Urge Fall 2008

FREE 150+ UNIQUE SHOPS, PRODUCTS & GALLERIES | FALL 2008 | ISSUE #3 |

Yes, Virginia – Dance | Scott Wichmann Takes On Richard III | Film at Plant Zero

DESIGN

The Off-Center World of Fredericksburg’s ZOLO

IMAGINE Pop Goes the Easel: SUZANNA FIELDS’ Exploding Visions

ALSO: Autumn Wines Bonsai Gardens Chocolate Pizza

‘Try Something Different.’

PAGES

Richmond Novelist SUSANN COKAL

Chats about Mirabilis, Breath & Bones

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P.M. Terrell Rodney Lofton Erica Orloff

GLITZ GLAM

STREET SMART CHIC at Henry, Clementine & Rumors LUSTER &HUE

Dee Antil’s Wearable Art

ON STAGE

Theater, Cabaret & Music at Petersburg’s Sycamore Rouge

SONGFEST

Sister Sweet Denali Conshafter Love and Reverie Former Champions Richmond Folk Festival

URgE ‘Try Something Different.’

Staff Executive Publisher Ted Randler

Publisher|Senior Editor David Smitherman

Managing Editor Rebecca Jones

Advertising Sales David Lewis Dave Perry

Gallery Editor Rebecca Jones

Contributing Writers Zac Bardou Copeland Casati Gina Cavallo Collins Joan Davis Sally Fretwell Mike Fonseca Megan Marconyak Julie McGuire Lisa O. Monroe James Murray Dave Perry Ginny Ross Rosemary Smith

Photographers Pierre Courtois Stephanie Garr Chris Owens

Interns Rebecca Marsh Chrystal Randler Urge is now accepting applications for internships. Candidates should be college students who are currently enrolled full- or parttime in the following disciplines: English, journalism, art history, or photography. Interns must have their own transportation and be able to work a minimum of 12 hours per week. Interested candidates should contact Rebecca Jones at: Rebecca@theworkfactory.com

Bright Ideas: People | Products | Pizzazz ..............................................6

DESIgN Proving Their Metal: Astra Design ........................................10 Design for Living: Helen Grace O’Ferrall ........................11 ‘Everything You Can Imagine’: The Off-Center World of Zolo............................................12

Music Matters: Conshafter to Release Fourth Album; Richmond Folk Festival; Love and Reverie Enjoy Success; Former Champions Take Up Residency at Cary St. Café; Denali Makes a Comeback ..............................................41 Hell-Bent for Vinyl..............................................................42

SCREENINg ROOM

Pop Goes the Easel: Suzanna Fields....................................14

ONSTAgE

IMAgINE

GCCR Gallery: Opening Windows; Building Bridges..........16 New Faces at the Arts Council; Back to School with VMFA................................................18 Full Circle: Robert Walz; Henry Winston ..........................20 Contradictory Colors: Michael Pierce; Retta Robbins ........22 Gallery Reviews Ben Kehoe at Transmission ............................................24 Fabian Ramirez and Elie Piña at Quirk; Joelle Francht, Mike Keeling, Nancy Fairchild, & Nancy McEntee at 1212 Gallery; Small Claims at Page Bond Gallery ..................25 Richard Carlyon: Selected Works on Paper and Paintings at Reynolds Gallery ..........................................................26 Gallery Previews Fredericksburg’s LibertyTown Arts Workshop First Venue for Traveling Exhibition from the Torpedo Factory; Athenaeum Brings Independent Film and Literary Events to Fredericksburg ............................................................ 26

ENTERTAININg

Chocolate Pizza; Autumn Wine Picks; Something Special in the Feta ........................................28 A Delight at Every Turn: The art of growing miniature trees ..................................29

SPLURgE

Shopping Spree ................................................................30 Lakeside Avenue ..............................................................31

is located at The Work Factory 1113 West Main Street Richmond VA 23220

Fredericksburg’s Fab Furniture & Fun Finds; Clock Watch; Heighten Your Style with Glass from Quirk ....................32

©2008 by URGE MEDIA LLP a division of Palari Publishing LLP

Sister Sweet ........................................................................40

Palette Savvy: Choosing a Paint Color ............................13

URGE MEDIA LLP

URgE ‘Try Something Different’

SONgFEST

gLITZ & gLAM

Street Smart Chic: 3 City Boutiques Cultivate Creativity ..............................33 Beadazzled!: For Dee Antil, jewelry is an everyday art; Finds Worth Squealing About at The Pink Pig; Stay Neat and Chic with Modern June ....................................................39

Film at Plant Zero; Project Resolution ............................43 Richmond Ballet; Yes, Virginia – Dance; Ana Ines King; Randolph-Macon College’s Cobb Theatre ......................44 Work in Progress: Scott Wichmann on Playing Richard III........................45 Soup’s On!: Slash Coleman dishes out irreverence and insight with his latest play; Sycamore Rouge Brings Standards & New Works to Old Towne ................46

PAgES

Quirks in History: Susann Cokal discusses reading, writing, and posterior glue ................................47 The Art of Book Sales ............................................................48 True Grit: Richmond author Rodney Lofton; Makeout Creek: A semiannual publication containing fiction, poetry and art....................................................................49 Work in Progress: Erica Orloff ..............................................50 Book Reviews Cody Fowler Davis’ Implied Consent ..............................50 The Browser..........................................................................50

gALLERIES

Downtown Broad Street Area ....................................15 Shockoe Slip; South of the James River & Manchester..................................17 Fan, Uptown & Carytown ....................19 West End Staples Mill & Broad Street; Libbie & Grove Avenues; Short Pump Town Center ........................21 Petersburg ............................................21 Fredericksburg ....................................23 ISSUE

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FREDERICKSBURG Antique Mall, 211 William St Art First Gallery, 824 Caroline St e.e.smith, 824 Caroline St Fburg. Athenaeum/Wounded Bookshop, 109 Amelia St Kenmore Inn, 1200 Princess Anne St LibertyTown Arts Workshop, 916 Liberty St Sammy T’s, 801 Caroline St Sophia Street Studios, 1104 Sophia Street The VA Wine Experience, 826 Caroline St Wegner Wildlife Gallery, 314 William St

Java Mio Coffeehouse & Bistro, 322 N Sycamore St Petersburg Art League, 7 Old St Petersburg Visitor Center, 15 West Bank St Purple Passion, 29 W Bank St Siege Museum, 15 W Bank St

Nesbit: The Fan 2311 W Main St Plaza Art 927 W Grace St Sticky Rice 2232 W Main St Strawberry Fields Flowers & Gifts 423 Strawberry St The Common Cup 1211 W Main St VCU Student Commons 907 Floyd Ave. Visual Arts Center of Richmond 1812 W Main St

CARYTOWN All Fired Up 3311 W Cary St Bang-On 3035 W Cary St Glass and Powder 3003 W Cary St Kroger's 3507 W Cary St Metro Modern 1919 W Cary St Mrs Marhalls 3125 W Cary St Murphies 3141 W Cary St Occasionally 3407 W Cary St Pink 3158 W Cary St ShirtFresh 3037 W Cary St Soak 3031 W Cary St Ukrop's 3522 W Cary St YY Salon 3222 W Cary St

Fountain Bookstore, 1312 E. Cary St Frame Nation, 11 S 15th St The Berkeley Hotel, 1200 E Cary St

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Applegate Art Studio 3 South Stafford Ave Capital Mac 1307 W Main St Crossroads 26 N Morris St European Market 2001 1/2 W Main St glave kocen gallery 1620 W Main St Golds Gym 8 S Harvie St Main St Art 1537 W Main St Mezza 1104 W. Main St

FREDERICKSBURG Contact

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PEOPLE | PRODUCTS | PIZZAZZ An Open Air Oasis The veggies may sell, but it's the community that grows around The Byrd House Market, the farmers' market and program of the William Byrd Community House in Oregon Hill.

The market (located at Linden Street and Idlewood Avenue in Oregon Hill, Richmond), is open from May to October, every Tuesday, 3:30 to 7 p.m. In addition to the regular market season, Byrd House Market's renegade market continues to provide late-season vegetables, meats, eggs, baked goods, and crafts throughout the winter months.

The Byrd House Market will also host a Holiday Craft and Food Village on December 13th and 14th.

The Market provides free children's activities like berry tasting, face painting, art projects, and storytelling in the garden. The Market has also been home to live music performances.

“Our mission is to bring fresh, affordable produce to urban men, women, and children. Many people downtown find themselves trapped in a ‘food desert’ far away from even a grocery store much less an open-air market,”

says manager, Laura Morand Bailey.

The Byrd House Market has become a meeting place for families, foodies, food activists, area chefs, and area locavores (people who eat local food to reduce their carbon footprint). Ninety percent of the market’s vendors sell locally grown or raised food, while ten percent are crafters who participate on a rotating schedule.

“Our goal is to introduce our students and community to the cycle of seed to plant to garden to market to plate,” explains Patty Parks, Director of Grace Arents and Education Center of the WBCH. The Byrd House Market is also dedicated to local growers. “Our market gives local farmers a chance to earn a better-than-living wage and we owe a great deal of our success to their amazing products and the friendly atmosphere they bring to the market,” says Bailey.

For weekly updates on the vendors and what they are bringing, go to www.byrdhousemarket.blogspot.com or call (804) 643-2717.

Gourmet Getaways Whether you’re looking to plan a tour of Italy’s premier food regions, or just looking to get a little more from your favorite local farmers’ market, Gourmet Getaways can set you up. Chef Christine Wansleben, who owns Mise En Place cooking school (104 Shockoe Slip, Richmond), and Sharon Heggie, an experienced travel agent who’s also owned an inn and catering company, combine their expertise to plan special trips for all sorts of clients.

You don’t have to be a millionaire to plan a gourmet trip. The two can plan outings ranging from taking groups to the 17th Street Farmers’ Market and then back to Wansleben’s cooking school for a class on using fresh produce, to a large-group culinary tour of Tuscany. “It doesn’t always have to be a group, and it doesn’t always have to be international,” Heggie says.

Other ideas if you’re looking to get away without traveling too far include tours of tea

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rooms in Charlottesville, a trip down to Rowena’s tea room and cake factory in Ghent, or trips to Virginia wineries. If you’ve got a group, you can call Gourmet Getaways with your own idea, or get them to come up with suggestions to fit your tastes and budget.

If you’ve already got your trip planned, Gourmet Getaways can help you add culinary activities. “A family going on a cruise to Italy and Paris called me,” Heggie says. “One batch wanted to go to Paris early, stay in an apartment, and go to a cooking school there. Another group wanted to stop in Tuscany and take some classes at a cooking school there. They also had teenagers. I was able to find them a cooking school, and it was one that accepted teenage students.”

For the ultimate vacation, sign up for the Oceana cruise Heggie has planned for August, 2009, with the owners of 1 North Belmont and Jacques Pepin.

A Fancier Fan Market The newest Fan market is much more than a spot for a six pack of PBR and a carton of milk. When the owners of Joe’s Inn took over Shields Market (206 N. Shields, Richmond), they overhauled the entire place, both in terms of layout and inventory: “The walls were just falling down,” manager Mari Miles says about the place’s original state. But the owners remodeled and Shields Market re-opened in February with new locally made cabinets and shelves. The rich wood shelves create a warm, urban ambiance that’s upscale and elegant.

What’s filling those shelves is keeping Fan shoppers coming back. If

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you’ve been jonesing for some of Stella Dikos’ fresh-baked goodness since her namesake restaurant closed, look no further. The selection includes phyllo wraps filled with savory combinations like chicken, broccoli and cheddar.

There are daily baked goods like applewalnut muffins, zucchini bread, carrot cake and other specialties. Miles says most days everything arrives fresh and hot around 5 p.m.

Along with Stella’s specialties, the Shields Market has a walk-in beer case with more than 130 kinds of specialty beer, organic and fair trade wines from around the world, locally grown produce and other grocery essentials.

Fredericksburg Salsaholics

The Salsaholics of Fredericksburg Meetup Group provides a friendly atmosphere for lessons, practice and social dancing. No matter what level you are on or what style you dance, you’re welcome to join! The organization offers beginner Salsa lessons, performances and social dancing to hot Salsa rhythms. Partners are not mandatory.

Join them every Friday at Paisano Italian Eatery, (5442 Southpoint Plaza, Fredericksburg) and dance the Salsa, Merengue, Bachata and Reggaeton with DJ La Taina, DJ Amanti or DJ Ton.

VA Emmy Nominees John Adams, a seven-part miniseries that aired this spring on HBO, recently received 23 Emmy® Award nominations, more than any other show this year. John Adams helped HBO achieve a total of 85 nominations, the most of any television network.

The series was filmed in the Richmond area and Colonial Williamsburg during the spring of 2007.

Other Virginians honored in the nominations include David Crank (Richmond) for Art Direction, Amy Andrews Harrell (Richmond) for costumes and Jay Meagher (Virginia Beach) for sound mixing.

Also honored this year with four Emmy® nominations is Vince Gilligan winner of the first Virginia Governors Screenwriting Competition. His winning screenplay, Home Fries was later produced starring Drew Barrymore. He went on to write and executive produce The X-Files. This year he was honored with four Emmy® nominations for his new hit AMC television series Breaking Bad. The creator and executive producer for the series, Vince was also nominated as best director for the pilot episode.

Ruhl’s Eurydice Opens September 18 The Firehouse Theatre’s 2008/2009 season kicks off with Eurydice a re-imagining of the Orpheus myth, told from Eurydice’s point of view. Eurydice meets her father after her journey to the Underworld; and must ultimately make the decision whether to follow Orpheus back to the land of the living. Eurydice premiered at Madison Repertory Theater in 2003.

Playwright Sarah Ruhl is a 2006 MacArthur Genius Grant recipient. Her plays have been produced throughout the U.S. and Europe at such venues as the Lincon Center Theater, New York; the Actor's Centre, London; the Goodman Theatre, Chicago; and the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, among others.

Sheryl Crow

On Saturday, October 18, 2008, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow will take the stage at the Siegel Center. Crow’s performance headlines the fourth annual Genworth Children’s Advantage Classic, one of Richmond’s leading charity events.

Tickets for the show range from $35 to $125, and every dollar goes right back into the community through charitable organizations. In the past three years, the event has raised over $1.5 million to help Richmond youth. This year’s proceeds, expected to be around $500,000, will benefit eight local non-profits with youth programs, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Club, and the Science Museum.

The concert will be hosted by Michael D. Fraizer, chairman and CEO of Genworth Financial, and tennis greats Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf.

A Three’s Company. . .with Arias

Virginia Opera opens its season with a love triangle in Il Trovatore. Count di Luna brings his forces to bear against those of the troubadour Manrico; both men fiercely determined to capture the love of beautiful Leonora. Amidst this ringing clash of steel lies a shattering

truth: they are brothers, separated at birth by a gypsy obsessed with vengeance. Verdi’s sweeping tale is an action-packed romantic tragedy reeling with valiant patriotism and drama. Performed in Richmond on October 24th and 26th.

The Richmond Beach Music Festival Featuring some of the biggest names in Beach Music including The Band of Oz, Ron Moody and the Centaurs, The Chairmen of the Board, and The Mighty Tams, the Richmond Beach Music Festival will be held Sunday, September 28 at The Benedictine Abbey Field, (12829 River Road, Richmond). Proceeds of the event benefit The Abbey Foundation.

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A Creative Dynasty: Four Generations of Virginia Women

The stories of four generations of Virginia female artists and examples of their artistic achievements in painting, the graphic arts, music, and dance will be presented at the Vir-

ginia Historical Society (VHS) in A Creative Dynasty: Four Generations of Virginia Women until January 17, 2009.

A unique combination of history and art, women’s and family history, and the presentation of fine arts and performance art. The exhibition concerns a century of artistic accomplishment by Julia Anne (Morrison) Blount (1831−1877); her daughter, Sallie Lee (Blount) Mahood (1864−1953); her daughter, Helen Gray (Mahood) McGehee (1892−1980); and her daughter, Helen Gray (McGehee) Umaña (b. 1921). This exhibit features more than thirty paintings, portraits, photographs, sculpture, and film clips.

Most of the material has not been seen for 20 or 30 years, and some of the art has never been displayed before in public. VHS Exhibition Designer Andrew Gladwell says, “My favorite items in this exhibition are the portraits that family members painted of each other. It is interesting to see how the women interpreted their relatives through art.”

Image: Sallie Lee (Blount) Mahood’s “Helen Gray Mahood” (later McGehee) oil on canvas, 1918

The Scent of a City The results are in. Richmond-based perfumer Amy George challenged URGE readers to suggest a new perfume for Modern Atelier, George’s extensive fragrance line that includes many scents inspired by Richmond.

After reviewing the fragrance “briefs” that were sent in, George will be adding Agecroft Hall to her line. A few of the other enticing entries appear below. As a bonus, George is also formulating another new fragrance with notes of coffee, sandalwood, vanilla, chocolate, and bitter orange. Its name? Urge.

First Friday Musk, patchouli oil, vanilla, orange.

Mona Dworkin 4 Seasons Romance I would like to suggest a name for a new scent. This scent should be light, airy, fresh with a clean linen scent of romance, flowers, blossoms on a flower that will never die.

Jacqueline Fisher Agecroft Hall Pine, cedar, violets, fresh sage, linen.

Zoe Graham

WINNER

‘Take me out to the ballgame’ This scent would remind anyone who grew up going to baseball games at Parker Field or The Diamond, of their nights watching baseball. Cotton Candy, Pretzels, Hot Dogs, fresh cut grass are but a few of the smells that remind me of baseball games.

Donald Chandler White House of the Confederacy I would like to suggest a scent based on the White House of the Confederacy (1201 E. Clay Street, Richmond). I believe the former executive mansion is a gem that many Richmonders have yet to discover. The scent would incorporate the floral scents of magnolia and gardenia with a sensual and reminiscent musk.

Megan Stagg Carytown My ideal fragrance would be based around Carytown, with notes ofchocolate, espresso, cinnamon, baking bread, and vintage linen or wood Adrien Hamilton Richmond Shakespeare Festival This scent should include a mix of archaic fragrances, blended to smell modern. Wood smoke, cloves, sandalwood, orange peel, pepper or other spices. For men and women.

Nellie Bisk

Curated Cash: Art 180’s Change for a Ten Who says a ten dollar bill can’t buy much in today’s world? With Art 180’s new “Change for a Ten” campaign, all it takes is a few bucks and a dash of creativity to make a difference in the community.

The initiative celebrates the 10th anniversary of Art 180, an organization dedicated to working with at-risk youth to bring about change through artistic expression.

“Change for a Ten” gives individuals the chance not only to donate money, but to create

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their own bill with ink, paint, paper, fabric, collage, or other materials. It asks people to think about the difference they would most like to see in the area, and then put that idea on a dollar-shaped canvas.

The handcrafted cash will appear in an exhibit at Art 180’s anniversary party on October 10, 2008, at the VCU Brandcenter. Community-inspired and community-created, the collection of bills will represent the power of art and activism to generate change.

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A Rainy Afternoon in the Impressionist Gallery Lavender water, iris, lemons, roses, and salt.

Selene Stephen Richmond Evergreen I moved here a year ago and I appreciate the beauty of the ubiquitous pine trees, especially silhouetted at sunset. At evening time, they emit a woodsy, spicy scent that seems to cut through the heavy summer air. Ditto for the cedar trees. I suggest Richmond Evergreen, for a scent that captures the mysterious woodsy essence of our local pines.

Pam Finer

Creativity & the Law Patents, Trademarks & Copyrights Joan Davis

Question: I have heard talk about intellectual property rights with regard to patents, trademarks and copyrights. What are intellectual property rights and the differences between patents, trademarks and copyrights?

