Supporting the arts…1 week to shop for X-mas

17Dec09

Funny, I’ve been out to many fine restaurants where patrons will easily spend $200 dinner/drinks for two but will walk out of a store still wanting to purchase a piece of art for that same price; yet they can’t seem to justify spending that kind of money. The taste of the meal or headiness from their cocktails will long have vanished when they will venture out another weekend and plunk down another $200 for what – a fancy pasta dish or filet mignon. I prefer to try my hand at preparing these wonderful meals at home where I really impress my partner for 1/4 of the price which leaves me with $150 to buy a one of a kind piece of art jewelry or a emerging artist’s fine art print. Items that will stay with me far longer than the extra pounds I put on from a calorie rich meal.

I like to go out to eat as much as the other person but my priorities are in a different place. I grew up with the thoughts of value for my dollar. My mother would buy vogue patterns and imported fine wools from Italy and look like she could be on the cover of Elle Magazine. The reason for this is her clothes were tailored made and hung off her body perfectly. I see women spend tons of money on designer clothes that only look good on the runway model or a hanger in size 2. I refuse to buy something that doesn’t fit correctly especially if it costs a small fortune. The knowledge that most clothes are made in sweat shops in foreign lands where women and children are worked to the bones for meager wages just doesn’t sit right with me either.  Sorry for going off on a tangent.

I make my own jewelry line utilizing beads that I’ve sought all over the world which makes each bracelet/necklace or earrings unique. I have sold my line in NYC salon boutique and in an eclectic gallery shop in the foothills of VA, but mostly off my body where people just had to have it!  But I’ve also had some co-workers love my stuff and think that the friends of the artist price was still too much for them to spend on themselves. Yet their happy hour bar bills have been higher and cost them a vacation or sick day to recuperate.

Maybe I just like supporting the arts and artists who come up with some of the most interesting designs and unique pieces. Maybe I just don’t like seeing everyone wearing the same boxed jewelry from department or speciality stores. Maybe I just want what I wear to be different.

The prints that hang on my wall can not be found in Pottery Barn’s catalogs. And the house I live in is not a cookie cutter floor plan that a developer builds giving you limited color choices of the same carpet, tiles and lamintated flooring. There is nothing wrong in that, so please don’t get offended, it is a lot easier for others to narrow down the choices for you. But every now and again you should break the mold… buy something you fancy for no other reason then it put a smile on your face or made you stop and appreciate it for the work that went into something handcrafted. Think of art as an investment. One that may increase in value over time OR just something that can bring you pleasure every day.

Years ago I purchased two photographs from a photographer friend, I could probably sell them for a profit but I profit from owning them -I love the serenity that overcomes me when I stop to appreciate them. That’s what having pieces of art hanging on my walls does for me.  It takes me to another time and place, it makes me ponder different thoughts.

We live in an area where art and objects d’arts are at our doorsteps, One such shop is new to Williamsburg – Barking Lizards Gallery and yes, I am promoting them because they carry both my fine art photography prints and a few of my “wearable art” jewelry pieces. But I also have purchased a few stocking stuffers by other artists, things within my price range that put a smile on my face. I know the people I give these to will also appreciate the work that went into them and instead of bringing a bottle of merlot to their houses, they will have something that will last far beyond the evening to remember the night of friendship and laughter we shared.

So if you are still looking for value for your money, look to something lasting, something that will be treasured for years to come – look to the arts and fine crafts. I have met some very nice people who stop me to ask about my jewelry. That in itself makes it worth the time and effort I put into my designs. I love people and making connections.

Barking Lizards Gallery

231 Bedford Ave

Brooklyn, NY

(1 stop from NYC on the L train)

Just over the Williamsburg Bridge

take the 1st exit West Broadway, make a right onto Broadway then a right onto Bedford – corner of North 4th And Bedford Avenue.

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Tags: Art Gallery, emerging artists, holiday shopping great gift ideas, NY Metro Art World, supporting the arts

Robert Wilson’s stained glass sold

15Dec09

Jeweled - Robert Wilson

… just days after Barking Lizards Gallery Shop officially opened to the public. The elongated piece will be a present for a very deserving husband. Robert and Richard (of Barking Lizards) will hang the art in it’s new home this week.

