The third annual Sandscapes festival will be held at Dubai Park next weekend with an art exhibition, workshops and live music among the activities lined up.
The exhibition will feature the work of Russian, Syrian and Asian art students, and funds raised from the sale of paintings will be used to buy art supplies for students with special needs who study at the Mawaheb studio in Dubai's Bastakiya area.
"The idea behind this event is to provide a platform where art and music can come together for amateurs," said Manupriam Seth, a Dubai-based artist who organises the festival together with his wife Harpreet, an architecture professor at Ajman University.
"This is a community event and all the participants are based here. So this is an opportunity for residents to come together, meet each other and paint, draw and sing," said Mr Seth.
Local bands will perform a variety of musical styles, from jazz and rock to Indian classical music, at the festival. The line-up includes a band of students from Emirates International School.
Festival-goers will also be able to buy T-shirts and a fabric-painting kit for Dh30, and take part in a group painting session.
The organisers hope to attract more than 300 art lovers to Sandscapes 2012, which will take place on January 6 from 3pm to 9pm at the Dubai Park in Oud Metha, opposite the Ismaili Centre.
About 150 people took part in the event last year, when it was held at the Emirates Marine Environmental Group reserve at Ghantoot.
"There was complete integration at last year's event so we are really looking forward to this," said Gulshan Kavarana, an art teacher at Mawaheb.
"Last year, there were families with children with special needs and other families as well, and their real focus was on the art. That's what all the people truly cared about."
"It was great for the children because the show is held outdoors and draws different people from all walks of life."
2011年12月29日星期四
2011年12月28日星期三
Employee purchases retail legacy in Downtown Truckee
Brooke Bentley, Truckee resident and longtime employee of La Galleria recently purchased the 30-year-old retail store in historic Downtown Truckee with her husband Chad Bentley. La Galleria is a community staple providing products globally featuring art, home décor, fashionable clothing and jewelry.
Originally from Chico, Brooke Bentley has lived in Truckee for 12 years. “Like many of us who move to the Truckee-Lake Tahoe area, I had the intention of living here for just one season to be a ski bum. One season quickly became two seasons, five seasons and then in a blink of an eye, 12 years. I now have a beautiful family with my husband Chad, two children Cortez and Pearl, our dog Leo and a business I have always wanted,” she said.
Bentley's love for traveling, meeting new people, exploring different cultures of art, jewelry and clothing, made her admire La Galleria's products from around the world. Her passion for the store began early as a customer and then shortly after, she applied for a part-time position as a sales associate. As time went on, Bentley was promoted to store manager and recently, she was presented the amazing opportunity of purchasing the store for herself.
Bentley's experience at La Galleria during the past 10 years as a sales associate, store manager and now owner has earned her a following of local customers, frequent visitors and credible designers for the unique and knowledgeable shopping experience she and her staff provides.
Bentley and her husband Chad travel to Bali, Mexico and South America to discover different artists and bring affordable one-of-a-kind gifts for any occasion, any age group, of all prices.
Bentley also employs an expert staff who are artists specializing in jewelry design, paintings and glass. She values her employees and encourages their artistic growth by displaying the staff's art for sale in the store. Brooke's employees are also able to conduct jewelry repairs and travel to customer's homes to consult in interior design.
Originally from Chico, Brooke Bentley has lived in Truckee for 12 years. “Like many of us who move to the Truckee-Lake Tahoe area, I had the intention of living here for just one season to be a ski bum. One season quickly became two seasons, five seasons and then in a blink of an eye, 12 years. I now have a beautiful family with my husband Chad, two children Cortez and Pearl, our dog Leo and a business I have always wanted,” she said.
Bentley's love for traveling, meeting new people, exploring different cultures of art, jewelry and clothing, made her admire La Galleria's products from around the world. Her passion for the store began early as a customer and then shortly after, she applied for a part-time position as a sales associate. As time went on, Bentley was promoted to store manager and recently, she was presented the amazing opportunity of purchasing the store for herself.
Bentley's experience at La Galleria during the past 10 years as a sales associate, store manager and now owner has earned her a following of local customers, frequent visitors and credible designers for the unique and knowledgeable shopping experience she and her staff provides.
Bentley and her husband Chad travel to Bali, Mexico and South America to discover different artists and bring affordable one-of-a-kind gifts for any occasion, any age group, of all prices.
Bentley also employs an expert staff who are artists specializing in jewelry design, paintings and glass. She values her employees and encourages their artistic growth by displaying the staff's art for sale in the store. Brooke's employees are also able to conduct jewelry repairs and travel to customer's homes to consult in interior design.
2011年12月27日星期二
Old Masters Set Records Amid Meager Offerings
Record prices were achieved at Christie’s auction of old masters and British paintings in London on Dec. 6. The evening auction reached close to $38 million overall with 73 percent of the works selling above their pre-sale estimate.
The records were made, in part, due to the scarcity of fresh new works coming to the market, with buyers competing over what was available.
Art consignors in this category are tending to hold onto their works during the recession. The vendors are doing their best to entice them to sell with overly high sale estimations, many of which were not met at Old Masters Week this month for Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Bonhams.
The few world-record prices at Christie’s were a great result, considering that many of the 36 works were fairly unimportant and over-estimated. Sotheby’s, with its meager 38 works, had less luck securing new-to-market works for its evening sale—likewise for Bonhams.
“The Battle Between Carnival and Lent,” by Pieter Brueghel II, sold at Christie’s for a world-record price of $10.8 million, doubling the pre-sale estimate of between $5 million and $7 million.
Christie’s described the painting as one of the most recognizable from the Brueghelian canon, as it exemplifies the unique blend of storytelling, acute characterization, and riotous anecdotal detail that has endeared the work of the Brueghels to generations of art lovers.
Christie’s sold one of the highest-priced paintings to an online bidder and was surprised to see an increase in Asian buyers for the genre.
Up for auction for the first time in 150 years, “Dutch Men-o-War and Other Shipping in a Calm,” by Willem van de Velde II, sold for $9 million, a world record for this artist.
The painting was in exceptionally good condition. Ever since it was first documented in 1778 at the Servad sale in Amsterdam, the painting has received unanimous acclaim, according to Christie’s, for its technical excellence, and the serene harmony of its composition.
“An Old Man at a Casement,” 1646, by Govaert Flinck, sold for $3.6 million, another world-record price for the artist at auction.
Christie’s describes the painting as a rediscovered treasure once acquired by Catherine the Great of Russia as part of one of the greatest collection-building campaigns in history. “An Old Man at a Casement” is considered one of Flinck’s most powerful paintings. Flinck trained in Rembrandt’s workshop in the 1630s.
As explained in a recent New York Times article, for the old masters market to stay strong, collectors need to sell their works. If the auction houses are forced to cut down from two sales a year to one, market momentum will slow because a certain pace is needed to maintain interest and bidders.
The records were made, in part, due to the scarcity of fresh new works coming to the market, with buyers competing over what was available.
Art consignors in this category are tending to hold onto their works during the recession. The vendors are doing their best to entice them to sell with overly high sale estimations, many of which were not met at Old Masters Week this month for Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Bonhams.
The few world-record prices at Christie’s were a great result, considering that many of the 36 works were fairly unimportant and over-estimated. Sotheby’s, with its meager 38 works, had less luck securing new-to-market works for its evening sale—likewise for Bonhams.
“The Battle Between Carnival and Lent,” by Pieter Brueghel II, sold at Christie’s for a world-record price of $10.8 million, doubling the pre-sale estimate of between $5 million and $7 million.
Christie’s described the painting as one of the most recognizable from the Brueghelian canon, as it exemplifies the unique blend of storytelling, acute characterization, and riotous anecdotal detail that has endeared the work of the Brueghels to generations of art lovers.
Christie’s sold one of the highest-priced paintings to an online bidder and was surprised to see an increase in Asian buyers for the genre.
Up for auction for the first time in 150 years, “Dutch Men-o-War and Other Shipping in a Calm,” by Willem van de Velde II, sold for $9 million, a world record for this artist.
The painting was in exceptionally good condition. Ever since it was first documented in 1778 at the Servad sale in Amsterdam, the painting has received unanimous acclaim, according to Christie’s, for its technical excellence, and the serene harmony of its composition.
“An Old Man at a Casement,” 1646, by Govaert Flinck, sold for $3.6 million, another world-record price for the artist at auction.
Christie’s describes the painting as a rediscovered treasure once acquired by Catherine the Great of Russia as part of one of the greatest collection-building campaigns in history. “An Old Man at a Casement” is considered one of Flinck’s most powerful paintings. Flinck trained in Rembrandt’s workshop in the 1630s.
As explained in a recent New York Times article, for the old masters market to stay strong, collectors need to sell their works. If the auction houses are forced to cut down from two sales a year to one, market momentum will slow because a certain pace is needed to maintain interest and bidders.
2011年12月26日星期一
After 80 Years, Women's Market Still A Bethesda Staple
The Montgomery Farm Women’s Farm Cooperative Market will celebrate its 80th anniversary next June. But as far as its remarkable staying power, President Barbara Johnson is as baffled as the next.
“I don’t know why it’s so popular,” she said. “It just is.”
It could be that the market has 77 vendors — 27 inside displaying everything from cheese, spices and meats to seafood, baked goods and tea, and 50 more outside, flaunting flea-market fare. Or it could be the ideal location in the heart of downtown Bethesda on bustling Wisconsin Avenue.
But Johnson said in the end, it probably comes down to customer satisfaction — year after year, decade after decade.
“We have everything they want,” she said. “It’s the only market around here like this.”
It’s certainly not the usual stands-on-the-street setup. The market fills an entire parking lot, plus a low, white building standing in the backdrop. And while some of the usual foods and trinkets line the tables, much of it ranges from the exotic to the stuff of your grandparents’ attic.
There’s vintage furniture, hand-knit hats, antique silverware, oriental rugs, scarves, boxes of silver rings and even a table full of men’s button-downs wrapped in plastic.
Reshma Ali, who has sold her wares at the market for about 15 years, lands on the exotic side. She and her colorful display of beads and all the fixings of jewelry-making hail from India.
Her supplies may be for the hobby-minded, but not for Ali.
“This is my living,” she said.
Eric Perine of Frederick has also been at the market for about 15 years. He does his own framing of various prints -- photos, paintings, deco and art nouveau -- from handheld to full-poster-sized and sold for anywhere from $18 to $300.
The local stuff sells the best, Perine said -- like bird’s-eye views and maps of Washington, D.C.
Also popular is what he calls “guy art” -- skiing images in the winter and golf in the summer.
His customers range from the amateur to the collectors, who are always coming back for more.
“The only reason I lose them is if their house is full,” he said.
Joe and Linda Cicero of Potomac are two of those customers. On a Saturday morning, Joe Cicero paused in front of a particular print, trying to remember.
“I think we already have that one,” he said. His wife paused, then agreed.
And then there are the first-timers, like Brian Hopkins of Alexandria, who stopped by with children Jake, 6, and Kaylee, 3, after lunch at Mongolian Barbecue across the street.
Jake and Kaylee were pleased, running around in knit hats with renderings of fuzzy zoo animals and pompoms dangling from the ear flaps.
“I figured, what the heck,” Hopkins said of making the trip.
Mainstays like Mary Ann Sheffler have helped keep the market alive for so long.
Sheffler has come every Sunday for 32 years now, selling antiques she picks up from various auctioneers back in Waynesboro, Pa. There’s a series of plates painted with “Gone With The Wind” images, a redheaded doll next to an old typewriter, glass and silver tureens.
To the untrained eye, it looks like garage-sale junk. But the occasional expert knows what treasures are to be found there.
“Every once in a while, you’ll get someone who knows what things are,” she said.
The Montgomery Farm Women’s Cooperative Market is located at 7155 Wisconsin Ave. between Willow and Leland Streets. The indoor market is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The outside market is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weather permitting, on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
“I don’t know why it’s so popular,” she said. “It just is.”
It could be that the market has 77 vendors — 27 inside displaying everything from cheese, spices and meats to seafood, baked goods and tea, and 50 more outside, flaunting flea-market fare. Or it could be the ideal location in the heart of downtown Bethesda on bustling Wisconsin Avenue.
But Johnson said in the end, it probably comes down to customer satisfaction — year after year, decade after decade.
“We have everything they want,” she said. “It’s the only market around here like this.”
It’s certainly not the usual stands-on-the-street setup. The market fills an entire parking lot, plus a low, white building standing in the backdrop. And while some of the usual foods and trinkets line the tables, much of it ranges from the exotic to the stuff of your grandparents’ attic.
There’s vintage furniture, hand-knit hats, antique silverware, oriental rugs, scarves, boxes of silver rings and even a table full of men’s button-downs wrapped in plastic.
Reshma Ali, who has sold her wares at the market for about 15 years, lands on the exotic side. She and her colorful display of beads and all the fixings of jewelry-making hail from India.
Her supplies may be for the hobby-minded, but not for Ali.
“This is my living,” she said.
Eric Perine of Frederick has also been at the market for about 15 years. He does his own framing of various prints -- photos, paintings, deco and art nouveau -- from handheld to full-poster-sized and sold for anywhere from $18 to $300.
The local stuff sells the best, Perine said -- like bird’s-eye views and maps of Washington, D.C.
Also popular is what he calls “guy art” -- skiing images in the winter and golf in the summer.
His customers range from the amateur to the collectors, who are always coming back for more.
“The only reason I lose them is if their house is full,” he said.
Joe and Linda Cicero of Potomac are two of those customers. On a Saturday morning, Joe Cicero paused in front of a particular print, trying to remember.
“I think we already have that one,” he said. His wife paused, then agreed.
And then there are the first-timers, like Brian Hopkins of Alexandria, who stopped by with children Jake, 6, and Kaylee, 3, after lunch at Mongolian Barbecue across the street.
Jake and Kaylee were pleased, running around in knit hats with renderings of fuzzy zoo animals and pompoms dangling from the ear flaps.
“I figured, what the heck,” Hopkins said of making the trip.
Mainstays like Mary Ann Sheffler have helped keep the market alive for so long.