Hand-Turned Treasures

The latest in the mix of made-on-site pottery, jewelry, Amish furniture and art at 43rd Street Gallery (1412 W. 43rd Sreet, Richmond), are hand-turned goblets and candlesticks made by local woodturning artist Barbara Dill. The exciting thing about Dill’s designs, according to gallery owner Robin Cage, is the way they’re made. “It’s called multi-axis turning,” Cage says. Dill has spent years perfecting this technique, in which she turns a variety of shapes in each piece on different axes. The pieces, each of which takes hours to create, incorporate a variety of shapes on one column, making for goblets or candlesticks that are one-of-a-kind attention grabbers.

Dill will also be one of 65 artists at the 43rd Street Festival on September 13th. “It’s a good show in terms of picking up gifts and stuff because there are so many styles represented,” Cage says.

Work Places and Living Spaces Tour Tour nine downtown Petersburg venues where people work and live in style on September 28. Marvel in the progress of those that have been featured on previous tours; delight in the plans of those you’ll see for the first time. Previous Work Places & Living Spaces Tours have garnered publicity for Petersburg, including a segment on HGTV. Work

Places & Living Spaces is conducted through volunteer efforts and this year will benefit Pathways (formerly known as Urban Ministries). Pathways is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of community restoration, spiritual health, and economic growth in Petersburg. Their motto is “Building Lives, Awakening Hope.”

Intellectual property or IP is defined as creations of the mind such as musical, literary, and artistic works.

It includes inventions, symbols, names and designs used in commerce. Copyrights, trademarks and patents are the primary examples of these abstract properties. I would suggest anyone interested in learning more about these rights visit the website of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO.gov) and the U.S. Copyright Office (uscopyright.gov). There is a wealth of information offered on these sites that can help a layperson understand their rights.

Patents are documents issued by the USPTO to protect inventors by preventing others from copying their inventions for a limited period of time. There are three types of patents issued by the USPTO; utility patents, design patents and plant patents. In order to qualify for a patent, inventions must offer something new (novel) and non-obvious.

The process to obtain a patent includes the inventor filing an application and paying filing fees. The application must explain how the invention is different from all previous

inventions, it must describe the parts of the invention and teach how to make and use the basic invention. Trademarks are used to identify and protect your business

name or product logo. There are trademarks (identifying products) and service marks (identifying services). Trademarks and service marks distinguish the goods and services your business offers from those offered by other businesses.

You can apply for a trademark through the USPTO. Copyrights protect creative expression produced by artists, authors, composers, etc.

Copyright protection is automatic when any work is fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Registration with the U.S. Copyright Office is not required to obtain a copyright but protection is strengthened by registering your work.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTS’ LEGAL CLINIC OR TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT, EMAIL JOAN AT JONI@JDAVISIPLAW.COM OR CALL 804-264-8832.

Mid-Century Modern Design, Locally The forward-thinking architecture of Alan McCullough Copeland Casati

As “green” trends wash over us, we should recognize a 1950s local architect who used passive solar and local, affordable materials to create

great design. Alan McCullough had an impact on Richmond, as well as the Chesapeake Bay. McCullough incorporated squat structures with open floor plans, raised fireplace hearths, significant chimneys, and overhangs, with an emphasis on affordable materials.

In the 1940s, a group of Richmonders bought lots near Deltaville and called on McCullough to design vacation houses for them. Decades before the term “green design” existed, McCullough deftly sketched elements that

are still important to green design today.

These houses frequently had original breezeways, some of which have been closed off by later owners. Breezeways, along with large casement windows with screens, harness the breeze to cool.

Stout chimneys, some of them central stacks, add warmth and make these houses comfortable yearround. These houses’ overhangs allow for passive solar functionality.

McCullough designed several prominent Richmond buildings as well, including a residence in conjunction with Charles Gillette. He designed the Jacobs Gymnasium for Richmond's Collegiate School and the annex to Richmond's Blackwell Elementary School. McCullough also designed buildings for C&P Telephone, United Virginia Bank and The Tides Inn.

COPELAND CASATI IS THE FOUNDER OF GREEN MODERN KITS, A RICHMOND-BASED PROVIDER OF ENVIRONMENTALLY-SUSTAINABLE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING SOLUTIONS. FA LL 2 0 0 8 | w w w.U Rg Eo n l i n e . c o m |

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Proving Their Metal

ASTRA DESIGN’S LOUISE ELLIS AND TOM CHENOWETH For many, scraps are salvage. For Louise Ellis and Tom Chenoweth, the visionaries behind Richmond’s Astra Design, they are inspiration.

Ellis is a jewelry artist and Chenoweth is a sculptor and metal worker. In 1991 they opened Astra Design, a retail gallery in Richmond where their work is sold.

“Our great ideas always come from the materials,” says Ellis. For both, the primary material is metal.

Chenoweth’s early interest in metal sculpture was nurtured by the Washington museums, an inspiring art teacher, and a weekly magazine.

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[Above Left] This coffee table from Astra Design comprises a disk and a cylinder from two different industrial machines; [Top ] Many of Tom Chenoweth’s furniture designs sculpt metal into arboreal forms for an industrial/organic look. [Middle] Louise Ellis’s braided horsehair jewelry sometimes features gemstones; [Bottom] Earrings by Ellis that feature antique buttons.

“I first became aware of modern art through Life magazine,” he says, citing an article on Lee Bontecou as an influence.

Chenoweth attended the Maryland Institute College of Art at the suggestion of his art teacher and earned an MFA in sculpture at VCU. Sometimes he borrows design elements from his large-scale metal sculpture and applies them to original furniture.

At other times, an object is the impetus. In Chenoweth’s studio, discarded parts take on a second life. Reinforced rods used to set concrete become a table whose form alludes to Tramp Art.

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A perforated metal disk from a pharmaceutical packing machine and a cylinder from a paper mill form a sleek coffee table.

And a pile of discarded tailpipes from Dependable Auto Parts becomes a suite of glossy black chairs whose look could be termed industrial bamboo.

Ellis works along similar principles, but on a smaller scale. As a child, she “thought Alexander Calder was a god,” and began working with pliers, wire, and metal.

“I would take radios apart and make earrings and little sculptures with the springs,” she says.

Design for Living FOR HELEN GRACE O’FERRALL, A THOUGHTFUL INTERIOR IS ALWAYS THE ANSWER

Call her a designer. Call her a friend (her current and former clients almost always do). But please don’t call Helen Grace O’Ferrall a decorator.

O’Ferrall, founder of H. P. Grace and Company, sees interior design as a profession based on visual problem solving. She thinks it’s best practitioners understand their clients’ and know how to resolve challenges and realize visions in innovative ways.

“Designing an interior is like a marriage,” she says. “Both partners need chemistry and trust.

And just like in a marriage, you are working with a lot of money.”

O’Ferrall is a graduate of the New York School of Interior Design, a program she completed after earning a degree in English literature (“My father insisted on it”) and running an art gallery.

Her approach to clients starts with questions.

“I ask them if they walk barefoot at home. Someone who says yes is not going to be happy with sisal rugs,” she says. She asks if they travel, and the answer determines the maintenance level of the plants that will be brought in.

O’Ferrall also asks if clients like to entertain.

Tangerine Dream: This tone-on-tone bedroom explores the softer side of orange.

Whatever the answer, she often urges them to consider using their living room and dining room more.

“It’s beautiful, useable real estate with many functions,” she says. “And the decline of civilization has come with the end of the dining room.”

Her residential work often focuses on what she calls the “public spaces” of a house, spaces that she believes offer the most design impact.

“People are more forgiving of secondary spaces like bedrooms and studies,” she says. “But you have to have a gorgeous living room. You need to get them when they open the front door.”

She advocates investing in the very best sofa available, preferably an 8way, hand-tied sofa with custom fabric. Fill in with antiques, she says, which can be surprisingly affordable. Above all, she says, go slowly and plan.

“Don’t buy. Acquire,” she says. “If you buy cheap, it eventually ‘uglies out.’ But beauty never ages.” g

[Top] Ellis crafts settings that enhance, but do not compete with, the antique buttons that inspire them; [Bottom] A 2003 daybed by Tom Chenoweth. All Chenoweth furniture photos by Lee Brauer.

In addition to metal and stones, she uses two less traditional materials—each of which came to her serendipitously.

A woman once offered Ellis a jar of antique buttons, plus 200 dollars, in exchange for a silver bracelet. Now many of Ellis’s pieces feature 19th-century buttons made of glass, enamel, or pearl. When a customer brought in horsehair and asked her to do something with it, Ellis’s braided horsehair jewelry line was born.

Long a fixture on Main Street, then Carytown, Astra Design is now at 3110 West Marshall Street in Scott’s Addition. Their new neighborhood, whose larger spaces are home to many object makers, is a good fit.

“Scott’s Addition is a great place for an object maker,” says Ellis. “We can be artists here, not just retailers.” g

In this coolly elegant living room, “sophisticated” and “comfortable” are not mutually exclusive.

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‘Everything You Can Imagine’ SANDRA HIGASHI, BYRON GLASER, AND THE OFF-CENTER WORLD OF ZOLO Sandra Higashi and Byron Glaser may be the most subversive toymakers around.

Their Fredericksburg studio is home to Zolo, internationally celebrated creative building sets based on asymmetrical shapes, secondary colors, and vaguely anthropomorphic forms. Think of it as an erector set with an MFA in graphic design.

“Zolo is an attitude that embraces individual differences and celebrates the convergence of opposites. Who knows...it just may be that lopsided view, that twisted thought, or that off-center inspira-

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Zolo’s Sandra Higashi and Byron Glaser surrounded by [clockwise from upper left] the letter “I” from the alphabet book Zolo ABZ; the Zolotopia play and design set; Zolo ABZ; generate fun forecast or a new look at a question with ZolO q cards; the Buggy Rocker; ZolO animation

tion that begins the shift, be it an itty-bitty one, or a global change for the better,” says Higashi.

“One of our tags is, ‘Zolo. It’s everything you can imagine!’” says Glaser. “And it all goes together as one, with extraordinary results.”

According to Chris Byrne’s book 100 Years of the Power of Play, Zolo originated the gender-neutral toy category when it hit the shelves in 1986.

“Our favorite response card is from a woman in her 90’s who plays with it every day, because it makes her feel creative and is good for her arthritis!

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So we broke the age barrier too,” says Glaser.

Higashi and Glaser’s creative partnership began in the ’70s when they met in college. It also operates on the Zolo principle: uniquely diverse parts that go together in perfect—and perfectly unexpected—ways.

“We worked on our all-nighter homework projects together and helped keep each other awake,” says Higashi.

“And it’s true about opposites attracting. Sandra is in; I’m out (literally). Lucy and Ethel—twins,

Palette Savvy WORDS BY

SALLY FRETWELL

CHOOSING A PAINT COLOR Adding a new coat of paint to a room can be a quick, easy and inexpensive way to give your living space a rejuvenating, invigorating and fresh feel.

Unfortunately, picking that color can be an unhappy and frustrating experience.

In many paint stores or big box stores that have a paint department, the only free choices you are given to help you decide on your paint color is choosing from a fan deck, the thin strips of color of paper that give you a 1” x 1” color square. Oftentimes these colors squares are grouped in a row and very similar to each other. Picking a color from a fan deck can be confusing because your mind’s eye not only sees the color that you are fo-

I give away large paint stirrers that have two coats of a color painted on them. I encourage customers to take them home to see how the paint looks with their furniture, window treatments and accessories.

cusing on, but is influenced by the colors that surrounds it. This is the reason that in many cases you choose a color from a fan deck, have the paint mixed, bring it home and put it on your wall only to discover that the color is not anything like the color that you thought it would be.

Unfortunately when this happens you lose confidence in your ability to choose a paint color. It does not have to be this way. Paint companies have finally realized that this is a problem. Many now market and sell large pieces of paperboard painted with their colors. Others sell small sample units of paint with a color that you choose.

In my store The Power of Color (John Rolfe Commons), I give away large paint stirrers that have two coats of a color painted on them. I encourage customers to take them home not only to see how the paint looks with their furniture, window treatments and accessories, but also to see how their choice of color is affected by the lighting they have in their room. Natural sunlight, lamps and overhead lighting have a huge affect on how a paint color is going to look in your home.

[Above Left] The Zolo Boa [Above Right] Pop Zolo play and design set [Bottom] Zolo5, a collector’s edition wooden set

but I’m the evil one,” says Glaser.

Their toy line also includes Bonz (“43 anatomically incorrect shapes that interconnect with flexible joints”), ZoLO-XOOX plush toys, books, and card games. A line of housewares applies the Zolo look to cups, plates, and coasters.

Higashi and Glaser are also graphic designers whose clients include Swatch, MTV, Crabtree and Evelyn, Cartoon Network, and Global Action for Children. They also designed and illustrated several Hello, Kitty! books and calendars for Sanrio

and Abrams. Closer to home, they created identities, graphics and art for two Richmond restaurants, Bank on Main Street and Si on Lombardy.

From toys to corporate branding, their work embodies a design philosophy that Higashi summarizes succinctly: “Don’t forget to play!” g Irreverent Fun for All Ages: See Sandra Higashi and Byron Glaser’s expanded interview at: www.urgeonline.com

In summary, before you commit to buying gallons of paint for use in your home, I recommend using whatever sampling or ancillary products your paint store offers to help choose the right color for your room to be painted. While free is best, if you have to pay for a small sample, it is better than committing to buying gallons of paint and going through the time or expense to paint a room, only to be unsatisfied with the results. g FOR 25 YEARS, SALLY FRETWELL HAS WORKED AS AN ARCHITECTURAL PSYCHOLOGIST, CONSULTING WITH CLIENTS ON HOW TO MAKE THEIR HOME AND BUSINESS SPACES MORE FUNCTIONAL THROUGH EFFECTIVE USE OF COLOR. HER BOOK THE POWER OF COLOR, DETAILS HOW COLOR CHOICES AFFECT THE MOOD AND EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SPACES.

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“Orange Crush” 2007, acrylic on canvas, 10 x 10”

Pop Goes the Easel SUZANNA FIELDS’ EXPLODING VISIONS

In the hands of an artist, anything can become material—even puffy paint. Just ask Suzanna Fields.

“I pilfered my mom’s collection of puffy craft paint while visiting one weekend,” she says.“You know, the kind teenage girls use to personalize cups and t-shirts with hearts and flowers.”

Fields was in graduate school at the time, experimenting with poured paintings in acid colors, many with smooth, marbleized surfaces. She began using puffy paint to build in textured details, a decision that was affirmed in her studio by a visiting artist.

“She took one look at it and said,‘The only interesting thing is the little piles of paint.’ After stomping around my studio for a couple of weeks I realized that she was right.”

“Knockoff” (detail), 2007, acrylic on canvas, 10 x 10”

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The result is paintings in candy colors with surfaces so rich that they border on three-dimensionality. Their forms are nonfigurative, but not entirely abstract. In fact, they seem to exist as Rorschach images, each inviting the viewer’s personal history and interpretation.

“They are abstract objects, but I have my associations I bring to them and so does everyone that sees them. I love that art has a life of its own you can’t really control,” she says.

Fields holds an MFA in painting from VCU and her work has been exhibited throughout Virginia and at New York’s Scandinavia House. She is interested in kitsch and folk art and is drawn to artists who make “process oriented, anti-heroic work with a sense of humor,” such as Polly Apfelbaum, Eva Hesse, and Franz West.

“Knockoff” 2007, acrylic on canvas, 10 x 10”

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Suzanna Fields earned her Master of Fine Arts in painting from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. Her solo exhibitions include the Hunt Gallery at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA; Second Street Gallery in Charlottesville, VA and the Anderson Gallery in Richmond, VA. Fields’ work has also been featured in group exhibitions at the Scandinavia House in New York, NY; and Artspace and 1708 Gallery in Richmond, VA. Fields was selected as a Trawick Prize finalist (2004, 2006,2007) and placed 3rd in the 2008 Bethesda Painting Awards.

“Humor can allude to bigger pathos and anxiety without being so literal,” she says.“I often hone in on the crazy/strange moments in the background of big history paintings: the little guy being eaten by the shark in the Navy battle, the strange smirking cherub in the far-right corner with a pair of scissors in his hand. People often reveal themselves in the details.” g

“Untitled #54” 2007, ink and acrylic on Mylar, 50 x 40”

gALLERIES

Downtown Galleries: Broad Street Area

Be

lvid e

re St.

5 5 blocks west of Belvidere

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319 West Broad Street: 804.643.1708 Tue–Fri 11am–5pm; Sat 1pm–5pm.

Other hours by appointment only.

Sept. 4 – Oct. 11 Seductions : Matthew N. Gering & Rebecca Murtaugh Site specific installations.

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September 5 - September 6 InLight RICHMOND Modeled after Paris' Nuit Blanche, InLight Richmond is an all-night celebration exhibiting a spectacle of multi-media installations and performances.

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2 blocks north of Marshall 16 on 1st Street

rsh

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all

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21 blocks east of

20 1st Street & 3 blocks

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south of Broad St.

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9 20 blocks east of 1st Street on Broad St.

21 2

4 blocks south of Broad St. 10 on 1st Street

[2]

312 Gallery

312 Brook Road: 804.339.2535 Thurs– Sat 1pm–7pm; Sun–Wed by appointment.

September Journey: Paintings by Jonathan Botts

Tim Harriss

October My Journey in Time: Folk Art by William Clarke

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[3]

ADA

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

228 West Broad Street: 804.644.0100 Mon–Tue by appointment only; Wed–Sat 12pm–6 pm.

September 27 Music for Silent Films: Chris Becker, Lynn Wright, Paul Watson October John Gaustad, Chris Verene

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Broad Street Area

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A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

3 blocks south of Broad 14 on Foushee

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1708 Gallery

[1]

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

Astra Design

3110 West Marshall Street: 804.257.5467 Mon–Fri 10am–5pm, or by appointment.

Features handmade contemporary furniture, lighting, sculpture, and jewelry. In 1991, Tom Chenoweth, Sculptor and Metal Worker, and Louise Ellis, Jeweler, formed a partnership and opened Astra Design. Each piece is fabricated by hand in their studios.

“I love the feeling of gravity I get when I’m confronted with a well-executed and emotive painting of a person,” Harriss states on his website. You’ll appreciate his intriguing blend of irony, twisted portrature and riffs on Old Master techniques. His work shows a Cuisinart of antecedent styles: part Diane Arbus, part Lucian Freud, maybe throw in some John Currin and a pinch of Balthus—yet Harriss manages to make it into something original and entertaining.

[9]

Eric Schindler Gallery

2305 East Broad Street: 804.644. 5005 Tue–Fri 10am–3pm; Sat 11am–4pm.

Other hours by appointment.

September 12- October 7 Tim Harriss, Jamie Pocklington Reception Sept 12 7-9 pm October 10 - November 11 Lisa Taranto: Ceramics Reception Oct. 10 7-9 pm Open to the public.

www.timharriss.com

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

Art6

6 East Broad Street: 804.343.1406 Wed–Sun 12pm–4pm.

September 5- 28 Gallery 1: Paper Dolls– mixed media work by Margaret Porter-Daniel Gallery 2: The Southern Cause: For the Love of Dixie – photographs and book release

by Thomas Daniel Skylight Member's Gallery: Real People, Real Recovery– a juried exhibition presented by SAARA October 3- 26 Gallery 1: Mixed media work by Laura Pharis Galler y 2: Ceramic sculpture by Hyun Kyung Yoon

[6] Corporate & Museum Frame, Inc

301 West Broad Street: 804.643.6858 Mon–Fri 10am–5pm; Sat by appointment.

Showcases emerging Virginia artists with an emphasis on photography.

Joseph Johnson, Certified Picture Framer, is the owner and designer, a member of The Virginia Association of Museums, The Virginia Conservation Association and The American Institute of Conservation.

