ETHAN MURROW, LARGE DRAWING FOR SALE

 

Ethan Murrow, 2006, large scale drawing from Pinto Brothers Series, for sale

This beautiful, large -scale drawing by Ethan Murrow is now for sale. 

I bought this piece in 2006, when Murrow had a show at Burlington City Arts. Ethan was raised in Vermont, and has many friends and admirers here. I hadn't know Ethan when he lived here, but I had been somewhat friendly with his father when we were kids because his father (Ethan's grandfather, Edward R. Murrow) was very good friends with my father, Lou Cowan. The small-world effect of the Cowan family has ceased to surprise me. 

But that's not why I bought this piece. I bought it because it's that good. THAT good. I bought it to sell, because at the time, I was running Pine Street Art Works. I had it framed by my favorite framer, Jennifer Koch of Frames For You And Mona Lisa Too, and it hung at PSAW for several years. Finally, when we closed, I had no place to hang the work, so I loaned it to the University Of Vermont, where it has been on view at the Davis Center, much to the delight of the thousands of students, faculty and visitors for the past 5 years. 

Now it is for sale. If you are interested, or know someone who might be...just click this link to my online store, Small Equals. 

The piece is avaiable framed, but I'm also willing to have Jennifer Koch take it out of the frame, for much much easier shipping and delivery. 

Ethan Murrow website.

HOW TO RUIN A BEAUTIFUL SPACE

Pine Street Art Works was gorgeous space. The first time I saw the showroom at 404 Pine Street in Burlington I recognized the great bones. Although it was not living up to it's potential then, it was easy to see what the former fiber factory could become. High ceilings, brickwork, skylights and wooden beams made this a former city dweller's fantasy space.

Pine Street Art Works. Photo by Carolyn Bates.

I divided up the 4,000 sq. ft space into three rooms and a hallway with walls that didn't go all the way up, interior vintage divided light windows and doors to add more light and charm to the rooms. And I painted the walls. It took three of us to paint, using many layers of custom blended paint, hand ragged and wiped...but what an effect. If I could have sold the ambiance I'd be a millionaire by now. People would walk in and just go, "Wow. Love your space." It didn't hurt that I also added halogen lights to show off the art, and lots of ambient lights for added coziness and atmosphere. Throw in a series of leopard print rugs, vintage furniture and, of course, the ever changing art on the walls, and you pretty much have my dream space. 

 

When I closed the gallery another organization moved in. First thing they did was prime the walls white. They took away all the color. They either left on the primer or didn't chose their whites carefully.  Now, I know that there are wonderful whites and a space can, I suppose, look grand if it's done in the right tones of white. Kauffman color specializes in finding just the right whites for gallery spaces and seem to do a great job. I've read their books and learned a lot from them about how to color a wall. But the walls here are dingy and cold looking. 

Then they took away all the ambient light. Not a good idea. Next, they covered up the show window - a main source of warm south light - with a backdrop wall. I understand the impulse...it makes one more show wall inside and in some ways makes it easier to do a show window...but in my opinion the trade off is a disaster.

The floors...well I liked the look and history of the well-worn concrete, but I placed area rugs all over for pizazz and to soften the standing surface. They added visual appeal and much needed cushion for the legs and texture for sound absorption. Concrete is hell on the legs and all that brick and concrete makes sounds bounce all over.  

404 Pine Street...under new management.

Why would anyone re-do a place so that it looks worse? I can't say. And I won't say who is running the place now...but I will say it's an arts organization and in my opinion they should know better. At first I was embarrassed because I was afraid people would walk in and, not knowing I'd closed Pine Street Art Works, would think I'd lost my mind. Or my taste. Now it just makes me sad and a bit mad. 

I try to avert my eyes when I walk by.

Saying goodbye to Pine Street Art Works

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PINE STREET ART WORKS IS MOVING: HUGE SALE

 

click for Moving Sale CataBlog

This is big news but I'm telling you in a tiny post. Seesaw, the blog, will remain the same but the shop - Pine Street Art Works - will be radically downsizing and moving down the street.

Pine Street Art Works. Photo by Carolyn Bates.

Basically I'm going from a 2,000 sq. ft space to a 90 foot space and will be selling only small goods like my beautiful Keepsake Card Kits and the small treasures that fit inside them.

Therefore:

Huge Sale at Pine Street Art Works. 404 Pine Street Burlington VT.