Sheffler has come every Sunday for 32 years now, selling antiques she picks up from various auctioneers back in Waynesboro, Pa. There’s a series of plates painted with “Gone With The Wind” images, a redheaded doll next to an old typewriter, glass and silver tureens.
To the untrained eye, it looks like garage-sale junk. But the occasional expert knows what treasures are to be found there.
“Every once in a while, you’ll get someone who knows what things are,” she said.
The Montgomery Farm Women’s Cooperative Market is located at 7155 Wisconsin Ave. between Willow and Leland Streets. The indoor market is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The outside market is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weather permitting, on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
2011年12月25日星期日
Wild collection of art, rare photos displayed in Lancaster’s Ladybird’s
First you see the rack of brightly painted wooden clogs, direct from the Netherlands. Just one pair is still its original brown color.
A few steps away are old cans full of artist paint brushes, and half-squeezed tubes of paint piling out of a battered suitcase.
They sit below a pieced-together circa-1924 poster of former Boston mayor James Michael Curley. Beside that is a cardboard box full of dusty papers, with a 1729 deed from New Haven, Conn., on top. The surrounding walls are covered with paintings of disembodied people — mostly half-naked women — and much of the floor space is taken up with large wooden sculptures, also mainly of folks missing torsos and stomachs.
“I am not fond of fat people,” said Tom Stanford with a slight smile.
He is the creator of this wild collection of art, rare photography, and ephemera (printed material.)
Mr. Stanford, 61, recently opened his new Ladybird’s Gallery — named after his aging dog — at 78 Rigby Road, a wooded area on the Clinton line. His house is beside the gallery.
He got the idea after a trip to Taos, N.M., where he checked out numerous art galleries.
Shuffling around his gallery in a pair of orange clogs, Mr. Stanford, who previously operated a gallery of collectible documents and prints in Clinton, explains his unique style of painting, which he has dubbed “subtractionalism.”
“Basically, a portion of the anatomy, usually muscle and bones, is missing,” he said of his Picasso-meets-Warhol-like abstract oil paintings. “It did not start out that way, it just came upon me.”
His sculptures, which were carved from single trees cut down during nearby construction, (“I dragged them across the street”) are a world onto themselves.
One shows a Greek god entwined with a swan-woman. Another huge sculpture (the trunk is upside down) depicts a sailor, a mermaid and a serpent. Mr. Sanford said he worked 12 hours a day for seven months on that one.
When asked how he came up with the theme, he responded: “I just looked at this big piece of tree and said, ‘What the hell is that?’ ”
Its $25,000 price tag reflects the effort.
His oil painting prices range from $200 to $7,000, depending on size; and his prints average around $150 each.
The best selling print, he said, is “Lady Dancing with Death to the Tune of the Harmonica Player,” done in carved aqua Linoleum. As the title suggests, there is a harmonica player, a grim reaper-like figure, and a nude woman.
A former house painter who grew up in Wilmington, Del., Mr. Stanford, the father of two grown children, had an artist mother and a father who gave up a job with DuPont to start his own vineyard — in Delaware.
Mr. Stanford, who has had a penchant for art since he was young, moved to Massachusetts in 1980, and soon after obtained his first cache of historical documents in Bolton while working as a house painter. He came upon a box of old railroad show memorabilia and asked the owner for it in lieu of payment for the paint job.
“I took that to a railroad show, and we blew people away. I got $10,000 for it, and I realized there was a better way to make a living than painting houses,” he said.
A collector by nature, he started his rounds of attending auctions and estate and yard sales, picking up old photographs, maps, posters, stamps, envelopes and letters — pretty much anything involving paper — although he managed to grab a few death masks, a bunch of pocket watches and a vial of kidney stones along the way.
He found a photograph of Mae West autographed to Anne Bancroft in a New York City trash container. It’s for sale for $500 in his gallery. He has all sorts of rock music-related items, including original Woodstock programs, autographed photographs of the original Rolling Stones, and photographs of the Grateful Dead on tour. There are wanted posters of Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger.
His most valuable photograph, he says, is a full-plate 1852 picture of someone at Niagara Falls.
“It was very popular to get your photo taken by the falls,” Mr. Stanford said.
Also in stock are hundreds of original cartoon illustrations by noted artists such as Mischa Richter, who was with the New Yorker for years; and with New Masses Magazine in the 1930s and 1940s. Mr. Stanford, who was the winner of the 2004 Jacob Knight Award, said he became friends with Richter when they both lived on Cape Cod.
“He sold everything he had, about 1,500 pieces,” Mr. Stanford said.
A section of Mr. Stanford’s inventory is devoted to old “girlie” magazines and prints — not suited for a family newspaper. But to balance that off, he proudly shows off his large signed portrait of Mother Teresa.
A few steps away are old cans full of artist paint brushes, and half-squeezed tubes of paint piling out of a battered suitcase.
They sit below a pieced-together circa-1924 poster of former Boston mayor James Michael Curley. Beside that is a cardboard box full of dusty papers, with a 1729 deed from New Haven, Conn., on top. The surrounding walls are covered with paintings of disembodied people — mostly half-naked women — and much of the floor space is taken up with large wooden sculptures, also mainly of folks missing torsos and stomachs.
“I am not fond of fat people,” said Tom Stanford with a slight smile.
He is the creator of this wild collection of art, rare photography, and ephemera (printed material.)
Mr. Stanford, 61, recently opened his new Ladybird’s Gallery — named after his aging dog — at 78 Rigby Road, a wooded area on the Clinton line. His house is beside the gallery.
He got the idea after a trip to Taos, N.M., where he checked out numerous art galleries.
Shuffling around his gallery in a pair of orange clogs, Mr. Stanford, who previously operated a gallery of collectible documents and prints in Clinton, explains his unique style of painting, which he has dubbed “subtractionalism.”
“Basically, a portion of the anatomy, usually muscle and bones, is missing,” he said of his Picasso-meets-Warhol-like abstract oil paintings. “It did not start out that way, it just came upon me.”
His sculptures, which were carved from single trees cut down during nearby construction, (“I dragged them across the street”) are a world onto themselves.
One shows a Greek god entwined with a swan-woman. Another huge sculpture (the trunk is upside down) depicts a sailor, a mermaid and a serpent. Mr. Sanford said he worked 12 hours a day for seven months on that one.
When asked how he came up with the theme, he responded: “I just looked at this big piece of tree and said, ‘What the hell is that?’ ”
Its $25,000 price tag reflects the effort.
His oil painting prices range from $200 to $7,000, depending on size; and his prints average around $150 each.
The best selling print, he said, is “Lady Dancing with Death to the Tune of the Harmonica Player,” done in carved aqua Linoleum. As the title suggests, there is a harmonica player, a grim reaper-like figure, and a nude woman.
A former house painter who grew up in Wilmington, Del., Mr. Stanford, the father of two grown children, had an artist mother and a father who gave up a job with DuPont to start his own vineyard — in Delaware.
Mr. Stanford, who has had a penchant for art since he was young, moved to Massachusetts in 1980, and soon after obtained his first cache of historical documents in Bolton while working as a house painter. He came upon a box of old railroad show memorabilia and asked the owner for it in lieu of payment for the paint job.
“I took that to a railroad show, and we blew people away. I got $10,000 for it, and I realized there was a better way to make a living than painting houses,” he said.
A collector by nature, he started his rounds of attending auctions and estate and yard sales, picking up old photographs, maps, posters, stamps, envelopes and letters — pretty much anything involving paper — although he managed to grab a few death masks, a bunch of pocket watches and a vial of kidney stones along the way.
He found a photograph of Mae West autographed to Anne Bancroft in a New York City trash container. It’s for sale for $500 in his gallery. He has all sorts of rock music-related items, including original Woodstock programs, autographed photographs of the original Rolling Stones, and photographs of the Grateful Dead on tour. There are wanted posters of Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger.
His most valuable photograph, he says, is a full-plate 1852 picture of someone at Niagara Falls.
“It was very popular to get your photo taken by the falls,” Mr. Stanford said.
Also in stock are hundreds of original cartoon illustrations by noted artists such as Mischa Richter, who was with the New Yorker for years; and with New Masses Magazine in the 1930s and 1940s. Mr. Stanford, who was the winner of the 2004 Jacob Knight Award, said he became friends with Richter when they both lived on Cape Cod.
“He sold everything he had, about 1,500 pieces,” Mr. Stanford said.
A section of Mr. Stanford’s inventory is devoted to old “girlie” magazines and prints — not suited for a family newspaper. But to balance that off, he proudly shows off his large signed portrait of Mother Teresa.
2011年12月22日星期四
Desert artists collaborate to share art in our valley
A small confederacy of local artists has joined together like the Three Musketeers — all for one and one for all — to present its art and services to the community.
Called the Desert Artists Gifts and Collectibles, it displays wall murals and oil paintings, faux finish and stained glass, gem stone jewelry and ceramics for sale, even more if you scour the nooks and crannies of the new store.
Opening day was Wednesday at 370 N. Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs. The store is only 900 square feet in size but packed floor to ceiling with art and collectibles, including vintage “Herend” Hungarian porcelain and hand-crafted jewelry.
“We have six artists now,” said Veronkia Pickett, a Palm Springs resident who speaks with the remnants of a Hungarian accent from her birthplace in Budapest, tempered by her formative years in South Africa. “But we will have more in the future.”
Pickett plans to feature guest artists four times a year at the store. To cover the rent and overhead, the artists pay Pickett 10 percent of the sales price of their artwork, “which is affordable and practical” for each artist, she said.
Pickett, who moved to Palm Springs in 1989, is a faux artist who can transform a beat-up piece of furniture from a garage sale into a thing of beauty. Using paint, stains and glaze, an old wooden table can be restored to appear like marble, stone or oak. Faux is a color-blending technique that can be used on walls, floors, furniture, countertops and other places. She sells instructional videos in faux painting and offers classes in the store.
Represented at the co-op is Barbara Andrik of Palm Springs, known for her murals, some of which have graced the homes of Liza Minnelli and other stars. The exterior mural at the original Las Casuelas restaurant next door is one of Andrik's. So realistic are her murals that one person walked into a wall thinking a door painted on it was real, she said.
Randyn Seymon, a painter from Cathedral City, is also a singer known locally for his musical renditions ranging from Frank Sinatra to the Beatles. Self-taught in both art and music, his paintings could be classified as photo-realism. He is currently showing images of pears on a large canvass, some measuring up to 8-by-8 feet.
A local photographer, Brook Pestana, has a display of photos printed on canvas, showing architecture from Spain and France. Alongside the photos are pieces by Laura Knight, a specialist in metal art with a soft and curvy quality depicting horses and other animals.
If the artwork is not enough for your senses, you can sample the tea in the shop or take some home. Pickett has blended Rooibos tea, which is touted as a soothing antidote for headaches, insomnia, indigestion and other ailments, with raspberry, orange and other teas to create an aromatic and healthy beverage.
Called the Desert Artists Gifts and Collectibles, it displays wall murals and oil paintings, faux finish and stained glass, gem stone jewelry and ceramics for sale, even more if you scour the nooks and crannies of the new store.
Opening day was Wednesday at 370 N. Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs. The store is only 900 square feet in size but packed floor to ceiling with art and collectibles, including vintage “Herend” Hungarian porcelain and hand-crafted jewelry.
“We have six artists now,” said Veronkia Pickett, a Palm Springs resident who speaks with the remnants of a Hungarian accent from her birthplace in Budapest, tempered by her formative years in South Africa. “But we will have more in the future.”
Pickett plans to feature guest artists four times a year at the store. To cover the rent and overhead, the artists pay Pickett 10 percent of the sales price of their artwork, “which is affordable and practical” for each artist, she said.
Pickett, who moved to Palm Springs in 1989, is a faux artist who can transform a beat-up piece of furniture from a garage sale into a thing of beauty. Using paint, stains and glaze, an old wooden table can be restored to appear like marble, stone or oak. Faux is a color-blending technique that can be used on walls, floors, furniture, countertops and other places. She sells instructional videos in faux painting and offers classes in the store.
Represented at the co-op is Barbara Andrik of Palm Springs, known for her murals, some of which have graced the homes of Liza Minnelli and other stars. The exterior mural at the original Las Casuelas restaurant next door is one of Andrik's. So realistic are her murals that one person walked into a wall thinking a door painted on it was real, she said.
Randyn Seymon, a painter from Cathedral City, is also a singer known locally for his musical renditions ranging from Frank Sinatra to the Beatles. Self-taught in both art and music, his paintings could be classified as photo-realism. He is currently showing images of pears on a large canvass, some measuring up to 8-by-8 feet.
A local photographer, Brook Pestana, has a display of photos printed on canvas, showing architecture from Spain and France. Alongside the photos are pieces by Laura Knight, a specialist in metal art with a soft and curvy quality depicting horses and other animals.
If the artwork is not enough for your senses, you can sample the tea in the shop or take some home. Pickett has blended Rooibos tea, which is touted as a soothing antidote for headaches, insomnia, indigestion and other ailments, with raspberry, orange and other teas to create an aromatic and healthy beverage.
2011年12月21日星期三
Taylor auction is a gem, sales top $157 million
Auctions of Elizabeth Taylor's collection of jewels, gowns, art and memorabilia broke records last week on their way to totaling more than $150 million worth of live and online sales, Christie's said on Monday.
Four days of live auctions in New York and a 10-day online auction from the Hollywood film legend's collection took in a total of $156,756,576, or more than three times expectations.
Taylor's world-renowned collection of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, pearls, emeralds and more accounted for the vast majority of the haul, selling for a combined $137 million and becoming by far the most valuable jewelry sale ever.
Records were set for pearls, emeralds, and Indian jewels, while per-carat records were broken for a rubies, yellow, and colorless diamonds.
"My mother always acknowledged that she was merely the temporary custodian of the incredible things she owned," said Taylor's son Chris Wilding, who is a member of the Elizabeth Taylor Trust.
"My family is proud that our mother's legacy as a celebrated actress, tireless AIDS activist, and accomplished businesswoman touched so many people's lives that they wanted to have a part of it history," he said.
Taylor's couture gowns and apparel sale also set a record for the most valuable private collection ever sold at auction, taking in more than $5 million including commission.
