When in Rome... I mean Scotland...

I was fortunate to have lived in gorgeous Scotland, perhaps the most beautiful country on planet Earth, from 1989-1992 (although I had been visiting it regularly several times a year starting in 1987).

This spectacular nation is an artist's dream come true, especially if you are a landscape artist (which I wasn't), but the sheer beauty of the Scottish landscape turned me into one... and over the years I produced hundreds of Scottish watercolors, pastels and drawings (and some etchings) which celebrated not only the Scottish landscape, but also all the "stuff" around me (I lived in a farmhouse built in 1532), such as sheep, horses, cows, Highland games, fish, and the brilliant Scottish people.

Here are some of the hundreds of pieces that I did on sheep, which were essentially everywhere!

Sheep in a field near Fettercairn, Angus, Scotland

26 x 40 inches, Pastel on paper, c. 1989

In a private collection in Edzell, Scotland

View from Little Keithock Farmhouse, near Fettercairn, Angus, Scotland

30x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1990.

In a private collection in Montrose, Scotland

Field off the A90, near Fettercairn, Angus, Scotland
12x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1990.
In a private collection in Brooklyn, New York

Blackface Highlanders, near Inverbervie, Angus, Scotland
12x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1990.
In a private collection in Arbroath, Scotland

View from Little Keithock Farmhouse, near Fettercairn, Angus, Scotland
28x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1992.
In a private collection in Glasgow, Scotland

Blackface Highlanders (Near Edzell, Angus, Scotland)
8x10 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1992
In a private collection in the U.S.

Blackface Highlanders, near Glamis Castle, Forfar, Angus, Scotland
20x40 inches. Pen and ink wash on paper, c. 1992
In a private collection in Banff, Scotland

Blackface Highlander, near Dunnottar Castle, Angus, Scotland
28x40 inches. Pen and ink on paper, c. 1991
In a private collection in Stonehaven, Scotland

Blackface Highlanders, near Little Keithock Farmhouse, Brechin Road, Angus, Scotland
30x30 inches. Pen and ink wash on paper, c. 1990
In a private collection in St. Andrews, Scotland

Burns Night

Burns Night is celebrated each year in Scotland (and around the world) on or around January 25. It is in celebration to commemorate the life of the bard (poet) Robert Burns, who was born on January 25, 1759. It is also a great excuse for Scots and people of Scottish ancestry around the world (where the one-drop rule applies) to get together and drink single malt, and eat haggis, and drink single malt.

I lived in a 307-year-old farmhouse in Scotland from 1989-1992. The farmhouse, which had a fireplace in almost every room, and two in the bathroom and two in the huge kitchen, was named Little Keithock Farmhouse and was full of ghosts, as my two daughters, Vanessa and Elise can testify to. That's my drawing of the house to the left.

My landlord (Mr. Stewart) was a really nice guy and a big wig in the nearest town, which was the most ancient village of Brechin, and in 1991 he invited me to the village's Burns Night and not only that, but also to its greatest honor: to deliver the Burns' ode to the haggis and then stab the beast... in case you don't know, the whole focus of the evening centers on the entrance of the haggis on a large platter to the haunting sounds of a piper playing bagpipes. As soon as the haggis is on the table, the host (in this case me) reads the "Address to a Haggis." 

This is Robert Burns' ode written to that succulent Scottish dish. At the end of the reading, the haggis is ceremonially stabbed and sliced into two pieces and the meal begins.

This is what I was supposed to memorize and deliver:

Address to a Haggis

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin'-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye worthy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.
The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o need,
While thro your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.
His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An cut you up wi ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like onie ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich!
Then, horn for horn, they stretch an strive:
Deil tak the hindmost, on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
The auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
'Bethankit' hums.
Is there that owre his French ragout,
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi perfect scunner,
Looks down wi sneering, scornfu view
On sic a dinner?
Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckless as a wither'd rash,
His spindle shank a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit;
Thro bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!
But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll make it whissle;
An legs an arms, an heads will sned,
Like taps o thrissle.
Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies:
But, if ye wish her gratefu prayer,
Gie her a Haggis

As you can see, it is not written (nor delivered) in English, but in Old Scots language.

