Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Michael Fleming Driftwood Artist




I recently read an article about driftwood artists Michael Fleming and his wife and son who liv eon the coast of Maine. I was captivated not only by his skill, but how they live. Living with less than $17,000 a year in income, this is a family who is not rich in cash, but in life. They cut back on everything they had in order to be able to do just what they wanted, stay home with their son and hunt for drift wood for sculptures, in return they found what they were looking for... happiness. 
    I will add some excerpts of this article. All photos are owned by NYT and the article was written by the Joyce Wadler. ENJOY!!








"…Mr. Fleming and Ms. Wurst are a couple with a talent for living and for furnishing a home stylishly on a budget. Their annual income these days is about $17,000, now that Ms. Wurst has stopped teaching to spend more time with their son, and Mr. Fleming is concentrating on his artwork and home-furnishings business, Designs Adrift.They decorated their home for just under $4,000, and the furnishings in their living room came to $828: that includes the priciest item, a $150 sofa from the Brimfield, Mass., antiques market, slipcovered in an antique linen sheet; mirrors created out of discounted glass remnants for which Mr. Fleming made driftwood frames; and the plant stand, the small grass rug, the ottoman and the shelves.
Ms. Wurst’s favorite shopping site: a parked trailer at the Phippsburg dump.…"