The marathon sales' statistics spoke for themselves and highlighted the worldwide interest in the Hollywood legend who rose to fame as a young star of the movie "National Velvet" and went on to claim two acting Oscars for "BUtterfield 8" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf."
Taylor, who died in March at age 79, lived a glamorous life of numerous marriages to often wealthy and powerful men who lavished her with jewelry and other fine things.
Among the highlights of the sale: every one of the 1,778 lots offered sold; 26 items sold for more than $1 million and six sold for over $5 million; final prices soared to as many as 400 times their pre-sale estimates; bidders at the live auctions spanned 36 countries.
Since September, some 58,000 visitors viewed highlights of the collection on a world tour that stopped in Moscow, London, Dubai, Paris and Hong Kong, with nearly half that total paying $30 to see the offerings at New York's 10-day exhibition.
The online component alone took in nearly $10 million, with more than 57,000 bids.
Even catalogs -- some signed, limited edition offerings priced at more than $2,000 -- were a hot item. Proceeds of a portion of the exhibition, catalog and other related events went to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
The top price paid during the series of auctions was $11,842,500 for the historic La Peregrina, a 203-grain (equivalent to 55 carat) pear-shaped 16th-century pearl once owned by England's Mary Tudor and later by Spanish queens Margarita and Isabel.
Taylor's husband Richard Burton bought the pearl in 1969 at auction for $37,000, and Taylor commissioned Cartier to design a ruby-and-diamond necklace mount. The piece was estimated to sell at $2 million to $3 million.
Taylor's famous 33-carat diamond ring, another Burton gift now renamed The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, went for $8.8 million, setting a per-carat record for a colorless diamond.
Even the star's charm bracelets drew intense competition, with one estimated at $30,000 soaring to more than $325,000.
Similarly, the top lot of the online auction -- Hiro Yamagata's "Portrait of Elizabeth Taylor" from 1991 -- sold for $108,000, against a pre-sale estimate of about $250. Other top prices paid online for ranged from $45,000 $78,000.
Among memorabilia, Taylor's script from "National Velvet" fetched $170,500, against a $2,500 estimate.
More artwork from Taylor's collection will also be offered in February at Christie's in London during its auctions of old master paintings and Impressionist and modern art.
Four days of live auctions in New York and a 10-day online auction from the Hollywood film legend's collection took in a total of $156,756,576, or more than three times expectations.
Taylor's world-renowned collection of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, pearls, emeralds and more accounted for the vast majority of the haul, selling for a combined $137 million and becoming by far the most valuable jewelry sale ever.
Records were set for pearls, emeralds, and Indian jewels, while per-carat records were broken for a rubies, yellow, and colorless diamonds.
"My mother always acknowledged that she was merely the temporary custodian of the incredible things she owned," said Taylor's son Chris Wilding, who is a member of the Elizabeth Taylor Trust.
"My family is proud that our mother's legacy as a celebrated actress, tireless AIDS activist, and accomplished businesswoman touched so many people's lives that they wanted to have a part of it history," he said.
Taylor's couture gowns and apparel sale also set a record for the most valuable private collection ever sold at auction, taking in more than $5 million including commission.
The marathon sales' statistics spoke for themselves and highlighted the worldwide interest in the Hollywood legend who rose to fame as a young star of the movie "National Velvet" and went on to claim two acting Oscars for "BUtterfield 8" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf."
Taylor, who died in March at age 79, lived a glamorous life of numerous marriages to often wealthy and powerful men who lavished her with jewelry and other fine things.
Among the highlights of the sale: every one of the 1,778 lots offered sold; 26 items sold for more than $1 million and six sold for over $5 million; final prices soared to as many as 400 times their pre-sale estimates; bidders at the live auctions spanned 36 countries.
Since September, some 58,000 visitors viewed highlights of the collection on a world tour that stopped in Moscow, London, Dubai, Paris and Hong Kong, with nearly half that total paying $30 to see the offerings at New York's 10-day exhibition.
The online component alone took in nearly $10 million, with more than 57,000 bids.
Even catalogs -- some signed, limited edition offerings priced at more than $2,000 -- were a hot item. Proceeds of a portion of the exhibition, catalog and other related events went to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
The top price paid during the series of auctions was $11,842,500 for the historic La Peregrina, a 203-grain (equivalent to 55 carat) pear-shaped 16th-century pearl once owned by England's Mary Tudor and later by Spanish queens Margarita and Isabel.
Taylor's husband Richard Burton bought the pearl in 1969 at auction for $37,000, and Taylor commissioned Cartier to design a ruby-and-diamond necklace mount. The piece was estimated to sell at $2 million to $3 million.
Taylor's famous 33-carat diamond ring, another Burton gift now renamed The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, went for $8.8 million, setting a per-carat record for a colorless diamond.
Even the star's charm bracelets drew intense competition, with one estimated at $30,000 soaring to more than $325,000.
Similarly, the top lot of the online auction -- Hiro Yamagata's "Portrait of Elizabeth Taylor" from 1991 -- sold for $108,000, against a pre-sale estimate of about $250. Other top prices paid online for ranged from $45,000 $78,000.
Among memorabilia, Taylor's script from "National Velvet" fetched $170,500, against a $2,500 estimate.
More artwork from Taylor's collection will also be offered in February at Christie's in London during its auctions of old master paintings and Impressionist and modern art.
2011年12月20日星期二
Elizabeth Taylor’s Final Legacy
After the last diamond-encrusted bauble had been snatched up, the last item of Dior couture sold, the last Fendi handbag handed on to a new owner, the sale of Elizabeth Taylor’s vast collections netted $156.8 million. The four days of sales at Christie’s became the most valuable private jewelry sale in history ($137.2 million) and the most valuable private collection of fashion ever sold ($5.5 million). The first online-only Christie’s sale drew 57,000 bids and reaped $9.5 million. The complete collection sold out, a testament to both the star’s magnetism and the quality of the merchandise.
All the proceeds benefit the Elizabeth Taylor Trust, which manages the Taylor estate. Taylor was well-known in her later years for her fund-raising and activism for AIDS research. A portion of the profit generated by Christie’s sale of exhibition tickets (58,000 people saw the exhibit in its international travels), event sponsorship and the ongoing sales of “select publications,” will be donated to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. The auction house also raised $170,00 through the sale of a deluxe limited edition boxed set of the catalogs on the first evening of the auction, which will also go to the foundation.
Some highlights from the later sales: those Vuitton trunks, with the violet-colored tags reading “Mine!” sold for $245,500, the top figure for the accessories sale. The Andy Warhol lithograph signed and dedicated by the artist went for $662,000. A (quite hideous) beaded Versace bolero jacket featuring rhinestone images of Taylor in some of her famous roles fetched $128,500. Even rocks Taylor never actually wore went for big sums: a large gray “scholar’s rock” netted $386,500, more than 30 times its estimate of $8,000 to $12,000.
Christie’s will complete the dispersal of the Taylor collections in the new year with sales of her Old Master paintings (Jan. 25 in New York), including a Frans Hals portrait (not of Taylor), and her Impressionist and modern art collection (London, Feb. 7 and 8).
Chris Wilding, Taylor’s son and a trustee of the foundation, said, “My mother always acknowledged that she was merely the temporary custodian of the incredible things she owned. Today, I think she would be happy to know that her collections will continue to enrich the lives of those who have acquired pieces.”
All the proceeds benefit the Elizabeth Taylor Trust, which manages the Taylor estate. Taylor was well-known in her later years for her fund-raising and activism for AIDS research. A portion of the profit generated by Christie’s sale of exhibition tickets (58,000 people saw the exhibit in its international travels), event sponsorship and the ongoing sales of “select publications,” will be donated to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. The auction house also raised $170,00 through the sale of a deluxe limited edition boxed set of the catalogs on the first evening of the auction, which will also go to the foundation.
Some highlights from the later sales: those Vuitton trunks, with the violet-colored tags reading “Mine!” sold for $245,500, the top figure for the accessories sale. The Andy Warhol lithograph signed and dedicated by the artist went for $662,000. A (quite hideous) beaded Versace bolero jacket featuring rhinestone images of Taylor in some of her famous roles fetched $128,500. Even rocks Taylor never actually wore went for big sums: a large gray “scholar’s rock” netted $386,500, more than 30 times its estimate of $8,000 to $12,000.
Christie’s will complete the dispersal of the Taylor collections in the new year with sales of her Old Master paintings (Jan. 25 in New York), including a Frans Hals portrait (not of Taylor), and her Impressionist and modern art collection (London, Feb. 7 and 8).
Chris Wilding, Taylor’s son and a trustee of the foundation, said, “My mother always acknowledged that she was merely the temporary custodian of the incredible things she owned. Today, I think she would be happy to know that her collections will continue to enrich the lives of those who have acquired pieces.”
2011年12月19日星期一
Art sales: review of 2011
It has been an uneven year for the art market, starting like an express train, but finishing slightly out of puff. The auction houses will not produce their annual sales reports until next year, but figures on Sotheby’s website indicate that there has been a 12.2 per cent rise in its worldwide auction sales to $4.9 billion. However, while sales up to the end of July were generally meeting and sometimes exceeding expectations, since September, in Europe and the UK, they have consistently fallen below their estimates. Although there are exceptions, the trend suggests that the eurozone crisis has taken its toll.
In addition to auction sales, there will also be private sales, an increasingly popular part of the auctioneers’ business that takes place behind closed doors. Last year, private sales accounted for 10 per cent of business at Sotheby’s and Christie’s at $1 billion. During the first six months of this year, Christie’s increased its private sales by 57 per cent, and Sotheby’s by 114 per cent, as it recorded its best first six months ever. In spite of the private sale of four Matisse bronzes for an estimated $120 million in November, it is uncertain whether Sotheby’s will reach the record $6.2 billion for a year, achieved in 2007, but it will be close. The biggest money spinners, as ever, have been modern and contemporary art, but whereas blue-chip Impressionist and modern art dominated the recessionary period of 2009 and early 2010, the market this year has seen a swing back to post-war and contemporary art, especially in New York, where contemporary art sales have surged ahead.
A major feature of the modern market has been the strong prices for surrealist art. In February, a record 13.5 million was paid in London for Salvador Dali’s Portrait of Paul Eluard, as well as a record 2.5 million for a work on paper by Magritte. In New York in May, a Russian buyer paid a record $9 million for a painting by the Belgian Paul Delvaux, and in November a painting by Max Ernst sold for a record $16.3 million.
The biggest flop of the year for the Impressionists was the over-valued Degas sculpture Petit Danseuse de Quatorze Ans, which, estimated at $25 million to $35 million, was passed at Christie’s in New York in November without a bid.
Knowing quite when the new buyers from Asia, Russia or the Middle East would strike was the name of the game. While none fell for the Degas, an Asian buyer did claim the top Picasso, a portrait of his mistress, Marie-Thérèse Walther, at $21.4 million in New York’s May sales. Russian buyers claimed the top Francis Bacons of the year, including three small portraits of Lucian Freud, for 23 million in London, while competition between Russian and Asian buyers for abstract paintings by Gerhard Richter, such as can still be seen in the Richter exhibition at Tate Modern, drove prices to a record $21 million in November.
Two of the top 10 highest prices of the year were paid in London for Old Masters from old British collections. Francesco Guardi’s exceptionally large view of the Rialto Bridge in Venice will be going abroad unless funds can be found to match the 27 million paid for it, while George Stubbs’s sporting masterpiece, Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath, sold for 22.4 million, the third highest price ever for an Old Master. Meanwhile, a rediscovered Leonardo is on loan to an exhibition in the National Gallery with a mooted $200 million value attached to it.
The top prices at Sotheby’s and Christie’s were for American abstract expressionist and Pop art. The previously underrated Clyfford Still soared to a record $62 million, while a Roy Lichtenstein cartoon-style painting fetched $43 million. In a highly plausible account of the sales, The Economist has suggested that both paintings were guaranteed by the Qatari Royal Family, and then bought by them.
But the most expensive painting at auction was not in London, Paris or New York, but in Beijing. In May, a traditional ink and brush painting by China’s biggest selling artist, Qi Baishi, of an eagle standing on a pine tree flanked by calligraphic scrolls, sold for $65 million at China Guardian Auctions. The Chinese market may have cooled down of late, and may have less reliable standards of reporting concerning sales, but when the analysis is done, it will be shown how close China is to becoming the largest art and antiques market in the world.
In addition to auction sales, there will also be private sales, an increasingly popular part of the auctioneers’ business that takes place behind closed doors. Last year, private sales accounted for 10 per cent of business at Sotheby’s and Christie’s at $1 billion. During the first six months of this year, Christie’s increased its private sales by 57 per cent, and Sotheby’s by 114 per cent, as it recorded its best first six months ever. In spite of the private sale of four Matisse bronzes for an estimated $120 million in November, it is uncertain whether Sotheby’s will reach the record $6.2 billion for a year, achieved in 2007, but it will be close. The biggest money spinners, as ever, have been modern and contemporary art, but whereas blue-chip Impressionist and modern art dominated the recessionary period of 2009 and early 2010, the market this year has seen a swing back to post-war and contemporary art, especially in New York, where contemporary art sales have surged ahead.
A major feature of the modern market has been the strong prices for surrealist art. In February, a record 13.5 million was paid in London for Salvador Dali’s Portrait of Paul Eluard, as well as a record 2.5 million for a work on paper by Magritte. In New York in May, a Russian buyer paid a record $9 million for a painting by the Belgian Paul Delvaux, and in November a painting by Max Ernst sold for a record $16.3 million.
The biggest flop of the year for the Impressionists was the over-valued Degas sculpture Petit Danseuse de Quatorze Ans, which, estimated at $25 million to $35 million, was passed at Christie’s in New York in November without a bid.
Knowing quite when the new buyers from Asia, Russia or the Middle East would strike was the name of the game. While none fell for the Degas, an Asian buyer did claim the top Picasso, a portrait of his mistress, Marie-Thérèse Walther, at $21.4 million in New York’s May sales. Russian buyers claimed the top Francis Bacons of the year, including three small portraits of Lucian Freud, for 23 million in London, while competition between Russian and Asian buyers for abstract paintings by Gerhard Richter, such as can still be seen in the Richter exhibition at Tate Modern, drove prices to a record $21 million in November.
