Here's my weblog premiere. A promo for the totally wonderful Art Is My Weapon scarf by the amazing TMNK, The Me Nobody Knows. The scarf will be at SmallEquals soon, and available at the smallequals online store.
Nobody was just featured in Vibe Magazine, so get your flair and remember you saw Nobody first at Pine Street Art Works for his solo show in September 2009.
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Next week Pine Street Art Works will be closing. After five years. I will be opening another small shop, with a much tighter focus, so I'm excited about that. But meanwhile here's a small photo review of most of the shows I've curated since 2005.
My kids used to like to sit in the window and pretend to be mannequins. Liza Cowan Photo 2005
same window without kids. David Klein, Beanie For Peace. Liza Cowan photo 2005
David Klein, Beanie For Peace. Liza Cowan, FAKE! photo by Liza Cowan 2005
postcards for Flashbags and Charlie Hunter Show. 2006
Keith Wagner, pods, in show window. Hunter/Wagner show 2006. Photo by Liza Cowan
paintings by Charlie Hunter, sculpture by Keith Wagner. 2006. Photo by Liza Cowan
Show postcards for Cara Barer and David Putnam. Liza Cowan design. 2006
Cara Barer show. 2006. Photo by Liza Cowan
Cara Barer, Butterfly. Mannequin by Ralph Pucci. Photo by Liza Cowan circa 2009.
David Putnam show. Photo Liza Cowan. 2006
Bread and Puppet Theater, benefit performance at PSAW, photo Liza Cowan 2006.
Show card for Artifact, Liza Cowan design. Show card for SP Goodman, SP Goodman design. 2006
Show window for SP Goodman. 2006
Show cards for Paper Play, Alison Bechdel and Phranc The Cardboard Cobbler. Liza Cowan design 2006
20th Century Works on Paper Show, and general use postcard. William Steig poster 1944. Ralph Pucci/Maira Kalman mannequin. Card design by Liza Cowan.
Show cards, John Anderson, Denis Versweyveld. Liza Cowan design 2007.
John Anderson setting up his show. Liza Cowan photo 2007.
Denis Versweyveld show in Olive Room. Photo by Liza Cowan 2007
Paint by Number Show. Paint by number painting, image based on Norman Rockwell painting. Design by Liza Cowan 2007
Paint by Number Show. Mark, the postal carrier, enjoys the work. Liza Cowan photo 2007.
Show cards for Nakki Goranin's American Photobooth and Connie Imboden. Design by Liza Cowan, 2007 and 2008.
showcard Amadou Sow. Design Liza Cowan 2007
Painting by Mr. Masterpiece. Show 2008
Show card Richard Gombar. Design Liza Cowan 2008
Heinrich Harrer photographs, Seven Years In Tibet. Curated by Leslie DiRusso. Card design Liza Cowan. 2008
Studio Glow lamps and sculpture in the show window. Photo Liza Cowan 2008
Tim Matson. Pilobolous photographs show. 2009
showcard for Bloom show. Liza Cowan design. 2009
Show Card David Powell. David Powell design 2009
Showcard Aline Smithson. Liza Cowan design 2009.
Aline Smithson photos at Pine Street Art Works. Photo Liza Cowan 2009
Showcard TMNK- The Me Nobody Knows, design Liza Cowan 2009
TMNK hanging his show. Liza Cowan photo 2009
Winter Holiday show window. Liza Cowan photo 2009
Showcard Carol Golemboski. Design Liza Cowan 2010
Front showroom, Carol Golemboski Show. Photo Liza Cowan 2010
OK, well that's the brief tour.
I'm moving, reinventing, reincarnating, all of those things. Opening Sept 10th at S.P.A.C.E Gallery 266 Pine Street in Burlington.
As soon as I'm settled, Seesaw will continue as usual.
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TMNK-The Me Nobody Knows, hanging his show at PSAW, Sept. 11, 2009
Art Hop came and went. About 2 million 1,000 people passed through these doors on Friday and Saturday. We had a blast and everyone adored the work of NYC artist TMNK, The Me Nobody Knows. He blew them away. As predicted.