Being the amazing Renaissance man that I am, I took the challenge, and for about three months, I practiced my Scottish accent, with the help of Vanessa and Elise's local Scottish babysitter. 

I practiced and practiced, and she damned near died laughing most of the times... but towards the end she told me that I was pretty good and that I sounded like someone "from the Orkneys..."

On Burns' Night I arrived at the magnificent Victorian building that is the Brechin's Mechanics Hall, wearing my official US Navy kilt with the official US Navy tartan, ready for Freddy and confident about the challenge ahead. 

And yes, my babysitter had advised me (as all Scots do to newbies just to screw with them) that I was supposed to go commando under the tartan, which I did, and which caused a nightmarish next-morning shower event worth of its own story).

Scots are some of the friendliest people on this planet and Scotland is easily the most beautiful land on that same planet, and as a key part of the Night, everyone wanted to treat me to a drink.

That where the problem started.

I got there on an empty stomach about 7PM, you see... and to make things worse, I don't really like Scotch, single malt or otherwise... I know, I know... heresy.

But as a good guest, I accepted the dozens of Scotches delivered to me by the region's nicest gentlemen, and of course, everyone had a toast, and so... ahhh, I drank a lot of Scotland's best-known product.

The only issue to my spectacular abilities to hold my booze was the fact that the haggis wasn't actually delivered until 11PM, and by then I was three sheets to the wind and as drunk as I have ever been but a hundred times worse!

I actually like haggis and whenever it is on the menu (here or there) I usually order it... most of you would gag if you knew what it is... cough, cough... so that's not the storyline here.

Anyway, around 11PM, I was tipped that the haggis was being delivered... the bagpipes began to cry that spectacular sound of the Celtic world, and the huge platter arrived.

I walked unsteadily towards it, grabbed the large, sharp knife, and as protocol calls for, began waving it around while I started, in my best Scottish accent, to pay homage to the haggis while at the same time trying not to slice off my ears.

The hall was silent, and a couple of hundred people followed my every word and movement of the knife, sculpting invisible shapes in the air.

And then, as called for, I stabbed the beast and cut it in two.

The hall exploded in applause and I walked back to my table... so far so good... other than the unexplained laughter.

Mr. Stewart, who was sitting next to me, was standing and clapping furiously, as was everyone else. This by itself, my addled brain registered, was curious, as Scots are great people, but rather reserved. To my slight alarm, I also noted that he was laughing really, really, really hard.

So hard, in fact, that tears were running down his face.

Oh, oh....

He slapped my back as he hugged me and continued to laugh, and placed yet another single malt on my hand.

"That was great!" (sounds like "gret" in Scottish) he shouted above the din, as tears ran down his handsome face, "We've never heard 'Address to a Haggis' recited in a Japanese accent before!"

"What a gret ideee!"

Put yourself in my place for a moment here... there are a couple of hundred Scots thinking that I just pulled a comedy routine on their sacred ode, and they're laughing their ass off, so it must have worked... right???

"I practiced like crazy," I said, suddenly quite sober.

And that's the story of how this guy delivered on a Burns' Night in Brechin, Scotland, got drunk on his ass, made a lot of really good, decent Scottish men laugh, and had a most memorable night.

The story of how I got home, as I clearly couldn't and didn't drive, is a story for another day... suffice it to say that thistles usually grow on the side of most Scottish back roads and that if you brush against them, you are really fucked for a while. 

Scotch and thistles don't mix well on a really dark night in the Scottish country side.

Campello gets reviewed

Not me, but my youngest daughter Elise Torralbo (nee Campello):

The cast all put in solid performances without a single weak link, but special mention goes out to Elise Torralbo. Playing Olive Ostrovsky. Torralbo is no stranger to TMP, as she was seen in last year’s production of “Shout! The Mod Musical” and takes center stage here with a heartfelt rendition of “The I Love You Song,” and some surprising rope climbing antics that steal the show in “Life is Pandemonium.” Though Torralbo gets the spotlight, everyone in the cast puts in a strong performance...

Read the review by  Derek Shuck in the Tacoma Weekly here.

