Saturday, June 11 is Open House Day - Come visit us!

This Saturday June 11, 2011 from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., we are hosting the grand reopening of our gallery as part of the State of Connecticut's Open House Day. Come hang out with us, check out the new show, eat a snack and meet fellow artists and art-goers.

Featured will be our inaugural exhibition Photographs by Keith Johnson and Mark Savoia, which was also printed by Still River Editions.

11 pm Gallery opens

1 pm Gallery talk and discussion on digital printmaking with Mark Savoia, photographer and Master Printmaker

12-3:30 pm Participate in Faces of Danbury with photographer Catherine Vanaria. Portraits will be taken on a first-come first serve basis. Those who participate will be sent an 8x10 print after the event.

If you want to make a day of it, also in the area: The Danbury Museum and Historical Society (who have a fabulous exhibition on women's hats featuring photographs by Catherine Vanaria) and the Danbury Railway Museum. The Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield is only a 15-20 minute ride away.

FYI we have air conditioning.

Facebook events page  

We will also be having an evening art opening on Thursday, June 23 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. (Keith Johnson is teaching at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina and will miss Open House Day, but will be here for the opening on the 23d.)

Ben Larrabee's Kozo Prints featured at 49th Annual CCNS Art Show

"Horses, 2009" © Ben Larrabee

Three of Ben Larrabee's Kozo Paper Prints will be featured in the CCNS Art Show taking place June 9-12, 2011 at Community Cooperative Nursery School, 4 Trolley Place, Rowayton, CT.

Larrabee uses Japanese Kozo paper to energize his photographs with additional dimensionality, and a sense of movement. Kozo paper is made from the mulberry tree, and is also known as rice paper because it was once used to wrap rice.

The annual art show showcases over 100 local and nationally recognized artists. The opening night admission is $25 and includes a pass for admission the rest of the weekend; all other days admission is $10. 40% of art sale proceeds is donated to CCNS (and tax deductible).

Magnificent Millinery at Danbury Museum & Historical Society

© Catherine Vanaria

“Magnificent Millinery: Three Centuries of Women's Hats in Danbury” is an exhibit opening Saturday, June 4, 2011, at the Danbury Museum & Historical Society. There will be a ribbon-cutting by Danbury's "first lady" Phyllis Boughton at 10 a.m. followed by refreshments. The museum is located at 43 Main Street, Danbury, CT.

Twenty display cases with over 300 hats from the museum's collection are exhibited with other hatting items from Danbury's history in the millinery trade. The exhibition was curated by guest curator Erika Ketelhohn-Askin.

For the past year or so, our own Catherine Vanaria (printer, photographer, and WCSU professor) has been photographing hats from their collection that are from the colonial period up until the mid-20th century. Her large-format prints are featured in the exhibition.

The Mercurial did a story on it here. The exhibition runs until October 15, 2011.

From the opening:

Cathy Vanaria at the opening, photo by Mark Savoia

Tarrywile Park & Mansion Plein Air Festival June 1-4, 2011, Danbury

There is a plein air art happening taking place from June 1, until Saturday, June 4, 2011 at Tarrywile Park and Mansion, 70 Southern Blvd., Danbury, CT. Artists will be painting and photographing en plein air (live from the landscape outdoors in the open air) from dawn to dusk June 1-June 4, culminating in the Plein Air Art Exhibit and Sale on Saturday, June 4, 2-6 pm, where over 100 paintings and photographs from local artists will be offered for sale.

Tarrywile is a beautiful park, and has a lot of trails to hike and explore as well as water features and open fields for observing birds and other wildlife.  There is even a crumbling castle in the part of the park across the street from the mansion.

Also happening Saturday the 4th is an exhibit opening at the Danbury Museum and Historical Society. Details in a separate post to follow.

Robert C. Jacobsen's super-natural world at Cafe Atlantique, Milford

"Pepper Runs Through the Prickly Peach" © Robert C. Jacobsen

Robert C. Jacobsen is featured in a solo show of his digital fine art at Cafe Atlantique, 33 River St., Milford, June 1-31, 2011, opening June 4, 2011.

Jacobsen's photographs start with hyper-real representations of the natural world. Familiar fruits and vegetables are rendered unfamiliar as their scale becomes huge. Jacobsen plays with their colors, shapes, and textures; these aren't "still lifes" in a traditional sense. He works extensively on his images, and each individual element is part of his palette that when combined becomes lively abstraction.

His signed, limited edition giclée prints were made by Still River Editions.

From the opening:

Robert Jacobson at the opening, photo by Vernon Howard

Westport Arts Center: Solos 20II Juried Members Exhibition

Westport Arts Center is hosting Solos 2011 Juried Members Exhibition from May 20 - June 26, 2011, juried by Robin Jaffee Frank, the Alice and Allan Kaplan senior associate curator of American paintings and sculpture at Yale University Art Gallery.