Nobody's window. The mannequins are wearing his T Shirts and bandanas.
I always have four personae at these events: Sergei Diaghilev, the impressario; Dolley Madison, the hostess; Hazel, the maid; and Ron Gallella, the paparazzi. I'm good with the first three, horrible with the last. Hence, I have almost no photographic evidence that the event actually happened. You'll just have to take my word. Or send me your pictures.
Diane, the Rootstein mannequin, wearing Nobody's T Shirt. Photo Liza Cowan
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Art Hop, Friday September 11th 5-10 in the evening and Saturday Sept 12, 10-5 daytime.
PSAW featured artist:TMNK-THE ME NOBODY KNOWS
TMNK Art Hop postcard. Art: TMNK, design Liza Cowan 2009
Art Hop is almost upon us. Art Hop is one of the biggest- possibly THE biggest - outdoor/indoor art fair in New England. We expect around 20,000 visitors one weekend every September in our otherwise modest little neighborhood in the South End of Burlington, Vermont. Hosted and produced annually by the South End Arts And Business Association (SEABA) Art Hop is well worth the trip. Lots of art, a fashion show, music, outdoor sculpture and demonstrations make it a family worthy destination.
TMNK-The Me Nobody Knows: My Boombox Plays The Sound Of Music. Sold. Used by permission of the artist.
This year the New York City artist TMNK- The Me Nobody Knows, will be the solo artist at Pine Street Art Works. I've written a lot about TMNK this past year, so I will refer you to previous posts for more information about him.
NOBODY will be here in person with his art on Friday and Saturday. If you live within driving distance, I urge you not to miss this rare Vermont opportunity to meet Nobody and see his work.
And check out Nobody's blog as well.
See you next week!
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Lucky me. I just bought this painting by one of my favorite artists, TMNK - The Me Nobody Knows.
Bird Seeds. Copyright 2009 TMNK (The Me Nobody Knows) (mixed media on masonite 12" x 12" approx.) Used with permission of the artist
"Notice the happy sounds they make as they flutter about munching on their tiny morsels. It’s the bird seeds. The little things in life they enjoy. I’ve decided to learn from them, as I too rise early each morning, feeding my mind positive little thoughts. And reminding myself to be grateful for the small things in life that we sometime overlook. And though many say I inspire, this painting was inspired by a tiny little bird chirping in my ear. Not the one outside my door, the little bird I’m referring to is my youngest daughter. She’s made many attempts at goals, sometimes not achieving her desired result. Yet, I’m amazed as I speak with her, she’s like the birds outside my door, happily chirping away despite what some might call disappointing results, continuing to try, determined to fly. Hungry for something different? Allow me to suggest some bird seeds." - TMNK
Nobody will be here at Pine Street Art Works with his wonderful work on
Sept 11th and 12th for Art Hop.
Check his blog for more wonderful images, inspiration and buying opportunities.
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Some of these artists I've already posted about, some not. I'm so excited about the lineup of shows at PSAW. Even though times are tough, and businesses are tumbling like dominoes in an earthquake, we here at Pine Street Art Works (and Atelier Tove) are determined to keep going and thriving.
APRIL - TIM MATSON/ PILOBOLUS
Tim Matson photo of Pilobolus. Dance called Untitled.copyright 1978. Used by permission of the artist.
The dance troupe Pilobolous began in 1970 at Dartmouth College. Tim Matson began photographing them early in their career, and, in conjunction with a Pilobolus April 11th performance at Burlington's Flynn Theater, PSAW will exhibit a dozen or so of Matson's original prints. Matson's book of Photographs, Pilobolus, was published by Random House in1978 and is still available through used book dealers.
MAY OR JUNE - DAVID POWELL
Plattsburgh NY/ Burlington VT artist/educator David Powell will show his collages and prints at a date to be announced. I've been a fan of David's for a few years. He had a show last year at Burlington's Fleming Museum which was super.