It was great to spend the day as people discovered this Williamsburg treasure of a gallery shop. Chatting with people interested in art and objects s d’art has always been a pleasant pastime for me so I readily engaged in conversations with neighborhood people as well as customers from afar.

There are 2 wood sculptures by local artist Raphael Jose (Gus) Guzman, who’s paintings I also wished I could afford. Maybe when my photography really starts to sell. Yes, 5 of my images are at Barking Lizards and are priced right.

So many wonderful one of a kind pieces of fine jewelry as well as some unique funky pieces that are sure to please everyone’s taste and to fit everyone’s budgets.

So if you haven’t gotten over to 231 Bedford Ave in Brooklyn yet, there’ s still time to shop for the holidays. New pieces arrive nearly daily so come back often.

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Tags: Art Gallery, emerging artists, emerging photographers, gallery exhibition, NY Metro Art World, photography

weekend in new york city -

10Dec09

Looking for something to do beside shopping and bar hopping… The New Museum

235 Bowery St, NYC

Friday at 4 – A conversation with Neuroscience and Art in conjunction with REPLICA (performance at 7pm)

Saturday at 3 – Skowhegan TALKS: Fred Tomaselli and John O’Conner

Sunday at 3 iCl presents the Curator’s Perspective at the New Museum: Ana Paula Cohen

Jene and I will be attending the conversation and performance of Friday and I’m sure one of us will blog about it – either on this site or on Jene’s blog FuzzyPictures

I’m not sure what to expect but Jene thought it would be interesting and he usually is right.

Then over the river and through Route 4 to my house we go…. time to start baking my famous italian knot cookies this weekend. Jene was one of the best helpers last year – he didn’t complain at all. Everyone loves them, no one wants to make them because they are time consuming and tedious tying those little knots.

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Tags: Art Gallery, Jene Youtt Photographer, NY Metro Art World, The New Museum

Art for the holidays…

10Dec09

Whether you are in the swing of the holidays yet or not… there’s always something artful to view and to purchase… A great new gallery shop has recently opened in the trendy Williamsburg section of Brooklyn called Barking Lizards. 231 Bedford Avenue

It’s well worth the trip – by car: Williamsburg Bridge to the first exit (West Broadway) make a right onto Broadway, – pass Peter Luger’s make a right at the light onto Bedford Avenue. Just a few blocks past Metropolitan Ave at the corner of North 4th St and Bedford Ave.

Or take the L train to the Bedford Station and walk 3 blocks south.

They have some great stocking stuffers – as well as one of the most magnificent stained glass art pieces I have seen in ages… plus just about everything in between. One of a kind pieces of jewelry, sculptures, wall handings, masks, pottery, glass, photography, paintings, magnets, art greeting cards, silk apparel. Something for everyone.

The gallery shop is a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. You really should take the ride over…. I’ve already brought a novelty magnet that I decided I’m keeping for myself.

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Tags: Art Gallery, emerging artists, emerging photographers, holiday and gift shopping, NY Metro Art World, Williamsburg

Making a difference… through art

16Nov09

Life has a way of taking you onto a path you weren’t expecting. The woman who bought 2 of my small buddha prints at the Hoboken Open Studio Tour in Oct. wanted me to shoot her nude. Which I thought – great a paid photo session… It turns out she has breast cancer ... So Jene and I will be working with her on documenting her ordeal at her request. This is not something either of us has done before. The name of our joint venture is Labor Of Love Pix* which seems fitting as we can’t with good conscious add to her financial burdens. We are helping her turn something bad into something good. She wants to help others understand that a women is just as much a woman without breasts. She will undergo a double mastectomy and have reconstructive implants.

*(Labor of Love Pix is the name we chose for our wedding – bump, birth and beyond portrait photography and this certainly goes beyond anything we expected to photo document).

