Chemestry & Art in every cup.

Here in the Port city it is stated by the folks at Bard Coffee  that there is a story in every cup of "Joe" they make. It's also a fact that my favorite barista Nigel says the best coffee and Jitter Juice art in town is to be had at Bard (185 middle street in Old Port).  Portland is a city of Art heads and I think it's great we can get a jolt and have art simultaneously, but wait there's more.  I just found out about the "Thursday Throwdown! "   The last Thursday of every month Bard presents a Latte Art competition between the finest Barista's in our fair land.  It's serious art for the caffeine conscious art appreciator.    .

   I did some Coffee Research, much of it has nothing to do with art, here is what I turned up. It seems that Caffeine and it's chemistry has several beneficial & interesting effects.  I have listed them for your quick review: 
1. It may help ward off depression.

1,3,7-trimethylxanthine also known as Caffeine

Anyone who perks up after the first sip of morning coffee will tell you that it has mood-boosting effects. The proof has been revealed, a study from the Harvard School of Public Health, published last month in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that women who regularly drink fully caffeinated coffee have a 20% lower risk of depression than non-coffee drinkers. The study, which followed a group of women for 10 years, found that as more coffee was consumed (up to six cups per day), the likelihood of depression decreased. Caffeine changes the chemistry of the brain by mimicking Adenosine (the stuff that keeps you alert) and also increases the actual levels of naturally produced Dopamine in your brain (the stuff that just makes you feel "all good".)
 2. It can aid digestion.
Drinking an espresso or cappuccino after a meal is more than a relaxing habit.  David Levitsky, PhD, professor of nutritional science at Cornell University, "Caffeine decreases the rate at which the stomach dumps its contents into the duodenum-a part of the small intestine where digestion takes place-and also increases metabolic rate."  Sipping a cup post-meal could, in small part, help promote a more healthy digestive process.
 3. It may boost fertility in men.
"Studies have shown that caffeine has a positive effect on sperm motility-the ability of sperm to move toward an egg-and could increase your chances of [getting pregnant]," says John Wilcox, MD, FACOG, managing partner and reproductive endocrinologist at HRC Fertility in California. In fact, a study conducted at the University of Sao Paulo found that sperm motility was markedly higher in coffee drinkers versus non coffee-drinkers. And it turns out that it doesn't matter whether you drink one or ten cups a day: The only detectable difference was found between coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers.
 4. It may reduce the risk of skin cancer.
Staying out of the sun and regularly applying a liberal amount of SPF should always be your number one line of defense against skin cancer. That said, a new study out of Brigham and Women's Hospital found that women who drank more than three cups of coffee a day had a 20% lower risk for basal cell carcinoma, and men had a 9% reduced risk. ( the study stated nothing about the fact that after consuming 3 cups of Jitter Juice it's darn hard to just lay still on a towel in the sun ) The research totally avoided any mention of the deadliest form of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma.
5. It's not truly addictive.
While many people claim that they can't make it through the day without a few cups of java, Liz Applegate, PhD, faculty member and director of sports nutrition at the University of California at Davis, explains that caffeine is not addictive. "Caffeine is a mild stimulant, and the World Health Organization states that it is wrong to compare caffeine intake to drug addiction, since people can reduce or eliminate caffeine from their diet without the serious psychological or physical problems that result from a true addiction.  I consume 2-3 cups of coffee per day at about 100mg per Caffeine per cup.  I can report stopping coffee cold turkey, I was bitchy, had a head ache and couldn't get out of my own way..." However Dr Applegate said, serious coffee drinkers (6 cups a day = 600 mg Caffeine )  who stop or reduce intake are most likely to experience those symptoms, but they will usually resolve themselves after a few days. Below is a listing of many commonly known caffeine delivery systems and the buzzaire, a delivery system I just found out about.
                              