Into the Future. David Powell. Copyright 2000. Digital print mounted on Wood Panel. Used by permission
AUGUST - ALIINE SMITHSON
Aline has been winning awards and grants left and right, and I'm happy to say I knew her when. She will be exhibiting here in August.
Aline Smithson. Arrangement in Green and Black. Portrait Of The Photographer's Mother. Copyright Aline Smithson. Used by Permission
SEPTEMBER - TMNK - THE ME NOBODY KNOWS
I've blogged a lot about TMNK, but here's another image and a reminder that this amazing NYC street artist will be here on Sept 11th for the Burlington South End Art Hop.
TMNK-The Me Nobody Knows. Copyright 2009. Used by Permission.
APRIL 2010 -CAROL GOLEMBOSKI
How To Read The Hand. Copyright Carol Golomboski. Used by Permission
"Psychometry is a series of black and white photographs exploring issues relating to anxiety, loss, and existential doubt. The term refers to the pseudo-science of "object reading," the purported psychic ability to divine the history of objects through physical contact. Like amateur psychometrists, viewers are invited to interpret arrangements of tarnished and weathered objects, relying on the talismanic powers inherent in the vestiges of human presence. These images suggest a world in which ordinary belongings transcend their material nature to evoke the elusive presence of the past.
Copyright Carol Golomboski. Used by Permission
Through an examination of fortune-telling and clairvoyance, many of the images confront the desperate human desire to know the unknowable, historically referencing the Victorian interest in spiritualism as well as the look of the nineteenth century photographic image. Illegible text and arcane symbols in pictures with themes like palm reading, tea leaf reading, and numerology force the viewer to consider man's insatiable need to anticipate his own fate.
The concept behind each picture dictates its darkroom manipulation, sometimes requiring research and revisions that last weeks or months. Combining photography with drawing, seamlessly incorporating photograms, integrating appropriated text, and scratching the emulsion of the negative create images where horror, history, and psychology occupy the same imaginative locale." Carol Golomboski from Photo Eye Gallery
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TMNK/Nobody and Glenn Close at the Outsider Art Fair. 2009. Used by Permission.
TMNK, The Me Nobody Knows, presented his paintings at the Outsider Art Fair in NYC recently. Being Nobody as only Nobody knows how, he presented his outsider art outside the fair. Brilliant.
So there was Glenn Close at the Outsider Art Fair. She's a New Yorker and from what I hear, a fabulous person. We had a mutual friend who used to rave about her. And I once had a really horrible boss who picked a nasty fight with Close on the sidewalk in Soho in NYC.
Something about their dogs. I've loved Glenn Close ever since I heard that story. And of course, Cruella De Vil = Pure Genius.
Somebody really needs to get Glenn a Flashbag handmade handbag, I think. That purple satchel she's got rocks but how much better would she look with a Flashie on her arm?
Anyway, I don't know the full story of the Nobody/Close encounter, but here's what Nobody said on his blog:
"Okay, so she posed with me for a picture. Big deal, thats what celebrities do, right?. But that she “WANTED” to get down like a NOBODY and mask up! WOW, thats big ma! Now we got “Nobody’s” in HOLLYWOOD. Damn NOBODY’s Listening, I’ve been trying to tell yall - 2009 NOBODY’S EVERYWHERE! - (wink) - TMNK"
TMNK- Happy New Year 2009. Used by permission
Remember, Nobody will be here at Pine Street Art Works next September for Art Hop. September 11th and 12th.
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TMNK- The Me Nobody Knows. Mankind: Mixed Media on Canvas. 22x28 copyright 2008
"Mankind, Or Unkind men? That story and the legacy thereof will be determined not by grand promises or royal gestures.It will be something far grander, our kind and generous ACTS as humans, caring for EACH OTHER, REGARDLESS of our differences. That historic event will determine what history writes of US.
I pray we can find ways to walk like "kind men" and work together for mankind. Mankind." TMNK
TMNK - The Me Nobody Knows, is having a 2 Damn Cold, 2 Day Sale at his eBay site.
Hop on over and check it out.
TMNK will be at Pine Street Art Works in September for Art Hop, but it's never too early for you to start collecting his work.