[8]

Elegba Folklore Society

101 East Broad Street: A FIRST 804.644.3900 FRIDAYS Mon–Fri 10am–6 pm; GALLERY Sat 12pm–4 pm.

Enjoy art and artifacts from around the world, performances, festivals, tours and classes in African dance, drumming and crafts.

[10]

ForInstance Gallery|Museum

107 East Cary Street: A FIRST 757.574.4111 FRIDAYS Studio visits arranged GALLERY by appointment only.

First Fridays hours: 7–10 pm Showcases ongoing exhibition/installations of Marty Johnson.

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[4]

GCCR Gallery: Opening Windows ; Building Bridges ITS INAUGURAL EXHIBITION TOOK “WINDOWS” AS ITS THEME, BUT FOR CURATOR PETIE BOGEN-GARRETT, THE GAY COMMUNITY CENTER OF RICHMOND GALLERY IS ABOUT BUILDING BRIDGES. “I want to create a home for art within the Gay Community Center of Richmond, and a home for the gay community within the art world,” she says.

The July opening of the GCCR Gallery’s premier exhibition, Reflections on Richmond Windows, attracted roughly 200 visitors. The show included personal black and white portraits by photographer John MacLellan, vernacular architectural photography by Martin McFadden, documentary photography by Kathy Benham, paintings by Kerri Douthat, and mixed media by youth artists from the Richmond Organization for Sexual Minority Youth (ROSMY).

Bogen-Garrett describes the exhibition’s development as a dynamic “feedback loop” through which curatorial and artistic inquiry,

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY [11]

Gallery5

200 West Marshall Street: 804.644.0005 Tue–Sat 11am–4pm. All other hours by appointment only.

September 5 - 26 Downstairs: Lucent Pheonix: Gallery 5 Community Resource Center/Library Grand Opening.

Upstairs Gallery: Courtney Johnson: Power & Vulnerability Medium: Carbon Pigment and Silver Gelatin Prints from Cliché-Verre. Miami-based artist Courtney Johnson uses photography and painting techniques to create works that discuss nature, technology, and humans.

October 3-31 Third Annual The Carnival of 5 Fires includes art, music, and performances on both the first and second floors. Throughout the entire month of October, a full visual art show containing paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, and video installations will be on display. Featuring visual work that includes: Joseph Whitfield; Julie Elkins; Dave Macdowell; Mike Libby; David Whitlam & Lana Gentry.

November 7-28 Not Fit for Human Consumption An all-sculpture exhibition curated by Adam Caldwell. Work by artists from all over the US, who use clay sculpture to reflect aspects of the human experience in our time.

The work varies from political, to environmental, to intimate, and narrative. The participants include: Adam Caldwell; Chris Dufala; Elena Lorenco; Monica Vandendool; Max Rain; Shay Church; Jason Hackett; Ben Eberle; Amanda Lynch; James Robertson.

GCCR Executive Director Jay Squires and gallery curator Petie Bogen-Garrett.

when coupled with the relationship between the GCCR and the larger artistic community, served as sources of inspiration.

The exhibition was designed as a companion to Art Works Studios and Galleries’ exhibition, Windows on Richmond’s Gay Community. Bogen-Garrett believes that the GCCR Gallery’s mission and inter-organizational relationships were strengthened by this collaboration.

Bogen-Garrett and GCCR Executive Director Jay Squires are currently assembling a gallery advisory committee from the local arts community.

As an artist, educator, and gallerist, Bogen-

Garrett is well-versed in gallery programming and the promotion of innovative exhibitions.

She also handles the nuts-and-bolts logistics such as installing the works. “My title is whatever I am doing at the moment,” she says.

Bogen-Garrett will produce at least three exhibitions for the Center in the next year, each featuring artists working in various traditional and new media. The next exhibition will include a series of paintings titled Mens Is Dogs

by Richmond painter Michael Pierce [see page 22 for related story].

“Michael’s work brings softness to sharp edges and focus to softer subjects,” says BogenGarrett. The exhibition is timed to coincide with the annual Pride Festival in September. g

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY [12]

Ghostprint Gallery

220 West Broad Street: 804.344.1557 Wed-Sat 1-7pm or by appointment September Neal Iwan; Chris White; Barry Bruner; Danny Robbins October 3 - 25 Chris Milk Hubert November Paris: Fragments of Urban Reality : Chuck Scalin

[13]

Ingalls Gallery

209 W Broad Street: 804.399.9333 Mon - Fri 12pm–7pm First Fridays: 12pm–10pm A lifetime of works by master painter Bill Kendrick Watercolors, oils, inks, and drawings that encompass 60+ years of the artist’s work from around the world.

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gALLERIES A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

Jennifer Young Studio & Gallery

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

16 E. Main Street: 804.254.1008 Winter hours Wed-Friday 12-6, Sat. 11-2.

Also open during the First Fridays art walk from 6 to 8:30, and by appointment.

October 3 - 4 Last show at the 16 E. Main Street location. New location to be announced.

[18]

Second Glances Photography

2104 East Main Street: 804.783.6121 Tue–Sat 10am–3pm; extended viewing hours by appointment.

Richmond’s first and only gallery specializing in fine art photography. Fine portraiture by photographer, Nicholas K. Corey.

[22]

Visual Art Studio

208 West Broad Street: 804.644.1368 Tue–Fri 12pm–6pm; Sat 12pm–4pm.

September 5 – October 31 Painting in Shape, selected works from the recent exhibition, Diamonds, at the Galerie Pavillion du Val de Grace, Paris American Academy, Paris, France executed in acrylic polymers and metallic pigments on shaped canvases by world renowned California artist Jack Reilly.

November 7 - January 30, 2009 Ninth Annual Holiday Exhibition Artistic Gifts, invitational art work perfect for giving featuring Hang Ups.

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[15]

Metro Space Gallery

119 West Broad Street: 804.643.7125 Monday-Saturday 11am–6pm First Fridays hours: 6pm–10pm Metro Space Gallery provides a new gathering place for lovers of good art, music, film, and performance in Downtown Richmond.

Studio 418

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

September 5-October 31 Artist Maruta Racenis (aka Rudi Winebrenner) presenting Bay Skies her newest works in oil.

[20]

Propaganda Gallery & Studio

101 East Leigh Street: 804.253.4053

By Appointment First Fridays hours: 6:00pm – 10:00 pm The Propaganda Gallery & Studio seeks to elevate the arts in the Historic Jackson Ward area while providing a realized atmosphere for patrons.

[17]

Quirk Gallery

311 West Broad Street: 804.644.5450 Mon–Sat 10am–6pm.

September 5 – October 28 Kristin Caskey : Jumpsuit November 7 – Deember 23 Sparkle Plenty 4

Studio/Gallery 6

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

6 East Broad Street: 252.207.4677 Hours: By appointment only; First Fridays 7pm-12am Re-Opening September 5 Featuring neon sculpture and unusual people.

[26]

Art Works

12 East 12th Street: 804.233.9957 Thurs–Fri 12pm–4pm; Sat 11am–6pm; Sun 12pm–5pm or by appointment.

Through September 23 Gallery East Krishanna Spencer : “Relics: New Encaustic Collage & Assemblage”

320 Hull Street: 804.291.1400 Tue–Sun 12pm–6pm.

September 26 – October. 19 1212 Gallery National Juried All Media Exhibition benefiting Richmond Men’s Chorus, hosted at Art Works. Fourth Friday exhibits: Interior and Exterior Spaces by Dorothy Ellis

Gallery Centre Tina Halsted : “Gone Fishin’: Painted Silk, Persian Paper”

September All Media Show (9/26) The Art of Survival III, curated by Terry Smith

Gallery West Jerry Leal: “Recent Landscapes”

Works by Martin McFadden

[23] 12 12 Gallery

September 24 - November 4 Entire gallery: “12 12 Gallery National Juried Photography Exhibition 2007” Juror: Brian Paul Clamp, New York, NY November 9 - December 23 Gallery East: Charles Philip Brooks: “Nocturnes” Gallery Centre: Charles Philip Brooks & Chris Semtner : “Nocturnes” Gallery West: Dan W. Coburn : “Between Earth & Sky: Photographs by Daniel W. Coburn”

[21]

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

Artspace

0 East 4th Street: 804.232.6464 Wed–Sun 12pm–4pm.

Through September 21 Main Gallery: Suzyn Hutton Kelley and Danny Finney Frable Gallery: Elisabeth Flynn-Chapman Helena Davis Gallery: Jane Vaught Suzanne Foley Gallery Members Exhibit September 26 - October 19 Main Gallery: Jordan Kasey Frable Gallery: Irving Aronowitz Helena Davis Gallery: Santa Sergio De Haven Suzanne Foley Gallery: Members Exhibit

418 West Broad Street: 804.225.0020 Hours: By appointment only; First Fridays 7pm-9pm Grand Opening September 5

September – October Marius Valdes

[16]

South of the James River & Manchester

[25]

Transmission

November Ryan McLennan and Amy Ross

Nov. 28 – Jan. 18 Day After Thanksgiving Art Affair (11/28) November All Media Show Simply Photography Works by Linda Winkler Spirit of the Abstract, by Roger McClung

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

321 Brook Road: 804.200.9985 Tues, Thr, Fri 11am-6pm. Sat 12pm-5pm or call for an appoinment.

September Kate Horne (sculpture and prints) October Alexis Semtner and Maya Hayuk

October 24 – November 21 Fred Chiriboga October All Media Show (10/24) Hispanic Women in the Arts Works by Chris Semtner Mary Ellen Lee : Recent Works

[24]

43rd Street Gallery

1412 West 43rd Street: 804.233.1758 Tue–Thurs 10am–6pm; Fri–Sat 10am–4pm.

Contemporary crafts, specializing in pottery, Amish furniture, jewelry and home accessories by a variety of artists.

September 13 43 Street Festival Saturday, 10-5. 17th annual Fine art and craft show featuring 65 of the region’s finest artisans. Music is provided by local bands. Great food and fun. Benefit for Freedom House.

[27]

The Birdland Sculpture Studio & Gardens

4094 Old River Trail Powhatan, Virginia 23139: 804.598.7512 Saturday and Sunday 9am-4pm Birdland is a work-in-progress venue of magical sculpture gardens, meandering pathways, and a working art studio.

Sculpture, prints and paintings are available both for sale and for viewing.

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[14]

New Faces at the Arts Council

Fan District

FOR ITS 59TH ANNIVERSARY, THE ARTS COUNCIL OF RICHMOND IS GETTING THE GIFT OF FRESH FACES, INCLUDING NEW PRESIDENT JOHN BRYAN. BRYAN REPLACED INTERIM PRESIDENT G. LARRY MOFFETT ON SEPTEMBER 1.

[28] Anderson Gallery

907 1/2 West Franklin Street: 804 . 828 . 1522 Mon–Fri 10am–5pm; Sat–Sun 1pm–5pm; Summer Hours Tue–Sat 1pm–5pm.

September 19 – December 7 The Divas and Iron Chefs of Encaustic : Lorraine Glessner

Landscapes Without Memory : Photographs by Joan Fontcuberta

Uptown

Sheehan and Huffman

An experienced administrator and advocate, Bryan is no stranger to the arts and cultural community of Richmond. He spent 23 years as associate dean for development at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts.

His work there included interacting with local charities, businesses, government agencies, and individuals to foster support for the arts.

With Bryan’s help, the nationally recognized VCUarts program prospered, growing in both size and recognition. Already well-acquainted with the benefits of a thriving arts community, Bryan will now bring his knowledge, voice, and passion to the Arts Council.

“We’re all anxious for our new president to join,” says Leslie Huffman, who is herself new to the organization, having started in April as administrative manager. Her current work involves collaborating with the Arts and Cultural Funding Consortium, which filters grant applications and distributes funds. As for future plans, Huffman notes a “regional cultural action plan will bring all the arts and cultural organizations together on the same page.”

Outreach program Partners in the Arts,

sponsored by the Arts Council, also recently gained a new addition.This past spring, Liz Sheehan became director of the organization, which is dedicated to integrating arts into K-12 curricula in the Metro Richmond area.

Sheehan has experience not only as an educator but as a graphic designer, writer, and producer. She has a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology and has worked at the University of Richmond, where she served as assistant director of the Women Involved in Living and Learning (WILL) program. Most recently, she acted as associate dean of students at Randolph-Macon College, where she developed a peer mentor program and managed areas like student leadership and diversity.

Sheehan’s work has focused on connecting academic and cultural institutions to their surrounding communities. Not a bad prelude to leading an organization based on exactly those principles.

With fresh faces like Bryan, Huffman, and Sheehan to invigorate the Arts Council, the Richmond community can expect to reap the creative benefits. g

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1601 West Main Street: 804 . 254 .1755 By appointment.

Features fine hand-crafted objects, especially American crafts by nationally recognized artists.

[30] glave kocen gallery

Back to School with VMFA The VMFA Studio School offers a year-round program of day and evening classes. This year’s course topics include Old Master methods, how to start an art collection, digital photography, creative writing, interior design, home staging, and yoga. Many make use of the VMFA collection; for example, portions of some creative writing classes take place in the galleries.

The Studio School also has an active exhibition program with seven public opening receptions, beginning with the annual faculty exhibition opening September 19. VMFA also helps teachers put art into their curriculum.

Mali! (September 25th) investigates the West African empire’s art and economy.

Jaguars and Serpents and Eagles, Oh My! (October 30), offered in Spanish, investigates PreColumbian art. Pompeii (Nov. 6) connects

[29] Artemis Gallery

literature and classroom activities relating to the ruined city and features guest speaker John Dobbins, Ph.D., from UVA. Maps (Nov. 20) accompanies VMFA’s free loan exhibition Pictures of the World: Art of the Mapmaker. Thaw out on Dec. 4 with A Trip to the Tropics: Armchair Adventures with Henri Rousseau. On December 11, look at the American experience with through photography and literature in Redefining an American Vision.

On October 2, a college ID is good for more than entrance to a frat party. At the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, it’s the key to experiencing Expand College Night, an educational event with art exhibits, music, performance, career advice, and free food.The event features music

by Double Standard Crew and a performance by the Dim Sum Dance troupe. g

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1620 West Main Street: 1.888.358.1990 Tues-Fri 10am-6pm; Sat 11am-4pm September 5-October 4 Kenneth Templeton & Mark Chatterley Photo Realism from this popular painter from The Outer Banks and Primitive life-size sculpture from Chatterley.

October 10-November 8 Heidi Fowler: Public Hearing 1st solo exhibit in Richmond for this Virginia native who focuses on the balance of nature and man’s footprint. Soundscapes will be integrated with Heidi's mixed media panels.

November14-December 24 Dan Miller Cloud studies and river scenes with still calming waters. Miller works loose and tight and paints soft edging around all of his canvases framing his work with a timeless quality.

Uptown is located along Main Street in the Fan District 7 blocks south of Broad Street and 5 blocks west of Belvidere Street

Uptown

37 38 39 Carytown is 12 blocks (1.6 miles)

gALLERIES Carytown

west of N Lombardy Street & 1 block south of Main Street

35 30 32

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[37] Brazier Fine Art

3401 West Cary Street: 804.359.2787 Tue–Sat 10am–5pm.

September 12 – October 4 New Works by Robert Johnson

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October 10 – November 1 All the People : Figurative Group Exhibit November 7 – 29 “Reality and Dreams” : New Works from P.A. Jones

[38] Chasen Galleries

Main Art Gallery

[33]

Red Door Gallery

1537 West Main Street: 804.355.6151 Mon–Fri 9am–6pm; Sat 10am–5pm.

September 5 - 30 Paintings by Ray Berry

1607 West Main Street: 804.291.7728 Wed–Sun 12pm–6pm (open until 9pm on Fridays).

The Red Door Gallery was founded in 2006 and shows original works of established and emerging artists.

October 3 - 31 Tommy White

Through September 14 Group Exhibition

November 7 - 30 Louis Poole

September 19 - October 26 5 artist exhibition curated by Vaughn Garland and Brad Birchett.

[32] Page Bond Gallery

1625 West Main Street: 804.359.3633 Tue–Sat 11am–6pm.

The Page Bond Gallery, located at 1625 West Main Street, exhibits contemporary art in a wide variety of media and disciplines including painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture and ceramics. The gallery acts as a showcase for the work of emerging as well as established artists with local, national and international reputations.

[34] Reynolds Gallery

1514 West Main Street: 804.355.6553 Tue–Sat 10am–5pm.

September 5 - October 4 Reflect(s) Glass Show Curated by Jack Wax; Graham Caldwell; Kiara Pelissier; Marc Petrovic; Kazue Taguchi; Jack Wax September 5 - October 4 Almost Famous Sami Ben Larbi; Jackie Brown; Anthony Cioe; Erik Gonzalez; Christine Gray; Amy Kao; Jessica Langley; Jonathan Marshall; Carmen McLeod; Valerie Molnar; Monica Palma; Alexis Semtner

[35] Visual Arts Center of Richmond

1812 West Main Street: 804.353.0094 Mon-Fri 11am–7pm; Sat 10am–4pm; Sun 1pm–4pm.

September 12 - December 5 When Janey Comes Marching Home: Portraits of Women Combat Veterans A collaboration between author-filmmaker Laura Browder and photojournalist Sascha Pflaeging.

[36] Uptown Gallery

1305 West Main Street: 804.353.8343 Tue–Fri 11am–5pm; Sat 11am–4pm.

The gallery has more than 32 juried artists with work in a varied palette of mediums and techniques.

September “French Bred” : Alain Pontecorvo October Original paintings by Trisha Adams November Original paintings by Samir Sammoun

[39]

The Gallery Art & Design

16 S Dooley Ave: 804.355.0102 2 pm-6 pm Wed & Fri through Sunday.

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday by appointment only.

First Fridays from 6 pm to 9 pm.

Fashion First Thursdays from 6 pm to 8 pm.

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[31]

3554 West Cary Street: 804.204.1048 Mon–Tues 10am–6pm; Wed 10am– 4pm; Thurs–Sat 10am–6pm.

Represents more than 100 acclaimed artists, sculptors and glass artists from all over the world. Each month brings a new theme with a huge variety of styles and imagery.

Henry Winston THE RESILIENCE OF THE CITY WORDS BY LISA O. MONROE

“New Communities, Detail” 2007, paper, ink on vellum, pins 24 x 24”

“Main Street Trolley 1913”

“DNA (Disassembly)” 2005, Giclee print, 26 x 40” “Love and Architecture” 2008, archival paper, pins 24x 24”

Full CircleR W ’ OBERT

ALZ S HARD EDGED HAPPINESS

Sculptor Robert Walz applies an engineer’s exactitude to lighthearted forms. The astonishing result is luminous objects of beauty and workmanship that seem to hint at a sort of architecture of optimism. Walz holds a BFA in sculpture from VCU. His work has been seen in recent group exhibitions including Match Play, a joint project of photography and print-based “experiments” by siblings Walz and Brenda Walz Van Ness at Curated Culture (April 4 – May 30, 2008) and Double Bubble at Page Bond Gallery (July 6– Sept. 1, 2007).

URGE: Is it fair to say that your work executes quirky, pop compositions with a sort of scientific accuracy and precision?

Walz: Yes, I think that’s an accurate reading. I’m interested in organic design and modern architecture. The idea of creating a visual community or system where everything is alone yet connected; a maquette for living.

URGE: How did your style develop?

Walz: Through learning a process, playful tinkering, the ability to construct forms (working under an amazing architect named John Van Ness)...and through the most important art activity of all, simple observation. I’ve a fascination with taking things apart and recontextualizing. I took apart all my toys as a kid...I still am, I guess. Really, I don't have a set style, I have an approach and a sensibility. I start with whatever I have at hand, and use the leftover material for the next piece.

URGE: Who (or what) are some of your influences?

