Nestled in the quaint village of historic Mauricetown, New Jersey, you will find, ‘The Primitive Pineapple’. The resident tole painter, Inez, has been painting for 20 years. She started painted with oils, but after having the opportunity to take a class with Jackie Shaw in Smithburg, Maryland the decision was made to turn to acrylics. Teachers who have been a great influence on her painting include Jackie Shaw, Jean Zawickie, Pipka, Susie Wolfe, and Maxine Thomas. Always hunting for something unusual to create, she finally came upon gourds, cypress knees, and driftwood. Cypress knees are challenging to incorporate every lump and bump into a Santa. Often you will find three to five santas to paint on one knee. Cypress knees grow in the swamps along the bayous of the South. Extensions from the roots are called knees. Cutting the knees from the roots does not damage the tree. No two knees are ever the same and can never be duplicated. They sometimes may be similar, but not exact. Driftwood is a lot like cypress knees always a different shape and another challenge to paint which makes it very interesting. Please browse through this site to see the many interesting figures that have been created. Hope you like them.