                             Caffeine Comparison Chart

Drink/Food	Caffeine Content
12oz Can of Coke	34mg
12oz Can of Mt. Dew	37mg
12oz of Jolt Cola	78mg
10oz Bottle of Bawls/Red Bull Etc...	80mg
8oz of Brewed Coffee or 1 cup Espresso	70-120mg
One breath of Buzzaire (Caffeine Inhaltion device)	150mg

6. It doesn't necessarily cause stomach pain.
If you've ever blamed java for stomach discomfort, you might want to visit your doctor to see what else could be at the root of the problem. According to Lauren Gerson, MD, MSc, associate professor of medicine and gastroenterology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, "There is no evidence from reviewed studies that coffee causes ulcers or more pain in patients with documented ulcers." She also notes that there is no evidence that coffee could be the cause of stomach pain in patients with indigestion. However, there is one type of digestive issue that coffee can aggravate; Dr. Gerson explains that drinking coffee may worsen heartburn symptoms, since it stimulates the stomach to produce gastric acid.

7. Over 450,000,000 cups of coffee are consumed in the USA each day! 

Now back to the art.  Ok the whole Latte art thing in the states started of course out in Seattle and as you would think they are way way serious about it.  There are set Latte art patterns like Flowers or Rosettes, the ever popular Valentines Day themed Heart, also Swains, Little Tweety Birds,  Shrimp and even Bicycles.  The Coffee art thing is really much bigger than I ever imagined. Click Here to see over 50 images of Latte Art.

If  the idea of grabbing one's laptop, heading to a local coffee joint for a half-cap, light- carmel macchiato, with soy and no whip or Getting down with your bad self  by partaking in a Sweet-Spicy Chai + delicious espresso AKA the Dirty Chai, well that's a personal Choice,  having art in your morning cup, now that's beholden. You can experience coffee art in many of the fine Coffee shops in the Greater WMPG Listening area. You can only experience the Thursday Thrown Down only at Bard Coffee near Tommy's Park The last Thursday of the Month. For more information go to the Bard Facebook page or website...  Here is a link to a video of the November Zombie Thursday Night Throw Down

Why experience the Thursday Thrown Down 

Art in a cup competition at BARD COFFEE ? 

Experience it because your good mind needs good art. 

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/  

Note: WMPG 90.9 fm has increased it's FM signal strength from 1100 kilowatts to  4500 kilowatts! Thank you for making that possible. This means that you are now able to hear MPG on your car radio from Augusta to Dover , New Hampshire .  The station management, the University of Southern Maine & DJ's are totally pumped and excited about the ability to bring you fresh diverse live radio with a clean crisp sound!

Occupy Art?

Serat's Redux  "Picknic on the island"

What is Art?  This the eternal question that begs debate.
For me it is that medium that evokes thought.
Nothing has caused more of a stir in my mind this week than the works of an unknown artist that were located on some unknown facebook page found by Mark Yarm & then posted on the Dangerous Minds blogsite.

It's a bold artistic take on the occupy movement that we are calling Occupy Art!.

Here in Maine everyone is familiar with the works of Andrew Wyeth.  We adopted him as our own, though he comes from Chadds Ford,  Pennsylvania and only summa'd on the coast. A sickly child Andrew was home schooled and instructed in painting by his well know dad and artist/illustrator of Treasure island & Robinhood fame, Newell Convers Wyeth. In a 1977 exhibition catalog for the NY Museum of Art Andrew is quoted :  “I played alone, and wandered a great deal over the hills, painting watercolors that literally exploded, slapdash over my pages, and drew in pencil or pen and ink in a wild and undisciplined manner,”

A turning point in Wyeth’s artistic life came in October 1945 when his father was killed after his car was hit by a train at a rail crossing in Chadds Ford.I'll paraphrase a 1965 Life magazine interview:  Before he died  I was just a clever watercolorist -- lots of swish and swash after he died I decided to do something serious, I had always had this great motion toward the landscape, and so with his death, the landscape took on a meaning -- the quality of him, a quality of the unknown.

 Andrew Wyeth's most famous work, “Christina’s World” (1948), depicts his Maine neighbor, who was unable to walk, in a pink dress stretched out in a blueberry field, looking longingly up a hill toward a house and barn. Her face is hidden from view but the yearning conveyed by the subject is undeniable.  Now fast forward to Fall 2011 and using photo shop drop into the serene Wyeth landscape a police officer spraying the pronated young Christina in the eyes with a can of mace.  It smacks of Dadaism, the defiling of an icon.  It also highlights and draws a parallel to the current coerced extrication of the "occupy movement".  The extraction of the "Occupiers" like the police officer in this new Christina's world crushes the very liberty we and the US constitution all behold.    Going even deeper is has forced me to focus on the occupy movement, if you think the movement was about people standing out in the cold trying to get attention then you totally missed it.  Now we are given a second chance in the viewing of Christina's World Redux by Mark Yarm .