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Every month or so I rearrange the gallery: each exhibit demands a different ambiance. Right now I've got the fabulous lamps from Studio-Glow, the wonderful husband and wife team of Riki Moss and Robert Ostermeyer from Grand Isle, VT.
Here are some Studio-Glow sculptures in the show window, from the inside. The sun going down behind Lake Champlain created this amazing blue glow. It's different each day, and of course, what the camera captures is always a bit different than what the naked eye can see.
These are some of the Studio-Glow table lamps in front of a 2004 series of reverse paintings I did of Leda and The Swan.
Gallery view with Studio-Glow Lamps and a variety of art and artifacts.
Every year at Winter Solstice I sell these wonderful beads and jewelry by Madlyn Erb, Mad Glass Beads.
art by TMNK and Shepard Fairey.
These pieces are not for sale but I want everyone to see them. The picture in the upper left is by TMNK- The Me Nobody Knows, a wonderful artist from New York City, who will be here with his art next September for Art Hop. The small piece at the bottom is his also. The other two pieces are signed limited edition silk screens by Shepard Fairey. I'm not selling any of these pieces because they are from my personal collection and I'm just not willing to part with them but I want people to see them.
See, this is where my branding becomes really fuzzy. Because sometimes PSAW is a tiny bit more like a museum than a shop and people get confused, so I have to greet people by saying 99% of everying in here is for sale.
Meanwhile, if you love TMNK as I do, check out his blog and his sales on eBay. And I will be having his work for sale starting next September, which will be here sooner than you think.
Photo at Atelier Tove, by Jordan Silverman, SevenDaysVT copyright 2008.
One of the reasons I've redecorated this month is that I've leased my back room to Atelier Tove, run by Tove Ohlander, a glass blower from Sweden. Tove and I know each other because our kids are in fifth grade together. Small city, Burlington. Another fifth grader in their class is the son of Ali Marchaldon from Flashbags. Schools build community.
But I digress. Tove is using the space to sell the glassware that she and her husband, Rich Arentzen, make under the name of AO Glass, and to give art classes for children. Here's an article about her from SevenDaysVT our local alt weekly newspaper.
AO Glass at Atelier Tove.
Today Tove is hosting a Create Your Own Obama Art event in her space.
Tove, Atelier Tove, prepping for Obama Art Event. TMNK painting in the background.
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"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place
where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our
founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our
democracy, tonight is your answer." Barack Obama, November 4, 2008
TMNK - The Me Nobody Knows. Sacred Promise. Mixed Media with oxidized rust application on canvas. Copyright 2008 TMNK. Used by permission of the Artist.
"All of us are equal. That’s the promise that was made to all of us
as Americans by the founding fathers, And in doing so an even greater
promise was made. That promise was that if YOU were willing to do your
best to be your best, you could accomplish anything, even becoming
President of The United States. Well if (when) Barack Obama takes the
“Oath of Office” America would have finally kept her promise, and
hundreds of years of tomorrows have become today.
And by electing Barack Obama, “we the people” are making a new promise,
a very sacred promise to future generations. Unity over division. Love
over hate, Peace over War. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, FOR ALL
OF US. Well close your eyes go to sleep, and get up and vote on
Tuesday. I believe tomorrow is today, and today the dream comes true. I
promise." - TMNK
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New York City artist TMNK - The Me Nobody Knows - is a gift that just keeps on giving. It's old news that I have a big art crush on Nobody but I'm surprising even myself that his work is just that good. By good I mean many things but mostly it's that Nobody's work just keeps taking my breath away and making me smile. Not in a sappy way, but a deep down visually and intellectually satisfied way. Nobody makes me happier. I get to look at great art while maintaining my obsession with this election. Obama => Art. Art => Obama.
TMNK - The Me Nobody Knows -Get On The Bus- mixed media on masonite ( 24" x 18") Copyright 2008, Used by permission of the artist
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What are the chances that I have a huge old art crush on NOBODY? Yeah, pretty much so. If you've been following me on this blog you know I found NOBODY aka TMNK -The Me Nobody Knows - when I was researching artists who are making art about Obama. When I found NOBODY I fell in love with his work and asked him to have a show at Pine Street Art Works and he said yes. So, yes, I'm promoting him now as one of "my" artists.