Walz: The writings of Agnes Martin, the work of

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Joseph Cornell and Dieter Roth. And most certainly, The Flaming Lips. . . . But my influences are everywhere all the time. Architecture, space, a certain smile, all music and color influence me. I use a patchwork quilt approach to gaining knowledge.

URGE: What are you working on in your studio right now?

Walz: I am building structures again, moving toward large modular sculpture. I'm also working on a series of prints and I send as much mail art as possible, which is how I sketch and play. Peggy (Walz) and I are creating these things all the time. I try not to separate myself from art-related activities for very long. And we like giving these little projects away: art as love, not as commodity.

URGE: What will we see from you in galleries in the upcoming months?

Walz: I’ll show some new work at Quirk in December. I am also doing a few group exhibitions and continuing my work with community-based art projects.

URGE: What shows have you seen in the last year?

Which made the biggest impression on you?

Walz: Martin Puryear at MOMA in November.

Those amazing sculptures and the cold rain falling on the glass ceiling just outside the gallery...a million lovely circles. In Richmond there were so many good shows—Chuck Scalin at Quirk and Fiona Ross at the Anderson Gallery come immediately to mind. All the beautiful art in public spaces—telephone pole shelves, intersections, abandoned store windows. All of it makes existence worthwhile and meaningful. g

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W. Henry Winston not only enjoys painting cityscapes and old buildings in Richmond, but he has found a demand for them from area art collectors. A self-taught artist, he considers himself a color painter. “I don’t like to get too realistic and meticulous; I like to keep it loose and fun,” he says. He is currently finishing a painting of the Nickel Bridge, and thinking about his next potential project, the William Byrd Hotel. A pervailing theme in Winston’s work is Richmond landmarks—including the Richmond Hotel, Murphy’s Hotel, the old MCV hospital and nursing school and the FFV cookie factory.

Some of the buildings he has painted still stand but others are gone—the Murphy Hotel, for example, was demolished early this year to make way for a parking lot. The buildings in danger of being lost are those Winston enjoys painting the most.

“You almost feel like you’re saving “Hotel Richmond” something—preserving it—if you can paint it,” he says. “I’m kind of sentimental about the old buildings. Richmond’s really making an effort to save a lot of them. Even if the architecture is not unique, there is the history.”

One of the favorite scenes he’s documented shows Main Street and Shockoe Bottom circa 1913. “It’s so quiet and simple. It really symbolizes to me a time when things were simpler, slower and easier,” he says.

Winston usually paints from photos, and used one as a guide for this colorful and whimsical composition, featuring a trolley and horsedrawn carts on Main Street, where passersby stroll along dressed up for their visit to town. For him, scenes like this not only depict a place and time, but capture the resilience of the city as life ebbs and flows through its different areas over time, often in cyclical patterns.

This was one of Winston's last oil paintings; he now works primarily with acrylics that are faster and easier to use. In addition to Richmond buildings and cityscapes, Winston does figurative compositions and enjoys rendering Caribbean scenes, well-suited to his loose, fun style. His art is displayed at ArtWorks.g

gALLERIES Staples Mill & Broad St.

Petersburg is located 28 miles South of Richmond’s Downtown financial district. Take I-95 S and take Exit 52 for Washington St.

Petersburg

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Exchange

[40] Crossroads Art Center

Alley

2016 Staples Mill Road: 804.278.8950 Mon–Thurs 10am–6pm; Fri–Sat 10am–6pm; Sun 12pm–6pm.

August 15 – September 10 Featured Art Wall: TBA Gallery 1: Marine Life All Media Show Rhoda MacCallum Gallery: John Gunther Side Car Gallery: All Media Show Caboose Gallery: Terry Smith

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September 19 – October 8 Featured Art Wall: Michael Preston Gallery 1: Jan Hodges Rhoda MacCallum Gallery: All Media Show Side Car Gallery: Duane Cregger Caboose Gallery: TBA October 17 – November 12 Featured Art Wall: Nicola Aloisio Gallery 1: TBA Rhoda MacCallum Gallery: JAll Media Show Side Car Gallery: John Balasa Caboose Gallery: Virginia Collage Society

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PRAC is located between Franklin Street & E. Washington Street

Petersburg

Libbie & Grove Avenues

[41] Gallery 5800

Suitable for Framing

[43]

Bank Street Gallery

[44]

Friend House Gallery & Atelier

27 W. Bank Street: 804.733.6180 Open by appointment.

Recent exhibiting artists include Kirsten Kindler (oils & cut paper hangings); Catherine Warnock (watercolors); Stephen Roebuck (oils).

[45]

Petersburg Area Art League

7 E. Old Street: 804.861-4611 Tue-Sat 10:30 am-2:30 pm; Sun 1-4 pm The Petersburg Area Art League presents monthly exhibitions and classes with resident artists.

5800 Grove Avenue: 804.285.0774 Mon–Fri 10am–5:30pm; Sat 10am-4pm.

Offers fine art and selected works by regional and national artists.

Featuring paintings by Kiki Slaughter; David Tanner; Sue Morris; Lisa Neher

[47]

Sol Cooper Gallery

[48]

The Gallery at Enteros Design

306 North Sycamore Street: 804.240.6859; Open by appointment.

This former department store space now features contemporary work by local and regional artists in a variety of media. Recent showings included work from Kate Duffy, Amie Oliver, Aimee Joyaux, Catherine Purvis and Susann Whittier.

[42]

Andrew’s Gallery

11800 W. Broad Street: 804.364.9377 Andrew’s Gallery in Richmond, Virginia offers an excellent selection original paintings and hand-embellished limited canvas art from the world’s leading artists.

September 27 | 28 Robert Finale − Personal Appearance

27 Bollingbrook Street: 804.733.8200 Open Wed-Sat 10am-4pm Housed in the Nathaniel Friend House, built in 1816 by the then mayor of Petersburg, and listed in the National Historic Register. Artists in Residence: Carol Anna Meese Kathryn Hedgepeth

[46] Petersburg Regional Art Center

132 N. Sycamore Street: 804.733.8200 After years as Shockoe Bottom Arts Center, this gallery and working studio collective moved to Petersburg in 2003, making it one of the first large galleries in Old Towne. The space features 70 artist studios, and a mezzanine gallery.

The Center hosts eleven juried, allmedia shows a year.

314 Exchange Alley: 804.861.1200 Enteros Design is a full-service architecture firm dedicated to design excellence. Its gallery, open during business hours and on Fridays for the Arts, features rotating exhibitions.

September 12 | October 10 Juried All Media Show

This guide is produced in partnership with the Arts Council of Richmond.

Galleries should contact Rebecca Jones (rebecca@theworkfactory.com) regarding their listing information.

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Short Pump Town Center

Retta Robbins

FREDERICKSBURG ARTIST RETTA ROBBINS HAS AN APPROACH TO MAKING ART THAT IS PLAYFUL. THE RESULTS ARE FULL OF IDEAS.

[Top Row] “Jack” 2007; “Lance” 2006; “Benjamin” 2007; [2nd Row] “Buck” 2006; “Spike” 2007; “Chad” 2007 [3rd Row] “Marco” 2007; “Peter” 2007; “Alex” 2007[4th Row] “Adam” 2007; “Rod 1” 2007; “Pierre” 2007 All work oil pastels, graphite and wax on paper, 24 x 24” except “Adam” 16 x16”.

Contradictory Colors

FOR ARTIST MICHAEL PIERCE, OPPOSITES BRING THE VISION TOGETHER

Painter Michael Pierce loves art that raises questions, but doesn’t give easy answers.

“I’ve always believed in the importance and power of opposites—good versus evil, liberal versus conservative, beauty versus ugliness,” he says.

His influences are similarly contradictory: Warhol (“I’m a child of the ’60s”) versus Degas and the Impressionists (“I like the way they made things look”), for example, or Marilyn Minter’s hyper-realistic sleazy paintings versus Gerhardt Richter’s fuzzy, out-of-focus images.

He is also drawn to the work of Kiki and Herb, a drag cabaret and performance art duo.

Pierce contrasts Miss Kiki DuRane with another of his heroines, Martha Stewart.

“I love both the minimalist look that she creates in interiors and food, but the utter complicatedness that you have to go through to get to that. I love her seeming lack of humor, but she’s oh, so funny.”

Pierce believes Richmond has an art scene that benefits from juxtaposition of opposites.

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“I realize it’s really conservative here, but where conservatism lives, so does its opposite. I think that’s why there’s such a thriving arts community here,” he says.

In his own work, Pierce often sees where the process leads.

“At some point the individual pieces begin to relate to each other and a concept gradually takes shape,” he says.

He frequently finds inspiration in mass-media images. Text is becoming more important in his work, and he currently making a series of artist books. Pierce’s shows and series often have a playlist of music that was integral to its creation. He usually gives out copies of the playlist at openings.

Pierce’s newest series is for the Gay Community Center of Richmond Gallery. It is titled Mens Is Dogs after a line in a RuPaul song.

“The pieces are based on images from of men and images of hot dogs,” he says. “What could be simpler—I guess, you could say this is my ‘minimalist phase.’” g

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“For me, art is making marks on a surface. I delight both in the play of colors as they modulate or activate one another and in the lines, actual and inferred,” she says.

“Painting is an active dance with the canvas. As Paul Klee has observed, ‘Art does “Sun/Mountain/Man” 2000 not reproduce the mixed media on canvas visible; rather, it 24x30” makes visible.’”

Robbins, a native of Virginia and long-time resident of Fredericksburg, has lived and traveled extensively in Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Far East; all of which are reflected in her work. Asked what she is working on now in her LibertyTown studio, her reply is candid.

“I am in a ‘What am I doing now?’ phase,” she says. “I got interested in [contemporary Ghanaian sculptor] El Anatsui, who says that you have to incorporate everything in your work.” That led her to her current experiments with assemblage sculpture.

“I was making this crazy little thing from upholstery wire that looked like Pinocchio. It was going to be ‘Pinocchio Going to Camp,’ but it became ‘Pinocchio Going to Guantanamo,’”she explains, sardonically.

Robbins is also working on a series of 12” by 12” panels that she calls Facescapes. The idea came when she looked at some unfinished watercolors and was drawn to the unfinished faces. In this series, suggestions of landscapes push through the partially completed portraits.

She is also finishing a figure painting of a woman on a piano.

“She was beautiful and sweet—and I just got sick of her,”she says. Robbins pared down the figure and added people in the background. But the biggest transformation came when a fellow artist visited her studio and told her that the chartreuse dress was the problem.

“That’s when I decided to drape the figure in a flag,” she says. “It’s called ‘Mourning in America.’”

Robbins holds a BFA from the Richmond Professional Institute (now VCU) and an MLA from Johns Hopkins University. She has done additional graduate work at New York University and studied in Florence, Paris and Tokyo. She has As Is Series: “Jugen (What Lies been recognized for Beneath the Surface)“ 1997 her service to Virmixed media on board 32x40” ginia arts with Distinguished Service Award for Art Education, given in conjunction with the Kennedy Center. g

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[58] Visual Treats [57] UMW Galleries

903 Caroline Street: 540.372.7537 Featuring art, greeting cards, pillows, aromagraphs, postcards and other products designed by Joni Ulman Lewis.

Ridderhof Martin Gallery September 4 - October. 26 Images from Japan: A Portfolio of Modern Japanese Prints from Private Collections

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Ridderhoff-Martin Gallery: College Avenue at Seacobeck Street; Dupont Gallery: College Avenue at Thornton Street; 540.654.1013 Mon. Wed., and Fri., 10am-4pm, Sat.-Sun. 1pm-4pm The Ridderhof Martin Gallery hosts exhibitions brought in from museums around the country, or drawn from the permanent collection of over 5,000 works. The permanent collection is strongest in mid twentieth-century art and Asian art. The duPont Gallery features painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, ceramics, and textiles by art faculty, students and other contemporary artists.

September 29- October 26 Robert Cassanova and Kathy Reilly duPont Gallery September 4 - October 5 Virginia Painters: Process Unveiled

Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts (FCCA) [52]

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P. Rose Gallery

709 Caroline Street: 540.371.8499 August 1 - September 20 Sea & Sky Recent Paintings by Elizabeth Pavlansky Butler & Betsy Carter

813 Sophia Street: 540.373.5646 September National Exhibit: Personal Commentaries Members’ Gallery: John Bice, Judith Merrill-Hall October Regional Art Exhibit Members’ Gallery: Kandra Orr

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LibertyTown Arts Workshop

916 Liberty Street: 540.371.7255 Mon-Thur 10am-7pm; Fri-Sat 10am5pm; Sun 12pm-4pm LibertyTown Arts Workshop is the largest art center within a 45 mile radius of Fredericksburg.

September 5 From Here 2 There Traveling Exhibition of New Works from the Torpedo Factory Art Center

e.e. smith

824 Caroline street: 540.373.9088 Opened in 1994 in Fredericksburg, Virginia, e.e. smith is a unique and colorful collection of handcrafted furniture, ceramics, glass, textiles, jewelry, and more. They carry the work of many talented craft artists from America and other parts of the world.

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810 Caroline Street: 540.368.0560 Mon,Tues,Thu & Fri: 11am-6pm; Sat: 11am-6pm ; Sun: Noon-4pm.

September 1 - 29 All Member Show Sarah Flinn (second floor) September 30 - November 2 All Member Show Carol Waite (second floor)

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Brush Strokes Gallery

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Fredericksburg Athenaeum

109 Amelia Street: 540.373.1311 Thursday 11am-9pm Fri 11am-9pm Sat 10am to 5pm The Fredericksburg Athenaeum exists as a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the promotion of the arts, literature, philosophy, sciences and technology through education, formal and informal exchange and dialogue, to the benefit of those living in the Rappahannock River region and the global community of shared interests.

Fredericksburg

t. ke S Haw

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St. ter hes inc

824 Caroline Street: 540.371.7107 Mon–Sat 10am–6pm; Sun 12pm–6pm.

September 3 - 29 Johnny Johnson, Dee McCleskey October 1 - November 3 All Member Show

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St. Pitt

Fredericksburg is located 59 miles about 1 hour from Richmond’s Downtown financial district. Take I-95 North to exit 130A to Plank Rd. St. Pitt

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[49] Art First Gallery & Studio

gALLERIES

Ridderhoff-Martin & Dupont Galleries are located on the campus of the University of Mary Washington at College Ave & Thornton St. 1.5 miles west of Caroline St.

Sophia Street Studios

1104 Sophia Street: 540.372.3459 A pottery studio with two potters who make functional earthenware pottery as well as Raku decorative pieces.

Wegner Galleries

314 William Street: 540.374.8300;

By Appointment The S.S. Wegner Wildlife Gallery and Wegner Metal Arts present wildlife paintings bronze sculpture and shore landscapes by Stephen and Stewart Wegner.

September 29- October 26 "Inspired By..." Contemporary mosaics and the historical tradition.

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Kehoe: “At Some Point...What's the Point?" acrylic and gouache on panel, 12 x 12”

Ben Kehoe at Transmission At what point does graphic illustration become fine art? Where illustrators typically align their vision with narratives from another source to make a complete form—as in children’s storybooks, or graphic novels—artists who employ illustration need to push beyond a story and create a self-sustaining image that supersedes the initial narrative—as in Robert Longo’s lithographs of dancers, or with Roy Lichtenstein’s work.

Expertly employing acrylic and gouache on panel, Ben Kehoe’s show (August 1-30) illustrates a moody—yet ironic—world of machinery, nature and art history fetishism. Encased in luscious hard candy-like surfaces and a limited palette of earth tones, the works display an interesting postmodern mix of Otto Dix magical compressed space, and René Magritte everyman characters in a flattened cartoon contour rendering not too dissimilar of medieval tapestries.

Kehoe’s protagonists—feckless, mild-mannered, mustached figures

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with bowl-cut hair and decked out in suspenders or neckerchiefs—aren’t contemporary fellows but, suggest a pastiche of styling from art and pop culture history. They are the pedestrian placeholders from Magritte’s oeuvre as well as the British send up of bowler-wearing businessmen in Monty Python’s animations or even

characters from Peter Max’s ’60s drawings. The compositions are centralized with auras of smoke emanating from industrial chimneys, or writhing snakes and fanned branches in the manner of Frida Kahlo framing the characters.

Kehoe’s paintings also present foreshortened forests that entrap the

figures in dark vignettes of impending catastrophe.

It is this theme of impending catastrophe that holds the collection together. Nature seems to be at odds with technology. In “At Some Point...What's the Point?” black rain from the dark cloud of a factory smokestack falls on snakes and branches as the impassive man dangles a cigarette between his fingers.

All of the paintings’ raison d'etre pits the rust and decay of industrial debris against the erosion and extinction of green spaces to the seemingly indifference of man. Not a new message by any means. And it is here that the collection seems to fall short and relies on the work’s sophisticated style over substance.

Kehoe doesn’t seem interested in resolving the narrative in one way or the other—even his characters present removed and unflustered expressions in the face of dangerous circumstances. Paintings that employ graphic illustration should be just accountable to a balance of form, lyrical intuition as well as function—or message—as any other style. With work like this, too much message can destroy a good aesthetic experience and turn it into simple propaganda. But too little effort to present one’s narrative reads as being guarded, or worse, pointlessly arch. In Kehoe’s case, his work comes dangerously close to the greeting card’s device of amusing image and ironic tag of title—without any political, personal or aestehtic punch to have the work truly resonate.

Kehoe’s facility with illustration techniques is a two-edged sword. He has created an accomplished vocabulary of entertaining and slick iconography, though at times the compositional reliance on central focal points or ironic painting titles/one-liners seems a little pat, and read more as isolated panels from an unfinished graphic novel.

His skillful appropriation of art history forms would be more dynamic if paired with self-revelatory images and more aggressive compositions.

The tendency to use simply sardonic ambivalence to carry the work is a wall that the artist must hurdle.

Kehoe is an extremely capable painter who will do even more impressive work as he pushes past his comfort zone of producing parody in beautifully varnished squares of clever—but safe—appropriated imagery and strives for selfsustaining compositions more of his own frank authoring.

Ted Randler

Kehoe: "Nature's Course" acrylic and gouache on panel, 16 x 12”

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REVIEWS

Pina: “Misleading”Chimo on canvas 48 x 24"

Fabian Ramirez and Elie Piña at Quirk The often colorfully eclectic gallery at Quirk has a more monochromatic, earthy feeling with the installation of works by Fabian Ramirez and Elie Piña. Tango y Reencuentro (tango and reencounter) (July 3 - August 15) highlights the sculptural talents of Ramirez—whose tiny animals populated the multi-artist piece “Noah’s Bark,” in the summer 2006 Hot Diggities show at Quirk.

Here, Ramirez shows us his ability to carve stone, wood and even concrete into supple, subtly human shapes. Many of forms allude to the dance associated with the artist’s native Argentina.

His stone pieces—“First Love,” and “Looking at Me”—are especially successful. The grain of the marble appears like veins in the rounded forms while the surface itself beckons your touch.

“All my pieces identify with mankind,” says the artist. “I believe that each of us is part of a whole and that we all have something to do for humanity, sometimes we do it instinctively and sometimes after having found a purpose.”

A strong purpose is clearly behind the paintings of Elie Piña as well. Hanging on the walls surrounding Ramirez’s sculptures, Piña’s paintings speak to his faith.

One piece, “The Way,” elicits interest initially by its jarringly sideways orientation. This approach is indicative of Piña’s drive to present paintings of faith in a different format.

“I felt inspired to paint the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, to show a different view of what we are used to seeing,” he says. “A point of view from the above, or what John the Baptist saw that day.”

Using the Chimo technique learned in his native Venezuela, Piña combines oil paint with the paste from a tobacco leaf to create opaque, natural, very botanical looking browns and grays. The results are not bold or overreaching. In-

Ramirez: “Excellent Investment” carved stone 62" w, 28" h, 14"d

stead, they quietly sit on the walls without distracting from Ramirez’s sculptures while at the same time implying similar humanistic interests.