 Why see Christina's World Redux , Why view Occupy Art?

Do it because it's a constitutional right, 
SHIFT HAPPENS !

and your good mind needs good art

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/  

Note: WMPG 90.9 fm has increased it's FM signal strength from 1100 kilowatts to  4500 kilowatts! Thank you for making that possible. This means that you are now able to hear MPG on your car radio from Augusta to Dover , New Hampshire .  The station management, the University of Southern Maine & DJ's are totally pumped and excited about the ability to bring you fresh diverse live radio with a clean crisp sound!
And last but not least a special thank you to WMPG DJ John Dennison for turning me on to the Occupy Art movement and setting my mind a fire!

For more on Activism and the Occupy movement click Dangerous Minds  it's only dangerous if we ignore it.

Here are a few more OCCUPY ART IMAGES.

Edwourd Manet Pic-Nic Redux

Occupy Art hanging in the Wall st gallery 

 Shift is coming get ready for the 2012 Republican & Democratic conventions

Recently seen in the real Gotham City

Art Walk B-I-N-G-O

First Friday Art Night has EVOLVED into an interesting event.
 
Once it was an art focused affair.  

Now the popularity of the event has become a detriment to the original intent, the experience of the ART! 

The Story unfolds:
A couple of 1st Fridays ago I was touring with a bud and we bumped into some folks, I asked them how their art walk was going they said great! When inquired further about the art they saw... a blank stare comes back at me, no a stare full of questions??????   They couldn't remember any of the art they saw,  realizing this I asked what do you remember? The gent reply was "the Pe-pole" , yes lots and lots of art crazed & many non art crazed people.(not all a bad thing because the people watching can be quite entertaining).
 
To combat that I have created a new game you can play that incorporates the Art, the Art Galleries & the People.   It's called Art walk Bingo!     Play it on 1st Friday or anytime you come down to the Port City.
Here's how it rolls,   It just like regular bingo but instead of someone calling out numbers and you marking them off until you or someone gets B-I-N-G-O, the card contains the name of Art Galleries, Artists, Art terminology & a middle square that you check off if you buy or support the arts in anyway.
Here are the simple instructions:

1. Download an Artwalk Bingo Card for each member of your group.(see copies at bottom of blog)
2. Make a bet with your group the first one to get B-I-N-G-O , wins a beer or an order of fries (the group pays)  Play it as a solo or form teams. 
3. Next go to the Port City and start your walk/tour
4. If you visit a Art Gallery and it is listed on your card,  check it off.
5. If you talk with an artist pick a square, any square and check it off
6. If you have a square on your card that says an art term like "wood cut print" and you see one in a gallery then check that art term off. 
7. Check off the middle Square if you buy art or support the arts in any way 
8. First one to get five squares in a row, column or diagonal SHOUTS OUT ART WALK B-I-N-G-O and collects the rewards of the wager from the group!  

 Who knows perhaps you've always enjoyed the paintings with a hazy-smokey landscape and never knew the term for that art technique was SFUMATO!   You'll be surprised at what you'll learn and how much fun you'll have becoming the 1st winner in your group!

WHY PLAY ART WALK BINGO on Portland's 1st Friday Art walk?

Go because it's a gas and your good mind & your friends good minds need good art! 

 For a feel of what 1st Friday is all about Click Here for a Video Clip 

that WMPG DJ  & VJ Chris Darling took a few firsts ago. 


Download & print this beta version of the Bingo Art Card 

Download Art Terms Glossary (recommended download with Bingo card 

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/  

Note: WMPG 90.9 fm will be increasing it's FM signal strength from 1100 kilowatts to  4500 kilowatts in a few weeks, for radio listeners in southern Maine that's a good thing.  It means that you'll be able to hear MPG on your car radio from Augusta to Kittery .  The station management, the University of Southern Maine & DJ's are totally pumped and excited about the ability to bring you fresh diverse live radio with a clean crisp sound!    

What are you thankful for?