Come over if you are nearby. Keep tabs on what's for sale on the Moving Sale CataBlog

call or email if you think you want something that I can ship. I will ship small goods, hold larger ones for pickup, but large items, like furniture, I cannot ship.

802 863 8100

CAROL GOLEMBOSKI EXHIBIT AT PSAW

 
Psychometry, Carol Golemboski at Pine Street Art Works. Exhibition postcard

Can things tell stories about themselves? If so, what stories do they tell? Colorado photographer Carol Golemboski explores  this  question in a series called Psychometry which will be at Pine Street Art Works in April and Healthy Living Natural Foods in May.

The series of black and white photographs explores issues relating to anxiety, loss, and existential doubt. The term “psychometry” 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.

 
Carol Golemboski, exhibition postcard, Pine Street Art Works 2010

Golemboski is an assistant professor of photography at the University Of Colorado at Denver. Images from her Psychometry series have been published in notable photographic journals and magazines such as LensWork, Contact Sheet, Photo News, and AfterImage. Golemboski   has been awarded numerous grants including individual artist fellowships from Center in Santa Fe New Mexico, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and Light Work. 

Describing her artistic process, Golemboski says:

“I infuse my images with tension and mystery by combining photography with drawing, scratching the negative, and incorporating text and photograms.  The objects I photograph, discovered in flea markets, auctions, estate sales, and antique shops, have their own unknowable histories.  They range from ordinary items, such as doll houses, bird cages, and Christmas ornaments, to symbolically charged objects that relate to the human figure, such as dress forms, leg braces, and wigs.  Once photographed, they form a visual language that hints at the lives that once surrounded them.  Ironically, these metaphorical arrangements only reinforce the idea that the secrets of the past are forever lost.

 
Carol Golemboski, Cheiromancy

“The success of these images relies upon the viewer's expectation of truth in the photograph, expanding upon age-old darkroom "trickery" to suspend belief between fact and fiction.  The romantic ideas suggested by these photographs are enhanced by the nostalgia that accompanies historic photographic imagery, the process of traditional printmaking, and the magic of the darkroom.  

“Pervading the work is a sense of melancholy for the past, and a mounting dread that comes with the realization that our own stories will suffer the same fate.  These images are designed to create a tension between beauty and decay that expresses anxiety over the passage of time, the inevitability of death, and a fascination with the unknown.”   

 Opening reception at Pine Street Art Works Friday April 2, between 5-8. Sad to say, the artist will not be in attendance. But a good time will be had by all.

William Steig: Poor Pitiful Pearl

Poor Pitiful Pearl. Photo ©Liza Cowan 2008. Print of this photo is available at my online store

William Steig, author, cartoonist, illustrator, famous for Shrek, Dr. DeSoto, Sylvester and The Magic Pebble, zillions of New Yorker Covers, and a reluctant advertising illustrator, was also the creator of my favorite doll: Poor Pitiful Pearl. Pearl was my first and my only true doll love. She was made in 1958, and stayed in production in various incarnations throughout the sixties.

A couple of years ago I was putting together an exhibit of 20th Century Works on Paper,  and had just purchased this poster:

 

Wm Steig, We Clean 'Em. Shell Oil, 1944. Collection of Pine Street Art Works.

This gorgeous, huge lithograph was made for Shell Oil in 1944. As I was researching the poster and Steig I came across the fact that Poor Pitiful Pearl was a Steig creation. Of course! But I hadn't realized it as a kid, even though our family subscription to The New Yorker was a favorite of mine, and I poured through it weekly looking at the cartoons.

 

William Steig, The New Yorker, 1935. Liza Cowan Ephemera Collections,

We had enough New Yorker magazines and New Yorker cartoon collections around the house that I could have been, should have been familiar enough with the Steig canon to have been able recognize his style on my darling doll. But I didn't. The New Yorker...dolls? Nuh uh.

 

 

 

Poor Pitiful Pearl and We Clean 'Em. Not to scale. I made this collage in Photoshop. Pearl is much smaller than the man in the poster.

But check this out. How much more alike could they be? Even the clothing matches.

Pearl even came with her own little Steig book:

Click the smaller images and they will pop up.

 

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Poor Pitiful Pearl booklet by William Steig. Liza Cowan Ephemera Collections

 

Poor Pitiful Pearl magnet from small equals.