Gina Cavallo Collins

GINA CAVALLO COLLINS IS AN INDEPENDENT CURATOR AND FREELANCE WRITER WITH OVER 20 YEARS IN THE MUSEUM FIELD. HER SPECIALTY IS CONTEMPORARY ART.

Francht: William acrylics, ink

Joelle Francht, Mike Keeling, Nancy Fairchild, & Nancy McEntee at 1212 Gallery Tucked away in the up-and-coming art district of Manchester is the 1212 Gallery. This gem is a renovated house turned gallery, hosting the exhibit The Human Form (June 22-July 27). Four artists—Joelle Francht, Mike Keeling, Nancy Fairchild, and Nancy McEntee—share their vision of the exhibit’s title.

Joelle Francht’s work is exhibited in the Gallery Centre. Human figures, the subject being children, are shown playing and experiencing school days. Innocence and youth come to life as we reminisce about the simplicities of days gone by. Francht is a Richmond resident and a graduate of the University of Richmond.

Turn left from Gallery Centre and you will be in Gallery West, experiencing the magical delights of the “Garden Series.” Black and white fabricated photographs, the model being artist Nancy McEntee’s daughter, place the human form in an out-

door garden setting. The subject shares interdependence with her background creating an ethereal atmosphere for the viewer.

Gallery East is to the right and displays the work of Nancy Fairchild.

Her theme is women in the abstract form. Large canvases are painted with bold deliberate strokes. Even though the colors are strong and bright, there is an air of serenity in this confined space.

In the outdoor sculpture garden, one can step outside and experience the “Human Form” according to local artist Mike Keeling. Sleek and futuristic, his abstract metal sculptures provide a contrast setting to the outside world.

Each of the four artists renders their own unique interpretation of the human form. French gives us drawings that simultaneously react and share a dependency with their background space. McEntee uses black and white photography to share her life experiences with the viewer. Fairchild paints large abstracts with a focus on women as her subject matter. And Keeling, also focusing on the abstract, sculpts with metal. Four artists, one theme, each having their own distinctive rendition and interpretation.

Ginny Ross

GINNY ROSS HOLDS A MASTER’S DEGREE IN ART HISTORY FROM VCU WITH A SPECIALIZATION IN WEST AFRICAN ART. SHE IS CURRENTLY EMPLOYED AS A MORTGAGE BANKER WITH SOUTHERN TRUST IN THE FAN.

Clearly there isn’t a shared impetus for creating aesthetic form among the sixteen artists represented in Small Claims (July 10-August 29) dedicated to small works. In fact, outside of diminutive dimensions, there is little coherency as to why the various work should be displayed together.

For some of the artists, small work is translated as personal, lyrical and tentative pieces as in Mary Scurlock’s mixed media on paper. The 21 x 17” smudged and smeared drawings are washed in a gray of indefinite hue. Figurative renderings are begun and then abandoned in markings little more sophisticated than mindless doodling. Her drawing is compositionally awkward. These pieces read as unfinished work, their chalky surfaces are appealing and the narrative of reworking an image intrigues because the iconography reads as being revelatory and intimate. But they are little more relevant than preparatory mappings for other work.

The same can be said for Lynda Ray’s monotypes, though more consistent and accomplished in execution than with Scurlock’s work, Ray’s Earthladder series presents a sense of preliminary development in technique than a completed form. Drawing fields of interlinked elements similar to the puzzle patterns of Stuart Davis jazz-inspired compositions, Ray institutes a technique that reads like the fine shading of colored pencil. Short of a tidy technical display of clever design, the monotypes don’t resonate beyond their surface patterns.

For other artists, the small scale of the work seems to come into play for logistical reasons as in Andras Bality’s paintings. Measuring 10x12” the canvases were toted to the woods or beach and committed in the plein air style not unlike Cézanne’s, with the quick daubing of color to build up compositions. Bality’s beaches aren’t those of lone sandpiper and soul-searching waves, but are densely populated with people and the paraphernalia of vacationing. Disappointingly, t h e technique is stingy on paint, doesn’t delve too much into detail and the colors don’t provide much beyond local documentation. How-

O’Kane: “Eggplants Fiesta” oil on canvas 17.5 x 21.5”

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Small Claims at Page Bond Gallery

REVIEWS ever one work, “Beach 1” seemed more detailed in drawing and ambitious in color than the other two and because of this it was the most interesting of the three.

With artists who are focused on the formal concerns as in Diego Sanchez, Connie Maass and Susan Schwalb, their work tends to rely on texture to enliven the small scale of their pieces.

Sanchez and Schwalb etch into their work. Both share a proclivity for building and then destroying brilliant pigment with patterns of circular scratches (Sanchez) or striations and rugged marks (Schwalb). For these artists, the dimensions of the small work—sometimes as contained as 4 x 5”—have all but removed the ability to employ scale to compose their paintings as they would in larger abstractions. And because of the use of viscid paint—particularly as with Sanchez’s pieces—the work becomes less about image composition and more about making densely pigmented objects.

Schwalb’s objects seem better suited to stand alone, iconic, with a type of wavering pastel-hued chalky fields that harbor ruts of brilliant color, while Sanchez’s pieces are presented in groups that could be read as parts to a whole, a miniature triptych.

Also sharing the inclination toward painterly abstraction, Maass’ pieces aren’t as successful as

Fredericksburg’s LibertyTown Arts Workshop First Venue for Traveling Exhibition from the Torpedo Factory Fredericksburg’s LibertyTown Arts Workshop (916 Liberty Street) is something of a kindred spirit to the Torpedo Factory, the celebrated Alexandria, Virginia World War I era munitions factory that was repurposed as an arts center in 1974.

So perhaps this is why LibertyTown was selected to be the first host of From Here 2 There, a traveling exhibition from Alexandria’s Torpedo Factory Arts Center.

Formerly a plumbing warehouse in Old Town Fredericksburg, LibertyTown Arts Workshop is now home to more than 25 unique artist studios and more than 50 working artists. The main gallery features new art exhibits every month and presents live music.

On view at LibertyTown for the month of September, From Here 2 There, a selection of Torpedo Factory artists’ new work. The exhibition was curated by Jenine Culligan,

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Schwalb’s and Sanchez’s.

Built on slightly larger masonite panels that provide competent, push-pull, brushy compositions, the work is firmly lodge in the middle ground of being neither accomplished smaller compositions nor completed studies for larger works.

Tim O’Kane’s small scale engineering of his still lifes however seemed the most intentional and resolved compositions in the show.

Wielding verisimilitude, precious arrangements, and a delicate interplay of daylight and shadow, the three paintings on display project a hyper-realism that allows for heighten color schemes. The saturated blue in both “Saki #1” and “Eggplants Fiesta” is lush, but yet doesn’t overwhelm the atmosphere of afternoon light.

Here, the diminutive scale works in the artist’s favor and the scale is really worked by the artist— such that the paintings radiance and laser-like precision in detail are commanding in the compressed format of 21.5 x 17.5”.

Ted Randler

Richard Carlyon: Selected Works on Paper and Paintings at Reynolds Gallery Walking through the Reynolds Gallery’s Richard Carlyon: Selected Works on Paper and Paintings (May 9-August 22) on an impossibly beautiful late-summer afternoon, there is

Carlyon: “Self Portrait” 1986

much to remember and even more to admire.

Nothing awakens those two sentiments more acutely than the drawings on the central wall. For many over 35, to face those three beautifully gestural charcoal selfportraits from 1986 is to fall backward in time to the Hibbs Auditorium, where standing-roomonly audiences await the next laughline or searing insight (often the same remark) from VCU’s most animated and interdisciplinary art professor. It is therefore entirely fitting that his image holds court in the middle of the gallery. More than two years after his death, Richard Carlyon is still the life of the party.

Look at the works that surround the self-portraits, and at first it’s hard to believe that they are by the same artist. Large-format, polymer emulsions on canvas from 1975 evoke the Ab-Ex/Minimalism of Barnett Newman.

Text experiments including “Study for a Painting in Ten Parts” from 1980 and “Board (With D-E-

Rebecca Jones

PREVIEWS

Featured works From Here 2 There include:

Barbro Eriksdotter Gendell: “Shield Series” #4 fine silver & sterling 4x5.125"

L-A-Y)“ from 1985 recall Carlyon’s love of language and pay homage to the work of Jasper Johns.

“Shell Shocked” from 1995 alludes to Andy Warhol and Cindy Sherman in its depiction of Carlyon holding an enormous conch shell, surrounded by iconic, flatly repeating images of Marilyn Monroe.

While the range of styles and allusions presented in this exhibition reveal an artist thoroughly connected to his moment, it is tempting to ask which body of work represents the “real” Carlyon and his vision.

The answer, of course, is “all of it.”

This show is, on one level, a collection of works from different periods in the life of a single artist. On a different level, it is a single, multidecade experiment by an artist from a smaller Southern city who participated actively in the larger avantgarde. In the process, he translated that world for generations of students, many of whom caught their first glimpse of it in his classes.

Near the show’s exit is a series of black and white images of Carlyon from 1992-1993. In each, his face is obscured by soft-edged blots of primary colored pigment. After surveying the work of Richard Carlyon, it may be an overstatement to compare their effect to that of looking at the sun for too long.

But not by very much.

Diane Tesler: ‘“A Piece of Cake” oil on linen 40x44"

about sharing,” she says.

LibertyTown is the largest art center within a 45 mile radius of Fredericksburg and features some of the finest art work Virginia has to offer. The center also presents a wide variety of art and craft classes ranging from watercolors to stained glass to weaving.

Under Dan Finnegan’s leadership, LibertyTown’s pottery school is active with adult and children's classes, for beginners to advanced students.

Athenaeum Brings Independent Film and Literary Events to Fredericksburg

Cindy Packard Richmond: “A World of Their Own” oil on lLinen 32x42"

Senior Curator at the Huntington Museum of Art, who sees the openness and accessibility of studio spaces such as the Torpedo Factory and LibertyTown as beneficial to the

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Elizabeth Kendall: “Window View” ceramic 16x16x4

creative process.

“I would imagine that artists who opt to work in a studio setting which is open to the general public could tell us all we need to know

This fall, the Fredericksburg Athenaeum brings the first annual Rappahannock Independent Film Festival (RIFF 2008) to Fredericksburg.

Held September 18–21 in venues throughout historic downtown Fredericksburg, the festival seeks to encourage new work. The theme of this year’s festival is “Portraits in 24 Frames,” featuring original short

PREVIEWS films highlighting portraits of people, places or things.

Athenaeum Executive Director Paul Lewis expects the festival to provide a needed outlet for a growing local filmmaking and performing-arts community.

“It is the right time for a filmbased event, as there is currently no local outlet for this collaborative art form, involving artists, writers, actors, and filmmakers,” he says.

“We hope that the festival will not only make a positive economic impact on behalf of the city’s downtown historic center, but that it will establish an annual event that will continue to highlight Fredericksburg as a state-wide leader in the arts.”

September also brings one of the literary world’s newest celebrities to Fredericksburg. Author Rivka Galchen will give a public reading of her acclaimed novel Atmospheric Disturbances at the Wounded Bookshop (109 Amelia Street).

The daughter of Israeli immigrants, Galchen is an MD and MFA as well as a first-time novelist. Her darkly comic tale follows Dr. Leo Lieberstein on a maddening quest

to find his wife, whom he believes to have been replaced by a simulacrum. A story of love, obsession, and existential crisis, it has been praised by esteemed publications like the New Yorker, the Washington Post, and the New York Times.

Time Magazine calls it a “sick, cerebral thrill” and a “dense, fractually complex first novel.”

The special event takes place in conjunction with the Rappahannock Film Festival, and is sponsored by the Fredericksburg Athenaeum. It will include a discussion hosted by the author and a booksigning.

Sleight of Hand A National Juried Contemporary Craft Show at Richmond’s Gallery5 Gallery5 (200 West Marshall Street) has opened a call for entries for its Sleight of Hand craft show. The exhibition will feature ingenuity and experimentation occurring in contemporary craft. The show will be on display throughout December and features up to $1000 in cash prizes to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.

The show jurors are Kathy Emerson, Quirk Gallery; Steven

Glass, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Natalya Pinchuk, VCU Crafts Department. Acceptable media include wearable art, paper, mixed media, leather, jewelry, glass, metal, decorative fiber, ceramics, basketry and wood.

Pertinent dates for the show are: submissions deadline October 22, opening reception on December 5 at 7 p.m.

Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts Regional Art Exhibition Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts (FCCA) (813 Sophia Street) has opened a call for entries for its Regional Art Exhibition: All Media to be on display in October. This exhibition is open to all artists who are able to hand deliver their entries. All

work submitted must be original and completed within the past two years. All media eligible. No saw tooth hangers. 2D work should be matted (neutral color) when appropriate.

All entries must be received by September 22, 2008.

Visual Arts Center of Richmond’s 2008 Craft + Design Show to be held at Science Museum of Virginia Continuing to bring Central Virginia high-quality, one-of-akind craf ts, the 2008 show will of fer visitors three full days to encounter a select group of 70 artists whowork in

clay, glass, fiber, jewelry, wood and other media. The show will run November 21-23. A preview for the exhibition will be available to members on November 20.

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Chocolate Pizza Just because Jeanne-Louise Womble, owner of De Rochonnet Delights (13228 Midlothian Turnpike), is about to enter her fourth year of making gourmet chocolates available to Richmonders doesn’t mean she’s resting on her laurels. In fact, she and her family have added a host of new offerings to their store in Midlothian.

Womble’s son Eric, a former chef in Charlottesville restaurants, recently became a member of the staff and designed a special chocolate meat rub that adds epicurean flavor to chicken and pork. The latest release is Aztec Chocolate Spicy Rub that combines indulgent chocolate with piri-piri, a spicy South African seasoning that creates what co-owner Richard

Something Special in the Feta Philip Mouris, co-owner of Nick’s International Food and Produce Market (400 W. Broad Street, Richmond), says the feta cheese is what keeps customers coming back again and again. “It’s Dodoni, imported from Greece and made with 90 percent

Womble describes as a “gradual hotness.” The combination imparts a sweet and savory flavor with heat.

For those who prefer sticking with sweets, chocolate pizzas are just the ticket. Made with the best Belgian and French chocolate, these pizzas come sliced up in a box and ready to eat. Popular flavors include mocha and rocky road with dark chocolate, pecans and marshmallows.

Also on the sweet side are authentic Italian gelati. While JeanneLouise was in Italy studying chocolate-making, she became hooked on this Italian treat that’s denser than American ice cream.

The Wombles now sell it in their store, at events around town like Fridays on the Patio at James River Cellars, and to restaurants like Pescados, the Desserterie and Maldini’s. Richard even drives to Warsaw once a week to drop some off at Anna’s Italian Restaurant. sheep’s milk,” Mouris says. “It’s very creamy…You’re just not going to find that anywhere else.”

And if Greek feta isn’t your thing, you’ll find a host of other cheeses at Nick’s like Danish blue cheese, fresh mozzarella and marscapone. Why not go crazy and make an antipasto plate with cheese and another customer favorite, fresh olives? Mouris says the selection includes Greek kalamatas and jumbo-sized cracked green ones.

Oh, and did we mention the olive oils? It’s your choice in economy-sized cans. There are varieties from Greece, Italy, Spain and the Middle East. Philip and Manuel Mouris also offer Mediterranean specialty items and wine.

Hoist a Pint in Honor of Oktoberfest It’s that time of year again. Temperatures are dropping and the thoughts of beer-lovers worldwide turn to Oktoberfest. And don’t make the faux pas of getting the time of year wrong: “MidSeptember is the beginning of Oktoberfest,” Pat Cox, a manager at Once Upon a Vine (4009 MacArthur Avenue, Richmond) re-

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minds us. He’s already got his mind on frosty libations for the season.

If you’re having friends over around this time of year, impress them with a selection of Oktoberfest brews. One of Cox’s favorites is Paulaner Oktoberfest-Märzen. “It’s a German beer made in the Märzen style,” Cox says. “It’s a lightish-yetamber lager.” Other Oktoberfest brews Cox suggests are Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen and Weihenstephaner Festbier.

Another fall favorite is pumpkin beer, a brown ale with added spices and pumpkin flavors. A few favorites in this area include Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale and Post Road Pumpkin Ale from Brooklyn Brewery.

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Autumn Wine Picks

Grape & Cheese (1531 W. Main Street, Richmond) owner Bill Robinson and manager Michelle Lane recommend Celler de Capcanes Mas Donis Capcanes Tarragona (2005, $17) from Tarragona, Spain for a “spicy, concentrated” red wine. Robinson says, “You want a little bit more weight in a fall wine, but [not too much since] fall in Richmond is still summer.”

For white, Robinson suggests Pazo Señorans Albariño (2005, $25) produced in Rias Baixas, Spain. Though he reports “[Albariño and Verdejo] are two grapes that you haven’t heard much about,” Robinson says the fruit offers a “lively, crisp, dry,” flavor.

“I always like to match food from certain areas with wine from the same places,” Lanes says. Spanish food —paella, cocovanto—go well with these Spanish wines.

“These are multi-layered, crisp, wonderful wines,” Robinson explains.

At Strawberry Street Vineyard (407 Strawberry Street, Richmond) owner Henry Reidy suggests Don Miguel Gascon Malbec (2007, $15) created in Mendoza, Argentina at the foot of the Andes for a “lovely, full-bodied, rich” red wine. “People usually drink lighter whites and rosets in the summer. In the fall, as the seasons change, people want heartier wines, especially reds,” Reidy says.

According to him, the wine “goes great with heartier fare in the fall and winter—steak, roast, red meat/sauce, Italian food.”

As for a white selection, he suggests Valmiñor Albariño (2006, $15) made in Rias Baixas, Spain, a “lovely, dry, unoaked white, with really beautiful floral notes— very aromatic.”

“It goes with a wider variety of foods, chicken and especially seafood, because it’s from the coast,” he says.

A Delight at Every Turn GROWING UP IN LUBBOCK, TEXAS, JIM FORD’S BEST FRIEND HAD A JAPANESE MOTHER WHO SHARED HER LOVE OF HER NATIVE CULTURE WITH THE CHILDREN. FORTUITOUSLY, SHE SHOWED THEM PICTURES OF BONSAI (BONE SIGH, LITERALLY, “TRAY TREE”), AND FROM THAT MOMENT ON, FORD WAS CAPTIVATED

BY JAPANESE DESIGN AND AESTHETICS IN GENERAL, AND THE ART OF GROWING WORDS BY ROSEMARY T. SMITH, PHD MINIATURE TREES IN PARTICULAR. A designer for over 25 years, Ford emulates the Japanese approach in which an artist applies design principles to many art forms. Eschewing the Western distinction between“high art” and “craft,” he works in stained glass and graphic design, but mainly in garden design and installation.

With a large-scale garden or an eightinch tree, Ford takes his cues from nature and the surrounding environment which direct his design and placement; his mantra being: “Keep eyes open.” This deeply grounded philosophy allows him to create large or small, Eastern- or Western-style gardens, although most of Ford’s clients seek Asian designs.

For the last fifteen years, Ford has been developing his own beautiful garden which surrounds his mid-century Modern house nestled in a unique, architecturally significant enclave near Bon Air. In accordance with ancient Japanese tradition, visitors first enter a refined courtyard con-

taining a ritual water basin before moving through the rest of the garden.

Within this amazing space, the viewer is delighted at every turn. In addition to an impressive variety of full-sized trees and shrubs (including 30 species of maple) there are over 400 miniature trees, ranging from tiny Mame which are under 3 inches to powerful Daiza of up to 48 inches high. There are even groves of trees; a forest in a 12inch tray. Just like their full-sized relatives, bonsai respond to the seasons, providing beauty year-round.