 Every November the Thanksgiving Holiday is an opportunity to think and acknowledge the things we are thankful for.  As a WMPG Southern Maine Community Radio DJ & Art critic I am totally thankful for the opportunity to share the music I love & my thoughts on Maine's art scene each and every week. I'm also Thankful to you readers & listeners for your support, criticisms and feedback that you have shared with me over the last year (s) . 

I'm also thankful for these people, places & things:
My Bride Kat
PMA
Space Gallery
Frontier Gallery
St Lawrence Center for Arts
Nosh French Fries
The Port City Music Hall
Mom & Pop
The State Theater reopening!
The Morrison Center in Scarborough 
Explosion of Maine Micro brews,  Peeper Ale, Marshal Wharf, Baxter Brewery

ABrahamObama by Ron English

Ringwood Yeast
First Friday Art Walks
Otto's

Family
Friends
Fishing
Moosehead Lake
Baxter State Park
Chronic Funk
Osher Map Library
The Old Port
Ability to admit I have been wrong on a few issues
Healing Power of time.
Living in the Moment
Living in the Past
Sharing those moments with others
Safepassage
Creativity & inspiration of my Bros & Brohenia's
"Stuck in the 80's"
"Hukkin' a Chainek" host Steve Hirshon
Chris Darling 
Abrahamobama
The Beautiful Casco Bay
Blue Wrap Project
The Royal Bean
Brother Chip



There's more but it's your time to reflect,

Thanks Again for supporting; 

Me, MPG & Art in Maine!

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/  

Note: WMPG 90.9 fm will be increasing it's FM signal strength from 1100 kilowatts to  4500 kilowatts in a few weeks, for radio listeners in southern Maine that's a good thing.  It means that you'll be able to hear MPG on your car radio from Augusta to Kittery .  The station management, the University of Southern Maine & DJ's are totally pumped and excited about the ability to bring you fresh diverse live radio with a clean crisp sound!    

Art lover's Guilty Pleasure

There are several things we should do more often and don't. 

Do you have a guilty pleasure?

Is it a huge bowl of ice cream at 11:30 at night? 

Is it enjoying the warmth of your pillow for 5 more minutes in bed after the alarm?

One of my guilty pleasures in this town of  163 art galleries is going to Ed Pollock's gallery on Forrest ave "A Fine Thing" 

Ed is one of the more interesting people in Portland,  an antiquarian by desire  he has a passion for old books and swanky art with history.   The current exhibition is right is his sweet spot it's simply called the "Poster Show"   

Ben Shaw's  A=B thus C  1946

  This special exhibition runs through the end of November and features limited edition posters from the French Film industry, French War council, Harper's Bazar, Art openings and a poster titled "Wanted for Genocide" it is a powerful print image in one color, purple ink on brown paper.  It is more than a poster it is a  document of the twilight days of the reign of one of the most extraordinary self proclaimed emperors of the twentieth century. Marking a reign which experienced over a hundred thousand people dying of starvation! You can feel the tension and the power of this tragedy that foretold decades of war and instability. 

Swanky cool art & history all under one roof.  I always enjoy the adventure, learn a bit about art  (and myself)  and leave there feeling better than I did before I  entered.  What more can you ask of art? 

Off the Main drag but easy to find, from Congress street turn down Forest Ave about 2 block down on right is A Fine Thing  at 29 forest Ave, if you see Sanctuary Tatoo you've gone to far.     

Why go to the Poster Show at Ed Pollock's A Fine Thing Gallery? 

Go because your good mind needs good art! 

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine 
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/ 

ALBUM COVER ART ROCKS!

Led Zeppelin's House's of the Holy gatefold album cover art by Hipgnosis

                The album cover as an art form was driven out of existence, this weekend at the University of Southern Maine and through the month of November at Space Gallery you have an opportunity to see a huge assortment of album cover art!   Here's the story: 