I love most of the artists I show at Pine Street Art Works, and I love them all for different reasons. Cara Barer, Nakki Goranin, Steve Goodman, Amadou Sow. Denis Versweyveld, Alison Bechdel, Connie Imboden, Phranc, Aline Smithson. Yeah, I'm crazy about all of them, which is what makes it such fun to do my job.
But right now my art heart goes pitterpat for NOBODY. Maybe because he speaks to my politics in a time that politics is all I can think about. But also because he's just so amazingly good. On his blog now he's posted some sketches he made on the NYC subway. I say NOBODY is as good as Saul Steinberg and Jean Cocteau and Picasso. Yes, I said Picasso.
Check out these sketches.
TMNK - The Me Nobody Knows - copyright TMNK. Used by permission of the artist.
NOBODY says : "I had only hoped it was possible nearly a year ago to find something that gave me joy in my heart. What I found was so much more: As I made my way each day to the corporate playground of great thinking and ideas (Madison Avenue), hurt and angry that diversity was a myth, I began to sketch commuters, giving most away as gifts. To see their smiling faces gave this nobody’s spirit a lift.
Stressed beyond comprehension, I took a few days off, and searched my soul for answers. How was I going to take care of myself and my family? Then a thought from where, I cant explain, suddenly became implanted in my brain. God gave me all these talents, their greatest use was not for self, if I trust in God (faith), and do my best, and TRIED TO HELP SOMEBODY ELSE, I’d find my greatest wealth.
Its been almost a year, WE did it, and now I see the light. That voice I heard inside my head was God telling me the purpose of my life."
And pay attention to NOBODY's paintings, too. I've had two of them hanging in the gallery for a couple of weeks now and my vistors are excited. They love to search the words to decipher all the multiple meanings, and thrill at the color and composition. I don't own this one, but I love it.
TMNK -The Me Nobody Knows. image copyright TMNK, used by permission of the artist.
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Here at Pine Street Art Works in Burlington, VT, we have some amazing shows lined up. People often ask how far in advance I book shows, and the answer is anywhere from a couple of months to a year. I like to have some flexibility and I also like to know where I'm headed.
So here are three upcoming shows to look forward to:
Illuminated Sculpture by Riki Moss and Robert Ostermeyer. Used by permission of the artist.
Illuminations - Studio Glow - November.
I've scheduled a show of light. Yes, the days are getting shorter and we all start to crave illumination. Heading towards Winter Solstice, dozens of important traditions worldwide honor the return of the light and have done so since the dawn of human life.
Well, we're jumping in a bit early with a show of lights by Studio Glow - the light sculpture studio of Riki Moss and Robert Ostermeyer. The whole gallery will be aglow with these beautiful lamps and lights.
Aline Smithson, from the series, Arrangement In Green And Black: Portrait of the Photographer's Mother. Used by permission of the artist.
Aline Smithson, August.
I had the great pleasure of meeting Aline Smithson on my last trip to Los Angeles. I'd only seen her work online, which is how I find a lot of my artists, by the way. And I'd quite fallen for her photography. Aline is a highly respected photographer and teacher and a great person to go to art galleries with. We had a blast looking at art together. I'm so excited about presenting her work in August, and I will be blogging a lot more about her. Meanwhile, I urge you to check out her website - linked above.
TMNK - The Me Nobody Knows - Save My Ass Too, used by permission of the artist. Mixed media on canvas.
"Some of the wealthiest, most powerful money brokers screw-up and you say you want to use my money to bail them out? They make millions, hundreds of millions, fly first class, live in mansions, and have yachts. Yet we, the poor-ass-struggling folks are about to loan them 770 billion dollars?