To accompany and complement the plants, Ford has created intricate stone work and koi ponds, and has collected sculpture and unusual pieces of wood, sculpted by wind and water. Together, they form an abundance of carefully placed textures, colors, shapes and sizes that create a kaleidoscopic beauty, rather like the intricate combinations of pattern and color of a Japanese kimono or Ukiyo-e woodblock print. g

CHANGE YOUR MIND

CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Hypnosis is a safe and effective intervention for life change. It is recognized and accepted as a complementary treatment for many conditions, often requiring only a few sessions.

Deborah H. Smith, M.A., CH Certifications in Complementary Medical Hypnosis and Pain Management Richmond The Wellness Village at Starling, and Referral Staff for Dr. James Cook, MD VA Beach Health & Rejuvenation Center

ROSEMARY T. SMITH, PHD, IS AN AVID GARDENER AND AN ART HISTORIAN SPECIALIZING IN THE ARTS OF ASIA AND IN EAST/WEST INTERACTIONS. SHE HAS WRITTEN MANY ARTICLES, INCLUDING ONE ON THE JAPANESE INFLUENCE AT MAYMONT HOUSE IN RICHMOND.

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The 43rd Street Festival of the Arts will be held Saturday, Sept. 13th from 10-5. This annual fine art and craft event features 65 of the region’s finest artisans, great music (including the Taters, Bluz Catz, and Susan Greenbaum), and food. Located off Forest Hill Ave on 43rd Street in Richmond. For more info call (804) 233-1758 or visit www.43rdstgallery.com

Dransfield Jewelers-From the moment you step from the cobblestones into Dransfield jewelers' intimate setting in Richmond’s Shockoe Slip, it looks and feels different. For seventeen years, owner Don Dransfield and his on-site staff of designer goldmiths have provided not only beautiful handcrafted jewelry, diamonds, pearls, and gemstones that will last a lifetime, but the kind of hands-on personal service that is as unique as their dazzling creations. Browse our site www.DransfieldJewelers.com, visit at 1308 East Cary St. Call (804) 643-0171

Beverly Perdue is an international artist whose numerous awards include Best in Show by Virginia Watercolor and Southern Watercolor Societies. Her approach to painting interprets not what an apple looks like, but rather how it tastes.

Bev’s colors sing harmoniously to the viewer. Her work is available at Crossroads Art Center, Uptown Gallery and also this fall at 43rd Street Art Festival (9/13), University of Richmond (9/21), Art Affair at Stoney Point Mall (10/18-19). www.beverlyperdue.com

Discover Richmond, 1865 A unique and beautiful collection of hand-tinted historic black and white photos of Richmond in 1865 is now showing at the Crossroads Art Center, 2016 Staples Mill Road in Richmond through the end of November. The photographer/artist Susan Bock has put this selection together from her vast collection of specialty photographs which can be viewed on her website in its entirety at www.art2die4.net. Call her for additional information at (840) 457-2455.

CREATIONS BY VIENNA Imagine yourself in an original CREATION BY VIENNA. This unique piece, along with others may be purchased at the Silver Vault in Williamsburg, VA, or at Monkey’s or La Grand Dame in the Westhampton area of Richmond. You may contact Vienna directly at (804) 355-2535 or go to her web site at WienIII.com to see other examples of her work.

Visit Richmond’s only Custom Framing Boutique! FRAME NATION is metro Richmond’s source for contemporary and international frame design. Featuring one of our signature “recycle style” frame treatments (as seen above). www.FrameNation.net, 11 South 15th St. River District (804) 643-7263

HENRY 212 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220 (804) 344-5315 Mon-Sat 11am-7pm; Sun 12-6 www.thehenrygallery.com HENRY is the go-to spot for the latest in men's and women’s streetwear, sneakers and accessories.

Brands include: Adidas Originals, Keep Shoes, Reebok, Vans, Stussy, Staple Design, Cheap Monday, MHI and much more! First Fridays showcase mixed media works by local and national emerging artists. Step your game up!

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Shopping S p r e e

Lakeside Avenue

2 Friends is one gift shop you don’t want to miss.

You will find well-known names, such as Lollia, Mangiacotti and Caren lotions and fragrances. Our beautiful jewelry includes Kameleon, a new line of jewelry to the Richmond area, and Heartstrings.

Also find Mad Bags, Baggallini and ClaireV handbags, Provence and Natural jackets, wine accessories, furniture, and baby items. 2 Friends offers fun and unique gifts that are sure to please everyone!

6920-D Lakeside Ave. Tues–Sat 10–5. (804) 2619870

Cottage Lane …where cozy cottage and garden living is always in style…is a unique and fun gift shop filled with April Cornel and Williamsburg table linens, snazzy bedspreads, lamps and rugs, popular quilted totes and travel bags, yummy items from our Cottage Pantry and, of course, that perfect gift for someone special.

Visit us on line at cottagelanehomeandgarden.com.

We’re about a block from the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden at 6114 Lakeside Avenue in the Lakeside Towne Center. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 to 5 (804) 262-5263

Designs by Ron is a personalized florist who works directly with you, giving you the benefit of his 30 years of experience to meet your specific needs. Celebrating over 10 years of service at 6945 Lakeside Avenue, Ron specializes in weddings, bar mitzvahs, parties and all pre-planned events, delivering throughout the Richmond area. In addition to the selection of fresh flowers, his shop offers a wide variety of gift and garden items. Tues through Sat 8-4 or call at (804) 515-1777.

Embellish offers an eclectic selection of gift ideas as well as fabulous accessories for your home and garden. The shop mixes different styles and colors to create a unique and individualized look. Offerings include tabletop, wall accessories, lighting, frames, planters, garden art, body care products from Zents and Panier des Sens, and jewelry. Select regional artists enhance the mix.

Feathernesters presents fun and fabulous finds to feather your nest! Explore our 5000 sq. ft. Home and Garden Shop for furnishings, holiday accents, decorating accessories, gifts and more. Enjoy a leisurely lunch in the beautiful Tea Room, or a proper afternoon tea, baby, bridal shower, or a delicious Sunday Brunch Buffet! Visit us online at feathernesters.com.We are in the Lakeside Towne Center at 6118 Lakeside Avenue—just a block from Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Open Tues.Sun. (804) 262-7305.

Hunter Lange Antiques and Vintage Chic Stylish antique and vintage home furnishings to satisfy your Shabby Chic, French Country, and Garden motif decorating tastes. Our store offers items which are both unique and timeless. Many of our carefully selected pieces are thoughtfully repurposed to combine the grace of yesteryear with the needs of modern living. We are open Tuesday-Friday 10:30-5:30 and Saturday 10:30-4:30 for your shopping convenience. 6920-C Lakeside Avenue Richmond, Va. 23228; Phone: (804) 627-0001

Here at Melinda’s Bridal & Formal Wear we are committed with helping you create your dream wedding. We listen to your needs, desires and brainstorm with you to make the day even more special.

At Melinda’s Bridal we help bring your ideas to life, not to tell you how your wedding should be.

Melinda’s Bridal will help you with all your Formal Wear needs: Wedding Gowns; Bridesmaids; Mothers of the Bride/Groom Gowns; Flower Girl Gowns; Tuxedos; Prom & Special Gowns; Shoes; Jewelry;Veils & Tiaras; Gown Preservation;On-Site Alterations. Customer service is our foremost goal!

6116 Lakeside Avenue, Richmond. (804) 262-5566 www.melindasbridal.com

Virginia Grown Lakeside Farmers’ Market 6110 Lakeside Ave. (In the parking lot between CVS and Tool Guys) Open Wed. & Sat. May-Nov. Wednesday 8AMNoon & 3pm-7pm; Saturday 8am-noon. Offering only produce and those processed foods that are regulated

by Virginia Department of Agriculture. Come and meet the producers: Blue Bird Produce; Tricycle Gardens; Wild Heaven Farm; Kruize Farms; Terri’s Flowers; Gourmet Cookies by Valli; Lowe’s Arlington Farm; Byrd Farm Enterprises; Mike Wiblin Plant and Vegetables;Sergio Lopez Farm; Ivey Hill Herb Farm;Wildtree Herbs; Garden Style; Dutch Oven Bakery; Pleasant Fields Farm; Chile Llama Farm; Russell Bell; Holland’s Homemade’s; Philhower Farm; Lavender Fields Herb Farm. For info e-mail: Peter.Francisco@Verizon.net

elegant * eclectic * fun * funky * fabulous Located at 5105 Lakeside Ave.

Well it’s time to resell, replace, and rejoice with a new consignment shop on board. My Closet-Your Treasures is a bargain hunter’s dream. “Why pay more when you can pay less and still look your best,” Vanita Baugh asks. “Smart shopping is a way of life,” she says, for anyone who loves to look good and still save money. We have great designer fashion finds at adffordable prices so that you can look and feel fabulous at every age. Located at the Shoppes at Lakeside North; 5524 Lakeside Avenue (Off) Dumbarton Avenue Richmond. (804) 5254256 www.mycloset-yourtreasures.com

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Fredericksburg’s Fab Furniture & Fun Finds HIGH

Clock Watch

ON A TREASURE HUNTER’S LIST OF TREATS IS A TOUR THROUGH THE

STORES IN FREDERICKSBURG’S CAROLINE STREET SHOPPING DISTRICT; THE VARIETY OF SHOPS AND THE VARIETY OF MERCHANDISE CHANGE FROM TIME TO TIME, BUT NEVER DISAPPOINT.

Record Nostalgia at Roomers When CDs took over the music market, Craig Saunders, co-owner of Roomers Bed, Bath and Design Shoppe (1364 Gaskins Road, Richmond), wondered what to do with his collection of more than 2,000 records. “I hated to throw them away,” he says, so Saunders got creative and began converting his old vinyl into home accessories including clocks, coasters, and earring holders. He’s even made some handbags.

Saunders’ designs are all handmade by him and his favorite items are his clocks that are made

from records and album covers. The best sellers are the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, the Beatles and, of course, Elvis. “They’re great gifts for music lovers,” Saunder says.

“Everyone’s doing media rooms now. They look great next to a TV. They’re fun things to have and they’re meaningful gifts. It’s something personalized.”

Saunders’ designs are for sale in his shop in Gayton Crossing. If you’ve got an album cover or record and want it made into a clock, give Saunders a call. He’ll be happy to create a custom design just for you.

Clocks with Character

[Clockwise from Top Left]: Fredericksburg Clock Shop’s machine mill for making custom parts for clocks and watches; a tiger-maple chest at Blue Shark Antiques; antique glass marbles found at the Collector's Den; an array of ceramics at Beck’s Antiques.

A surprising collection of luster ware, the coppery ceramics popular from the mid-19th century, is at venerable Beck’s Antiques (708 Caroline Street), operated here for 25 years by Bill and Susan Beck. Another interesting piece is a massive Empire sideboard at Blue Shark Antiques (904 Caroline Street), owned by Mary and Mark Repass, who also have two pretty tiger-maple chests in the same style.

There are good finds at the antiques malls, where smaller dealers rent space. The best and oldest malltype store is Laura Ragland’s R and R Antiques, (1001 Caroline Street), where a fine set of Empire dining chairs with needlepoint cushions is offered for sale, and a charming booth set up like a vintage kitchen.

Upstairs/Downstairs (922 Caroline Street), owned by Carolyn Heckman, has many booths filled with cases of glass and ceramics.

A uniquely interesting store is Fredericksburg Clock Shop (1023 Caroline Street), where a smaller (but very fine) antiques mall has been combined with a clock repair busi-

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ness owned by Steven Kelly. Be sure to go downstairs to see the machine mill making custom parts for clocks and watches.

There are other specialties too: The Picket Post Civil War Military Antiques offers glassware and ceramics, prints, and furniture (including rare children's furniture) in addition to the military items for which owner Bill Henderson is widely respected.

A must-see on any visit is the Collector’s Den (717 Caroline Street).

Here, antique glass marbles; collectors’ cards and magazines; toys and sheriffs' badges are laid out beside natural wonders including specimens of petrified wood and fossil shark’s teeth. They are tended by another Caroline Street institution, Forrest “Woody” Wilkening, longtime proprietor of what must be the region’s most charming and beloved collection of miscellany. g

OUR ANTIQUES SCOUT IS AN ART DEALER, ART HISTORIAN, AND FORMER AUCTION HOUSE APPRAISER WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN THE HISTORY OF DECORATIVE ARTS. HIS COLUMNS ARE AN OCCASIONAL FEATURE IN Urge.

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Ditch that boring black-and-white clock that’s hanging on your wall and replace it with a personalized, handmade creation. Ann Johnson is the Indiana-based artist who can do it for you. Johnson creates the F.B. Fogg line, a collection of handmade paper-pulp clocks and other sculptures that are sold in galleries worldwide and at J. Fenton Gifts (11635 W. Broad Street) here in Richmond. J. Fenton’s selection of pre-made clocks sprawls across one wall of the shop and includes hot-pink flamingos, sculptural dogs and cats, and even fish. And, if one of the premade designs doesn’t strike your fancy, “The artist will do anything you

want,” store manager Loretta Brown says. “If you have a picture of what you want, she’ll make it. She has done people, objects, even shoes.”

J. Fenton can put you in touch with Johnson to place your custom order.

Heighten Your Style with Glass from Quirk The latest in the ever-changing selection of functional art in the shop at Quirk Gallery (311 W. Broad Street, Richmond) is hand-blown glass from two distinctly different artists.

For unfussy beauty, stock up on hand-blown glasses from artist James Breed, a VCU graduate who now lives in Tennessee. Gallery coowner and buyer for the shop Katie Ukrop loves the beautiful simplicity of Breed’s glasses: “They come in different shapes, sizes and colors,” she says, and at just $22 each, you can afford to create your own set.

To make a statement in your fa-

vorite room, a vase by Joe Grant is in order. Grant received his MFA from VCU and now lives in North Carolina. His handmade vases each incorporate several colors, creating modern designs that command attention.

STREETSMARTCHIC 3 City Boutiques Cultivate Creativity

--Rumors

(404 N. Harrison Street, Richmond) Opening up a hip

clothing boutique with no loans sounds like the pipe dream of fashion school graduates. But for best friends Casey Longyear and Marshe Wyche, it became a reality.

The idea developed after Longyear graduated from VCU in 2006. “We loved Richmond,” she says, “but we never knew where to take people when they came to visit.” They decided to fill the gap, creating a store to vibe with the city’s artistic and music communities. Rumors opened in June 2007, staffed by volunteering friends and VCU fashion interns. It offers one-of-akind, handmade items and independent lines that, like the boutique itself, were started by industrious twentysomethings.

“It’s not the stuff you find in Urban Outfitters,” says Longyear, “We find the lines, and once they start to move into bigger stores, we find new lines. You can’t find any of these clothes within 200 miles.” For fall fashion trends, Longyear expects to see “brighter colors in deeper tones, like emerald green instead of lime green.” Separates will replace the dresses and jumpers of summer, and “lots of detail, like adorned necklines” will pop up.

Eggplant jumper: Nice Face $56 V-neck shirt: Saint Berlin $32 Turquoise shoes: $4 Photo: Stephanie Garr Model: Beth Henderson

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Henry

(212 West Broad Street, Richmond) When Rudy Lopez and Billy Manzanares graduated from VCU in 2003, “sneaker boutique” wasn’t a phrase that got tossed around in Richmond a lot. Both originally from Northern Virginia, the pair had considered opening the store in D.C. “But going to school here made Richmond a second home, and we knew the area and the market,” explains Lopez. The two friends opened Henry, a distinctive streetwear store in downtown. Offering brands from Adidas Originals to Poets & Thieves all the way through to Vice Magazine, the store acts as a savvy touchstone to contemporary urban taste.

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Top; Stussy Full Swing $20 Pants: Cheap Monday Tight $65 Shoes: Keep Shoes Guerra $85 Model: Ali Breslin Photo: Chris Owens

Henry

According to Lopez the stylish selection at Henry caters to, “18-to 30-year-old males, who are interested in fashion or consider themselves trendsetters.” He describes their current stock as retro designs in neon colors, but predicts “a more mature, grownup look” will emerge soon.

Cap: Mishka New Era Snake M $35 Shirt: King Stampede Mystical Period $37 Pants: Cheap Monday Regular $65 Shoes: Reebok Omni Pump Lite $110 Bling: Bing Bang Liberty Pocketknife Necklace $253 Model: Chris Green Photo: Chris Owens

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Henry

“There’s a fashion pendulum,” Lopez explains, “Right now, we’re at the end of loud, bright colors, and we’re about to swing back to cleaner lines, basic colors and silhouettes.” He and Manzanares anticipate the return of cardigans and plaid shirts to the shelves this fall.

Top: Cheap Monday Passpoal $50 Pants: Cheap Monday Between $65 Model: Ali Breslin Photo: Chris Owens

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Coat: Stussy Boxer Plaid $60 Shirt: Reason Script V-Neck $35 Pants: Cheap Monday Tight $65 Shoes: Vans Authentic $40 Model: Chris Green Photo: Chris Owens

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Clementine

(3118 West Cary Street, Richmond) The labels “consignment shop” and “boutique” may seem mutually exclusive. But for a chic little Carytown store named Clementine, the combination is key. Owner Lesley Glotzl explains, “I felt like most consignment shops don’t have the feel of a boutique, where the clothes are purchased very intentionally, with a clear eye. So my goal was to open a shop that was cohesively put together— with secondhand items and new accessories in the same place.”Glotzl, who started the shop in 2003, calls the style of Richmond women casual and label-oriented, becoming “more bohemian and layered, and a little less by-the-book preppy.”

Whether young moms or college kids, her customers “love to dress creatively” and “are all in pursuit of a good deal.” Great vintage pieces come in and out of Clementine.

Glotzl remembers a tweed Chanel suit and Milly coats, and remarks that, “We frequently get Marc Jacobs or Orla Kiely handbags.” As for fall fashion, Glotzl reveals what she’ll be adding to her wardrobe: “a long snuggly cardigan, a pair of skinny cords in a bright hue (yellow or plum, hopefully), and a ton of tissuey turtlenecks.”

Sweater: Line $39 Hoodie: Splendid $34.

Jeans: Rag & Bone $69.

Shoes: American Eagle $20 Model: Rebecca Marsh Photo: Stephanie Garr

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BAUBLE FINDER

Bead azzled!

FOR DEE ANTIL, JEWELRY IS AN EVERYDAY ART Fredericksburg jeweler Dee Antil approaches her bracelets, necklaces, and earrings not as accessories, but as wearable works of art. And like many artists, Antil’s process combines time-honored techniques with materials-based experimentation.

Antil has been in business for eight years. Her jewelry is sold at Brushstrokes Gallery (810 Caroline Street). She also stages retail shows in her home studio.

She says that she began as “a woman who made jewelry at her kitchen table between trips to the soccer field.” She eventually became one of the most respected jewelry makers on the east coast, and her jewelry is now in the private collections across the country. ABC News anchor Robin Roberts is a fan.

Starting with silver, gemstones and kiln-fired lampwork beads from around the world, Antil employs a combination of established methods that include wire wrapping, stringing and knotting.

“I keep playing until I get it right,” says Antil, whose new jewelry designs

are often inspired by houses, gardens, and “just looking out the window.” “I am inspired by almost everything—except other pieces of jewelry.”

In fact, if there is one thing Antil’s jewelry is not, it’s repetitive.

She rarely duplicates a design—a policy she bent once when commissioned to create a suite of simple necklaces as bridesmaids’ gifts.

“What all of my customers have in common is an appreciation of the unique,” she says. “I design for people who are interested in one-of-akind pieces.”

What is she working on now?

“I am making a bangle out of heavy hammered silver wire. I will wrap it with finer-gauge silver wire that is flecked with tiny beads of faceted orange carnelian and rose quartz,” she says.