     Recording & reproduction of sounds in the late 20th century & 21st century was a truly dynamic time in invention.  It was the phonautographic cylinders of Leon Scott in 1857 that was then improved in 1877 by the inventor Thomas Edison into the Phonograph,  this can-like cylinder with engraved wax on the outside was the cutting edge of technology and the Edison "records" as they were called had a glory period from 1888-1915.  The evolution of recording then went flat, literally with the advent of the gramaphone recording system.  This flat shelacked rubber disc would eventually triumph over the phonographic cylinders and held a predominant position as the prefered medium for recorded sound for nearly a century.  The flat records went through many of their own changes from as small as 5 inches to 7 inches, then the ever popular 10" 78 rpm eventually going to a 12 inch 33&1/3 rpm Long Playing "LP" with approximatly 15 minutes of recording per side.  For a brief period in the mid century the RCA company released a 7 inch with a larger center hole that could have multiple discs loaded into their playing machine, the explosion of this new 45 rpm disc ruled for time, only to have the LP return and dominate the blossoming music recording industry.    The recordings now called "Albums" withstood a competive run from reel to reel tape, the tape cassette & my favorite the 8-track cartridge. It wasn't until 1988 that the tables would turn.  The compact disc surpassed the gramophone record in popularity. Many believe it was the record companies themselves that pushed the industry into the compact disc.  This new formate was much more profitable than the larger vinyl records. Record companies also deleted many vinyl titles from production and distribution, further undermining the availability of the format thus accelerated the format's decline in popularity. Many view these actions as a deliberate ploy to make consumers switch to CDs.  In spite of their flaws, such as the lack of portability, records still have enthusiastic supporters and most recently have seen increases in production & sales.

What's this all have to do with Gallery Talk? 

Santana 1969 by Lee Conklin

I personally love the 12" Album covers as a unique medium for art.  The cover photographs of bands reflect the era of their production in a way no other can portray.  The psychedelic art covers from bands like King Crimson, the artwork of "Hipgnosis" (Aubrey Powell & Storm Thorgerson) think Pink Floyd's Dark Side of Moon or Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy,  or Lee Conklin's 1st album cover for Santana are a few of my favorites.  Everyone is familiar with Mouse's work for the Grateful Dead, it became the logo of a lifestyle, the Skeleton & Roses. The Cubist works of graphic designer S.Neil Fujima on the Jazz Albums Ah uM by Mingus & Dave Brubeck's Time out are unique and accent how cool jazz was at that time. These are but a few memorable covers.  The LP cover offered medium for art to promote, protest, experiment comingle the visual & the audio into on statement. For the artists it presented an opportunity for an audience of millions to see their work.  Contrast that with the CD jewel case in it's 5 inch by 5 inch format just does not possess the ability to punch like a 12 x 12 LP or better yet a 12 x 24 gate fold LP jacket. 

Time Out Cover art by S.Neil Fujima 

There are two great forums honoring this art form.  The first is a one day event happening Saturday November 2nd.  It's the WMPG record sale and benefit. There will be Thousands of LP Albums and their cover art on display for viewing and collecting.   Not advertised as an art event, this coming together of WMPG Radio, record collectors and dealers is as huge a collection of LP art as there is anywhere in the world. It's right here in Portland Saturday from 10-3pm at the USM Sullivan Gym.

The second display of LP art has got a little twist and is presented by the folks at Space Gallery.  The LP Cover art as interpreted by Camden artist Gideon Bok.  Gideon's premise is that this cover art is a "Still Life" and he treats each cover as such in a painting that celebrates the unique moment it time in which the LP jacket was created.   His "LP as still life show" was recently in NYC and I'm excited to have it come home for good view right here where art meets the worldly and has a beer, the Space Gallery.   


               Why Go to WMPG Record Sale or the Space Gallery for some "LP" ART

Go because,  your good mind needs good art! 

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/  

Maine Art Locals doing it!

Seeking Inspiration the other day I did a little Van Gogh research.  When VV was in Arles, France (1888 - 1889) he was in an impassioned pursuit of his belief that color expressed something in itself.  To achieve that end he used color to create harmonies, I quote VV  "I look to express the love of two lovers by wedding of two complementary colors, their mingling and their opposition the mysterious vibrations of kindred tones".  The famous "Sunflowers" is a good example of the Arles period.

Fast forward to 2011 and there's some major mingling of color & tones in the sleepy little Portland, Maine suburb of Mayberry, excuse me I mean Yarmouth.  Well the towns got a Barney Fife, a Gomer, a Sheriff , well not really a Sheriff they call him a Chief of Police but he's as down home as a country sheriff.   I digress,  there's something in the water there, the local artists are kick'n it big time, this week there are three big art related happenings.  The first is the Yarmouth Frame shop has opened a New Gallery on US RT1, they have a fantastic October show up, secondly the new Artisans Collective is opening this Friday October 21st, and third event is the Yarmouth Art Festival the're back for their 3rd year! Here's the spin on each of these events.