Two of the top 10 highest prices of the year were paid in London for Old Masters from old British collections. Francesco Guardi’s exceptionally large view of the Rialto Bridge in Venice will be going abroad unless funds can be found to match the 27 million paid for it, while George Stubbs’s sporting masterpiece, Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath, sold for 22.4 million, the third highest price ever for an Old Master. Meanwhile, a rediscovered Leonardo is on loan to an exhibition in the National Gallery with a mooted $200 million value attached to it.
The top prices at Sotheby’s and Christie’s were for American abstract expressionist and Pop art. The previously underrated Clyfford Still soared to a record $62 million, while a Roy Lichtenstein cartoon-style painting fetched $43 million. In a highly plausible account of the sales, The Economist has suggested that both paintings were guaranteed by the Qatari Royal Family, and then bought by them.
But the most expensive painting at auction was not in London, Paris or New York, but in Beijing. In May, a traditional ink and brush painting by China’s biggest selling artist, Qi Baishi, of an eagle standing on a pine tree flanked by calligraphic scrolls, sold for $65 million at China Guardian Auctions. The Chinese market may have cooled down of late, and may have less reliable standards of reporting concerning sales, but when the analysis is done, it will be shown how close China is to becoming the largest art and antiques market in the world.
2011年12月18日星期日
As markets plunge, Asia's wealthy flock to art
Despite giddy Chinese art prices showing some strain from global economic uncertainty, collectors like Lo think values will continue to rise due to limited supply and continued strong demand as Asian collectors become more affluent.
"As East and West get into more of a confluence in taste and in the market place, it will still go up," said Lo, a Cambridge-educated writer and jewellery designer, a slim, elegant woman famously known for wearing mis-matched designer shoes.
She is one of Hong Kong's leading art collectors -- her home is stacked with rare Chinese furniture, stone carvings and paintings, including an inkbrush panorama of the Grand Canyon by Chinese 20th century master Wu Guanzhong.
"These days art investment has entered into the mainstream of investment, especially for younger people. You cannot divorce love of the piece from what lies behind, the value of it."
Hong Kong has played a key role in Asia's art market boom. Its auction market turnover -- anchored by Sotheby's and Christie's -- skyrocketed 300 percent from 2009 to 2010, powered by a wave of Chinese millionaires buying art with avid fervor.
"Hong Kong has became the sales centre of the world," said Patti Wong, chairman of Sotheby's Asia, with revenue in the former British colony on par with New York and London.
Despite the art market's vulnerability to shocks, including the 2008 Lehman Brothers collapse, when unrealistic estimates left scores of unsold lots amid tepid bidding even in the red-hot Chinese ceramics market, Asia's rapid wealth accumulation will likely see more and more money flow into art and alternative investments such as wine.
Asia's wealth management and private banking industry remains a sparkling growth area for many struggling banks, with an estimated 3.3 million high net worth individuals worth more than $1 million, according to Capgemini and Merrill Lynch's latest annual World Wealth report.
With a combined wealth of $10.7 trillion, Asia's wealthy have even eclipsed the $10.2 trillion held by Europe's generational millionaires.
"The exponential growth in the number of emerging market (millionaires) ... is expanding the global market for investments of passion," the report said.
SAFE HAVEN?
While art often comes straddled with hefty commission, storage and insurance costs, it can serve as a fun portfolio diversifier, mixing decent returns with aesthetic pleasure.
Even as the euro zone debt crisis rages and buffets regional stock markets, the Mei Moses Global Art Index, a widely tracked art indicator, showed an 11.8 percent rise in 2011 to November.
"It may not be a good time for sellers but it's an excellent time for buyers. During late 2008 and 2009, I highly advised clients to buy," said Bobby Mohseni, director of MFA Asia, an art consultancy. "With Chinese contemporary art, some prices have gone exceptionally high and that's just over a decade ... so it's best to look at upcoming or mid-tier artists."
While stocks on the S&P 500 have outperformed Western art over the past 25 years, according to Mei Moses data, top Chinese and Asian art is still comparatively cheap compared with Western impressionists or American contemporary art. A Mei Moses index for traditional Chinese art showed a 24 percent jump in the first three quarters this year.
"The confidence in the Chinese contemporary art market remains high despite art market confidence dropping sharply in the U.S. and European contemporary market," Anders Petterson, head of art research consultancy ArtTactic, told Reuters.
Even for those with less purchasing muscle, experts say bargains can still be had in less spotlighted categories, including modern Filipino and Indonesian painters, as well as photography, and Chinese snuff bottles, to name a few.
"Collect what other people aren't collecting," said Tony Miller, a former top Hong Kong government official and long-standing collector of scholars' objects and Chinese art. "If you can't afford Qi Baishi paintings and they're going at HK$2 million a throw, well, go for prints."
Qi is one of the masters of inkbrush paintings and his pieces sell for millions of dollars.
Owners of Hong Kong's art galleries, many of them crammed along the winding Hollywood Road in the Central district, say timing is the key.
"If you get good works of art, then without any question it is (a safe haven) but it doesn't have the liquidity. That's the difficulty," said Sundaram Tagore, whose galleries in Hong Kong and the United States feature a stable of culture-bridging artists.
"If you're trying to sell at the wrong time it becomes part of the distressed market but if you're selling at the right time then you could make 100 times more, maybe more than property or any bonds can provide you."
The search by Asian investors for alternative assets has extended beyond art into wine, gems, watches, postage stamps and other memorabilia -- the rarer and more exclusive, the better.
With about two-thirds of the world's stamp collectors in Asia, the stamps and collectibles market has surged, says Geoff Anandappa of stamp and memorabilia retailer Stanley Gibbons.
Hong Kong-based InterAsia Auctions -- which specialises in Asian stamps -- broke world records for Chinese stamps in September, raking in $12.6 million over four days. A 1941 Dr Sun Yat-Sen inverted centre stamp fetched $221,000, up 66 percent from a similar sale a year ago.
Chinese and Asian buyers have cornered the fine wine market, with a Hong Kong Acker Merrall & Condit wine auction in December bringing in $9 million, including a single superlot of 55 Romanee Conti vintages that fetched a record-breaking $813,000.
Similarly, Asian buying is behind the boom for diamonds and gems. China is on course to become the world's top diamond buyer and retailers in Hong Kong report a rise in the number of men coming to buy loose diamonds for investments.
A Hong Kong jewellery retailer recently raised $2 billion in one of the city's biggest initial public offerings this year to fund expansion in the region.
"It's not the old days of 'safe as houses', put your money in the bank and that will sort you out," said Jon Reade of the Art Futures Group, a Hong Kong-based art investment firm.
"Those are the days probably of my parents' generation ... people are getting more creative with their money."
"As East and West get into more of a confluence in taste and in the market place, it will still go up," said Lo, a Cambridge-educated writer and jewellery designer, a slim, elegant woman famously known for wearing mis-matched designer shoes.
She is one of Hong Kong's leading art collectors -- her home is stacked with rare Chinese furniture, stone carvings and paintings, including an inkbrush panorama of the Grand Canyon by Chinese 20th century master Wu Guanzhong.
"These days art investment has entered into the mainstream of investment, especially for younger people. You cannot divorce love of the piece from what lies behind, the value of it."
Hong Kong has played a key role in Asia's art market boom. Its auction market turnover -- anchored by Sotheby's and Christie's -- skyrocketed 300 percent from 2009 to 2010, powered by a wave of Chinese millionaires buying art with avid fervor.
"Hong Kong has became the sales centre of the world," said Patti Wong, chairman of Sotheby's Asia, with revenue in the former British colony on par with New York and London.
Despite the art market's vulnerability to shocks, including the 2008 Lehman Brothers collapse, when unrealistic estimates left scores of unsold lots amid tepid bidding even in the red-hot Chinese ceramics market, Asia's rapid wealth accumulation will likely see more and more money flow into art and alternative investments such as wine.
Asia's wealth management and private banking industry remains a sparkling growth area for many struggling banks, with an estimated 3.3 million high net worth individuals worth more than $1 million, according to Capgemini and Merrill Lynch's latest annual World Wealth report.
With a combined wealth of $10.7 trillion, Asia's wealthy have even eclipsed the $10.2 trillion held by Europe's generational millionaires.
"The exponential growth in the number of emerging market (millionaires) ... is expanding the global market for investments of passion," the report said.
SAFE HAVEN?
While art often comes straddled with hefty commission, storage and insurance costs, it can serve as a fun portfolio diversifier, mixing decent returns with aesthetic pleasure.
Even as the euro zone debt crisis rages and buffets regional stock markets, the Mei Moses Global Art Index, a widely tracked art indicator, showed an 11.8 percent rise in 2011 to November.
"It may not be a good time for sellers but it's an excellent time for buyers. During late 2008 and 2009, I highly advised clients to buy," said Bobby Mohseni, director of MFA Asia, an art consultancy. "With Chinese contemporary art, some prices have gone exceptionally high and that's just over a decade ... so it's best to look at upcoming or mid-tier artists."
While stocks on the S&P 500 have outperformed Western art over the past 25 years, according to Mei Moses data, top Chinese and Asian art is still comparatively cheap compared with Western impressionists or American contemporary art. A Mei Moses index for traditional Chinese art showed a 24 percent jump in the first three quarters this year.
"The confidence in the Chinese contemporary art market remains high despite art market confidence dropping sharply in the U.S. and European contemporary market," Anders Petterson, head of art research consultancy ArtTactic, told Reuters.
Even for those with less purchasing muscle, experts say bargains can still be had in less spotlighted categories, including modern Filipino and Indonesian painters, as well as photography, and Chinese snuff bottles, to name a few.
"Collect what other people aren't collecting," said Tony Miller, a former top Hong Kong government official and long-standing collector of scholars' objects and Chinese art. "If you can't afford Qi Baishi paintings and they're going at HK$2 million a throw, well, go for prints."
Qi is one of the masters of inkbrush paintings and his pieces sell for millions of dollars.
Owners of Hong Kong's art galleries, many of them crammed along the winding Hollywood Road in the Central district, say timing is the key.
"If you get good works of art, then without any question it is (a safe haven) but it doesn't have the liquidity. That's the difficulty," said Sundaram Tagore, whose galleries in Hong Kong and the United States feature a stable of culture-bridging artists.
"If you're trying to sell at the wrong time it becomes part of the distressed market but if you're selling at the right time then you could make 100 times more, maybe more than property or any bonds can provide you."
The search by Asian investors for alternative assets has extended beyond art into wine, gems, watches, postage stamps and other memorabilia -- the rarer and more exclusive, the better.
With about two-thirds of the world's stamp collectors in Asia, the stamps and collectibles market has surged, says Geoff Anandappa of stamp and memorabilia retailer Stanley Gibbons.
Hong Kong-based InterAsia Auctions -- which specialises in Asian stamps -- broke world records for Chinese stamps in September, raking in $12.6 million over four days. A 1941 Dr Sun Yat-Sen inverted centre stamp fetched $221,000, up 66 percent from a similar sale a year ago.
Chinese and Asian buyers have cornered the fine wine market, with a Hong Kong Acker Merrall & Condit wine auction in December bringing in $9 million, including a single superlot of 55 Romanee Conti vintages that fetched a record-breaking $813,000.
Similarly, Asian buying is behind the boom for diamonds and gems. China is on course to become the world's top diamond buyer and retailers in Hong Kong report a rise in the number of men coming to buy loose diamonds for investments.
A Hong Kong jewellery retailer recently raised $2 billion in one of the city's biggest initial public offerings this year to fund expansion in the region.
"It's not the old days of 'safe as houses', put your money in the bank and that will sort you out," said Jon Reade of the Art Futures Group, a Hong Kong-based art investment firm.
"Those are the days probably of my parents' generation ... people are getting more creative with their money."
2011年12月15日星期四
Art show revels in Narragansett Bay's revival
A soggy, gray December day turned for the better inside the Save The Bay Center at Fields Point, where hundreds of images in a range of media showcased the drama and personality of Rhode Island's signature landscape.
Visible just a few feet away, the water of Narragansett Bay rippled in the wind, pockmarked by rain, while on the walls and shelves of the Save The Bay Center it presented all of its moods and colors in photographs, paintings, sculptures, even jewelry, showcasing the beauty and diversity of the state's most precious resource. The show is haphazardly presented, but there is a sense of meandering joy in finding surprises amid seascape clichés. The bay is depicted in all seasons and times of day and night. Familiar landmarks, including many of the state's lighthouses and points, are commonly represented. (The Newport Bridge, in particular, seems to have emerged as Rhode Island's Motif No. 1, our artistic answer to Rockport's red fishing shack and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.)
The show spotlights the usual suspects - osprey and geese, herons and stripers, the odd gull, the odd quahog. The horseshoe crab, one of the world's oldest creatures, possessed with a graphically distinctive armored shape, and observed more frequently in recent years as a sign of the bay's revitalized health, appears as one of the more popular characters in this year's show. There are waves rendered in all of their variety, boats of all kinds, surfers and solitary fishermen, sails and saltboxes, and images both familiar and enticing to the everyday Rhode Island beachcomber.
Mary Chatowsky Jameson, a native Rhode Islander who splits her time between Middletown and Jamaica Plain, Mass., contributes exquisite images of sea flora, the seaweeds and other plants strewn across Rhode Island shores, pressed and dried into pleasing designs of delicate shapes with subtle colors. Her Porphyra and Chordaria flagelliformis (back whip weed) are particularly striking. A hand-printed serigraph, titled "Seaweed," by Ashley Van Etten, offers a similarly engaging variant.
North Kingstown free diver and photographer Mike Laptew includes a stunning photograph of an osprey in flight, yellow-eyed, clutching a herring in its talons, depicting one of the daily dramas of the Rhode Island coast at the time of the osprey's return - and the herring's - each spring.
Evocative coastal scenes include "Winter Harbor," an oil by Saunderstown painter Jonathan McPhillips, reminding us how every New England season offers its own visual charm, and two appealing photographs by Wickford's Cindy Horovitz Wilson. One, "Red Pelican Reflections," is an abstract of rippling red streaking across the water, while the other, "Clear Reflections," is a tranquil harbor scene of early morning mist and mast.