Maybe this is what I/we were meant to do. Every picture tells a story and this may prove to be one of the most challenging projects Jene & I undertake. Already it has opened up the subject of discussion between Jene and I. How we would feel if I were in the same position as this woman (and many others). My initial reaction was that I would probably leave Jene. Knowing how much I/we enjoy foreplay and not having the same sensations I didn’t know if I could be with him. We talked into the wee hours of the night and fell asleep in each others arms. Of course, I thought about it more and knew that I would need to rely on his love and his strength to help me through this painful experience. Jene told me he knew of a woman who’s man left her when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and he couldn’t understand how you could leave someone you love. Life is precious and life without your own breasts is still life. Therefore it is still as precious and meaningful. This is heavy stuff – even when you are not the one going through it. I’m sure I will become bound to this woman, a stranger for all intents and purposes, a woman who has reached out to me/us to help her tell her story. It’s not a unique story, she is not the first woman I know with breast cancer, just the first that will weave us into her daily life. We, as photographers will get to know her on a very intimate level and I told her tonight after scheduling our second photo session that I will try to stay objective in order to do my job. That I may even seem distant at times. I’m not sure that is possible because I am trying to capture her feelings, emotions and desires and in order to accomplish that there has to be a connection between us. Once I worked with a model on one of my personal projects – ‘Inner Sanctum – cause and effect’, the model opened up to me, welling up and we spent an 1-1/2 after the shoot ended talking about her lost love.

Cancer effects everyone who is connected, and it effects everyone differently. It is no longer the tabbo subject that it was years ago. You don’t have to go through it alone – support groups, even blogs and chat rooms have sprung up to help people through their ordeals. There are no whispered conversations any longer, it’s a disease that attacks a part of your body but it doesn’t define who you are or limit you as a person (other than some physical limitions). People live with cancer and live longer – cancer free after surgeries and treatments.

We bought a mini cassette recorder to record our conversations. This will enable her to recall what we speak about for the book she wants to develop.

Jene will not be a part of this second session because he just had rotator cuff surgery on Wednesday and is not very mobile. We will photo document her with family, friends and her lover before her double mastectomy. Planning to be with her when she goes into the hospital. I know meeting her mother will be traumatic for me, as I find it difficult not to put myself in her shoes.

I will be journalling about this from the prospective of photographers/story tellers as we go through all the transitions with her. I think it’s important to get her story out.

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Tags: a woman's journey, breast cancer, Jene Youtt Photographer, labor of love, Mary Durante Wehrhahn, photography, portrait artist

A treasure trove of fine art & art objects in Brooklyn,NY

10Nov09

I am so very excited about a NEW gallery in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

Barking Lizards

Today is the unofficial opening (soft opening) and I’ll be heading out soon to help. The gallery will be carrying a number of my fine art photography prints as well as representing Jene’s works.

This is the place to find some very unique gifts for the holidays or pick up a wonderful piece or 2 for your personal collection. But whatever you do, please stop in to browse and say hello.

See the link for more details. This place is a real find…. so pass the word to your friends and maybe there will be a little something for you this holiday season.

Definitely worth the short trip out to Brooklyn ((near Peter Luger’s) . Just over the Williamsburg Bridge make the first right onto W. Broadway then make right (2nd traffic light) onto Bedford Avenue – 231 Bedford Ave, (corner of N 4th St).

or take the L train to the Bedford Ave. Station and walk 3 blocks south to Barking Lizards.

Buzzer entry system so ring the bell and we will open the doors into this wonderful little gallery that Wanda & Richard have created in this fabulous location.

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Tags: Art Gallery, art objects, emerging artists, gallery exhibition, gifts, holiday shopping, Jene Youtt Photographer, jewelry, masks, museum quality gifts, new place in Brooklyn, NY Metro Art World, paintings, photography, pottery, sculptures

timeline at the Crow’s Nest

09Nov09

Since reconnecting with Maggie Magro – lead female vocal for the band <timeline>, I was hoping to hear the group and photograph them. This was spurred on by some really great performance images of flamengo dancers at N-33 in NYC that Jene captured a while ago.

But as life happens it took the second booking at the Crow’s Nest in Hasbrouk Hts, NJ for us to get our chance to hear Maggie belt out some Blondie favorites. (Hopefully some readers are old enough to remember Deborah Harry). Maggie and the guys sounded great, harmonizing to a number of 80’s tunes. I wanted to shoot some promo shots for them that showed the energy that they exude. The dance floor was packed with a mix of ages but good music bridges the generation gap and everyone was up and gyrating to the beat.