Kathleen Buchanan @ Yarmouth Art festival

Yarmouth Art Festival 

What is it: The Yarmouth Art Festival is a juried exhibition. Over 70 Artists from across Maine have submitted works for consideration, jurors' selected from over 300 works.Oil, Pastels, Acrylic, Sculpture, Fine woodwork You can view all the works in the online gallery Yarmouth Art festival works .

Where: St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, 396 Gilman Road, Yarmouth, Maine.

When:Oct. 19,20,& 21: Gallery open 10-7 p.m.

           Oct. 22: Gallery open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

What to look for: Rick Green's Coastal Series Encaustic works, Kathleen Buchanan's collagraphic Prints

The Artisans Collective

Ginny Keegan's @ the Artisans Collective

What is it: The Artisans Collective's local artists doing it right!  The opening show features the founding eleven local artists.  It will exhibit a mixed media show of their work, including encaustics, acrylics, watercolors, oils, pastels, clay, photography, jewelry, felted scarves, collages, floorcloths and ceramics!

Where: Royal Bean 18 Yarmouth Crossing (off Main Street in the Village, Rt 115)

When : Friday Oct 21st 4-7pm Artist reception opening,  then open Daily from 6:30am - 4pm 

What to look for: Swanky cool art from very hip locals  & some serious Joe.

Yarmouth Frame Shop & Gallery   

Gale McNalley @ Yarmouth Frame Shop Gallery

What: Opening a new gallery seems counter to these economic times but Frame Shop & Gallery owners Beth & Lee Newman  are excited with the initial success and have assembled a stable of artists with a broad spectrum of Maine art.  Bright colorful images vie for your attention as you enter and whether it be Oil, Pastel, Encaustic or Ceramic each has an message an beckons you to linger. Step inside The Yarmouth Frame Shop & Gallery you'll be surprised. 

When: Current October Show is up and on going through end of month

Where: Yarmouth, Maine 720 US RT.1 

What to look for: Cheerful Gallery owners with a passion for what they do

Why Go to little hamlet of Yarmouth for some culture?

Go because,  your good mind needs good art! 

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/  

Quick Links : 
Map to Art venues
Link to Yarmouth Frame Shop Facebookpage 



 

Manhattens in Maine! Film done right!

You may not know it but an event of global magnitude is happening this week. In cinemas, galleries & cafes over 100,000 people will view and vote in the winners of the Manhattan Short Film Festival. , 598 entries from 48 countries were viewed and 10 films selected as finalists.  These short films of 2-14 minutes were chosen for the ONE WORLD ONE WEEK ONE FESTIVAL.
The Manhattan Short celebrates the video experience like no other and ensures the unique voices, visions and creativity not associated with mainstream cinema will continue to be seen and heard.  
YOU ARE THE JUDGE ,  Audiences at each venue will be handed a voting card upon entry to each cinema and asked to vote for the ONE film they think should win. Votes are tallied by each cinema and sent through to MANHATTAN SHORT HQ where the winner is announced on Sunday October 2nd in NYC 
  Since it's inception the festival has brought filmmakers and audiences together in ways never done before.  This year features finalists from Egypt, Sweden, Hungary, USA, Denmark, Scotland,  Ireland & Australia. The mission is to unite & expose unknown or little known film makers with a worldwide audience for a unique film experience.

One thing I know will happen if you go to the Manhattan Shorts, you will laugh, you may cry but you'll definitely be moved by the power of the short story film.

Arthouse Cimemas world wide are showing the shorts, the finalist were shown in Ellsworth & Portland earlier this week & will be at the Frontier Cafe in Brunswick with three screenings  Saturday Oct 1 & The Railroad Cinema in Waterville with a single matinee screening Saturday & Sunday Oct 2nd.   Call ahead these screenings will be sold out.  For more information on the films and the festival click on the Manhattan Film Festival link highlighted above.

Why Go to the Manhattan Short Film Festival?

Because your good mind needs good art! 

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/  

BLOCK PARTY IN PORTLAND! Who Else but SPACE GALLERY !