Also:

Elise Torralbo plays Olive Ostrovsky (except for the shows of January 23 to 25, when Rachel Roewer takes on the role). Olive’s mother is on retreat in India, learning to be enlightened while her father is once again late to one of her events due to work. Torralbo wrings sympathy from the audience as the poor little ignored child who turns her desire for parental affection to her only friend, the dictionary.

Read the review by Lynn Geyer at the Suburban Times here.

Field near Battledykes

"Field near Battledykes, Forfar, Angus, Scotland"
Pen and Ink Wash. 1992. 28x40 inches
In a private collection in Scotland

Deadline is tomorrow!

Juried Photo Competition Deadline Sunday, January 25 @ 11:59 PM

my little town a juried photography exhibition about washington, dc last chance! easy to submit your photos (see below) enter today

my little town a juried exhibition about washington, dc Peter Garfield, Juror Award-Winning Photographer for Washingtonian, Smithsonian Magazine US News & World Report and The Washington Post We all have our favorite DC spot.  Our favorite neighborhood dive. What makes the big city "your city"? Submit your photos today!         1.  SUBMIT PHOTOS:  Submit up to five (5) jpeg images via email           to photoworks.gallery@gmail.com before 11:59 pm on Jan 25th.      2.  PAY ENTRY FEE:   $40 for up to 5 images - pay using PayPal button.              IMPORTANT STUFF TO KNOW: A.  Please write MY LITTLE TOWN in the subject line.           1.  If portrait oriented, image size should be no larger than 500px wide by                 700px tall, 72ppi, sRGB, .jpg quality = 8           2.  If landscape oriented, image size should be no larger than 1000px wide                by 700px tall, 72ppi, sRGB, .jpg quality = 8           3.  If square, image size should be no larger than 700px wide by 700px tall,                 72ppi, sRGB, .jpg quality = 8   B.  Please title your images as follows, using  your name:      Example:  name _01_title of first entry.jpg;  name_02_title of second entry.jpg;  etc.   C.  Photoworks will confirm via email that we have received your images. D.  You will be notified via email by FEB 4 which of your photograph(s) has been selected. E.  Chosen images must be delivered to Photoworks, framed and ready-to-hang no later      than FEB 25.  The MY LITTLE TOWN EXHIBITION will open on February 27 and run      through April 13, 2015. F.  Photoworks is located at 7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, MD,      1st Floor, Arcade Building.  Photoworks is open 1-4PM on Saturdays,      1-8PM on Sundays, call for other delivery arrangements, 301-634-2274. DELIVERY OF PHOTOGRAPHS:  Chosen images must be delivered by February 25 to Photoworks -- framed and ready-to-hang. GALLERY HOURS:  Saturday, 1-4 PM, Sunday, 1-8 PM, 301-634-2274 QUESTIONS?  Gayle Rothschild, gaylesue@me.com

Photoworks 7300 MacArthur Boulevard Glen Echo, MD  20812 www.glenechophotoworks.org 301.634.2274

SELECT 2015 Opening

 

DATE: January 29, 2015

TIME: 7-9pm
LOCATION: Artisphere, 1101 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

FREE PARKING with validation after 5pm at the Artisphere garage

Participating Artists:

Lauren Frances Adams | Kalee Appleton | Glen Baldridge | Alan Steven Binstock | A. J.

