CUTE TOES

NAME: Gabriella

LOCATION: Winston-Salem, NC

EGGPLANT QUOTE: has cute toes

COMMENTS: Gabby was a second grade student of mine some years ago. At that time, I nicknamed her "Gabby-Toes" and so this seemed like the most appropriate eggplant for her.

THE EGGPLANT WHO'S BEEN ON TV

OWNER'S NAME: John Firestone

LOCATION: Pennsylvania

EGGPLANT QUOTE: those blabber mouths

COMMENTS: John Firestone's website, www.johnfirestone.com, features his personal art collection. In this collection, is his stray eggplant (pictured above). The ironic thing is that this eggplant was seen on the Rachel Ray Show. A special feature was done about Art*o*mat machines. See the clip below. At the end, the camera pans across the top of the machine and if you look carefully, you can see that there is an eggplant that says "those blabber mouths." Since each eggplant is one-of-a-kind, John's eggplant is the very one seen on TV! How he got this eggplant, I don't know but it is definitely a famous one.

Read John Firestone's blog about the fame of his eggplant.

A PUPPETEER IS MADE

OWNER'S NAME: Carrie

LOCATION: Green Lane, Pennsylvania

EGGPLANT QUOTE: poof, you're a puppeteer

COMMENTS: "Have you ever heard of the Art-o-Mat? Art-o-Mats are refurbished vintage cigarette vending machines filled with art! And not just any art, art packaged in cigarette-sized packages! What could be more fun than that?!?

"I was first introduced to the Art-o-Mat, when a friend handed me a $5 token at Monkey Hill Antiques in New Hope, PA. My pull, from this odd Bulldog Juggling Art-o-Mat, won me a Stray Eggplant... a grape and green clay eggplant that reads "Poof, you're a puppeteer."

Yes, you heard me... I pulled an inspirational eggplant. And to be honest... I LOVE it!

"Its sits so pretty on my desk next to two gnomes, a medal of Our Lady of Czestochowa which has Pope John Paul II on the other side (I'm a Polish Grandaughter!), and a golden "long life" Buddha, I received from a good friend."

NOTE: Though Carrie got this recently, it is an eggplant from the very first edition, made in 2004. They are no longer made like this one with the quotes glued on. Now the letters are recessed into the clay.

BLOG: She's Gone Wanderin'

EGGPLANT INSPIRES OWNER TO BE HERSELF

OWNER'S NAME: Sara

LOCATION: USA

EGGPLANT QUOTE: a real smart ass

COMMENTS: "I found a stray eggplant!

"I'd heard rumors of art*o*mat vending machines—old cigarette machines that have been revamped to dispense pieces of art, instead. Today I set off to find one. After much drama and adventure, I made it to the very place, and I bought not one, not two, but three pieces of art. From a vending machine. Because that is too darn cool to pass up.

"'a real smart ass' was the second thing I bought. I was the tiniest bit disappointed when I first saw the words on it. 'Smart ass' isn't really my language style, and I'd been hoping for something more quirky or inspirational... and less, well, smartass.

"But I've come to embrace it.

"I'm a nice person. To some people, it's almost frustrating how nice I am—and they take great delight in trying to get a rise out of me. I don't mind (which probably irks them more), but I see where they're coming from. I bite back probably ninety-five percent of my cynical, sarcastic, or off-color comments... So when I actually say something smartass, people tend to be shocked and think it's really out-of-character. (It's not.)

"And you know what? Their feigned dismay makes me feel guilty about making one comment of the kind they make regularly. That sucks, and I'm fed up with it.

"I'm keeping this little guy as a reminder that, yeah it's great to be the cheerful, sweet, loving person of the group. But it's just as damn fine to be myself.

"My adopted aubergine has found a loving home."

FLICKR PAGE: Photos from Sarajea

VEGETABLE NUDITY

OWNER'S NAME: Sierra

LOCATION: Sacramento, California

EGGPLANT QUOTE: nude photo

COMMENTS: "hey here's a picture of me and my eggplant that i got out of an art-o-matic machine at the crocker museum in sacremento. it sais 'nude photo' on it. thanks!"

LAURA MEETS THE ART*O*MAT MASTER

NAME: Clark

LOCATION: Winston-Salem, North Carolina

EGGPLANT QUOTE: gimmicky bastard

COMMENTS: Clark Whittington, inventor of the Art*o*mat vending machines, through which the Stray Eggplants are distributed, officially installed the Art*o*mat machine at the amazing Chambers Hotel in Minneapolis on October 17, 2007. Laura Gentry decided to surprise him by driving 4 hours north from her home in Iowa to attend his lecture. Since they've worked together through Art*o*mat for these 4 years, it was only fitting that they meet during his Midwestern trip. Here, Laura presented Clark with this humorous eggplant.


Right: Clark, Laura and hotel curator, Jennifer Phelps with the Chambers' beautiful Art*o*mat machine. Click photo to see enlargement.










Above: Clark and Laura stand before a very realistic piece of art at the Chambers Hotel.

SOMETHING'S BEEN DONE TO IT

NAME: Margaret

LOCATION: Falmouth, Maine

EGGPLANT QUOTE: "do something to it"

COMMENTS: Fellow Art*o*artist, Margaret Smith, and I swapped art. She sent me one of her beautiful Spirit Hand pendants and I sent her this eggplant with a quote by the artist Jasper Johns. She comments:

"I took this little Eggciting work of art and made a mini easel for it to set on. It is Eggactly what it needed."

MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/spirithandart

PEWTER JUNK FOOD IN CENTRAL PARK

OWNER'S NAME: Herb

LOCATION: New York, New York

EGGPLANT QUOTE: pewter junk food

COMMENTS: Artoartist, Herb Hoover, and I decided to do an art swap. I made the customized eggplant pictured above, which describes one of his fabulous artistic endeavors: making pewter junk food. He writes of the photo:

"Here's a snap in New York's Central Park Conservatory Garden at 105 & 5th."

In return, he made me a cracker—one of his famous pewter creations! These crackers, by the way, are the best selling art in Art*o*mat machines and I'm so excited to finally have one of my own. Visit his cracker tracker to see other owners.

WEBSITE: www.herbhoover.com

ARTOMAT INVENTOR TURNS STUNT MAN

OWNER'S NAME:
Clark

LOCATION:
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

EGGPLANT QUOTE:
I'm doing my own stunts

COMMENTS:
This is the first film made by an eggplant owner. Clark Whittington, the inventor of Art*o*mat, is the illustrious filmmaker that will hopefully inspire further creativity in eggplant owners everywhere. Enjoy!

WEBSITE: www.artomat.org