THINK BLOCK PARTY IN THE PORTLAND MAINE ARTS DISTRICT.

NOW THINK WHO WOULD THROW A WILD EVENT?
WHO COULD PULL OFF AN EVENT OF SUCH MAGNITUDE?

Think about the people of the SPACE GALLERY .they are on the cutting edge for: ideas, information & Art in Portland.  This is where blue collar meets PhD, has a beverage and discusses the relevancy of Audio & Visual arts in an age where many can hardly afford to pay attention, and often many just don't.

The SPACE GALLERY IS ABOUT PASSION,
that's what gets them out of bed in the morning , why else would they do what they do!
THANK GOODNESS FOR PASSION.

WHERE IS IT EXACTLY:
From Congress Square @ Portland Museum of Art >>>> Down to>>>>> Maine College Art @ the Porteus Building. Over to Free Street and the Children's Museum.

 

WHAT ARE THE ACTIVITIES?
Music The What Cheer Brigade is a 19 Piece brass band from Providence RI that plays Bollywood -Samba-Hip Hop-Balkan Cajan Fun...
Street Arty Stuff;  Godzilla Attacks, Sean O'Brien Art Tents,
Performance Art :  Portland Ovations Art Office, Lorem Ipsum Revival Theater Traveling performers,
Giant Steamroller Block Prints : Visit Oak Street and Print Artists of Pickwick Indie Press
Giant Photo Booth from Mayo Street Arts
FREE LOCAL MUSIC - 1 Longfellow for free concerts from local musicians
Build your own Instrument W/ Children's Museum of Maine staff
And Much Much More.

WHEN DOES IT START?   Saturday from 5pm - 9pm
CAN I DRINK BEER IN THE STREET?  NO! but many establishments will be serving beverages which can be enjoyed inside.
WHAT IF IT RAINS:  Crowd into the Space Gallery for the hottest dance party ev'a

WHY GO? 

THAT'S EASY

YOUR GOOD MIND NEEDS GOOD ART! 

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/  

Maine's Soldier of Color has no fear!

This is Gallery Talk WMPG Radio's Window into the World of Art.

A bud of mine has an opening this week.  I was surprised to hear a new gallery? Yes a new art gallery is opening in our beloved Port City. In these turbulent economic times, in a state who's governor uses his police power to dismantle art he does not care for, it seems crazy that a new art gallery is opening,

God I jus love crazy... 

To paraphrase Maine Artist Carol Bass:  August Maine beauty leaves one stunned and dizzy, colanders full of Blackberries, chirping Crickets, Hurricane warnings, campfires and Matt Welch goes for it and opens his new Flat Iron Gallery"  ART LIVES IN THE CITY!

August Parade by Carol Bass

  I think of Carol Bass as the Princess of paint, or as I have referred to her in past blogs Maine's foremost Soldier of Color.   Carol is a painter's painter, bold vibrant strokes of vivid color define her work.  She is one of the bravest artists I know having no fear of size or boundary.  Typical works are 3' x 3' or 3 x 6' or 6' x 8' large format complements her desire to motivate.   I liken her images metaphorically to a sunrise, a modern day impressionist who like a sunrise can captivate and warm you, make you a fan and bring a smile to your life.  Carols works are all over the country and world.  I am excited for Portland to have an opportunity to view what I get the chance to see when I stop by her studio/home on the coast in Casco Bay.

The Matt Welch Flat Iron Gallery is located at the Nexcess for art here in Portland. The gallery is on the 2nd floor in the building with the pointy end and picture window facing Congress Square right above Starbucks,  across from the entrance to the Portland Museum of Art.   The Gallery opening is on September 2nd , 1st Friday from 5-8pm and features Artist Carol Bass, Sculpture/Artist Pat Polourde, Stain glass maven Laura Fuller and artist Dauane Parrico.  I excited on so many levels from new gallery, new ideas, to new excitement.  ART is live and kick'n I suspect it's anything but pressed neat at the new FLAT IRON GALLERY.

Are you hungry for a good time?
Why go see art in Portland this 1st Friday of September? 

Go because your good mind deserves a feed, 
a feed of some good art!

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/  



FLAT IRON GALLERY is located at 594 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101    

FRESH PAINT! means Martha Burket's on summa vacation...

My friend Martha is on Summa Vacation, that means shes painting in her studio "out the island".