Artists selected for the exhibition include: Miggs Burroughs, Westport, CT; Eric Chiang, Westport, CT; Megan Craig, New Haven, CT; Gayle Gleckler, North Salem, NY; Joan Miller, Westport, CT; Andrea Morganstern, Bridgewater, CT; Neil Ira Needleman, Katonah, NY; Lawrence Russ, Southport, CT; Ivo Stoilov, Oakville, CT.

The opening reception is Friday, May 20, 2011 from 6-8 pm.

Westport Arts Center is located at 51 Riverside Ave., Westport, CT.

City by the Sea Art Fair, May 14-15, Bridgeport, CT

"Harbor Star, New Haven, 2011" © Lys Guillorn

Our own Lys Guillorn's photograph, "Harbor Star" was selected to be included in the first annual City by the Sea Art Fair juried art exhibition on May 14 and 15, 2011, at Captain's Cove Seaport, 1 Bostwick Avenue, Bridgeport, CT.  The carbon pigment giclee print was made from a scan of Guillorn's original 120 film negative double exposure taken in New Haven harbor.

The artists from a variety of media who were selected for the exhibition are Michele Beaulieu, Heather Braxton, Helen Cantrell, Matt Chop, Herm Freeman, Jessica Glick, Lys Guillorn, Delayne Gratopp, Karl Heine, Neil Layne, Anthony Mobilia, Brechin Morgan, Andrew Mullen, Wendy Nylen, Kaz Oda, E. Fitz Smith, Patricia Warfield, Allen Wittert, and  Israel Zevallos.

There will be music on Saturday by John Moore from 12:30-4:30 pm, and Sunday by Tony Gabriel from 12:30-4:30 pm Sunday. Also this weekend, the all-female-crewed Tallship Unicorn will be in the harbor and giving free tours.

Captain's Cove includes a restaurant (where you can get seafood to eat in  and shops in tiny, multi-colored colonial and victorian-style buildings.

An article on City by the Sea in the Connecticut Post

Koenig FrameWorks' Spring Photography Show: Fantasy

Koenig FrameWorks in Newtown, CT is presenting their Spring Photography Show from May 6 - May 27, 2011. The call for submissions was themed "Fantasy", and includes 60 images by 33 photographers. The theme was an intentional departure from the traditional, meant to inspire creative responses.

Client Paul Berger's photograph, "Enchanted Rainforest" is among those included. Client Elisabeth Levy is also participating.

There is an opening reception on Friday, May 6 from 6 pm - 9 pm. Koenig FrameWorks is located at 97 South Main St. (Route 25), Newtown, CT

Nancy Lasar to present at The Affordable Art Fair, NYC

The Affordable Art Fair NYC takes place this weekend from Thursday, May 5 to Sunday, May 8 at 7W New York, 7 West 34th St. (near 5th Ave / the Empire State Building), NYC.

"Adagio" Digital, Acrylic, and Mixed Media, 36" x 30", 2010 © Nancy  Lasar

Printmaker and mixed-media artist Nancy Lasar of Washington, Connecticut will be represented by A.I.R. Gallery's Booth A-2 as part of the multi-gallery initiative Art x Women.

On Sunday, Lasar will be doing a short talk on cliché verre (a printmaking technique) she uses in conjunction with digital printmaking at 1:30 pm at booth A-2.

"B. W. Grinnell: Land Used" Exhibition at W.P.A. Gallery at Ward Pound Ridge

© B.W. Grinnell

Photographer Benjamin W. Grinnell will be exhibiting "Land Used: Photographs of America and Abroad" at W.P.A. Gallery at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Cross River, NY, from May 7-June 5, 2011.

Grinnell's photographs explore the relationship between the natural environment and the human-made objects within it as seen through his extensive travels.

I like the way Grinnell puts it in his artist's statement, "There are so many untold tales and lives tied to the land (and sea), and these photographs are merely a glimpse, usually from a passerby's vantage, of what was and what may yet be.  As such, the relics - the barns, telephone poles, tower cranes, trucks, boats, weathervanes, windmills and more serve as cairns to guide one's interpretation of these untold and unfinished stories."

Grinnell's book, Americana from Road and Rusty Rail is previewable here.

There will be an opening reception on Saturday, May 7, from 11-4 pm. The gallery is located at Route 35 and Route 121 South, Cross River, NY.

Ben Larrabee's Moments of Grace® at Art to the Avenue, opening Thursday, May 5, 2011

"Montana, 2010" © Ben Larrabee

Photographer Ben Larrabee's fine art black and white portraits will be on exhibit during Art to the Avenue May 5 – 30, 2011 at Lexus of Greenwich, CT.