I have a better solution. Let the greedy idiots who caused this mess take their lumps and loose everything. Then do for the American people what we do for developing third world nations, simply forgive our debts. Bail us out. Keep all of us from going bankrupt, and pay our bills, our homes off. After all we're the backbone of the nation, right? Good, for once let those at the top of the mess suffer the consequences.
Now you've already wasted a bunch of my money looking for weapons of mass destruction, then starting a very expensive war, funded again with MY money. So the way I figure, if you really care about a nobody like me: Dear Uncle Sam, Save My Ass Too! Save My Ass Too" TMNK
TMNK- The Me Nobody Knows. September.
If you've been following my series Picture The Future: Obama in Art, you've seen two of Nobody's paintings. I found New York City artist TMNK as I was researching for this series and, as I said in one of my posts, I've fallen in love with him. With his work. We haven't met yet. But...here's the best part of my job - I wrote and asked Nobody to do a solo show here at Pine Street Art Works next September for Art Hop. And he agreed! Sometimes I love my job so much. Follow the link to Nobody's website and blog and I think you will be as excited about his work as I am.
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Today, another painting by New York City artist TMNK, The Me Nobody Knows.
Check out Nobody's blog here
TOMORROW - by TMNK-The Me Nobody Knows - used by permission of the artist. Contact TMNK here before reprinting.
mixed media on stretched canvas (approx 18" x 24")
"Tomorrow, and the hope it brings seems somewhat closer than it had in
the past as the result of Barack Obama's candidacy. I'm not so naive as
to believe that Obama is the "Great Black Hope," our political messiah.
But whether he wins or loses, I am more hopeful than ever that my
children will be valued for their contributions, and what's inside of
them. A Black man elected as President of The United States? I never
thought it could happen in my lifetime, yet it might happen Tomorrow.
Growing up, I could not play basketball at the local park in Glen
Ridge, NJ (residents only - wink), but I'm hopeful that Tomorrow, if my
son and his best friend rode their bikes there, like Odell and I once
did, they'll be able to play together (without the police telling them
that they have to leave, cause they aren't residents? - How did they
know?).
I've never voted in a presidential election before (didn't really
care), but I will Tomorrow. I didn't think there was much a "nobody"
like me could do to make my community a better place to live, but today
I know differently. I don't listen to politicians. Yet I heard Obama
when he said "Together, Ordinary People Can Do Extraordinary things, "
and I believed him. Tomorrow, Malcom Rolling, Patrick, AxelEarth, No
LOVE, Michael Littlejohn, and perhaps the diverse student body of WOHS
will have brighter future because of a nobody like me. And America is
better today, than it was yesterday because a little boy called "Barry"
grew up to be a man called Obama, who inspired hope for tomorrow.
TOMORROW"
TMNK - The Me Nobody Knows
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Remember to check out the website Obamaartreport.com
I have fallen in love with this artist: TMNK- the me nobody knows
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?
TMNK™ - The Me Nobody Knows -used by permission of the artist. Contact TMNK here before reprinting.
mixed media on canvas 24" x 36 "
see TMNK's Flickr site
Text from TMNK's flickr site:
In Stanley Kramer's 1967 movie "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?", a whirlwind romance by an interracial couple forced their families to confront their attitudes about race. The male love interest, and lead was a young NEGRO played by Sydney Portier. Matters were only further complicated by the fact that this was no stereotypical NEGRO. Smart, accomplished, ARTICULATE, polite, and sophisticated.
Well here we are some 40+ years later, and guess who may be coming to dinner?
Yup, another smart, accomplished, ARTICULATE, polite, and sophisticated Negro, accept today they're called Black.
It seems America is in the midst of filming an updated version of that cinematic classic starring Barack Obama. This time around , however, the love interest is not a "white woman", it's THE WHITE HOUSE! And just like the parents in 1967, America is being forced to confront it's racial attitudes (the one's it supposedly doesn't have).
You think Tilly had a fit when Sydney Portier's character wanted to marry the sweet little white girl she had helped raise. Well Tilly honey, will likely piss in her panties when she sees who's at the front door of the white house.
Guess who's coming to dinner now Tilly? "Hi, my name is Barack Obama."
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