Brooklyn, how we love thee!

one amazing meal at downtown atlantic

the brooklyn flea was fun

we walked across the brooklyn bridge at night

not brooklyn, but it sort of sums it up ...
It's always great to have a vacation and to come home and reflect on the time away. It's always BETTER when we do the vacation in Brooklyn with our good friends Cogen/Johnson. What a great trip - art, music, friends, tea,walking tours, food, food, food, flea, bridge walking, bagel/bialy eating, oh wait, yes, that is food. Our trip took us most everywhere around with plenty left to go back again and see. One of the highlights of our trip for me was the Maira Kalman exhibit. It was simply a stunner of a show with a whole room lit from the top (European style) with a skylight flooding the room with natural light. Her work from the Inauguration series was there along with some of my favorite pieces of hers - the oysters, the teacup. It was truly beautiful!

We came back to a refinished gallery too - the plaster work was done and now our walls look smooth and fabulous! A face lift! We are amazed at how much the little details make always. And it shows off the work on the walls even better. If you haven't seen this show - you simply must. Lisa's work is completely iconic and Kim Westad's complements it perfectly. There are still some small works left - perfect for mother's day -- or yourself perhaps? Stop by and say hello!

Mocoloco today!

today on Mocoloco, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.

Thanks so much to Sabine at Mocoloco for writing about our exhibition of Lisa Congdon's work: Fragmentary Blue. Check it out here. We are off to Brooklyn right now - love the wifi but will be shutting down save for a few uploads of photos to flickr and facebook ...
Lots of plastering in store at the gallery this weekend and early next week, due to some old calcitrate paint eating away at the old plaster. Sounds all shabby chic and goth like, but honestly it was time for repairs. So we will be closed today, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week, but back in on Thursday. Saturday we are open from 10-2. I hope that everyone who can make it will get over here to see the show - it really is a beauty.
Speaking of beauty - last night's Spotlight Awards show at the Music Hall in Portsmouth was absolutely wonderful. Megan Bogonovich won the best Narrative Artist Award and the outpouring of support for the arts by Howard of SMG for pulling the entire event together was incdredible. Hats off to the evening - it was smashing!

New England crafts - in our window

our window + my chair, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.

This is the other window in the gallery which is filled with traditional crafts of New England, to compliment Fragmentary Blue's theme. We have beautiful rugs from Lisa Morrisey made from wool hooking. We have gorgeous hand made pillows from Enhabiten right over in Henniker, NH and wool penny rugs from Nancy Hubbard, right here in Rochester. What could be better than celebrating our area? Hmmm, the blooming forsythia, and the beautiful new chair I scored at the auction last friday, for a song maybe?

Lisa Congdon - Humpback Whale

I have to single out this beautiful painting today as not only is it in the front window of our gallery, but in the forefront of my mind as well. I think the deep dark color of the background really highlight the fantastic rendering of the whale and give it a lot of emotion as well. It is just my favorite in the show I guess. Oh you like it too? It's available here!

While Lisa was here we did a little podcast and if I can manage to finish the editing - I hope to load it up here before we go to NYC on Friday!

What art can do ... by Mary-Jo

artwork by Jen Renninger

I asked Susan if I could be a guest writer on her blog today since it is the one year anniversary

of the loss of my husband. At the time he was in hospice, the Jen 11 show was on exhibit.

Jen Renninger's piece, "Everything is going to be okay" just spoke to me and I had to have it.

It displayed prominently on my kitchen wall where I can see it all the time. It has brought me

such peace and surprisingly everything has been okay! It is one of my most favortite pieces.

Who's that knocking on my birch tree?

Yesterday we caught up with some house repairs and renos. We ripped out our front porch! Always a can of worms we say -- what happens next when we start one project and find four more. But it had to be done and the bonus was late in the day Sunday whilst I was painting - this little fellow and his friend were up in our tree, pecking away. A yellowbellied Sap Sucker and a little downy woodpecker. The downy was too fast for my camera, but this big guy posed for me.
Hope your weekend was full of wonder too!

Opening of Fragmentary Blue

I'll let the photos do the talking as it was a wonderful time this past Friday and it just shows ...