Back in the day we would all paint in the summa a great way to make a few bucks.   I got tired of that really quick and one summa I decided I'd hired my younger brother to paint my house.  He needed a job (ie:some money) so it sounded like a good idea.  Little did I know when I hired him it was his first and last house painting job ever.  He climbed the ladder onto the lower kitchen roof  section of the house so he could paint the side wall of the upper wing.   Set the whole gallon down on step pitched roof and bingo all I can say good about it is,  the old mill house had gutters, you know them old fashion wood ones otherwise paint would have run all down the side of the house.   The paint color was a Salmony-Peach, I always thought it a tad bit bold for house color, but turned out all right,  the roof was salvaged, you could say I was fortunate because it was water based paint and we hosed the roof down for 'bout 3 hours 'till we got the paint out of every shingle.
Lets get back to Martha... 

Martha Burkert's "August"

Well Martha doesn't paint like that, not spilling gallon buckets or painting houses, Martha's an accomplished artist and paints with oil based paints in her Yarmouth studio.  This summa she's bin-sum-bizy, getting canvases ready for the exhibit entitled Near & Far. The exhibit opens Tonight Thursday August 25th at the Elizabeth Moss Gallery in Falmouth with a meet & eat session from 5-7pm. Martha's been painting for few years and has mastered her craft, have you ever seen any of Martha's works?  I get to see them in the summer when she's in town and for me when I'm viewing them I feel strangely comfortable, like I'm in a big overstuffed comfy "bark-a-lounger".  Honestly, you know that feeling when you release a big sigh of relief, that's how I feel when viewing a Martha Burkert oil painting, relaxed and comfortable.
Martha visions for the viewer a friendly - familiar some times unfamiliar scene with bright bold colors,  I like the fact that she cranks the color or takes the Jonathan Livingston SeaGull perspective,  this is the stuff that makes viewing the canvas more fun, more interesting.  

I'm proud to say I know Martha and I'm also proud to say that in this exhibit of 11 paintings of comfy Maine  landscapes not one single lighthouse was spotted...

WHY GO SEE MARTHA BURKERT'S EXHIBIT NEAR & FAR AT THE LIZ MOSS GALLERY IN FALMOUTH



GO BECAUSE YOUR GOOD MIND NEEDS GOOD ART. ...

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/  

The Factoids:
The Exhibit: Near & Far 
Featuring Artist:  Martha Burkert 
At: The Elizabeth Moss Gallery 
251 US Route 1 at the Falmouth Shopping center.
August 25th - October 9th.
. 

Blown away by Blue Wrap !

Hospital Blue Wrap

Portland's Blue Wrap Project was the brain child of Scarborough-based Partners for World Health's  Elizabeth McEllen, it is her organization that takes discarded hospital supplies that are still usable (and often have never been opened from their original packaging) and distribute them to health-care facilities in the developing world.

Blue wrap is a disposal synthetic fabric that is used by hospitals in the states to wrap medical instruments before placing them in a sterilizer. Once the items come out of the sterilizer, "the blue wrap is removed and thrown in the trash.The concept of recycle this hospital waste material into fashion and money was innovative at best but little did we know that the project would spawn an unforeseen level of excitement in Portland's creative community.
 The call to action went out and artists and designers agreed to take the recycled blue wrap material and create some form of  blue-wrap fashion items for the show.  Artists at the University of Southern Maine, the Maine College of Art, Southern Maine Community College, the University of New England, Portland Arts and Technology High School, the Quimby Colony, and several southern Maine area artists/designers participated.

BlueWrap by designer Sue Hammerland

The Portland Museum of Art hosted the fashion show and by all account was the place to be on the cold March evening.  Raising over $10,000 dollars and awareness of the need for medical equipment over seas the Blue Wrap project exceeded expectations in every category.

Now if you missed the event in March you have a chance to experience the works of  Portland's creative community at The Lewis gallery now though the end of August,  the creations from the fashion show are displayed in the exhibit " the Blue Wrap project".

Why go see the Blue Wrap Project at the Portland Library Lewis gallery?

Go because your good mind needs good art!

 

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/  

PS: For more photos of all the works please click on this link to Photographer Mark Rockwood's gallery

http://www.backprint.com/bluewrapprojectrunway