Bocchino | Margaret Boozer | Catherine Borg | Alex Braden | Amy Hughes Braden | Otho DeWitt Branson | Milana Braslavsky | Noah Breuer | Julia Brown | Dwayne Butcher | F. Lennox Campello | Laura Carton | Mei Mei Chang | Hsin-Hsi Chen | Ben Chetta | Maya Ciarrocchi | Hannah Cohen | Billy Colbert | Cynthia Connolly | Joseph Corcoran | Adam Davies | Frank Hallam Day | Jenn DePalma | Lisa Dillin | Daniel Todd Doughty | Mary Early | John Edmonds | Hector Emanuel | Suzanna Fields | Emily Francisco | Mary Freedman | Lee Gainer | Zaki Ghul | Hope Ginsburg | Edel Gregan | Jason Gubbiotti | Stephen Hendee | Jay Hendrick | Daniel Heyman | Cooper Alan Holoweski | Erik Hougen | Karen Hubacher | James Huckenpahler | Janna Ireland | Ashley Kauschinger | Jeffrey Kent | Hannele Lahti | Khánh H. Lê | Kakyoung Lee | Cary Leibowitz | Liz Lescault | Nate M. Lewis | Dalya Luttwak | Tamara Natalie Madden | Katherine Tzu-lan Mann | Caitlin Alexandra Masley | Christina McCleary | Patrick McDonough | Matthew Moore | Evan Nesbit | Tomomi Nitta | Chris Oh | Kwame Shaka Opare | Mike Osborne | Nikki Painter | Lydia Panas | Nara Park | Sui Park | Pamela Pecchio | Emilio Perez | Serena Perrone | Cameron Petke | Michael B. Platt | Caitlin Teal Price | Susana A. Raab | Ding Ren | Siobhan Rigg | Pam Rogers | Sandra Rottmann | Phil Sanders | Dana Schutz | Joyce J. Scott | Molly Springfield | Eve Stockton | Martin Swift | Monika Sziladi | Rob Tarbell | R. L. Tillman | Stephen Marcus Towns | Fahimeh Vahdat | Michael Vasquez | Terri Weifenbach | Levester Williams | Audrey Wilson | Julie Wolfe | Meseretu Wondie | Eva Wylie | William Wylie | Helen Zughaib | Malandela Zulu

Curators:

Asantewa Boakyewa | Kristi-Anne Caisse | Jennifer Farrell | Sarah Hanley | Ryan Holladay | Sarah Kennel | Phyllis Rosenzweig | Brian Young | WPA Board of Directors

OTHER SELECT 2015 EVENTS ______________________________________________________________

EXHIBITION

Thursday, January 29 through Friday, March 6, 2015

Wednesday through Friday: 4-11 PM

Saturday: Noon - 11 PM

Sunday: Noon - 5 PM

Monday - Tuesday: Closed

SELECT CURATOR TALKS

Free and open to the public, two curator talks provide an excellent opportunity to

learn more about the artists and artworks featured in the exhibition. Each night,

participating curators share their thoughts on the works they've selected for the

exhibition and answer questions from the audience.

Thursday, February 12, 2015
6:30-8pm

Jennifer Farrell, Ryan Holladay, Sarah Kennel, and Brian Young

Thursday, February 19, 2015
6:30-8pm

Asantewa Boakyewa, Kristi-Anne Caisse, Sarah Hanley, and Phyllis Rosenzweig

ART AUCTION GALA

TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE for the Art Auction Gala 

SELECT 2015 consists of a 5-week public exhibition and ticketed auction party to support contemporary art and the local artist community. The artists invited to participate in this exhibition were selected by a group of notable curators from some of the most important institutions in our region, emerging curators, and WPA's Board of Directors. The works represent a cross section of media disciplines, providing a remarkable survey of contemporary artistic practice. The SELECT 2015 gala is the regions longest running contemporary art auction gala and offers a truly unique opportunity to acquire works by emerging and established artists from the DC region and beyond.

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of this rip off email:

Sheneeka Young (sheneekayoung@outlook.com)

Hi,

My name is Sheneeka Young.  I'm in the process of moving to Italy to expand my business field. I just bought a house in Milan, Italy and I'm interested in collecting an artwork for a space within my house to make it unique and beautiful.

Can I look through your website so as to pin point my choice , request for a quote and more information?

I look forward to hearing back from you soonest.

Sincerely,
Sheneeka

Change in Cuba... NOT

Prior to the U.S. delegation arriving in Havana, Castro's mouthpiece, Granma, listed (as Cubans say, "con cara dura") its conditions for "normalization." They are:

1. Repealing the Cuban Adjustment Act.
2. Lifting the embargo.
3. Removing Cuba from the "state-sponsors of terrorism" list.
4. Recognizing the Castro regime's "official NGOs" -- e.g. Committees for Defense of the Revolution, Youth Communist League.
5. Compensating "damages" caused by the embargo.
6. Ending the Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program.
7. Opening embassies in Havana and Washington, D.C.

So what does the Cuban regime have to do in return for all these demands of the Obama Administration?