Carl Peter Mayer's seemingly impossible balanced rock sculptures, made up of columns of large beach stones topped by heart-shaped rocks, which graced the sea wall near Narragansett Town Beach a couple of years ago until weather and physics took over, make a welcome return to the Save The Bay show.
While the exhibition overall captures the exuberance of the bay, and all who enjoy its company, one wishes for a bit more daring, a grittier edge. Most works take aim at scenery, or natural diversity, but few tackle the issue of bay preservation - the underlying theme of the show - in ways that are cognitively challenging or emotionally wrenching.
But, of course, the purpose of the annual Save The Bay art show is to sell images, to support the artists and the organization's marine science education program. So we are given more pretty scenes than provocative ones. Which is fine, especially on a day when parking lots turn to puddles, all of the color has been washed out of sea and sky, and the prevailing atmosphere is so raw, damp and cold that a squid might be tempted to volunteer for the calamari skillet. On days like these, there are advantages to enjoying the bay indoors.
Visible just a few feet away, the water of Narragansett Bay rippled in the wind, pockmarked by rain, while on the walls and shelves of the Save The Bay Center it presented all of its moods and colors in photographs, paintings, sculptures, even jewelry, showcasing the beauty and diversity of the state's most precious resource. The show is haphazardly presented, but there is a sense of meandering joy in finding surprises amid seascape clichés. The bay is depicted in all seasons and times of day and night. Familiar landmarks, including many of the state's lighthouses and points, are commonly represented. (The Newport Bridge, in particular, seems to have emerged as Rhode Island's Motif No. 1, our artistic answer to Rockport's red fishing shack and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.)
The show spotlights the usual suspects - osprey and geese, herons and stripers, the odd gull, the odd quahog. The horseshoe crab, one of the world's oldest creatures, possessed with a graphically distinctive armored shape, and observed more frequently in recent years as a sign of the bay's revitalized health, appears as one of the more popular characters in this year's show. There are waves rendered in all of their variety, boats of all kinds, surfers and solitary fishermen, sails and saltboxes, and images both familiar and enticing to the everyday Rhode Island beachcomber.
Mary Chatowsky Jameson, a native Rhode Islander who splits her time between Middletown and Jamaica Plain, Mass., contributes exquisite images of sea flora, the seaweeds and other plants strewn across Rhode Island shores, pressed and dried into pleasing designs of delicate shapes with subtle colors. Her Porphyra and Chordaria flagelliformis (back whip weed) are particularly striking. A hand-printed serigraph, titled "Seaweed," by Ashley Van Etten, offers a similarly engaging variant.
North Kingstown free diver and photographer Mike Laptew includes a stunning photograph of an osprey in flight, yellow-eyed, clutching a herring in its talons, depicting one of the daily dramas of the Rhode Island coast at the time of the osprey's return - and the herring's - each spring.
Evocative coastal scenes include "Winter Harbor," an oil by Saunderstown painter Jonathan McPhillips, reminding us how every New England season offers its own visual charm, and two appealing photographs by Wickford's Cindy Horovitz Wilson. One, "Red Pelican Reflections," is an abstract of rippling red streaking across the water, while the other, "Clear Reflections," is a tranquil harbor scene of early morning mist and mast.
Carl Peter Mayer's seemingly impossible balanced rock sculptures, made up of columns of large beach stones topped by heart-shaped rocks, which graced the sea wall near Narragansett Town Beach a couple of years ago until weather and physics took over, make a welcome return to the Save The Bay show.
While the exhibition overall captures the exuberance of the bay, and all who enjoy its company, one wishes for a bit more daring, a grittier edge. Most works take aim at scenery, or natural diversity, but few tackle the issue of bay preservation - the underlying theme of the show - in ways that are cognitively challenging or emotionally wrenching.
But, of course, the purpose of the annual Save The Bay art show is to sell images, to support the artists and the organization's marine science education program. So we are given more pretty scenes than provocative ones. Which is fine, especially on a day when parking lots turn to puddles, all of the color has been washed out of sea and sky, and the prevailing atmosphere is so raw, damp and cold that a squid might be tempted to volunteer for the calamari skillet. On days like these, there are advantages to enjoying the bay indoors.
2011年12月14日星期三
Doyle Street artists embrace variety of styles
Walking into the Doyle Street Art Fair, I’m surprised to see actor Brian Heighton sitting at the front desk.
Actually Heighton studied art before he "fell into acting," and he’s exhibiting with four other local artists in a "pop-up" art gallery in the former Italian Market building at 5413 Doyle St., Halifax.
Jeremy Akerman, also an actor, as well as a former politician and a painter, saw the space for rent and invited Heighton, as well as J. Vincent Walsh, Jacqueline Steudler, Mary Ann Archibald and Sarah Jane Conklin, to exhibit their works at the Doyle Street Art Fair until Dec. 21.
The paintings range from Heighton’s depiction of hockey sticks plunged into a snow bank after a backyard hockey game in Halifax’s North End to Steudler’s hot, hard-edged, semi-abstracts of flowers. There’s a bit of questionable sculpture in this show, but the painting is strong.
Heighton loves to paint the flat-roofed, colourful North End houses and hopes to do a series in acrylic "before they go."
He also exhibits a small landscape of the island at Dollar Lake, where he camped for the first time this summer and discovered the giant turtle that lives near the island. He captures the pine trees reflecting in the water.
Akerman hangs his work in a salon style with a crowd of landscapes and portraits in all sizes including a series of small, vivid portraits of politicians like Howard Epstein and G.I. Smith, as well as actors Michael Moriarty and Tom Selleck.
His landscapes include swooping misty highland landscapes and dancing Halifax paintings of city lights and the harbour.
Mary Ann Archibald is a sensitive portrait painter who captures a soul, and a story, as well as a likeness with a soft, gentle touch in her oil paintings. Her portrait of William Hall hangs in the Nova Scotia Legislature. Archibald also exhibits still lifes of flowers, demonstrating a gift for painting glass, and landscapes like Winter at Wolfville which perfectly captures the winter light and harsh blueness of the Minas Basin in winter.
Fall River artist Sarah Jane Conklin has a highly individual style of worked up oil on canvas surfaces which she beautifully describes as "deliberate entanglements of brushstrokes" and hot, contrasting colours with lots of oranges and greens in her rushing river series, which she exhibited as River Ballads at the Peter Lewis Gallery in Saint John, N.B., in May.
Conklin has a painting featured in CBC Radio Information Morning’s 2012 Sharing the View Calendar, now on sale at Sobeys as a Feed Nova Scotia fundraiser.
J. Vincent Walsh brings the beach into the gallery with the beautifully composed, subdued and lovely Beach Stone Composition #1, as well a closeup of a traditional buoy in Killick #1 and a stretch of beach at Martinique.
He demonstrates his range with still life and figurative work.Steudler, like Conklin, is defined by a unique colour palette in paintings ranging from abstracts of land or sea, horizon line and sky, the powerful patterned flowers and small splashy abstracts of jots of colour.
All the works at the Doyle Street Art Fair are for sale.
"It’s not like Walmart but yeah, they sell," says Heighton, who as an actor is in DMV Theatre Collective’s remount of The Ugly One in Calgary in January and is in a new DMV production in Halifax in February. "I think people are pleasantly surprised. They go, it’s great. It’s a sleepy street, they find it’s local artists and they think that’s great."
Actually Heighton studied art before he "fell into acting," and he’s exhibiting with four other local artists in a "pop-up" art gallery in the former Italian Market building at 5413 Doyle St., Halifax.
Jeremy Akerman, also an actor, as well as a former politician and a painter, saw the space for rent and invited Heighton, as well as J. Vincent Walsh, Jacqueline Steudler, Mary Ann Archibald and Sarah Jane Conklin, to exhibit their works at the Doyle Street Art Fair until Dec. 21.
The paintings range from Heighton’s depiction of hockey sticks plunged into a snow bank after a backyard hockey game in Halifax’s North End to Steudler’s hot, hard-edged, semi-abstracts of flowers. There’s a bit of questionable sculpture in this show, but the painting is strong.
Heighton loves to paint the flat-roofed, colourful North End houses and hopes to do a series in acrylic "before they go."
He also exhibits a small landscape of the island at Dollar Lake, where he camped for the first time this summer and discovered the giant turtle that lives near the island. He captures the pine trees reflecting in the water.
Akerman hangs his work in a salon style with a crowd of landscapes and portraits in all sizes including a series of small, vivid portraits of politicians like Howard Epstein and G.I. Smith, as well as actors Michael Moriarty and Tom Selleck.
His landscapes include swooping misty highland landscapes and dancing Halifax paintings of city lights and the harbour.
Mary Ann Archibald is a sensitive portrait painter who captures a soul, and a story, as well as a likeness with a soft, gentle touch in her oil paintings. Her portrait of William Hall hangs in the Nova Scotia Legislature. Archibald also exhibits still lifes of flowers, demonstrating a gift for painting glass, and landscapes like Winter at Wolfville which perfectly captures the winter light and harsh blueness of the Minas Basin in winter.
Fall River artist Sarah Jane Conklin has a highly individual style of worked up oil on canvas surfaces which she beautifully describes as "deliberate entanglements of brushstrokes" and hot, contrasting colours with lots of oranges and greens in her rushing river series, which she exhibited as River Ballads at the Peter Lewis Gallery in Saint John, N.B., in May.
Conklin has a painting featured in CBC Radio Information Morning’s 2012 Sharing the View Calendar, now on sale at Sobeys as a Feed Nova Scotia fundraiser.
J. Vincent Walsh brings the beach into the gallery with the beautifully composed, subdued and lovely Beach Stone Composition #1, as well a closeup of a traditional buoy in Killick #1 and a stretch of beach at Martinique.
He demonstrates his range with still life and figurative work.Steudler, like Conklin, is defined by a unique colour palette in paintings ranging from abstracts of land or sea, horizon line and sky, the powerful patterned flowers and small splashy abstracts of jots of colour.
All the works at the Doyle Street Art Fair are for sale.
"It’s not like Walmart but yeah, they sell," says Heighton, who as an actor is in DMV Theatre Collective’s remount of The Ugly One in Calgary in January and is in a new DMV production in Halifax in February. "I think people are pleasantly surprised. They go, it’s great. It’s a sleepy street, they find it’s local artists and they think that’s great."
2011年12月13日星期二
Maritime artists contribute to Sail M.V.'s holiday art sale
There are boats, seascapes, fish, seabirds, and shells and there are…more boats. Not surprisingly, a good number of the artistic contributions to Sail Martha's Vineyard's Holiday Maritime Art Sale feature boats: sail, row, fishing, and of course, an icon of Island living, the ferry. However, given the number of artists contributing to the show, everywhere you look you'll see a different take on a seascape or a nautical scene.
The unique collection has been gathered for the fourth year now as a benefit for Sail M.V., the local organization founded in 1992 dedicated to offering youth programs for Island children in sailing, seamanship, and wooden boat building; to attracting historic vessels to the community; and to providing opportunities for all ages in maritime education, rowing, and sailing.
The show, which runs through December 23, includes painting, photography, sculpture, jewelry, and other gift items, and a couple of working boats. Taking up most of the westerly wall in the one-room show is a full size canoe by Rick Brown of Far Cry Boats, which has a price tag of $3,333. The catboat that graces the front of the historic building is also for sale for $4,444.
The rest of the collection is considerably less pricey and more living-room friendly. Approximately 25 artists are represented with prices ranging from $50 to $1,600 (there are also inexpensive cards and gift items). "The water and boats inspire everybody in so many dimensions," said Pam Flam, show coordinator. "There's something for everybody's price range and also for every taste."
Works by a handful of well-established artists are among the group show, including a black and white print by Allen Whiting called "Bequia Boat," which is a departure from his signature style and has an almost expressionist feel.
A large monochromatic work by John Holladay stands out. It's a study of lobster traps in greys and blacks with a few splotches of red. Two very attractive paintings of Squibnocket by Donna Straw dominate one of the rooms. They are done in muted blues and tans highlighted by bold outlines and sun streaks of metallic gold.
Marston Clough has the most paintings in the show with 10 works whose simplicity is very appealing, especially in ones whose rustic appeal is contrasted by painted gold frames. The works, many of which are quite small, in prices ranging from $50 to $350, would make great Christmas gifts, as would lovely little landscapes by up-and-coming local artist Dan VanLandingham, and some attractively priced paintings by Thaw Malin.
A large oil painting of Sail M.V.'s two pilot gigs — Cassie and Grace — is perhaps the most eye-catching piece in the show, and also the priciest painting at $1,600. Cassie, whose green and red color scheme has made her a very recognizable feature of the Vineyard Haven harbor, is also the subject of a number of other works in the show. A series of photos by David Dandridge feature Cassie, both in color and black and white. Mr. Dandridge is a skipper for the Steamship Authority who, according to Ms. Flam, always has his camera with him. "He gets shots of sights that mere mortals don't get a chance to see," she said.
Among Mr. Dandridge's contributions to the show are two wonderful photos with Cassie in the foreground and ghostly images in the misty background — one in color with the ferry and one in black and white with a barely visible schooner. These two are treasures that could easily be missed in a peremptory viewing of the show.
Other photographers whose work is represented are Alison Shaw, L.A. Brown, Jeff Serusa, Susan Safford, Dick Clark, Lisa Vanderhoop, Jhenn Watts, and Louisa Gould. Each has a distinctive style, from Ms. Vanderhoop's popping colors to Ms. Watts' emulsion lifts on glass, to Ms. Gould's popular action shots from sailing races. Mr. Clark has on display many photos at different price points, including some unframed prints for $30.
Sketch artist Tim Winchell also offers some unframed matted prints for under $50, as well as framed prints and originals. His charcoal sketches of Menemsha are masterfully executed and display his eye for detail. One print of the Menemsha wharf vista from above, with circling seagulls in the foreground, is a wonderful portrayal from an unusual perspective.
Metal sculptures by Charles Gibbs include a very attractive fish made from corrugated metal and other found objects. Woodworker J.P. Uranker has contributed a hand-carved boat hook and an oar to the collection. His wife, Fran Uranker, offers neat nautical gifts including rope-wrapped vases and decanters, sailor's knot-adorned stoppers, and monkey's fist necklaces.
