue stick, glue pen, 2 brushes, *mesh storage bag, FREE art storage binder (not shown)
Little Kid Kit $20
Includes: Blank sketchbook, giant WC set, jumbo crayons, jumbo markers, water cup, 2 brushes