Nothing, of course.

Asked whether Cuba's regime might at least examine how to expand freedoms to help the Obama pitch Congress on lifting the embargo, Castro's top negotiator Josefina Vidal said:

"Absolutely not. Change in Cuba isn't negotiable."

Details here.

PostSecret

Everyone who knows me already knows that I consider Frank Warren's PostSecret as the most successful art project on the history of the planet... as a pedantic Virgo, my evidence is simple and straightforward: numbers of people involved, either individually as a submitter to the project, or en-mass, as the millions of people around the globe and on planet B612 who have seen the project (and continue to see it).

These days Warren travels all over the same globe (not to B612 yet) discussing and showcasing his spectacular project., but we can also hear him on the air... he has been invited by Andy to be on Business Matters on WPFW - this coming Monday morning at 9AM.

And tomorrow on Sunday, he’ll be talking about secrets on NPR’s TED Radio Hour at 11 AM on WAMU. The audio is live on the web already: http://n.pr/1y7Zv46

Artomatic 2015

“Artomatic is collaborating again with our Sister City Sunderland England, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Solas Nua and others in advance of an International Artomatic in the 3rd quarter of 2015 on the campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC).”

More as I find out more...

Primal Connections

Deanna Schwartzberg’s exhibit of paintings; Primal Connections, will hold an opening reception at The Art Museum of the Americas, OAS/ AMA F Street Gallery, 1889 F street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, on  Wednesday, January 28, 2015 at 6:00 to 8:00 PM.  

 

In the paintings of Deanna Schwartzberg we contemplate the sensuality of nature and the human form.  In her larger works elements of nature merge with the figure reaffirming her belief that humankind and the environment are inseparable.  Included in the exhibit is an installation of 28 small paintings of faces inspired by her poem, “Primal connections”.   In the poem she uses a female voice, her own, to express our relationship with nature.  These works don’t seek to illustrate the poem as much as to find their own poetic rhythm to illuminate the flux and flow of humanity and the natural world.  Schwartzberg’s art sets up a dynamic of color, light and form that sweeps through the canvas suggesting the sweep of natural phenomena and the role of humanity as part of this display.

Opportunities for Artists

EMULSION 2015 is East City Art's second annual regional juried exhibition and are privileged to have none other than my good friend and hard-working DMV gallerist, the wonderful Adah Rose as their juror this year!

The deadline to apply is February 15.  Here are the links to the webpage, the prospectus (in PDF) and the online application site:

http://www.eastcityart.com/emulsion/
http://www.eastcityart.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/prospectus-2015.pdf
https://emulsion.submittable.com/

Friducha

"Friducha"
Hand-colored stone lithograph, c. 1980, 2 x 1.75 inches. Edition of 10
Done as an assignment at the University of Washington School of Art

Washington Post's continuing the downward path

One day I will tell the story of how the Washington Post's anemic presence in the area's visual arts essentially entered Zombie-land during the disastrous years that Eugene Robinson was the Style Section editor... Part of me understands the financial reasoning behind this latest decision... but here's another nail in the coffin for the WaPo's "if you don't get it" attitude towards our area's galleries:

From: "Orndorff, Amy" <Amy.Orndorff@washpost.com>
Date: January 22, 2015 at 5:38:38 PM EST
To: "Orndorff, Amy" <Amy.Orndorff@washpost.com>
Subject: Changes to the Weekend section

Hi all,

I wanted to reach out to everyone before our section hits doorsteps tomorrow and let you all know about significant changes to the listings.

This was a free service for many years and we loved doing it, but for various reasons we are having to make significant changes to the way we do it. We have to cut newsprint due to rising costs, and we see the most value for our readers in the stories that we do.

With that in mind we are eliminating the following lists: Et cetera, For Families, Galleries and Art Spaces.

In the coming weeks we will be dramatically reducing the rest of the lists -- Nightclubs, Concerts, Museums, Theater and Film. For those of you with venues that have multiple kinds of events, you will be seeing more emails from me soon about what is going to happen next.

Anything already submitted for the Style and Arts Guide will be printed and/or published online.