Art to the Avenue is an annual May event during which over 100 artists exhibit in storefronts and local businesses along and around Greenwich Avenue, turning the city into a strolling art gallery. The opening night (May 5 this year) is festive, with opening receptions and entertainment at many of the participating locations.

Larrabee's photographs are finely tuned to capture tenderness within families and relationships. Larrabee calls his work  "'Moments of Grace' referring to those fleeting yet memorable moments every family has but rarely sees captured in photographs. His photographs show families acting naturally and spontaneously, expressing their spirit and love for one another."

There will be an opening reception for Ben Larrabee's exhibition on Thursday, May 5, 2011, 5:30 - 8:00 pm. Lexus of Greenwich is located at 19 Railroad Avenue (across from train station), Greenwich, CT. A .pdf map of the venues is downloadable here.

Saturday April 30, and Sunday, May 1: RGOA and SCAN exhibit openings

Saturday, April 30, 2011, Ridgefield Guild of Artists  will begin hosting Continuum: Gender Identities, which will run until June 3, 2011. Our friend, Chris Durante, who is a fine artist, adjunct professor of fine art, and framer, is exhibiting in this group show. 52 artists in various media and representing various points on the continuum are participating. Opening reception 6 - 9 pm Saturday, April 30 at the Ridgefield Guild, 31 Halpin Lane, Ridgefield, CT.

April 30, to May 8, 2011 the Society of Creative Arts of Newtown, CT will be hosting its 41st annual spring juried art show, taking place at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library, 25 Main St., Newtown, CT. The reception is Sunday, May 1, 2 - 4 pm. The chair of the event is client Grace McEnaney. SCAN hosts periodic shows, and monthly meetings that include demonstrations by local and regional artists.

The Mercurial Collective Art Gallery Opening April 30: "Out of the Woodwork"

© Erin Walrath

The Mercurial Collective, a new art gallery in Danbury, CT, is having its grand opening on Saturday, April 30, from 4 - 7 pm. The inaugural show features work-neighbors Erin Walrath, Amanda Bloom and Chris Durante--who each have permanent studios on Library Place, as well as Alec Jordan, Catherine Lucia and David Haislip.

The opening will also feature with live music by String Fingers Band, a fun bluegrass band from Easton who have just released a new CD, Don't Forget. The Mercurial Collective is located at 11 Library Place, Danbury, CT. Also open will be Erin Walrath's studio at 13 Library Place, and Chris Durante's at 9 Library Place. Parking is at the Bardo Garage directly across the street, or at metered spots along Main St.

Their Facebook event page is here.

Senior Art Exhibition at Western Connecticut State University

The senior art and graphic design show opens tonight, April 27, 2011 at Higgins Hall at Western Connecticut State University, 181 White St., Danbury, CT. The opening is from 6-8 pm, and there is free parking available in the commuter garage on Fifth St.

Our own Catherine Vanaria is an adjunct professor of photography at Western, and her students are among those exhibiting. The past few years, I've been particularly impressed by the overall quality of work and how it was presented, and look forward to seeing this year's crop.

Other major concentrations exhibiting are graphic design, illustration and painting.

IMAGES 2011: Bill Eppridge Retrospective and Juried Photography Exhibition

© Bill Eppridge

The Farifield Museum and History Center is hosting a Bill Eppridge photography retrospective and juried photography exhibition, IMAGES 2011. Mark Savoia, co-owner of Still River Editions and Connecticut Photographics was chosen for his photograph "Stay in Line". The jurors were Bill Eppridge, Stephen Wilkes, Thomas Mezzanotte and Adrienne Aurichio.

Bill Eppridge is a photojournalist and author with a long career at LIFE magazine and Sports Illustrated. He covered RFK from his early campaign days until his death, the Civil Rights movement, the Beatles' first visit to North America, and many other stories in sports, music, and social issues. Eppridge has written several books, including the most recent, A Time It Was: Bobby Kennedy in the Sixties. His bio is here.

Saturday, April 30, 2011 there will be a fundraising preview gala from 6-8:30 pm. Tickets are required, and all proceeds benefit the museum's education programs.

There is a members and artists reception Sunday, May 1 from 2-4 pm. Awards will be presented for the juried show. Free.