There are two calendars — Catboats by catboat owner Jim O'Connor and Ms. Vanderhoop's popular Vineyard Seadogs. There is a small selection of jewelry including some lovely, simple modern pieces crafted by Kenneth Pillsworth from silver, titanium, and pearls, and there are hand-painted boxes by Lorraine Wells. A variety of artists have also contributed packaged cards.
The artists all keep 75 percent of the price with the remainder going towards Sail M.V. "This is great for the artists right now when they don't have a lot going on," said Hope Callen, Sail M.V. administrative director.
The unique collection has been gathered for the fourth year now as a benefit for Sail M.V., the local organization founded in 1992 dedicated to offering youth programs for Island children in sailing, seamanship, and wooden boat building; to attracting historic vessels to the community; and to providing opportunities for all ages in maritime education, rowing, and sailing.
The show, which runs through December 23, includes painting, photography, sculpture, jewelry, and other gift items, and a couple of working boats. Taking up most of the westerly wall in the one-room show is a full size canoe by Rick Brown of Far Cry Boats, which has a price tag of $3,333. The catboat that graces the front of the historic building is also for sale for $4,444.
The rest of the collection is considerably less pricey and more living-room friendly. Approximately 25 artists are represented with prices ranging from $50 to $1,600 (there are also inexpensive cards and gift items). "The water and boats inspire everybody in so many dimensions," said Pam Flam, show coordinator. "There's something for everybody's price range and also for every taste."
Works by a handful of well-established artists are among the group show, including a black and white print by Allen Whiting called "Bequia Boat," which is a departure from his signature style and has an almost expressionist feel.
A large monochromatic work by John Holladay stands out. It's a study of lobster traps in greys and blacks with a few splotches of red. Two very attractive paintings of Squibnocket by Donna Straw dominate one of the rooms. They are done in muted blues and tans highlighted by bold outlines and sun streaks of metallic gold.
Marston Clough has the most paintings in the show with 10 works whose simplicity is very appealing, especially in ones whose rustic appeal is contrasted by painted gold frames. The works, many of which are quite small, in prices ranging from $50 to $350, would make great Christmas gifts, as would lovely little landscapes by up-and-coming local artist Dan VanLandingham, and some attractively priced paintings by Thaw Malin.
A large oil painting of Sail M.V.'s two pilot gigs — Cassie and Grace — is perhaps the most eye-catching piece in the show, and also the priciest painting at $1,600. Cassie, whose green and red color scheme has made her a very recognizable feature of the Vineyard Haven harbor, is also the subject of a number of other works in the show. A series of photos by David Dandridge feature Cassie, both in color and black and white. Mr. Dandridge is a skipper for the Steamship Authority who, according to Ms. Flam, always has his camera with him. "He gets shots of sights that mere mortals don't get a chance to see," she said.
Among Mr. Dandridge's contributions to the show are two wonderful photos with Cassie in the foreground and ghostly images in the misty background — one in color with the ferry and one in black and white with a barely visible schooner. These two are treasures that could easily be missed in a peremptory viewing of the show.
Other photographers whose work is represented are Alison Shaw, L.A. Brown, Jeff Serusa, Susan Safford, Dick Clark, Lisa Vanderhoop, Jhenn Watts, and Louisa Gould. Each has a distinctive style, from Ms. Vanderhoop's popping colors to Ms. Watts' emulsion lifts on glass, to Ms. Gould's popular action shots from sailing races. Mr. Clark has on display many photos at different price points, including some unframed prints for $30.
Sketch artist Tim Winchell also offers some unframed matted prints for under $50, as well as framed prints and originals. His charcoal sketches of Menemsha are masterfully executed and display his eye for detail. One print of the Menemsha wharf vista from above, with circling seagulls in the foreground, is a wonderful portrayal from an unusual perspective.
Metal sculptures by Charles Gibbs include a very attractive fish made from corrugated metal and other found objects. Woodworker J.P. Uranker has contributed a hand-carved boat hook and an oar to the collection. His wife, Fran Uranker, offers neat nautical gifts including rope-wrapped vases and decanters, sailor's knot-adorned stoppers, and monkey's fist necklaces.
There are two calendars — Catboats by catboat owner Jim O'Connor and Ms. Vanderhoop's popular Vineyard Seadogs. There is a small selection of jewelry including some lovely, simple modern pieces crafted by Kenneth Pillsworth from silver, titanium, and pearls, and there are hand-painted boxes by Lorraine Wells. A variety of artists have also contributed packaged cards.
The artists all keep 75 percent of the price with the remainder going towards Sail M.V. "This is great for the artists right now when they don't have a lot going on," said Hope Callen, Sail M.V. administrative director.
2011年12月12日星期一
It’s misplaced triumph over sale of painting
I’m furious with my husband, Steve. He thought he was being so very clever but no, he’s only succeeded in making me angry.
You may wonder what on earth he has done. In fact, it is the most stupid thing imaginable to me. He has - and I pause to take a deep breath - sold an oil painting of a horse to an unknown woman who called at the door. He had the nerve to laugh as he told me, boasting it was so shrewd to get fifty pounds for it.
“It was two ponies for a horse,” he grinned. Giggling, like a schoolboy, he continued: “I found it, covered in dust, in the garage. I noticed it again the other day when I was putting the patio pots away. The paper around it was a bit torn, with the frame showing through. I couldn’t think what painting it was at first, but then I remembered we’ve got some of Papa’s things stored here. I did explain to the woman that it was Papa’s student copy but she said that didn’t matter. A stroke of luck really, that she should be interested in taking the old painting off our hands.”
I want to scream at this disaster. The true value of the painting reverberates inside my head. One hundred thousand pounds!
My father is Pierre Moureau. Now 90 years old, he retired some 30 years ago from his long career as an art historian. Sadly he is in nursing care, with some physical disabilities and mild dementia.
Despite his medical problems, he continues to lead a contented life. We visit him every other day and bring him home from time to time. It was Papa who painted a copy of the horse painting and that copy is, to this day, in The Burrell Art Collection in Glasgow.
The original, an oil sketch entitled Prancing Grey Horse was painted by Theodore Gericault and has led a less auspicious life, being wrapped in brown paper and hidden from view at the back of various family garages for over 60 years.
Papa, as a young art student, worked for Sir William Burrell. With all the daring of an impetuous young man, having toiled for many days to imitate every fine detail of the grey horse, carefully capturing its prancing stance, he swapped his painting for the original.
When the ruse went undiscovered he was elated, seeing this as proof of his artistic talent. Unfortunately, he was not to know that enhanced security measures were being introduced to protect Sir William’s art treasures. Horrified, Papa realised some sort of early-day alarm system had been installed and it was too late to swap the paintings back without detection.
The only solution he could see was to tell no one, fearing there was a risk of imprisonment if he confessed. In those days, he doubted anyone in authority would see the deception as the childish prank it was. Unhappily, Papa’s heavy conscience destroyed his artistic talent and he despondently abandoned his work. Later, wishing to remain a part of the world he loved, he pursued art history studies instead and progressed to become a noted expert. Ironically, he was often called upon for his opinion on the authenticity of contested works of art.
I suspect all this would have remained secret had I not chosen to follow a similar career. The sight of me examining Prancing Grey Horse with a magnifying glass was too much for Papa. It unnerved him greatly and he felt compelled to tell me the story. I was in deep shock as he described how wretched he had felt carrying the burden of this secret for so many years. I, without hesitation, promised to tell no one either. Steve continues to think the long forgotten painting he pulled out of the garage is Papa’s copy.
I screw up my face and hiss meanly: “The painting wasn’t yours to sell.”
Steve continues, unperturbed by my unexplained hostility. “Come on, you know Papa doesn’t want it in the nursing home. He’s never asked for it. The old devil would rather send out his carers to spend his pocket money on Calvados. Everyone knows his excuse is he needs it to recall his childhood in Normandy, as he craftily makes out it is the same as non-alcoholic apple juice.”
You may wonder what on earth he has done. In fact, it is the most stupid thing imaginable to me. He has - and I pause to take a deep breath - sold an oil painting of a horse to an unknown woman who called at the door. He had the nerve to laugh as he told me, boasting it was so shrewd to get fifty pounds for it.
“It was two ponies for a horse,” he grinned. Giggling, like a schoolboy, he continued: “I found it, covered in dust, in the garage. I noticed it again the other day when I was putting the patio pots away. The paper around it was a bit torn, with the frame showing through. I couldn’t think what painting it was at first, but then I remembered we’ve got some of Papa’s things stored here. I did explain to the woman that it was Papa’s student copy but she said that didn’t matter. A stroke of luck really, that she should be interested in taking the old painting off our hands.”
I want to scream at this disaster. The true value of the painting reverberates inside my head. One hundred thousand pounds!
My father is Pierre Moureau. Now 90 years old, he retired some 30 years ago from his long career as an art historian. Sadly he is in nursing care, with some physical disabilities and mild dementia.
Despite his medical problems, he continues to lead a contented life. We visit him every other day and bring him home from time to time. It was Papa who painted a copy of the horse painting and that copy is, to this day, in The Burrell Art Collection in Glasgow.
The original, an oil sketch entitled Prancing Grey Horse was painted by Theodore Gericault and has led a less auspicious life, being wrapped in brown paper and hidden from view at the back of various family garages for over 60 years.
Papa, as a young art student, worked for Sir William Burrell. With all the daring of an impetuous young man, having toiled for many days to imitate every fine detail of the grey horse, carefully capturing its prancing stance, he swapped his painting for the original.
When the ruse went undiscovered he was elated, seeing this as proof of his artistic talent. Unfortunately, he was not to know that enhanced security measures were being introduced to protect Sir William’s art treasures. Horrified, Papa realised some sort of early-day alarm system had been installed and it was too late to swap the paintings back without detection.
The only solution he could see was to tell no one, fearing there was a risk of imprisonment if he confessed. In those days, he doubted anyone in authority would see the deception as the childish prank it was. Unhappily, Papa’s heavy conscience destroyed his artistic talent and he despondently abandoned his work. Later, wishing to remain a part of the world he loved, he pursued art history studies instead and progressed to become a noted expert. Ironically, he was often called upon for his opinion on the authenticity of contested works of art.
I suspect all this would have remained secret had I not chosen to follow a similar career. The sight of me examining Prancing Grey Horse with a magnifying glass was too much for Papa. It unnerved him greatly and he felt compelled to tell me the story. I was in deep shock as he described how wretched he had felt carrying the burden of this secret for so many years. I, without hesitation, promised to tell no one either. Steve continues to think the long forgotten painting he pulled out of the garage is Papa’s copy.
I screw up my face and hiss meanly: “The painting wasn’t yours to sell.”
Steve continues, unperturbed by my unexplained hostility. “Come on, you know Papa doesn’t want it in the nursing home. He’s never asked for it. The old devil would rather send out his carers to spend his pocket money on Calvados. Everyone knows his excuse is he needs it to recall his childhood in Normandy, as he craftily makes out it is the same as non-alcoholic apple juice.”
2011年12月11日星期日
Art show dazzles
The Art Institute and Gallery's annual "Holiday Artist Show and Sale" features nearly 60 works by 20 artists. In addition to paintings, watercolors, works in mixed media and photographs, the show also includes two sculptures in a simplified style that recalls folk art, decorative platters and other items in fused glass and jewelry.
Ken Basile judged the show, awarding three principal prizes and three honorable mentions. Basile, who has degrees in photography and museology, is a former director of the Salisbury University Galleries and of the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art. Since his retirement from the Ward Museum several years ago, he has devoted himself to photography and recently published "Mexico City--Out and About," a travel book co-authored with his wife, Karen.
The top prize-winners were Angela Herbert-Hodges, first prize for the watercolor, "Tugs on the Thames;" Carole Peirson, second prize for the oil painting, "Summer Memories;" and Fred Peterson, third prize for "Large Oaks Left," executed in watercolor and ink.
All three prize-winning works combine recognizable imagery with abstract elements. Peirson's "Summer Memories," for example, depicts a group of brightly colored, stacked canoes on a multi-level outdoor storage rack. Peirson contrasts the canoes' nearly abstract shapes, heavy paint textures and intense hues with the more naturalistic colors and textures of the background, which is painted in a more detailed, realistic manner.
Two photographs received honorable mentions: Dean Peterson's "Spirit Clouds and Rainbows," a color digital print of the empty Perdue Stadium under a vast sky with large cloudbanks and a double rainbow; and Kurt Reddersen's black and white "Grain Facility, Laurel, DE," which shows a detail of the facility complex, focusing on its abstract, geometric shapes and varied patterns and textures.
The third honorable mention went to Tricia Kowalewski for "Pixie Stix," a fused glass, decorative pink platter with a dynamic pattern of intersecting, scattered black lines.
All the works are for sale and, as usual at this time of year, may be taken home upon purchase.
In addition to the Holiday Show, the AI&G is hosting a sale of various handcrafted items in one of its studios. Items include "wearable art" and accessories, such as capes, shawls, scarves, hats, purses, and jewelry. Also available are books, mostly for children, by local authors; holiday wreaths; and an assortment of baked goods.
Ken Basile judged the show, awarding three principal prizes and three honorable mentions. Basile, who has degrees in photography and museology, is a former director of the Salisbury University Galleries and of the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art. Since his retirement from the Ward Museum several years ago, he has devoted himself to photography and recently published "Mexico City--Out and About," a travel book co-authored with his wife, Karen.
The top prize-winners were Angela Herbert-Hodges, first prize for the watercolor, "Tugs on the Thames;" Carole Peirson, second prize for the oil painting, "Summer Memories;" and Fred Peterson, third prize for "Large Oaks Left," executed in watercolor and ink.
All three prize-winning works combine recognizable imagery with abstract elements. Peirson's "Summer Memories," for example, depicts a group of brightly colored, stacked canoes on a multi-level outdoor storage rack. Peirson contrasts the canoes' nearly abstract shapes, heavy paint textures and intense hues with the more naturalistic colors and textures of the background, which is painted in a more detailed, realistic manner.