Thank you,

Amy

Opportunity for Photographers

Submission Deadline: January 25, 2015 (11:59PM)

MY LITTLE TOWN
A Juried Photography Exhibition About Washington, DC

Juror: Peter Garfield, Award-Winning Photographer for Washingtonian, Smithsonian, The Washington Post

"MY LITTLE TOWN" is a juried photography exhibition about Washington, DC.  We are all familiar with the iconic images of Washington, DC.  But what does our city mean to you?  Show us the neighborhoods.  Send us pics of your favorite haunts.  Show us how you have made the big city "your town."

1.  Submit up to five (5) jpg images photographs to photoworks.gallery@gmail.com
2.  Pay submission fee of $40 at http://glenechophotoworks.org/2014/12/10/call-entries-little-town/
3.  Visit glenechophotoworks on Facebook for rules and guidelines:  https://www.facebook.com/glenechophotoworks
WEBSITE LINK:  http://glenechophotoworks.org/2014/12/10/call-entries-little-town/ FB LINK:  https://www.facebook.com/glenechophotoworks

Artomatic 2015

There will be an Artomatic in the DMV this year... stay tuned and I will tell you where soon... meanwhile, if you want to participate, sign up and stay in tune with Artomatic here.

Forgery ring busted

Spain's Civil Guard has arrested three people in the cities of Zaragoza and Tarragona for trying to sell fake Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse drawings, El País reports. They have been charged with crimes against intellectual property and fraud.

It is the culmination of Operación Mirones (Operation Voyeurs), launched in July 2014 to put an end to an art forgery ring. The investigation kicked off during a routine check at the border control in Lleida, when the Civil Guard stopped an Andorran resident carrying a series of Miró drawings and their certificates of authenticity. The agents, suspicious, asked experts to analyze the works, which were confirmed to be fake.

 Read it all here.

New searchable resource for lost, stolen and disputed works of art and cultural heritage

Art Recovery Group has launched a new searchable resource for lost, stolen and disputed works of art and cultural heritage.

The ArtClaim Database will launch publicly today after 12 months of development in consultation with art market, law enforcement and insurance professionals. In response to their needs, the Database offers new ways of identifying and recording interests attached to works of art.

The ArtClaim Database brings innovative technological solutions to art-based due diligence, offering fully-integrated image recognition technology and a total of over 500 possible data fields for every item registered or searched. Their inclusion provides greater transparency and less risk to transactions by identifying and recording the widest range of obstructions to clear title.

Users of the Database are offered four services: a search facility, registration of items, instant alerts and collection management.  These services are overseen by ArtClaim’s international team of provenance research specialists and art market analysts. Currently around 5,000 items a week from a range of new, historic and exclusive data sources around the world are being added to the Database.

Christopher Marinello, CEO of Art Recovery Group, said:

“We are extremely proud of the ArtClaim Database and the progress that it represents for this area of the art market. As the issues attached to objects grow in complexity there has to be a solution that is able to adapt in identifying them.

Our ArtClaim database has been developed to meet both the needs of the current market and those of the future – a future in which we aspire to be assisting every significant art transaction in the world.”

In the month following this launch all ArtClaim services will be free to use. Thereafter, loss records for uniquely-identifiable objects will always be free to register on the ArtClaim Database and competitive fees will apply to search requests and registrations for works on loan or in storage.  

For more information, please contact: Jerome Hasler Head of Communications & Strategy, Art Recovery Group +44 (0) 203 763 3546        +44 (0) 7436 151 855 jerome@artrecovery.com

Art Guarantees: Lofty

From Art Law Journal:

Finally, there is Lofty, which comes at art from the seller’s perspective, rather than the buyers. While Lofty provides a traditional online marketplace for valuable fine art, antiques and collectibles, each Lofty item is reviewed and valued by a carefully selected network of experts, which includes qualified appraisers, current and former auction house specialists, reputable dealers, and other art world professionals with decades of experience evaluating items in their specialties. One problem with buying art online, especially when it has a heavy price tag, is making sure it is authentic, and actually liking the piece once it is seen in person. Art can look very different from what is seen on a computer screen. To counter those issues, Lofty provides a 5-year Authenticity Guarantee and a 100% Money Back Satisfaction Guarantee within seven days of delivery. In 2014, Lofty received $2 million in Seed investment.