Bill Eppridge will be giving a talk "The Man with a Camera: a Night with Bill Eppridge" Thursday, May 19 7-9 pm, $8 admission, members and students $5

The Fairfield Museum and History Center is located at 370 Beach Rd. Fairfield, CT 06824

Andrew Buck: "Rockface" at Real Art Ways in Hartford

© Rockface XXV Andrew Buck

Photographer and client Andrew Buck's show Rockface opens Thursday April 21, 2011 at Real Art Ways, 56 Arbor St., Hartford, CT. The show runs until June 10, 2011. From the press release: "Rockface is the result of the artist's three-year examination of the exposed and blasted rock created by mining and road development" which Buck photographed in Connecticut and Maine

From Buck's artist's statement: "This series links the two themes in my work: landscape and abstraction. All of the rock faces I have photographed were created by blasting through hills for construction or for granite and trap rock quarrying. The images are abstract, but they are also concerned with how our impact on the natural landscape creates an entirely new landscape."

The black and white archival carbon pigment prints are velvety and three-dimensional looking.

Also opening there is Zbigniew Grzyb: New Works: Branch/Sky Series


The opening is running during Real Art Ways' third-Thursday Creative Cocktail Hour, Thurs., Apr. 21, 6—8 p.m., $10/$5 Real Art Ways members.

Gar Waterman: New Sculpture and Marjorie Wolfe: New Photographs at Kehler Liddell, New Haven

© Marjorie Wolfe (left) and Gar Waterman (right)

There's an opening at Kehler Liddell this weekend, and I just wanted to pass along the information. Their website has a thorough description of the show which combines architectural and natural forms in both photography and sculpture.

Coruscations and Cotyledons: Gar Waterman - New Sculpture, and  Marjorie Wolfe - New Photographs from April 14 - May 15, 2011

Artists Reception:  Sunday, April 17, 3-6pm; Artists Talk, 3:30pm

Kehler Liddell Gallery is located at 873 Whalley Avenue, New Haven, CT.

Save the Date: June 11 is Still River Editions' Open House Day

On Saturday, June 11, 2011, the Gallery at Still River Editions will be opening as part of Connecticut Comission on Culture and Tourism's Open House Day 2011. Across the state on that day art galleries, historical properties, museums, parks, and other organizations will be offering free admission, tours, refreshments, and activities.

The inaugural re-opening exhibition at our gallery will feature the work of photographers Keith Johnson and Mark Savoia (co-owner of Connecticut Photographics and Still River Editions). Both Mark and Keith were 2010 Artist Fellowship Recipients from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.

We don't normally have Saturday hours, so if you've been meaning to come visit us and haven't had time during the week, this would be a great day to come out, look at some art, and chat with us about printing/art/photography. We'll have some light refreshments, and look forward to having some of our clients meet each other. It's a hidden little community--folks don't usually get to meet unless there's a mini-pileup at the counter.

As the date approaches, I'll list other participating venues in the area. For those who aren't familiar with us, we're in downtown Danbury very close to the Danbury Railway Museum and Danbury Historical Society, and not too far from the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield. Not far from I-84 exit 5, but I strongly suggest following written directions to get here the first time.

If you can't make it on June 11, there will also be an artist's reception (probably an evening event), with a date in June to be determined. Regular gallery hours are our normal business hours: Monday through Friday 8:30 am - 5 pm.

The Flowering of Punk Rock by Tom Hearn at Walsh Gallery, Fairfield University

© Tom Hearn

Tom Hearn of Cheshire, CT photographed the birth of American punk and its role in Connecticut and NYC from 1976 to 1979 for PUNK Magazine, founded by Hearn's childhood friend, Legs McNeil.  The Flowering of Punk Rock exhibits 90 of his black and white shots from April 14-May 27, 2011 and includes acts like Blondie, the Ramones, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, and CT local groups from that time.

Opening reception Thurs., April 14 5:30-7:30 pm. Special event: Punk Out Loud, Sat., April 16 6:30-7:30 pm reading by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain from Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk with musical accompaniment by Billy Hough.

Fairfield University Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery at the Quick Center for the Arts, 1073 North Benson Rd., Fairfield, CT

New Haven Register piece here.

Bike As Art Show in Bridgeport 4/9/11, 2 Film Festivals Continuing 4/9-4/10 -- Danbury and New Milford

This weekend there are two film festivals happening concurrently: the Connecticut Film Festival, based in Danbury, and the Litchfield Hills Film Festival based in New Milford, CT. Events are continuing throughout the day and evening Saturday 4/9 and Sunday 4/10. Check out their websites for more information. There's always something interesting going on.

Also, there is an opening in Bridgeport for Gallery 305K's Fresh Frames: The Bicycle as Art at 3 pm, Saturday, 4/9 at 305 Knowlton St., Bridgeport, CT. Local artists include: Joe Quint, Michelle Beaulieu, Mark Derosa, Janet Habansky, Jason Streater, Eric Hup, and Max Weiner, Liz Squillace, Mariza Ferrari, Charlie Walsh. Also featured will be functional bicycles created by Chris Mandell. In addition to the art, there are Saturday group rides planned for the monthlong duration of the exhibit.