Order magnet at my Etsy shop here  

Tick Tock, time to think about holiday shopping

 
Tempus Fugit, pop out clock by Timeworks, Inc. Available at PSAW for $17.75

As I posted on my sandwich board today, "Tick tock, time to think about holiday shopping" Actually, as a retailer, I've been thinking about holiday shopping since mid summer. Truth be told, as a consumer I enjoy buying presents for my loved ones, but it's even more fun selling fabulous things to my customers. In this economy we're all being careful of what we spend, so I've worked at getting great stuff at reasonable prices. By reasonable, I try to mean under $50. Often under $25.

  
Pop Out Clocks from Timeworks, Inc. Seven different clocks available here.

These clocks are super cute and a brand new product from the Timeworks, Inc. Clock Company from Berkeley, CA.  They come in a reusable box and  assemble in a jiffy,  really.  I think they are made of melamine. The clock runs on a battery. Great little gift for under $20, easy to send, too.

  

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Check out the clock faces. Click the small image and it will pop up!

 

 
notecards, portfolios, labels, sticky notes etc. at PSAW

I've been a stationery lover my whole life. Mostly I've collected postcards and notecards, but anything with pretty images and shapes will catch my eye. Now that our local paperie, Scribbles, has closed (alas) I'm trying to fill the void a tiny bit. Above are some sets with images by Wayne Thiebaud, Andy Warhol, Geninne D. Zlatkis. I also have Lotte Jansdotter and  Paul Frank as well as assorted classic botanical images.

  

 
Canetti Museum magnet frames and PSAW mini prints

Not new to PSAW but one of my favorites, the Canetti Museum Magnet Frame. At $28 these are a sensation and very popular with my customers.  Made of pure acrylic and tiny magnets by a small company in New York, (although manufactured in Thailand) these are the original  Magnet Frame. They inspired me to offer PSAW mini prints by PSAW artists, made to fit the frames. At $20 a pop, these are also a fun and charming gift.

  

 
glass pendant by Marc Kornbluh at PSAW. Aprox 2" diameter. $45

No two of these pendants by Marc Kornbluh are alike. Marc used to live in Burlington and his glass studio was one of my favorite places. Now he lives. in Nebraska, but I'm lucky enough to be able to sell his lamp-work jewelry. At $45, this is a gift that will be loved for generations.

 
Vintage cigarette tin. $16.

I've been collecting typewriter tins and cigarette tins, lovely for both their shapes and graphics. No two alike, only while stock lasts since buying them is a random operation. But I've got a bunch here now.

  

 
Sno Folk by AO! Glass

AO! Glass, whose retail shop is right here at PSAW (separate store - common roof) are in high production for their very popular little Sno Folk. Great, perfect holiday gifts, they can be a tabletop decoration, or hang from a tree or mantle. www.aoglass.com. Tove Ohlander also will custom etch the bowls and other pieces that she and her partner Rich Ahrentzen make.

There's more, but I'll leave that for another post. Just come on buy and check us out. Tick Tock.

 

 

CARDBOARDDESIGN: Liquid cardboard

 

 
Liquid Cardboard by Cardboardesign at Pine Street Art Works.

I can't remember how I first heard about the NYC company Cardboardesign. Maybe it was on one of the home design blogs I frequent. I do know that when I placed my first order a few years ago I was one of the first, if not the first wholesale customer they had. Hooboy, not anymore.

Cardboardesign products were  featured at the Guggenheim Gala honoring Frank Gehry, at the American Museum of Natural History Climate Change Launch. They were featured on Big Ideas For A Small Planet on The Sundance Channel and on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Look for Cardboardesign products at some of the tonier retail venues around the country, including, of course, Pine Street Art Works.

  

Liquid Cardboard #8. Liza Cowan photo.

The various products made by Cardboardesign - furniture, toys, tableware - are all made of recycled and recyclable materials. Even the glue they use is eco friendly. Equally important, they are all design forward, sophisticated and fun. I'm featuring the Liquid Cardboard line, pieces that can be used to hold flowers, candy, candles, or just sit on the table to amuse your guests. They morph into all kinds of shapes and are endlessly fun to manipulate. I've even had a customer buy one to use as a bracelet.

 
Liquid Cardboard #6 used as a votive holder.

 
Mannequin pumping Liquid Cardboard #6. Liza Cowan photo

If you live near Burlington or are planning a visit, come on by and check out the coolest line of table top sculpture you'll see this season. If not, you can buy online direct from Cardboardesign

 
Liquid Cardboard #3.