Buying and wearing beautiful, original jewelry is not a luxury, in her view.“It is one of the best things you can do to make yourself feel great,” she says. “Put on a terrific piece of jewelry with a t-shirt and jeans, and you feel like a princess.” g

Finds Worth Squealing About at The Pink Pig Boutique After working for years as an accountant, Connie Johnson decided she was in need of new direction: “I got tired of tax season and the long hours. I decided it was time for a change,” she says. So, Johnson decided to make a career swap. She opened The Pink Pig Boutique (425 Strawberry Street, Richmond), on July 7th. Along with old furniture

she’s refurbished, Johnson carries Maggie B. purses, several lines of handmade jewelry and candles made from 100-percent soy. The best part about shopping at a small store? The personal contact. Johnson says she chose the intimate boutique atmosphere because she can be in the store most days managing everything.

Stay Neat and Chic with Modern June at Feathernesters Blop. Blop. If your desk is feeling a little sticky from drops of chicken salad, peanut butter—or anything else you’ve dropped all over the place while eating at your desk, you need to invest in an oilcloth sandwich wrapper from Modern June (Sold At: Feathernesters, 6118 Lakeside Ave, Richmond). These convenient wrappers come in a variety of different patterns and can be used to wrap up your sandwich to take to work (or your child’s for school). Then, when it’s lunchtime, you can unfold the package and use the wrapper as an easy-to-clean placemat. The colorful patterns will also make all your coworkers jealous of your coordinated lunchtime style. “My favorite part is the bow they tie with,” Modern June designer Kelly McCantz says.

McCantz started Modern June about two years ago. The trained seamstress was buying and selling vintage aprons at the 17th Street Farmers’ Market when she began creating patterns from her favorite aprons and making new ones. She

also began sewing oilcloth tote bags: “I wanted to make a tote you could wipe out,” she says. The totes caught on, and at the end of the summer,

the owners of Feathernesters approached McCantz about selling some of her oilcloth items in their shop.

Today, McCantz has a full line of products that’s available at Feathernesters, Nicola Floral and Strawberry Fields locally, as well as other stores across the United States and in Canada and Australia.

Splat Mats are another part of the line that’s really caught on. “More things end up on the floor than in the mouth at a certain age,” McCantz says.

“Splat Mats are placed under the high chair to keep the floor clean.” The best thing about them is that once your little one is past high-chair age, the Splat Mats can be used as table-protectors during craft time, a place to put picnic food, or a place for snacks at the playground. “They’re very versatile, and they’re my top-selling item,” McCantz says.

With 28 different fabrics to choose from, you can buy one of McCantz’s pre-made designs or create your own.

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Sister Sweet A ,

DIMLY LIT BAR A GOOD GLASS OF

SCOTCH OR WINE IN HAND, A SOPHISTICATED CROWD—THIS IS THE KIND OF SETTING FOR THE AMIABLE SOUND OF

SISTER SWEET.

[Left to Right] Tom Crosby Tina Marie Haney, Mark Henderson & Jessica Salomonsky WORDS BY

Sister Sweet is comprised of two exceptionally strong female vocalists backed by an unfaltering rhythm section. The band is the first project in which Tina Marie Haney and Jessica Salomonsky share lead vocals, rhythm and lead guitar and original songwriting. The “first labor of love,” as Tina likes to call the upcoming album, is set to release September 2008. This collection of songs is a vivid blend of blues, classic and soft

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rock lending an introspective and sensual sound that appeals to female and male listeners alike.

Once you witness their profound stage presence, however, you soon see that their dynamic comes from years of playing together; ten years for this duo. Jessica and Tina write their songs independently, but their lyrics complement one another well. After the lyrics are written, bassist Tom Crosby and percussionist

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DAVE PERRY &

Mark Henderson “take each song to places that we couldn’t have envisioned,” says Tina.“We are very fortunate to have Tom and Mark help bring our material to life and develop a unique sound.”

“Private clubs continue to extend a warm reception” says Tina.

Whether it is an intimate bar or a larger venue, Sister Sweet seamlessly shifts between original songs and covers. When performing a cover

PHOTO BY

CHRIS OWENS

“we do them the way we want rather than a note by note copy,” says Crosby. Past shows have included songs by the Rolling Stones, Bill Withers and Sheryl Crow.

Whatever the song or the venue, one thing is certain: you are guaranteed a generous serving of passion and emotion with each set. Be prepared to be musically inspired when you catch the next gig of Richmond’s own Sister Sweet.

MUSIC

WORDS BY

MATTERS

ZACHARY J. BARDOU

Richmond Folk Festival

DENALI PHOTO: SHANE MCCAULE| CONSHAFTER PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER REYNOLDS | LOVE & REVERIE PHOTO: JASON COLLINS, DELIRIOUS PHOTOGRAPHY

Conshafter to Release Fourth Album Richmond’s powerpop ensemble Conshafter celebrates the release of their fourth album Bombs Away, Baby on Oct. 3 at Toad’s Place.

In 2000, singer/guitarist duo Chris Konstantinos and Dave Cykert formed Conshafter and started their own label, Dork Epiphany Records.

With a revolving rhythm section and the help of legendary producer Keith Shocklee at Plant2Planet Studios in New York, the band has released three other albums and has been touring the East Coast since 2001.

The band’s energetic and catchy brand of rock are also on display Oct. 22 and 23 in Spencer, VA, at the 2008 Indie Girl Conference.

On October 10, downtown Richmond comes alive to sounds with Cajun, Arabic, Eastern European, Irish, Canadian, and Hawaiian roots.

This musical melting pot is the inaugural Richmond Folk Festival, a free three-day show featuring over 30 diverse performers.

Home to the National Folk Festival for the past three years, Richmond kicks off its own independent version this year. The transient National Festival, which has moved to Butte, Montana, uses its stages to garner cultural awareness and help communities start their own events.

The Richmond festival will follow in its footsteps, celebrating a rich variety of music and dance performances. From Inuit throat

singing to traditional Irish music to honky tonk country, the seven live music stages will have it all.

Performers include Arabic musicians Nadeem Dlaikan & Friends, noted American bluegrass group The Dan Tyminski Band, and soul singer/songwriter Howard Tate. San Jose Taiko will show off their Japanese drums and dance, and Kentucky duo Eddie & Alonzo Pennington will strum on thumbpicked guitars.

The festival also features children’s activities, an arts and crafts marketplace, and regional and ethnic foods. A cultural carnival that shouldn’t be missed, it will take the listener from Lebanon to Philadelphia and back again—all on the Richmond riverfront.

Love and Reverie Enjoy Success

Few Richmond-grown indie bands have achieved rapid success in recent years quite like pop-epic outfit Love and Reverie. The band signed with Firefly Music in 2007 and fol-

lowed up their original six-song EP Lovers are Liars with their first full length album, The Mapping.

They recently wrapped up an August East Coast tour from Virginia to Vermont and guitarist Josh Breth says the band will continue touring through the end of the year.

The band, formed in 2005, honed its powerful yet melodic pop rock at Alley Katz, Canal Club and The Brewery in Raleigh, NC.

Former Champions Take Up Residency at Cary St. Café Former Champions fuse drum and bass rock with electronics and nujazz every Tuesday night at Cary St. Café and will also appear on Oct. 3 at Canal Club. Led by drummer Geoff Bakel and guitarist Matt Walton, this five-man groove generator has existed in some iteration since 2006.

The current line-up debuted about six months ago and performed at the National Theatre with Crucial Elements and Richmond Afrobeat Movement in July. Within the next year the band hopes to record a studio album and take their show beyond the borders of Virginia.

Denali Makes a Comeback When fate brought the former members of Denali back to Richmond, a reunion of the band became inevitable. On July 5, they took the stage together for the first time in four years at the National Theatre.

Formed in 2000, Denali cultivated a haunting sound showcasing lilting vocals and the contrast of grinding guitars. The band recorded two albums, Denali and Instinct, with the Jade Tree Label before disbanding in 2004.

Denali plays the Music Hall of Williamsburgh in New York, NY on Sept. 26, hope to follow with a show in Los Angeles and plan to record a new album.

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Hell-Bent for Vinyl Nestled in a warehouse district off Staples Mill Road is a place where you can find the soundtrack for Hell’s Belles, a 78 of Enrico Caruso singing “I Pagliacci,” and an early “One O’clock Jump” by Sidney Bechet.

And that’s not all. With more than 4 million records in stock, Record Finders (8508 Sanford Dr, Richmond) is a ticking time-bomb of vintage music.

Record Finders has a devoted local following and does business in 28 countries, largely through quarterly silent auctions. Customers too far away to visit miss out on a lot. They don’t get to see forgotten favorites like cereal-box cutout recordings of the Archie’s, or their ancestor, Vogue picture disks from the 1940’s.

They also miss out on the expertise of

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Gene Pembleton, Record Finders manager of operations. A former psychotherapist, Pembleton decided in 2005 to pursue his passion for records full-time.

Pembleton is emphatic about the sound quality that analog recordings offer.

“CD’s are computerized,” he says. “They essentially turn music into math.” Pembleton says this is the reason for the greater flow and resonance in analog music. The curious, the skeptical, and the nostalgic can listen to recordings at the store’s two listening bars. Record Finders also sells turntables and accessories.

Where do they find their stock? Pembleton says that much of it comes from stores going out of business. They also get records

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from private collections, many from people who are downsizing.

Think you might have a valuable recording?

According to Pembleton, the Holy Grails of the industry used to be Elvis Presley Sun label recordings. Now those prices are falling, while prices for early roots music such as the Carter Family are on the rise. Northern Soul 45’s and limitedrelease records by garage bands from the 1960’s are also highly collectible.

Record Finders purchases records and sells on consignment. One word of caution to wouldbe sellers: with stock as vast and varied as Record Finders’, chances are good that you will leave the store with as many records as you brought in—or more.

Film at Plant Zero

[Top] Night shoot [Bottom Row Left to Right] Stephen Lyons; Make-up workshop; Jason Parks

IF YOU HAVE HEARD OF PLANT ZERO ON THE SOUTHSIDE OF THE JAMES RIVER, YOU MAY KNOW THAT IT IS AN ARTIST COMMUNITY INHABITED BY PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS. BUTPLANT ZERO IS ALSO HOME TO A GROWING FILM PRODUCTION ALLIANCE. WORDS BY MIKE FONSECA The former industrial warehouse looks like just the place to spark some creativity—lofty ceilings, polished concrete floors and yards of white walls adorned with artwork. Besides office space, the plant consists of an art gallery and a large common space. While you are navigating the mazelike hallways, make sure you say “Hi” to Zero the Plant Zero cat.

But sliding open one of the industrial wooden doors reveals not the typical studio of stretched canvases, easels and oil paints, instead you enter a recording studio filled with flat screens, computers and mixing boards.

“People are generally impressed when they come here,”notes sound mixer William “Billy” Britt. Although they are not all part of one company, film production artists of various skills have created a community that works together for the benefit of all involved.

When you think filmmaker, you probably think “guy with a camera.” Sure Plant Zero has those, but also a sound mixer/editor, a make-up artist and a director of photography. This subculture of the artist space consists of at least 8 people involved in media production. That in-

cludes a still photographer for film publicity and a streaming media creator for internet content.

Bob Mark of Avalar Productions says,“If there is a situation where we can use people from Plant Zero, 95% of the time we don’t have to walk more than 15 feet.”

The work they do ranges from corporate to commercial to Hollywood production. A number of Plant Zero filmmakers were involved with the recent HBO miniseries John Adams, which was shot in and around Richmond and Hanover County. Director of Photography Stephen Lyons is shooting a television pilot for one of the cable networks. Patrick Gregory does corporate and non-profit cinematography. Kent Eanes is a still photographer who snapped some photographs for the HBO show. Make-up artist Michelle Torres also runs a school for film and television make-up.

Walking around you will see a difference in the artist colony and the production group, even in how their spaces look, but they coexist in a very creative community. They may not work together, but they all share space in an innovative work environment: Plant Zero. g

Project Resolution Yellow House’s program, Project Resolution, is giving local filmmakers the greatest gift of all—an audience. ProjectRes is a free monthly film festival, where individuals can present their work to a crowd and get helpful advice and critiques.

ProjectRes is open to the public, and there are no submission fees or pre-screenings. A filmmaker simply brings a short on MiniDv, DVD, or VHS to the show, checks in, cues it up, and presents it to an audience. The only rule is a five-minute limit.

Each festival has a new prompt—past ones have included “I’ll Have Mine With a Twist,” “Science Fair Gone Wrong,” “There Will Be Milkshakes,” and “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?”

Afterwards, there is a segment called pResentation, in which one filmmaker gets the chance to screen a film that would not have fit into the regular show. It is an opportunity to gain feedback in a friendly and welcoming environment.

As their website advertises, it’s “free opinions and free popcorn,” an enticing combination for any filmmaker.

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presenting old favorites and new world premieres.

Three talented choreographers —Gina Patterson, Todd Rosenlieb, and William Soleau—will join the company this season. Each has already contributed to the ballet’s success—Soleau restaged his A Midsummer Night’s Dream interpretation Ancient Airs and Dances in February, and Patterson and RosenRichmond Ballet lieb participated in This year the Richmond Ballet cele- the New Works Festival last April. brates a quarter of a century of art The season kicks off on Sepand entertainment. The anniversary tember 16th with Jardin aux Lilas, an season looks both forward and back, emotional tale of four lovers origi-

nally choreographed by Antony Tudor and set to the music of Ernest Chausson. The ballet, which commemorates the 100th anniversary of Tudor’s birth, will be performed on the same program with a world premiere by Soleau.

November pairs another world premiere by Rosenlieb with Ancient Airs and Dances, choreographed by artistic director Stoner Winslett.

And of course, December brings the holiday tradition of The Nutcracker, in all its snowflake and sugar-plum glory. Other notable performances into the spring include Cinderella, Djangology, Patterson’s Silence, The Four Temperaments, and Vestiges.

In its 25th season, the ballet aims to “awaken and uplift the human spirit” with lively, elegant productions.

Ana Ines King

Yes, Virginia - Dance The 10th anniversary of the annual contemporary dance festival, Yes,Virginia – Dance, presents Richmond with a unique ensemble of performers on Sept 13. Highlights include guest artist Lorraine Chapman’s quartet set to three different versions of the song “Everyone Says I Love You” performed by the Marx Brothers in their film, Horse Feathers. Audiences will also see two pieces by K DANCE, the company that produces Yes, Virginia – Dance, “The Seagull”, based on the Anton Chekhov’s play of the same name, and “The Morpheus Quartet,” based on a play by John Glore. Actor/director Billy Christopher Maupin and choreographer Kaye Weinstein Gary collaborated to shape this work for four performers.

Maupin talked with URGE about his approach to this collaboration: “Kaye told me that she was to bring an even sharper sense of interested in including a short play clarity to the work.”

We [looked] for a play that in the 10th annual Yes, VirginiaDance concert this year and would lend itself to movement… asked if I would be interested in [We chose] The Morpheus Quartet doing it. I leaped at the opportu- by John Glore [because] it flowed nity… I really admire Kaye's work so beautifully… The piece itself so much, because she truly seems to breathe and move on its seems to elevate the text through own, even just reading on paper. movement. With this very new and It's going to be a very new way of ‘different’ fusion of two art working for me, collaborating with forms… I think it would be so easy Kaye's choreography and really exfor the movement to seem put-on ploring a lot in rehearsals with the and to cloud the story or theme of actors to find everything we can in the text, but Kaye's work never the piece. It's going to be an inseems that way. The movement credibly enriching and unique exthat she finds in the piece seems perience, I think.”

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Ana Ines King is the founder and artistic director of Latin Ballet of Virginia, a dance company whose repertoire includes many works inspired by literature. She offers the following insights into how a piece of literature is translated into a work of dance.

King: “Creating a dance based on a book that I love or a poem or a historical fact is actually easier for me. The hardest part is finding the right music. Many times we have it composed for the production. I love to involve literature or history in my performances because I think it is a wonderful way to preserve a culture. I created [the dance] Macondo in Colombia in the year 1993. I read Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude six times. I didn’t want to make mistakes. The Garcia Marquez family was going to be in the audience.

One Hundred Years of Solitude was my favorite book at school and Garcia Marquez was my favorite writer. When Macondo premiered in Richmond in 2003, I read it only once in English because I wanted to see what was lost in translation. I told my husband to read it, too, since he is from Richmond and would know how the community would accept something as different Garcia Marquez’s Magical Realism. I found out that the book in English had the chronological tree of the Buendia family to make it easy to remember all names. Almost all dancers read it, some were fascinated and some did not understand all of it, but all of them loved the magical part of it.”

Randolph-Macon College’s Cobb Theatre WORDS

BY

JAMES MURRAY

Johnsen: “As a director, this theatre provides a lot of freedom to explore your capabilities.”

There’s always something in the works to keep audiences buzzing at the Cobb Theatre—one of the hidden jewels of Ashland’s Randolph-Macon College. Randy Mac student Becky Johnsen appeared last season in Little Mary Sunshine, one of the Cobb’s biennial musical offerings.

“It’s so amazing,” she says.

“There are a lot of opportunities to turn this little black box into a versatile, creative space.”

The nature of the black box makes it eminently customizable.

Black boxes are exactly that: four black walls with an empty flat floor—at least until RandolphMacon’s stage designers transform it into the perfect acting space for an upcoming show.

A face familiar to Richmond’s theatre community, veteran theatrical designer Gregg Hillmar, crafts many of the productions at Cobb. Balancing his design work with his classes on theatrical technology, Hillmar brings a variety of creative styles to the stage. He and Randolph-Macon’s Director of Theatre Joe Mattys form the creative team behind many of the Cobb’s productions.

Audiences can look forward to a wide range of offerings in the coming season. Becky Johnsen moves from stage to behind the scenes as she directs a stage version of Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 film Rashomon. It previewed August 6 and 7 with a revival late September.

“You’re given this wonderful opportunity to turn this script to life,” says Johnsen. “As a director, this theatre provides a lot of freedom to explore your capabilities, and the capabilities of others.”

Other season highlights include Lysistrata (November 1215), A Christmas Carol (December 5-11), The Boys Next Door (February 18-21), and Julius Caesar (April 29-May 2).

True West

WORK IN PROGRESS

Richard III WORDS

BY

2008-2009 season

SCOTT WICHMANN

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May 14-30, 2009

Jan. 15-31, 2009 09 March 12-28, 20

, 2008 Sep. 25 - Oct. 18

I’m about to play Richard III. Somebody pinch me.

It has often been called ‘The Character Actor’s Hamlet,’ a tour-deforce role that places enormous physical, vocal and emotional demands on the actor who attempts it.

Some of the best actors in the world have made their artistic lives more frustratingly wonderful by hacking through the ‘Thorny Wood’ of Richard’s ‘Inductions Dangerous.’

Here in Richmond, the fantastic actor Rick Brandt danced with the crooked-backed ‘Ultimate Bad Guy’ in a 2003 Richmond Shakespeare Production, to sparkling notices.

Now, thanks to The Henley Street Theatre Company, this September I’ll finally get my chance. I just hope I’m up to the task. Now is the time for me to do some serious homework.

One of the major challenges in creating Richard, Duke of Gloucester is deciding upon the nature of the physical ‘deformity’ from which he suffers. In his treatise The History of King Richard the Third, Sir Thomas More once characterized Richard as “Little of stature, ill-featured of limbs, crooked-backed, his left shoulder much higher than his right.”

I can check more than a few of those off without expending too much extra effort. I’m thinking after reading More’s description that the decision to cast me in the role was a no-brainer.

Of course, the challenge of making Richard’s physical condition too extreme poses two problems. First, ACTOR,

this is a man who has performed very capably in battles in the past, and he needs to be strong enough to hold his own in the climactic battle at the end of Richard III. Second, the postural deformity has to be something which can be easily sustained by the actor—throughout the play—without landing me in traction for three months afterwards.