Two photographs received honorable mentions: Dean Peterson's "Spirit Clouds and Rainbows," a color digital print of the empty Perdue Stadium under a vast sky with large cloudbanks and a double rainbow; and Kurt Reddersen's black and white "Grain Facility, Laurel, DE," which shows a detail of the facility complex, focusing on its abstract, geometric shapes and varied patterns and textures.
The third honorable mention went to Tricia Kowalewski for "Pixie Stix," a fused glass, decorative pink platter with a dynamic pattern of intersecting, scattered black lines.
All the works are for sale and, as usual at this time of year, may be taken home upon purchase.
In addition to the Holiday Show, the AI&G is hosting a sale of various handcrafted items in one of its studios. Items include "wearable art" and accessories, such as capes, shawls, scarves, hats, purses, and jewelry. Also available are books, mostly for children, by local authors; holiday wreaths; and an assortment of baked goods.
2011年12月8日星期四
Christmas at Alberta House
A Christmas exhibition and sale is an end of the year tradition in galleries across the country and Alberta House is no exception. Every December the gallery crew puts up a Christmas tree and fills both galleries with items brought in for the big “Christmas at Alberta House” exhibition and sale.
The tree is trimmed with hand made ornaments—woven, beaded, birch bark and paper constructions, blown glass and hand painted balls, tiny toys, holly angels, miniature paintings, shot gun Santas and much more—the only limits are the artists’ imaginations. Buyers can pluck ornaments right from the tree.
There are hand made soaps in baskets and gift bags—even soaps with toys in them—from Judy Colein who also brought in room diffusers, paintings, framed photographs and cards. Diane Meyer has gnomes. Margaret La Ponsie has a variety of items from paintings and prints to embroidery and wreaths. Mary Stroba brought in new oil paintings; Maureen Mousley and Dave Bigelow, both paintings and framed prints and Gene Usimaki, original watercolor paintings.
It’s the beginning of the winter season, so there’s much that is warm. Janet Smith brought in quilted lap robes, and rugs woven of designer yarn. Hand knit sweaters, caps and scarves will keep one stylishly cozy. Hand woven table runners and place mats will warm the Christmas table; hooked rugs, a floor or wall. Hefty, hand thrown mugs will hold a hot cup of cocoa; hand thrown, lidded, oven proof casseroles, an entire meal.
Affordable luxuries include colorful blown and stained glass; a wide assortment of original jewelry—sterling, beaded, classic and funky; hand painted and decorated clothing; beautiful, silken, turned wood bowls by Garry Smith; hand woven and birch bark baskets; hand forged hooks, lamps, and wall sculpture; hand dyed silk scarves, and carvings of wood, antler and stone. Nautical work includes seascapes, lighthouses and ships, in paintings, photographs, prints and cards.
There is also much that is distinctively Sault and EUP. David Bigelow has cards and prints of Sault and EUP landmarks—the old Presbyterian and St. James Churches, St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, old Sault High, the Pte. Iroquois Lighthouse and more. Jeanne Tubman has a number of local lighthouses, ships and landmarks in cards and prints. Many of the artists have made cards with winter EUP scenes that would make beautiful Christmas cards. Zoey Wood-Salomon has large winter cards in her “Grandmother” series. Sharon Schmeltzer has playful and colorful snowman cards. Fred Peterson has a series of cards with animal drawings as well as cards with more traditional Christmas subjects.
Perhaps men don’t find men hard to buy for, but most women do and, let’s be realistic—who buys most of the gifts? If one looks at the above list one sees mugs, carvings and note cards that appeal to men. Add to these a generous assortment of wildlife and nautical paintings, drawings, photographs and prints; clever boxes and trays for odds and ends; unusual bottle stoppers and wildlife carvings. Then throw in books by local authors—Rich Hill’s Hitchhiking after Dark and Lake Effect, any of Bernie Arbic’s or Deidre Stevens’ many local history books, Jan Huttenstine’s Remotely Yours about Whitefish Point, or Peter Gianakura’s An American Café—and the problem is solved.
“Christmas at Alberta House” is an exhibit with great variety, with the work of many artists represented, and it changes as the month progresses because artists may resupply as items are sold. Shop now through Christmas Eve during regular hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. In preparation for the January cleaning and painting every item in the Alberta House Shop is on sale during December.
The tree is trimmed with hand made ornaments—woven, beaded, birch bark and paper constructions, blown glass and hand painted balls, tiny toys, holly angels, miniature paintings, shot gun Santas and much more—the only limits are the artists’ imaginations. Buyers can pluck ornaments right from the tree.
There are hand made soaps in baskets and gift bags—even soaps with toys in them—from Judy Colein who also brought in room diffusers, paintings, framed photographs and cards. Diane Meyer has gnomes. Margaret La Ponsie has a variety of items from paintings and prints to embroidery and wreaths. Mary Stroba brought in new oil paintings; Maureen Mousley and Dave Bigelow, both paintings and framed prints and Gene Usimaki, original watercolor paintings.
It’s the beginning of the winter season, so there’s much that is warm. Janet Smith brought in quilted lap robes, and rugs woven of designer yarn. Hand knit sweaters, caps and scarves will keep one stylishly cozy. Hand woven table runners and place mats will warm the Christmas table; hooked rugs, a floor or wall. Hefty, hand thrown mugs will hold a hot cup of cocoa; hand thrown, lidded, oven proof casseroles, an entire meal.
Affordable luxuries include colorful blown and stained glass; a wide assortment of original jewelry—sterling, beaded, classic and funky; hand painted and decorated clothing; beautiful, silken, turned wood bowls by Garry Smith; hand woven and birch bark baskets; hand forged hooks, lamps, and wall sculpture; hand dyed silk scarves, and carvings of wood, antler and stone. Nautical work includes seascapes, lighthouses and ships, in paintings, photographs, prints and cards.
There is also much that is distinctively Sault and EUP. David Bigelow has cards and prints of Sault and EUP landmarks—the old Presbyterian and St. James Churches, St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, old Sault High, the Pte. Iroquois Lighthouse and more. Jeanne Tubman has a number of local lighthouses, ships and landmarks in cards and prints. Many of the artists have made cards with winter EUP scenes that would make beautiful Christmas cards. Zoey Wood-Salomon has large winter cards in her “Grandmother” series. Sharon Schmeltzer has playful and colorful snowman cards. Fred Peterson has a series of cards with animal drawings as well as cards with more traditional Christmas subjects.
Perhaps men don’t find men hard to buy for, but most women do and, let’s be realistic—who buys most of the gifts? If one looks at the above list one sees mugs, carvings and note cards that appeal to men. Add to these a generous assortment of wildlife and nautical paintings, drawings, photographs and prints; clever boxes and trays for odds and ends; unusual bottle stoppers and wildlife carvings. Then throw in books by local authors—Rich Hill’s Hitchhiking after Dark and Lake Effect, any of Bernie Arbic’s or Deidre Stevens’ many local history books, Jan Huttenstine’s Remotely Yours about Whitefish Point, or Peter Gianakura’s An American Café—and the problem is solved.
“Christmas at Alberta House” is an exhibit with great variety, with the work of many artists represented, and it changes as the month progresses because artists may resupply as items are sold. Shop now through Christmas Eve during regular hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. In preparation for the January cleaning and painting every item in the Alberta House Shop is on sale during December.
2011年12月6日星期二
Pier Antiques Show Boasts Strongest Opening Line Yet
The Pier Antiques Show has built a following for presenting a solid and interesting mix of traditional antiques, Modern and design offerings, as well as collectibles at its shows. The November 19–20 edition lived up to its standards and then some.
With 500 exhibitors filling Pier 94, Stella Show Mgmt Co. also presents its popular Fashion Alley section of the show that draws in buyers seeking vintage couture and jewelry. The promoters upped the ante with a fall autograph show this year featuring 15 dealers from the Professional Autograph Dealers Association, ensuring there was something for every taste at the Pier.
"We are just getting out a survey this week to the dealers but things seemed very positive. The opening line was the longest ever," said Jeanne Stella after the show. Indeed, the line by 10 am when the gate officially opened had not only filled the lobby with buyers, but snaked around the outside of the building forming two lines heading off in opposite directions.
Americana and traditional antiques show fare were ably represented with such dealers as Art & Antique Gallery, Worcester, Mass. Standouts among elegant oil paintings included a Hayley Lever painting of a wagon crossing on a snowy winter's day, Louis Ritman's "The Looking Glass" and John White Alexander's still life titled "Beautiful Flowers." A more modern feel but equally compelling was achieved by Blanche Lazzell's colorful "Shore Boats."
One of the most talked-about objects at the show was a folky and handmade life-size horse in the booth of Kabinett & Kammer, which is a contemporary curiosity shop of antiques, natural wonders and art. With an upstate location since 2007, the company opened a branch in New York City in March, so it did not have far to travel to do this show.
Dealer Sean Scherer said the turn-of-the-Nineteenth Century tack shop display figure was made of paper mache and was the hit of the show. This was the dealers' first antiques show and Scherer was pleased with his decision to test the waters. The dealers mostly sold taxidermy mounts and the most interesting objects seemed to be the big sellers, including an antique bear skull and a Coney Island shooting game target, as well as Nineteenth Century prints and a charter.
Modern design was also well represented at the Pier. Among its purveyors were Linda and Dennis Elmore, Westfield, N.J., who seemed to have little in the way of merchandise to pack up by the show's end Sunday afternoon. "We had a great Pier Show," said Linda Elmore. "Among the things we sold was a pair of signed Danish chests, a Lucite-based center table, a pair of Bruno Mathsson webbed arm chairs [very popular with the attendees], a pair of 1950s Italian calla lily-shaped lamps and numerous decorative small items. Also, a nice set of zebrawood Italian bar stools. Essentially a clean, timeless, Modern design was our focus."
The industrial look was elegantly captured in the booth of Strawser & Smith, Brooklyn, N.Y., which featured a fetching pair of wooden chairs with their seats upholstered in an aviation-themed fabric, while oversized artworks of machines hung on the booth walls.
A great showing was also had by Nancy Steinbock Posters, Chestnut Hill, Mass.; Steinbock reported this was her best Pier Show since 2007. The vintage poster dealer only does the November edition of this show and said while many people were still price-conscious, it was a healthy sign that more people seemed to be buying again. Sales ran the gamut from posters relating to fashion, American literary, military, travel, bicycling and expositions.
With 500 exhibitors filling Pier 94, Stella Show Mgmt Co. also presents its popular Fashion Alley section of the show that draws in buyers seeking vintage couture and jewelry. The promoters upped the ante with a fall autograph show this year featuring 15 dealers from the Professional Autograph Dealers Association, ensuring there was something for every taste at the Pier.
"We are just getting out a survey this week to the dealers but things seemed very positive. The opening line was the longest ever," said Jeanne Stella after the show. Indeed, the line by 10 am when the gate officially opened had not only filled the lobby with buyers, but snaked around the outside of the building forming two lines heading off in opposite directions.
Americana and traditional antiques show fare were ably represented with such dealers as Art & Antique Gallery, Worcester, Mass. Standouts among elegant oil paintings included a Hayley Lever painting of a wagon crossing on a snowy winter's day, Louis Ritman's "The Looking Glass" and John White Alexander's still life titled "Beautiful Flowers." A more modern feel but equally compelling was achieved by Blanche Lazzell's colorful "Shore Boats."
One of the most talked-about objects at the show was a folky and handmade life-size horse in the booth of Kabinett & Kammer, which is a contemporary curiosity shop of antiques, natural wonders and art. With an upstate location since 2007, the company opened a branch in New York City in March, so it did not have far to travel to do this show.
Dealer Sean Scherer said the turn-of-the-Nineteenth Century tack shop display figure was made of paper mache and was the hit of the show. This was the dealers' first antiques show and Scherer was pleased with his decision to test the waters. The dealers mostly sold taxidermy mounts and the most interesting objects seemed to be the big sellers, including an antique bear skull and a Coney Island shooting game target, as well as Nineteenth Century prints and a charter.
Modern design was also well represented at the Pier. Among its purveyors were Linda and Dennis Elmore, Westfield, N.J., who seemed to have little in the way of merchandise to pack up by the show's end Sunday afternoon. "We had a great Pier Show," said Linda Elmore. "Among the things we sold was a pair of signed Danish chests, a Lucite-based center table, a pair of Bruno Mathsson webbed arm chairs [very popular with the attendees], a pair of 1950s Italian calla lily-shaped lamps and numerous decorative small items. Also, a nice set of zebrawood Italian bar stools. Essentially a clean, timeless, Modern design was our focus."
The industrial look was elegantly captured in the booth of Strawser & Smith, Brooklyn, N.Y., which featured a fetching pair of wooden chairs with their seats upholstered in an aviation-themed fabric, while oversized artworks of machines hung on the booth walls.
A great showing was also had by Nancy Steinbock Posters, Chestnut Hill, Mass.; Steinbock reported this was her best Pier Show since 2007. The vintage poster dealer only does the November edition of this show and said while many people were still price-conscious, it was a healthy sign that more people seemed to be buying again. Sales ran the gamut from posters relating to fashion, American literary, military, travel, bicycling and expositions.
2011年12月5日星期一
Sausalito's ICB show brings together artists of all varieties
Morganne Newsom is used to seeing her work in the spotlight. As a costume designer, she's worked with television, film and theatrical productions. She's dressed Burt Lancaster for a production of "Barnum" and designed a wardrobe that singer Britney Spears asked to keep after wearing it for an episode of a Disney Channel television series.
On Sunday, however, it was Newsom herself taking center stage, as the dresses, scarves and other items she created were on display for the Industrial Center Building's 43rd annual Open Studios event.
"I've done a lot of things for a lot of productions," Newsom said. "This is an opportunity to get my own, original work out there."
The weekend-long event turned the World War II-era building into a gallery for more than 80 painters, sculptors, photographers and designers of all varieties. Some had worked and presented at the Sausalito art center for decades. Others, like Newsom, were more recent arrivals seeking a space to show off their latest work.
"This is my amulet dress," Newsom said, presenting a mesh dress decorated with dozens of tiny dangling medallions. "A neighbor of mine loves to travel, and came back from Tibet with all of these amulets.
"It's a very charged dress," Newsom added.