The lights on the band were turned down and 4 rotating color spots flashed across the dance floor, which really made capturing them a challenge… Our Canon 50mm lenses are pretty fast – 1.8 so that’s was the lens of choice for both Jene & me. The stage area was so dim that the automatic focus was all but useless at times. Colored lights sped across the floor flooding the stage for a nano second before going dark again. At venues like the Crow’s Nest, people don’t go to see the band, they go to listen to the music and dance the night away.

Band members: Anthony Paduano (bass / keyboard), John Hanlon (guitar), Johnny Valenti (percussion), Phil Mazzola (guitar), Maggie Magro (vocal). So join as a facebook fan of the band and if you get a chance to see them, you won’t be disappointed.

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Tags: '80 songs, 1 day event, Jene Youtt Photographer, lighting, music, photography workshop

Emmanuel Fremin Gallery – Thomas Barbey opening

08Nov09

If you missed this opening, you missed being in the midst of all the buzz. Jene & I arrived late but  Emmanuel’s new space was still packed.  Greeted warmly by the lovely Mary Nguyen we worked our way over to Emmanuel who pointed out the featured artist.  Thomas Barbey was entwined in people and conversation so we milled about looking at his photography prints up close.  Flawless work which I hadn’t realized was photo-composed and not digitally manipulated… (A technique used extensively in advertising before computers,  a sub- industry for photographers and retouchers).  His large prints filled the gallery.  Jene noticed  that his prints were on the same metallic paper that we both experimented with after we were introduced to it at last year’s PDN’ PhotoPlus Expo.  (Kodak’s Metallic Endura) You can’t beat the richness of the blacks.  Most colors pop and are so vivid but there are some hues that seem to get muddy so adjustments need to be made.   The paper does not work on inkjet printers so we have Adorama Labs print for us.

Emmanuel introduced Jene & I to Thomas stating that we were the ones who had blogged about the upcoming event.  Thomas was very gracious and we spent time talking shop and how lucky he feels to be an artist whose work seems to sell.  While being recognized is the luck part, talent plays a major role also.  His work is surrealistic and truly done well.  He is humbled by his own success and understands how difficult it is as an artist to emerge.

The exhibit runs thru November 26th so if you missed the opening, you can still peruse Barbey’s “Unleased” series at the Emmanuel Fremin Gallery.

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Tags: Art Gallery, emerging artists, emerging photographers, Emmanuel Fremin, gallery exhibition, Jene Youtt Photographer, NY Metro Art World

Artists in the Kitchen – Hell’s Kitchen, NYC that is!

06Nov09

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Emmanuel Fremin Gallery showcases Thomas Barbey

30Oct09

Mark your calendars for next week’s NY events.  Friday Nov 6th, is the opening reception at Emmanuel Fremin Gallery’s new Soho location. 546 Broadway PH 5B.   I am probably just as excited for Emmanuel as he is.  Thomas Barbey’s ” Unleashed” is an amazing collection of photography and vivid surrealism draws the viewer into his imaginary world.

Jene and I will be there even though he is preparing for the Artist in the Kitchen Open Studio Tour that runs the weekend – Saturday & Sunday throughout Hell’s Kitchen.  It should be interesting and I think I want to peruse the area.  Not just the galleries but the heart of the matter… the studios where the creative minds are sparked and the juices start to flow.  I think this is the first studio tour and Jene is a tad skeptical about the turn out because nothing has been posted in the neighborhood  yet and i know that he has had conversations with the organizer.  I’m sure it is not an easy task and takes a lot of organizing.  So click on the link above starting Nov 4th for a map of the artist’s locations who are participating in this event.

Saturday night I want to head back across the river to listen to a friend Maggie Magro belt out a few tunes at Hasbrouk Ht’s Crow’s Nest.  Maggie sings with Timeline and I am looking forward to hearing them.  It’s an 80’s rock group.  I’m hoping to shoot some promo shots for them along with Jene, if he can make it.

In the meantime,  Happy Halloween.

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Tags: 1 day event, Art Gallery, Crow's Nest - Hasbrouk Hts, emerging artists, emerging photographers, Emmanuel Fremin, gallery exhibition, Jene Youtt Photographer, Manhattan, NJ live music, NY Metro Art World, portrait artist, Thomas Barbey, Timeline