Eyes and more eyes

Below you will see a significant set of "Eye Studies." These are tiny original drawings on paper done in 2014 as studies for larger pieces (in most cases) or simply as exercises. 

Most of them are charcoal, some have added conte and/or colored pencils/watercolor. They are all very small, and they are all matted in a white, pH-balanced, acid free hand-cut beveled museum mat and then framed under glass to a 5x7 inch size in a minimalist white wood frame. 

They are all the same price ($125 each) and if you are interested in any of them, let me know and I will refer you to the gallery which has that particular drawing.

Eyes of Anderson Campello

Eyes of a Woman Looking for Peace

Eyes of a Porn Star

Eyes of a Woman at Peace

Eyes of The Morrigan

Eyes of The Lilith

Eyes of Fear

Eyes of a Smiling Woman

Eyes of The Morrigan II

Eyes of a Woman watching MSNBC

Eyes of a Woman about to sigh

Eyes of a Chocolate Lover

Eyes of a Happy Child

Eyes of The Morrigan III

Eyes of The Lilith II

Eyes of a Woman Planning Revenge

Eyes of Bettie Page

Eyes of President Barack Obama Smiling

Eyes of Bettie Page II

Eyes of Frida Kahlo

Eyes of Paul McCartney

Eyes of Diego Rivera

Eyes of Mr. Spock

Eyes of Frida Kahlo

Art Miami New York

Art Miami New York makes its debut in May during Frieze week in NYC and they have announced the new director:

It is with great enthusiasm that Art Miami LLC announces the appointment of Katelijne De Backer as Director for Art Miami New York, debuting on May 14, 2015 during Frieze Week in New York City. De Backer previously served as the Director for The Armory Show at Pier 94 for 12 years, the same location where Art Miami New York will take place this year. De Backer was instrumental in transforming the bohemian-style fair of 75 galleries to a world-renowned exhibition of more than 200 galleries.

De Backer's impressive experience includes her position as Director of Exhibitor Relations for SCOPE, who hired De Backer to raise the profile of the fair and bring her discerning eye and unparalleled professionalism to the organization. De Backer also served as Managing Director for top contemporary art gallery Lehmann Maupin, where she oversaw several teams with locations in New York's Chelsea and the Lower East Side, as well as in Hong Kong.

"Art Miami LLC is thrilled to have Katelijne as part of the team to welcome an exciting new fair into our family. Katelijne has worked with some of the worlds most respected fairs and brings tremendous experience and confidence to offer only the best support for the extraordinary galleries, collectors, curators and art professionals who attend our fairs," said Art Miami Executive Vice President & Partner Nick Korniloff.

"I am honored and excited to join the Art Miami New York team. I look forward to building on this rich tradition as we move ahead with a new edition in New York City.  To be back at Pier 94, where I have worked for so many years on The Armory Show, it feels only natural and is a welcome déjà vu!" adds De Backer.

Art Miami New York will cater to both seasoned and new art collectors commencing with an elegant invitation-only VIP Preview on Thursday, May 14 from 2-5 p.m. The VIP Preview will provide collectors, art advisors, curators, and members of the press with the first look and opportunity to acquire the finest works available in the market before the fair opens to the public that evening through Sunday, May 17.

Produced by the Art Miami LLC team, Art Miami New York's refined ambiance will be welcoming and appealing to all levels of visitors, from the seasoned collector looking to acquire new works to the budding art enthusiast looking to create a collection.  Prestigious galleries will exhibit within the intimate and modern setting of Pier 94, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Hudson River. Featuring a 133,000-square-foot exhibition hall at 55th Street and the West Side Highway, Pier 94 is located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan within close proximity to the Chelsea art district, museums and major auction houses.      

About Art Miami New York

Art Miami New York is operated and produced by a partnership consisting of art and media industry veterans Nick Korniloff, Mike Tansey and Brian Tyler. The ownership team also produces Art Miami, CONTEXT, Aqua, Art Wynwood, CONTEXT New York, Art Southampton and Art Silicon Valley/San Francisco Fairs. For more information, visit www.artmiaminewyork.com.