Photographer E. Loren Soderberg, who shares a studio with painters Ann Turner and Peggy Garlinghouse, considers himself one of the old guard. He's been working at his ICB studio since 1986, a time when most of his neighbors were struggling artists doing their best to make the rent, he said.
These days, he said, ICB's profile has grown, and the rent is much higher, Soderberg said. But the artists — especially during the last three years of recession — are still struggling.
"It used to be that we'd have this yearly art sale, and that would enable me to pay my rent for the year," Soderberg said. "It's not the same any more. Last year, my sales were down $2,000."
Soderberg says he has to spend more time marketing his work online in order to make a living. He's also had to reconsider the focus of his work. Many of his older photographs showcase Soderberg's love of travel: remote canyons, dazzling seascapes, vistas glimpsed from foreign shores. These days, circumstances require Soderberg to stay closer to home.
"It's a wonderful opportunity to live and work in Marin County, even if I can't really afford to be here," Soderberg said. "At this point, I can hardly afford to leave."
Soderberg's attention to his own backyard has paid dividends. His photograph of the underside of a pier near Fort Mason was a top prizewinner at the Marin County Fair. While the image itself is striking, it's Soderberg's presentation — placing one stepped layer of the photograph on top of another to create a three-dimensional effect — that really makes the picture stand out, turning the waters beneath the pier into the passageway to some otherworldly portal.
Just a few feet away, on the other side of the studio, publicist Lizzie Garlinghouse is studying a portrait of herself, her two sisters and the family cat painted by her mother, artist Peggy Garlinghouse.
Though she knew that Peggy sketched from time to time — and had doodled images of the saints in her parochial school notebook as a girl — Lizzie Garlinghouse said she never thought of her mother as an artist until about ten years ago, when her youngest sister graduated from college, and her mother could turn her full attention to her art.
On Sunday, however, it was Newsom herself taking center stage, as the dresses, scarves and other items she created were on display for the Industrial Center Building's 43rd annual Open Studios event.
"I've done a lot of things for a lot of productions," Newsom said. "This is an opportunity to get my own, original work out there."
The weekend-long event turned the World War II-era building into a gallery for more than 80 painters, sculptors, photographers and designers of all varieties. Some had worked and presented at the Sausalito art center for decades. Others, like Newsom, were more recent arrivals seeking a space to show off their latest work.
"This is my amulet dress," Newsom said, presenting a mesh dress decorated with dozens of tiny dangling medallions. "A neighbor of mine loves to travel, and came back from Tibet with all of these amulets.
"It's a very charged dress," Newsom added.
Photographer E. Loren Soderberg, who shares a studio with painters Ann Turner and Peggy Garlinghouse, considers himself one of the old guard. He's been working at his ICB studio since 1986, a time when most of his neighbors were struggling artists doing their best to make the rent, he said.
These days, he said, ICB's profile has grown, and the rent is much higher, Soderberg said. But the artists — especially during the last three years of recession — are still struggling.
"It used to be that we'd have this yearly art sale, and that would enable me to pay my rent for the year," Soderberg said. "It's not the same any more. Last year, my sales were down $2,000."
Soderberg says he has to spend more time marketing his work online in order to make a living. He's also had to reconsider the focus of his work. Many of his older photographs showcase Soderberg's love of travel: remote canyons, dazzling seascapes, vistas glimpsed from foreign shores. These days, circumstances require Soderberg to stay closer to home.
"It's a wonderful opportunity to live and work in Marin County, even if I can't really afford to be here," Soderberg said. "At this point, I can hardly afford to leave."
Soderberg's attention to his own backyard has paid dividends. His photograph of the underside of a pier near Fort Mason was a top prizewinner at the Marin County Fair. While the image itself is striking, it's Soderberg's presentation — placing one stepped layer of the photograph on top of another to create a three-dimensional effect — that really makes the picture stand out, turning the waters beneath the pier into the passageway to some otherworldly portal.
Just a few feet away, on the other side of the studio, publicist Lizzie Garlinghouse is studying a portrait of herself, her two sisters and the family cat painted by her mother, artist Peggy Garlinghouse.
Though she knew that Peggy sketched from time to time — and had doodled images of the saints in her parochial school notebook as a girl — Lizzie Garlinghouse said she never thought of her mother as an artist until about ten years ago, when her youngest sister graduated from college, and her mother could turn her full attention to her art.
2011年12月4日星期日
What's your art?
Are you a cook, concrete specialist, bricklayer, building contractor, architect, musician, painter, illustrator, or sculptor? Do you sew, hook rugs, code html, draw or decorate seasonally or interiors? Creating is basic human nature whether a person's forte is making a pretty picture or making a comfortable home. Maybe this is why we have opposable thumbs, though animals create in their own sense. In particular, my pets usually create a mess, which is probably beauty to them.
As I sit in the quiet galleries at the Wassenberg Art Center on the eve of the holiday seasons the positive power of individuality silently echoes from each piece of work displayed under the gallery lights. I'm reminded of the power of good that there is in this world to create. The sculptures and paintings express a lack of fear and sense of pride residing in the artists who created them.
Individually they give voice and say this is who I am. Collectively, they say we are Van Wert, we are Northwest Ohio, we are Indiana, Toledo, Fort Wayne and the Tri-state area. They provide visual underscores to our culture. This is why art is so very important to our survival as a community, state and world.
So, what is your "art"? What do you create? The Wassenberg Art Center was established to provide this community the resources to find out, to help facilitate and to keep this crucial component of our identity alive and growing. So, in this time of thanksgiving and gift giving, consider the gift Charles Wassenberg left for this community and how you can say thank you by your participation.
The 22nd Annual Artists Exhibit and Sale, sponsored by Van Wert County Hospital and the Van Wert County Foundation, runs through Dec. 16. Our hours are, Tuesday-Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Stop in and give thought to the works representing the positive power of creation and identify us as community.
Tuesday night again is ArtNight from 6-8 p.m. Also starting Dec. 7 we'll begin offering ArtMorning! Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-noon. Nov. 30 starts, Beginning Oil Painting with Sally Geething. We still have a few openings, so if you are interested in signing up to explore the world of oil painting give us a call. The re-workability of oil paint and Sally's dynamic instruction technique and if the ruckus and sounds of laughter coming from the classroom is any indication, this class is pure fun.
As I sit in the quiet galleries at the Wassenberg Art Center on the eve of the holiday seasons the positive power of individuality silently echoes from each piece of work displayed under the gallery lights. I'm reminded of the power of good that there is in this world to create. The sculptures and paintings express a lack of fear and sense of pride residing in the artists who created them.
Individually they give voice and say this is who I am. Collectively, they say we are Van Wert, we are Northwest Ohio, we are Indiana, Toledo, Fort Wayne and the Tri-state area. They provide visual underscores to our culture. This is why art is so very important to our survival as a community, state and world.
So, what is your "art"? What do you create? The Wassenberg Art Center was established to provide this community the resources to find out, to help facilitate and to keep this crucial component of our identity alive and growing. So, in this time of thanksgiving and gift giving, consider the gift Charles Wassenberg left for this community and how you can say thank you by your participation.
The 22nd Annual Artists Exhibit and Sale, sponsored by Van Wert County Hospital and the Van Wert County Foundation, runs through Dec. 16. Our hours are, Tuesday-Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Stop in and give thought to the works representing the positive power of creation and identify us as community.
Tuesday night again is ArtNight from 6-8 p.m. Also starting Dec. 7 we'll begin offering ArtMorning! Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-noon. Nov. 30 starts, Beginning Oil Painting with Sally Geething. We still have a few openings, so if you are interested in signing up to explore the world of oil painting give us a call. The re-workability of oil paint and Sally's dynamic instruction technique and if the ruckus and sounds of laughter coming from the classroom is any indication, this class is pure fun.
2011年12月1日星期四
Fisher makes exhibiting an art
Perez Road has an eclectic mix of stores offering a variety of services and products from pet grooming and bumper repairs to bathroom fixtures and custom-made gun holsters.
The diversity of the businesses is one of the characteristics that attracted art gallery owner Colin Fisher to the area five years ago.
“I chose this location because it is off the beaten path,” Fisher said. “You think you're going to come here and get an oil change or some tile for your kitchen and you run into an art gallery.”
Walking through Fisher's gallery is akin to visiting a friend's house rather than entering a business.
Comfy couches and chairs, vases filled with flowers, and curios displaying trinkets are placed throughout the gallery amongst the artworks, creating a relaxed environment.
“Colin's gallery isn't like other galleries where they have so much stuff you can't focus on anything,” said artist Christopher Shoemaker, whose work is featured at the gallery. “There's an overall sense of tranquility. It's surreal.”
The homey atmosphere even includes a resident friendly feline, Gilligan, who welcomes guests and roams the gallery.
Fisher deals in unique artworks he finds visually interesting.
The more whimsical the piece, the more attracted Fisher is to it.
Art enthusiasts won't see western or landscape scenes, or plein air work in his gallery. Instead, a large sculpture of a gorilla made out of metals waits on a pedestal for a new owner.
Many of the artists featured in the gallery are also residents of the Coachella Valley and High Desert.
Shoemaker, who lives in Morongo Valley, got his big break through Fisher's gallery.
Shoemaker originally worked for Fisher helping with the construction build-out of the gallery.
Working in the gallery helped him learn about different artists and their methods as well as giving him a boost of energy to try his own hand at art, Shoemaker said.
“One day all of a sudden he says ‘What do you think of this?' and it was a painting he did,” Fisher said. “I started displaying his paintings and they have been selling like crazy.”
Putting on an art show is an enormous amount of work, Fisher said.
The gallery's current show, “Two Man Art Exhibition,” featuring paintings by Shoemaker and sculptures by Santa Barbara artist Scott Donadio, took Fisher and five employees three weeks to set up.
“We repainted the entire gallery, and changed up the furniture,” Fisher said. “It's crazy. It seems so easy to put together but it takes hours and hours to complete.”
In addition to artworks, the gallery has a menagerie of antique furniture, lighting fixtures and mirrors, as well as Asian and African artifacts for sale.
As a member of the newly formed Perez Road Business Partners, Fisher looks forward to collaborating with other businesses to attract more customers to the area.
“The automobile market right down the street has their own association so we figured if they had a group, the businesses on Perez Road should have one too,” Fisher said. “The group helps strengthen our chances of getting things done in the city.”
Fisher first became interested in art when he bought his first piece of artwork at age of 16. As life progressed, he began to accumulate more pieces.
“I left the advertising business and decided to start selling my things,” Fisher said.
Selling the items at auction didn't appeal to Fisher because it felt more like he was just unloading the items rather than selling them to people who had a genuine interest in the artworks.
Fisher wanted to be able to sell the items in an interesting environment where he could display the items himself — hence the beginning of the gallery.
He originally tried opening in Florida but quickly found the area was not what he was looking for, and he relocated to the Coachella Valley.
Fisher is happy with his little niche in its odd location. He said he wouldn't get the same reaction from shoppers if his gallery was on El Paseo or Palm Canyon Drive.
“You have to love this work or you're doing something wrong,” Fisher said. “I really enjoy that people seek us out.”
The diversity of the businesses is one of the characteristics that attracted art gallery owner Colin Fisher to the area five years ago.
“I chose this location because it is off the beaten path,” Fisher said. “You think you're going to come here and get an oil change or some tile for your kitchen and you run into an art gallery.”
Walking through Fisher's gallery is akin to visiting a friend's house rather than entering a business.
Comfy couches and chairs, vases filled with flowers, and curios displaying trinkets are placed throughout the gallery amongst the artworks, creating a relaxed environment.
“Colin's gallery isn't like other galleries where they have so much stuff you can't focus on anything,” said artist Christopher Shoemaker, whose work is featured at the gallery. “There's an overall sense of tranquility. It's surreal.”
The homey atmosphere even includes a resident friendly feline, Gilligan, who welcomes guests and roams the gallery.
Fisher deals in unique artworks he finds visually interesting.
The more whimsical the piece, the more attracted Fisher is to it.
Art enthusiasts won't see western or landscape scenes, or plein air work in his gallery. Instead, a large sculpture of a gorilla made out of metals waits on a pedestal for a new owner.
Many of the artists featured in the gallery are also residents of the Coachella Valley and High Desert.
Shoemaker, who lives in Morongo Valley, got his big break through Fisher's gallery.
Shoemaker originally worked for Fisher helping with the construction build-out of the gallery.
Working in the gallery helped him learn about different artists and their methods as well as giving him a boost of energy to try his own hand at art, Shoemaker said.
“One day all of a sudden he says ‘What do you think of this?' and it was a painting he did,” Fisher said. “I started displaying his paintings and they have been selling like crazy.”
Putting on an art show is an enormous amount of work, Fisher said.
The gallery's current show, “Two Man Art Exhibition,” featuring paintings by Shoemaker and sculptures by Santa Barbara artist Scott Donadio, took Fisher and five employees three weeks to set up.
“We repainted the entire gallery, and changed up the furniture,” Fisher said. “It's crazy. It seems so easy to put together but it takes hours and hours to complete.”
In addition to artworks, the gallery has a menagerie of antique furniture, lighting fixtures and mirrors, as well as Asian and African artifacts for sale.
As a member of the newly formed Perez Road Business Partners, Fisher looks forward to collaborating with other businesses to attract more customers to the area.
“The automobile market right down the street has their own association so we figured if they had a group, the businesses on Perez Road should have one too,” Fisher said. “The group helps strengthen our chances of getting things done in the city.”
Fisher first became interested in art when he bought his first piece of artwork at age of 16. As life progressed, he began to accumulate more pieces.
“I left the advertising business and decided to start selling my things,” Fisher said.
Selling the items at auction didn't appeal to Fisher because it felt more like he was just unloading the items rather than selling them to people who had a genuine interest in the artworks.
Fisher wanted to be able to sell the items in an interesting environment where he could display the items himself — hence the beginning of the gallery.
He originally tried opening in Florida but quickly found the area was not what he was looking for, and he relocated to the Coachella Valley.
Fisher is happy with his little niche in its odd location. He said he wouldn't get the same reaction from shoppers if his gallery was on El Paseo or Palm Canyon Drive.
“You have to love this work or you're doing something wrong,” Fisher said. “I really enjoy that people seek us out.”
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