Some Liquid Cardboard items are available at our online store. Check it out!

 

Liquid Cardboard #4

$19.75

RANDOM PICS OF PINE STREET ART WORKS TODAY

  

We write our sign daily. Then the rain washes it away. True ephemera.

It's been a slow week. I'm busy stocking up for the holidays, but meanwhile...ain't nobody shopping much. Rainy day, listening to Rufus Wainwright and the soundtrack of Wicked.  Here are some random shots from the day.

  

Pendants by Marc Kornbluh. TMNK paintings in the background.

  

Moleskine journals. Nakki Goranin's American Photobooth. Liza Leger painting.

  

Card wall. Cards by me, from my ephemera collections. Ever changing.

  

Vintage typewriter ribbon tins.

  

Shinzi Katoh in foreground. Then Flashbags, then cards. TMNK paintings on the wall.

TMNK: NOBODY WILL BE AT PINE STREET ART WORKS

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!

INTERVIEW WITH LIZA COWAN AT THE BLOG "EPHEMERA"

 Ephemera is one of my favorite blogs. The impressario (host/blogster)  Marty Weil interviewed me recently and the post went up today. Check it out, and keep it bookmarked because there's always something fascinating going on there for all of you ephemera lovers. 

Here's a snippet:

"One of the ways I use ephemera differently than many people is that I work a lot with details. I love to see what happens when a small portion of the item is isolated and enlarged, so you will often see details on my blog and in the reprints. My photography is often about small abstracted details of larger objects, so it's not a big stretch to see how I come to love the abstracted details of printed images. "

PSAW ON DESIGN*SPONGE

Paige Russell, maker of the wonderful vessels we have for sale at Pine Street Art Works, is doing a guest blog at Design*Sponge this week.  Today she wrote about Burlington VT shops and artists, and featured some stores in Burlington's South End, including us!

Design*Sponge is one of the top design blogs in the country, and it's really rather thrilling to be mentioned on it. And it originates in Brooklyn, my former home. Yay Brooklyn.

Paige used to work next door at The Lamp Shop, and had a studio further down Pine Street, but, alas, she moved back to Canada.

Paige Russel Vessels. Photo Liza Cowan.

So hats off to Paige for writing about our little city (especially the South End, which is often treated like the Siberia of Burlington,) and to Design*Sponge for having the good taste to invite Paige to guest blog.

Check out Paige's blog, it's always worth a read.

I KNOW WHAT GIRLS LIKE, APPARENTLY

I swear to the stars above that when I started Pine Street Art Works three years ago I thought it would be a gender neutral retail operation. I've never been particularly girly. I dig abstract thought and tough decisive action. I hate processing my emotions. I loathe and abhor the word "journaling." My preferred artists are the Modernists, I like old tools and worn out industrial equipment. I only wear jeans and sensible shoes. Not that I call myself butch, but I'm no femme either. I've always thought of myself as androgynous. Hah! Apparently not, at least in retailing.

Truck At Sunset. Copyright Liza Cowan, 2002.

This is me, yesterday. I made this self portrait  for MoveOn.Org for their top priorities campaign. I mean, come on. Am I a girly girl? PS: My picture didn't make it into their final selection of images, which just goes to show that a great grassroots organizing movement doesn't always know how to pick the best images. 

Update (later the same day as I posted this on the blog): I just got this sweet note from Justin at MoveOn.Org "Hi Liza, Saw your blog post courtesy of google blog alerts. Thanks for your photo. Not sure how it got overlooked, but I added it to the photo set that's showing on the page that we put up today dedicated to the 'green economy' goal. Thanks for adding your creativity to the process.
Hope your winter is more snow than mud.
Best, Justin"

MoveOn.Org is just sooo excellent! OK, back to the original post....

By actual count, 50% of the artists I've shown have been male, 50% have been female.

Then comes my love of all things ephemera. You know, the Jell-o booklets, the needle packs, trade cards, and that kind of thing.

There are men who love ephemera and old illustrations.  You can follow the links to some great ones. But they aren't shopping here.

So what happens when men come shopping here, or women looking to buy things for men? Once in a while a man walks in and buys art, sometimes they buy a book or an old print. Certainly they buy presents for the women in their lives. Flashbags are a huge hit as presents for women.  But the rest of my inventory? Apparently it's too girly. 

So my question to you is: what should I stock that would appeal to guys? Because despite my best intentions and what I thought was my gender neutral approach to art and life I've still got the feminine eye. Who'da thunk?

 

Steven P Goodman, Lake at the Intervale. Copyright SP Goodman.

THE RETURN OF THE LIGHT - SANTA LUCIA

We celebrate the return of the light. It's the human thing to do, all over the world, and in all different ways. Tomorrow at PSAW/ Atelier Tove, there will be a Santa Lucia Celebration.

404 Pine Street, Burlington, VT

 

Lucia, by Carl Larsson

Tove is Swedish, and Santa Lucia is the Swedish Festival of Lights. Lucia was an Italian saint remembered and revered for her kindness and love. And for surviving the brutal attacks by a man whose love she scorned. Like the light that returns, Lucia survived the darkness of patriarchal malevolence. Or, that's my reading of it.

Anyway, in Sweden her day is celebrated  with spicy gingerbread cookies and with girl children dressed in a candle laden crown, and boys in a pointy starry hat.

The earlier version of Santa Lucia was Italian, where Lucia was a christian revolutionary, bringing food to the persecuted christians hiding in tunnels underground, hence the candles on her crown. Then, more violence, persecution and finally victory and survival.

Maybe we'll do a little chanuka return of the light Next weekend but this weekend it Lucia.

Tove writes:
At 4 o'clock we welcome you to visit us for the Annual Lucia celebration. At 4:30 the Lucia Choir (a group of 4th graders) will sing about the light and the holidays.

Doors will be open from 9-6. All day we will show Works Of Art by the students that participated in the class Art By You & Me.

 

Cow in pasture by Nils Arentzen, Art by You & Me at Atelier Tove

Atelier Tove features Glass Art made by AO! Glass, jewelry made by Jen Wagner and Eco friendly kid wear by Moe O'Hara. 20% starting Saturday until christmas, plus you can get free text engraved on your purchased glass item.

AO! Glass, People Goblets at Atelier Tove at Pine Street Art Works.

GALLERY TOUR: PINE STREET ART WORKS

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.

Youth for Obama!

My youngest customer yet, that is, the youngest to ever spend her hard earned and hard saved money, came in on Saturday to buy an Obama bag by Flashbags.

SPY (her initials, not her job description), who is twelve years old and in the seventh grade, saw the bags here at Pine Street Art Works during  Art Hop and decided that it was well worth spending her own money on. She plans to use the bag to carry her school books. Burlington, VT  is passionate for Obama, and our infectious hope for the future has inspired our young people.

Hurray for the progressive voters of tomorrow, who know they can make a difference today. $20 of her purchase price has been contributed to the Obama Campaign.

ARTICLE ABOUT LIZA COWAN AND PINE STREET ART WORKS IN ART MAP BURLINGTON

Here's a really nice article about me from Art Map Burlington, a monthly publication from Kasini House in Burlington, part of a series on local curators. Kasini house are  the folks who bring you First Friday Artwalk, own and operate Kasini House Gallery, and are movers and shakers in the Burlington art scene. The article was written by G. Blake Mcphail. It is truly one of the best things ever written about me.

Pine Street Art Works’ Liza Cowan

        When Liza Cowan lost her studio lease and a former factory space on Pine Street became available--commercially zoned and too large for a single artist’s studio-- the artist/entrepreneur came up with a vision for a retail gallery “literally, within twenty-five seconds.”

        Cowan spent her youth in New York City surrounded by art. Her parents made it a priority in the family’s world. Cowan describes an early education that makes today’s primary school art programs sound tragically anemic by comparison. Her family also has a long history in retail and business. Today, Cowan melds these influences into the unique venture that is Pine Street Art Works. A portrait of her businessman grandfather hangs above her desk by the door, where Cowan can often be found posting to her blog and greeting customers.

        Selling her own art had necessitated developing extensive business and marketing skills, and Cowan realized she could offer these skills to other artists. She had always been fascinated by, and good at, business and retail, having worked in postcard and ad specialties, designed window displays, and served as president of the Woodstock, New York Chamber of Commerce.

        Following what Cowan calls a “career-altering” course in marketing photography, she had an epiphany: her chances of making a living as a fine art photographer were slim. Although this was devastating, during the course she also realized an important strength: her ability to understand, evaluate and critique art.

        Thus, Pine Street Art Works was born out of “discouragement, self-evaluation, and real estate.”

        The result is inspired, an emporium of one person’s eclectic taste that is personal and specific, yet also wholly inviting. This accessibility may be due to the contents, which blend aesthetic gold and consistent quality with a sense of humor (20th-century technicolor advertisements, circus posters, antique toys, paint-by-number paintings, Flashbags, and pottery table settings are some offerings), but possibly more important is Cowan’s explicit goal of allowing visitors to feel comfortable.

        “It should be fun to walk into an art gallery,” she says. Having seen her share of snobbishness in gallery settings, Cowan feels that an arcane set of knowledge about art shouldn’t be a prerequisite. Visiting an art space is certainly a learning experience, but anyone should be able to walk through the door and learn in an unintimidating environment. Walk through the door they do, with Pine Street Art Works drawing visitors from all over the world. This is, of course, partly due to a strong web presence, but the Liza’s passion, ambition, and wide-ranging knowledge and taste don’t hurt.

        The Pine Street Art Works space mirrors an original vision that has evolved somewhat. Separate but cohesive rooms, one of which resembles a rambling studio, are delineated by brightly colored walls that don’t extend all the way to the ceiling; mannequins in the windows wear saucy art-inspired ensembles, and a dressmaker’s dummy occupies a corner across from a stack of antique hatboxes. The gallery showroom resembles a living space--your cool older cousin’s city loft, maybe--filled with contemporary furniture by local artists, including Kirk Williams, Kat Clear, and John Marius. All of these elements underscore Cowan’s vision within an environment driven by the original factory space.

        Many exhibition artists are found on the internet; some are acquaintances and friends; and some come to her through word-of-mouth. For the numerous artifacts populating her former factory space, Cowan attends auctions, digs through yard sales, accepts items on consignment, and displays her personal collection of ephemera, amassed over a lifetime. Acknowledging that certain of these last are not for sale, Cowan points out that Pine Street Art Works is, in a way, like a museum. Then she says, with a smile, “I like to say the place is like a museum where everything is the gift shop.”

        Cowan, who expresses a strong desire to teach, learn and communicate, offers art with a distinct lack of pretension, generously inviting the public into a world where “pop culture is every bit as important as fine art culture.”

        G. BLAKE MACPHAIL

DOK WRIGHT BANNERS AT PSAW

Burlington photographer Dok Wright came over to Pine Street Art Works yesterday to hang three of his banners in the window. These banners were a highlight of Dok's recent show at Burlington's Art Space 150 (which is where I had my first show in Burlington). 

Dok Wright hanging his banners in the PSAW window.

I love Dok's work. Recently he's been concentrating on stylized images of the human torso, in black and white. I love how he's had these three printed  as banners. I think they are particularly suited for windows because of their translucensce, as well as their size.

Dok Wright photographs in window of Pine Street Art Works

My windows face west, and the strong afternoon and evening light off of Lake Champlain, three blocks away, makes very strong reflections. They are backlit by three bulbs, as well. The effect of this is to make Dok's photos appear almost ghostly. The appear to shimmer in the window, blending with the reflections of the buildings across the street, as well as those of cars and pedestrians.

Dok Wright photos in the window of Pine Street Art Works

It helps, too, that the background of the images is black, so they disappear into the seeming blackness of the window. They look stunning from inside, as well, with the light from the window shining through.

HALL OF MIRRORS

Liza, self portrait using iMac Photobooth and digital point and shoot camera. With SP Goodman painting as screensaver.

Alison Bechdel mentioned in a response to my last post that there is a piece about this blog in our local weekly newspaper, Seven Days Vermont. At the risk of this blog turning into an endlessly recursive hall of mirrors, I refer you to the the piece.

Alison is one of several artists who have exhibited at PSAW who also blog. See Alison’s blog, also Elizabeth Bunsen and SP Goodman. Other artists have excellent websites, which you can get to by following the links page on the PSAW website.

Links are often my favorite part of blogs. I’ve found some of my most valuable resources by following links, not only in the body of the text but also by following the URL’s embedded in names of reader comments. [Which, by the way, is different from people using comment space to write about their own sites. This is generally - with certain exceptions -not considered good blogging manners]

Some of the people who respond  to blogs are brilliant bloggers themselves -creative thinkers, writers, artists, analysts, collectors. Or not. But it’s worth following the links if you are interested in what they've said.

Just click on the names on the comments, and if they have embedded their URLs you will get there. How postmodern is that? It’s one of the best and easiest ways for blogs to create community, which, according to the piece in 7Days, is what I’m here to report on.