After some discussion, Costume designer Shannon McAllister, James and I decided that Richard should suffer from a form of Scoliosis.

Another challenge for me, aside from the postural problem, is the hand, which Richard refers to as a ‘withered shrub.’ Why is his hand affected? How could Scoliosis have caused this?

In doing some research on Scoliosis and Kyphosis, I discovered that in very few cases (less than onetenth of one percent), corrective surgery can actually lead to neurological damage, meaning the neurons which tell the muscles to move don’t fire in the proper way. This could account for Richard’s claw-like right hand, which Shannon has furnished with a black glove. Perhaps my Richard endured rounds of attempted corrective surgery on his scoliotic back as a child, and it actually exacerbated the condition.

Ultimately, once I get the physical questions answered, I can begin to find out more about the play from the inside out. Inhabiting Richard’s world and getting behind his eyeballs will be quite an amazing adventure. I hope you’ll join us for the ride.g

SINGER, COMEDIAN, AND WRITER SCOTT WICHMANN HAS APPEARED IN NUMEROUS LOCAL PRODUCTIONS INCLUDING Bat Boy, The Late Henry Moss, AND The Taming of the Shrew. HE APPEARS IN THE HENLEY STREET THEATRE COMPANY’S PRODUCTION OF RICHARD III SEPT 25–OCT 8.

Info & Tickets call 804.340.0115 www.henleystreettheatre.org

MUSIC, THEATRE, DANCE, COMEDY AND ARTS EDUCATION

ALL IN ONE SPE SPECTACULAR ECTTACULAR A CITY BLOCK.

COMING COMIN G SEPTEMBER 2009

www.richmondcenterstage.com www .richm mondcenterstage.com m

For advertising details: Fredericksburg — David Lewis: 540.295.6508 Ashland, Petersburg & Richmond — Dave Perry, 804.252.3519 FA LL 2 0 0 8 | w w w.U Rg Eo n l i n e . c o m |

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Sycamore Rouge Brings Standards & New Works to Old Towne SYCAMORE ROUGE, A THEATER, CABARET, AND MUSIC VENUE IN OLD TOWNE PETERSBURG, CONTINUES TO BUILD AUDIENCES AND FOSTER NEW THEATER WITH A ROBUST SCHEDULE OF CLASSICS AND NEW PLAYS.

Soup’s On!

SLASH COLEMAN DISHES OUT IRREVERENCE AND INSIGHT WITH HIS LATEST PLAY

Playwright / performer Slashtipher Coleman’s latest project, Matzo Balls, explores growing up in the “Jewish Closet” in the wake of his family’s Holocaust experience. Matzo Balls played the DC Fringe Festival. Its author talked to URGE about how the play came about and where it—and he—are headed. arrived. I gave away $10 to 10 audience members. I figured I’d do this during each performance until all the money was gone, but people freaked out.

URGE: You do not have formal training in theatre. How has that fact shaped your process?

URGE: What inspired this play?

Coleman: My family’s Holocaust experience and their desire to keep us in the “Jewish closet” inspired the script. I reached a point in my life where I was sick of keeping my family’s secrets.

URGE: Where do all the unusual characters come from?

Coleman: The characters…are just a small part of a much larger invisible entourage that follow me around wherever I go. [They] grew out of my need to both escape from the Jewish closet I spent so much time in and placate myself while I was in it.

URGE: Tell us about a surprise or two while you were writing this play.

Coleman: A month before opening night, my family’s Holocaust money

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Shannon Polly’s Like Mother, a onewoman musical about the highs and lows of planning a large wedding, had a summer workshop performance at Sycamore Rouge. In the words of writer/performer Polly, the play is “one bride’s musical journey through six showers, three receptions, and one cheese sculpture of the Empire State Building.”

In the workshop, pianist Roddy Barnes accompanied an energetic performance that featured Polly’s singing, dancing, and comic skills. A triple-threat-who-can-alsowrite, Polly is particularly adept at dance and physical comedy. This talent is showcased most effectively in the funniest part of the show, a New York theme wedding that takes place in the Midwest.

After the performance, Polly and director Tommy Schoffler had a talk-back session in which audience members gave responses to the play to aid in rewrites before Like Mother’s fall tour.

Coleman: It gives me a distinct advantage…When we are committed to our craft and disciplined, we grow and learn things related to our craft that are universal—it doesn’t matter if that comes through formal training or time spent alone on the stage. [The stage is] a place where I feel extremely confident and alive and I think that translates.

URGE: Why do you think theatre and comedy have traditionally played such a strong role in Jewish culture?

Coleman: I think it’s because we’re burdened with 614 commandments while the rest of the world only has to deal with 10. I think that’s a lot of math and numbers discombobulating the brain structure.

URGE: What’s next?

Coleman: I’ve got another show in the works which is extremely controversial, which will, if all goes according to plan, land me in the courtroom with a really good lawyer defending me and my stance on free speech. And I’ve got the First Annual Jewish Theater Festival that I’m producing in Richmond. g

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Schoffler and Polly

Schoffler directed Sycamore Rouge’s summer production of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. The play starred Terry Menefee Gau as washed-up Southern belle Blanche DuBois, Angela Shipley as Blanche’s sister Stella, and Bill Brock as Stella’s sexually-menacing force-of-nature husband Stanley Kowalski.

Sycamore rouge’s fall fare is also a mix of old and new. The season begins with Ready for Right, the final installation in Sycamore Rouge’s Petersburg Stories Trilogy about the city’s first civil rights.

Ready for Right is written by Sycamore Rouge’s Producing Artistic Director kb saine and runs October 17 – November 1.

Daniel Sullivan’s 1992 spoof Inspecting Carol presents a satirical look at traditional theatrical productions of the Christmas classic, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Inspecting Carol runs December 4 – 20. g

Quirks in History SUSANN COKAL DISCUSSES READING, WRITING, AND POSTERIOR GLUE

URGE: How did you come to live and work in Richmond? Does this city shape your creative process in any way?

Cokal: I moved here in July 2004 because I got a job teaching fiction writing and twentieth-century literature at VCU. I'd been in California (where I was born and lived most of my life)

before that, finishing a PhD at Berkeley and then teaching at California Polytechnic State University. A big difference in climate and lifestyle—I used to live a stone's throw away from the ocean, and the cloud cover in summer meant the temperature rarely went above 65 degrees. I wore sweaters in July. But I love the architecture in Richmond (even seen

ing increasing well-known for its pool of creative talent, Urge will present occasional question-and-answer sessions with local writers.This is your chance to find out what works for them, and just maybe it will motivate you to realize your dreams.

Susann Cokal teaches creative writing and literature at VCU. She followed up her first novel, Mirabilis, with Breath and Bones in 2005. Susann graciously answers questions posed by Urge. PHOTO & COVER IMAGE BY STEPHANIE GARR through the shimmer of a heat veil) and the history here. I'm thinking about writing a novel, a ghost story, set in Richmond in the 1920s—partly so I can put my own house into a book. It was built in 1920 and I am a narcissist.The most inspiring aspect of living in Richmond, however, is being part of a wide community of writers, which I've never had before. The fac-

ulty and students at VCU, and the diverse people with the James River Writers organization, have been just delightful. I've made some of the best friends of my life here.

URGE: When you are starting a new project that has a historical focus, which is the entry point for you? Do you fall in love with a time period or

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continued on next page

At one time or another, almost everyone has said that he or she would like to write a book one day. Maybe it’s because the craft is so accessible. All you really need is a computer and an idea. But as anyone who has made such an attempt can tell you, it’s not so easy. The creative process and the discipline required to make this lofty dream a reality is often quite difficult to master.

It’s possibly because each person has a unique way of being creative. The trick is to tap into your own talents and abilities. Since Richmond is becom-

place or is the genesis more often a storyline or character?

Cokal: I think I fall in love with the outfits first! That sounds flippant, but it's sort of true. It’s about physical sensations: I might get interested in what it would have felt like to wear a corset in the Wild West or in how to make the elaborate court costumes of the Renaissance, how you’d fit all those pieces together, how you’d ache as you bent over them all day. Clothes and architecture and the different belief systems in past times—witchcraft, medical explanations, and so on. All of that matters. I love doing research, and I relish the quirks in history.

In my present novelin-progress, The Kingdom of Little Wounds, I chose 1572 partly because it was the year a new star suddenly appeared in November (and vanished within months). It was also the year of the Saint Bartholomew’s Day massacre in France and other Catholic/Protestant clashes. And, serendipitously, the year that clockmakers invented the second hand, which I didn’t find out till well after I’d started writing. For Breath and Bones, I needed a trans-Continental railroad, which was finished in 1869, and some spur lines to move my characters through the Colorado Mountains. I chose 1884 as a starting point partly because it was the height of what we call the Wild West (the most romanticized era in our history, which was never quite as we think of it) and because of discoveries in the medical field; the bacillus that causes tuberculosis had just been identified, and there was an entirely new way of looking at the disease. For Mirabilis, 1372 was a good moment in the evolution from Romanesque to gothic styles of art, also a good time for witch hunts and miracles. I suppose that in the end I should say I choose times of discovery or transition, but it never quite feels that rational.

What usually starts a story, for me, is an emotion; the characters sort of step into the mood and start acting it out for me. For Mirabilis, it was loneliness—the loneliness of being a pariah, of being in a siege, and later of suddenly being elevated to a holy woman. In The Kingdom of Little Wounds, I’m using two storylines to pit a seamstress’s fizzy excitement against a queen’s melancholy disappointment, both of which lead to evil little accidents.

In fabulous sixteenth-century garb, of course.

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URGE: You teach writing at VCU and hold PhD's in both comparative literature and creative writing.To what extent can creative writing be taught?

Cokal: As with any art, or anything, really, there's a certain amount of skill that can in fact be taught. Classes and books can show you strategies for developing complex characters, appealing to the senses, and even building a plot that mixes anticipation, climax, and cooling-down periods in the proper order. But skill will take you only so far. I do believe there’s such a thing as talent, which can perhaps be broken down into an ear for language, a far-reaching imagination, instincts, and an empathetic heart. Some of those things you can cultivate by reading a lot, some by going out and living.

And most important, perhaps, is what writers vulgarly call posterior glue—the ability to sit down and write for as long as it takes. And to persist despite the rejections that will inevitably come.

URGE: What are you reading right now? What authors have been most significant to you in your own development as an artist?

Cokal: Right now I'm reading a novel I’m reviewing; it’s about a famous Victorian divorce. For nonfiction, I’m reading The Trotula, a book of medieval gynecology written by one or more midwives (a definite rarity from the time). The authors I think have been significant change from moment to moment—there are some from my childhood: Edward Eager, Betty Smith (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn), Eleanor Cameron (A Room Made of Windows, which is about a girl who wants to be a writer), C. S. Lewis, Laura Ingalls Wilder... From my socalled maturity: Vladimir Nabokov, Angela Carter, some of the early books of Jeanette Winterson, and more recently Sarah Waters. But it becomes such a soup—I also love Thomas Hardy, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edith Wharton, Barbara Pym, Alice Hoffman, the early Barbara Kingsolver. In college, I read almost nothing outside the nineteenth century.

When I was writing my dissertation in Comparative Literature, I’d read Agatha Christie to unknot my brain and to show myself that careful struc-

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ture is possible, whether in a detective story or a convoluted chapter about narrative structure in American and Danish prose. I don’t know that I write particularly like any of these people, but I do love their books.

URGE: Would you ever consider writing a novel set in Richmond during another time period?

The Art of Book Sales CONGRATULATIONS! YOUR NOVEL HAS BEEN

ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION— NOW WHAT DO YOU DO? WORDS BY P.M. TERRELL

Cokal: Yes, I’m thinking of that 1920s ghost story... It was a great moment when there was so much construction in the Museum District, where I live, and on Monument Avenue in particular. Monuments and ghosts!

Good combination. Heavy bugle beads on filmy silk dresses. Especially when you think that World War I had just ended and that America had just survived a pandemic of very nasty flu.

URGE: Many of our readers are also writers. If you had to give a piece of advice to another writer, what would it be?

Cokal: Other than to persist with the writing and to read widely, hmm.The most important thing is to write something that you love, a book or story that you would like to read.

Don't try to ride the crest of the latest wave by writing something like Water for Elephants, say, or a Dan Brown imitation, or a novel about Siamese twins (they’re big these days). That wave may have crashed by the time you've finished, and then where will you be? Ideally, holding a story that you really love, even if it has nothing to do with elephants or conjoined twins. So even if it doesn't get published, you’ve taught yourself something from it and enjoyed the work. And while you're doing it, think about planting the reader deep inside the experience. Use all the senses, including smell and taste and touch, as well as sight and hearing, which get the most play in first drafts.

URGE: What can your fans look forward to next?

Cokal: A new president in the White House. And, from me, that Renaissancey novel—The Kingdom of Little Wounds. It’s set in Scandinavia, in an island kingdom where the royal children are dying off, the queen is distraught, and a seamstress with a shady past is overwhelmed by the opportunity to stitch the linens that will sit next to their skin. It’s probably the most plotty thing I’ve done so far. g

The writing life is like no other. It involves long hours of living inside your own head, pondering plotlines, conjuring up characters, debating yourself over which sentence structure to use or which word is most effective.

Every writer I ever met understood exactly the quote by Lord Byron: “In solitude, where we are least alone.”

Yet the first task set upon an author once a book is winding its way into the book stores is the book tour—a series of book signings that can range from the author’s neighborhood to clear around the world.

It’s a solitary life by necessity; I haven’t yet heard of an author who can write while in the midst of an indepth conversation. In fact, most writers I know retreat so deeply inside themselves while writing that it can be almost impossible to interrupt them.Try carrying on a conversation with them while they’re concentrating and the most you can expect are one-syllable answers, many of which are unintelligible.

Because it is a solitary pursuit, it attracts introverts—people who process information internally.Asked if they’d prefer to attend a cocktail party with a hundred people or stay

at home and read a book, the majority will choose reading. In fact, any solitary activity is far more attractive than a social gathering of any size.

Every writer I ever met understood exactly the quote by Lord Byron: “In solitude, where we are least alone.”

Yet the first task set upon an author once a book is winding its way into the book stores is the book tour—a series of book signings that can range from the author’s neighborhood to clear around the world.

New authors inevitably have the same expectations. Once the book is published, people will flock to the stores to buy it. Their phones will ring off the hook with countless invitations for appearances. If the author decides to honor the store with a personal appearance, the line will be out the door and around the block. The author will be famous overnight.

They’ll have assistants at their table, people who will treat them like the celebrity they think they are, and the media will be present and camera bulbs flashing. One brand-new author told me he expected to sell somewhere between 100,000 and 1,000,000 copies simply by being listed on amazon.com and bn.com!

So it can come as quite a shock when your first book hits the market

URGE: What have you done for the book on a promotion level?

Lofton: Well, after the book was released I went on a mini book tour which took me to New York; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Washington, DC; Atlanta and of course my hometown of Richmond, VA. While in those cities, I did radio interviews, including the nationally syndicated Reverend Al Sharpton Show, talk radio shows, urban contemporary radio and interviews with local newspapers.

URGE: How do you juggle the book responsibilities with your other obligations?

Lofton: That’s been relatively easy thus far. I have been able to do a lot of the promoting of the book on weekends as well as through [my] websites. So far it hasn’t been too much of a problem.

URGE: What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

True Grit

RICHMOND AUTHOR RODNEY LOFTON SURMOUNTED THE ODDS TO GET HIS FIRST NOVEL THE DAY I STOPPED BEING PRETTY PUBLISHED. BUT HIS MEAN STREETS TALE, TOLD WITH UNFLINCHING CANDOR, DIDN’T FIND AN EASY PATH TO ITS PUBLISHER. URGE: How did you find a publisher for your book?

and you’re instructed to go out there and sell it.

Sell it?

The mere thought of becoming a salesperson is enough to send most writers into cardiac arrest. Selling it is someone else’s job—the publisher, the publicist, the press agent, the book store employees—anyone’s job except their own.

Not quite.

The best salesperson for your book has to be you, the author. g

LEARN MORE ABOUT P.M. TERRELL AND HER ADVENTURES IN BOOK SALES IN TAKE THE MYSTERY OUT OF PROMOTING YOUR BOOK OR VISIT WWW.PMTERRELL.COM.

Lofton: Finding a publisher was not an easy task. I did a lot of research on publishing houses (both large and independent) in the Literary Market Place and online.

After reading the submission requirements, I fine-tuned my query letter and submission. I received numerous rejection letters and

often thought of pursuing the selfpublishing option. After watching a television show on TV One focusing on African-American writers, I researched one of the featured authors, Zane of Simon and Schuster.

On her website, she stated that she was accepting submissions for her imprint Strebor Books. A couple of months later, I received an e-mail stating Strebor Books was interested in signing me.

Lofton: Stick to it!!! When one door closes, it is not the end of the world. If you believe strongly in your written work, explore self-publishing. But also do your research. Find a reputable company; learn how to promote your work. There are many scam artists out there waiting to take advantage of writers who are hungry to have their work published. Be very cautious and patient.

U R G E : What are you working on next?

Lofton: Well I am currently featured in the anthology Flesh to Flesh released May 2008 on the Simon and Schuster imprint Strebor Books and my second book No More Tomorrows: Two Lives, Two Stories, One Love is scheduled for release May 19, 2009. g To learn more about Rodney, visit www.rodneylofton.com .

Launched this past winter, Makeout Creek is a semiannual publication containing fiction, poetry, nonfiction, reviews, art, photography, and comic art. The journal is guided by seven editors in multiple cities, Austin, Pittsburgh, and Richmond. Local editors include fiction writer, Andrew Blossom and poet Joshua Poteat. The magazine accepts subimissions for prose, poetry and art. Sample articles are available on the the journal’s web site. Sold locally at Chop Suey Tuey as well as online at www.makeoutcreek.com.

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WORK IN PROGRESS

Erica Orloff

When the oldest of my four kids graduated from high school this year, I sat in VCU’s Siegel Center crying and clutching a tissue as “Pomp and Circumstance” began to play. I kept crying as I listened to speeches and saw the kids in caps and gowns. And then out of the blue, I started frantically digging in my purse.

My husband raised an eyebrow. I dug more frantically. People in the seats around us stared.

“What are you doing?” he whispered.

“I just need a pen!” Finally, in one of my purse’s multiple pockets, I found a ballpoint. I kept digging.

“Now what?” he sighed.

“Paper.”

I didn’t have any, so I tore off a piece of business card from my dentist’s office. Then I scribbled something down.

“What was so darn important?”

Husband whispered.

“Great first line just came to me!”

And that’s how you know you’re a writer. Lines come to you in the middle of graduation ceremonies, weddings . . . even funerals.

You know you’re a writer . . . when you read dialogue out loud. My dogs think I lead quite an adventurous life.

You know you’re a writer . . . when you are convinced that slightly strange guy up the block is a serial killer. And you plan to use that in your next book.

You know you’re a writer . . . when you pray everyone in your life lives to a ripe old age. Because if the cops ever seized your computer, the Internet searches alone would have a jury of your peers convicting you: cyanide poisoning, perfect murder, tidal patterns and dead bodies.

You know you’re a writer . . . when your neighbors, your kids, your spouse, heck, even your dogs can tell it’s deadline time. It’s that look of panic and the pots of coffee you’ve ingested.

Most of all, you know you’re a writer when writing and process is all you think about—and you even dream about it.

Writing is a thread that flows through every aspect of your life.

Because being a writer isn’t something you become. It’s something you are.g ERICA ORLOFF IS THE AUTHOR OF 20 NOVELS. SHE BLOGS ABOUT WRITING AT WWW.ERICAORLOFF.COM. IN NOVEMBER, HER NEXT NOVEL, FREUDIAN SLIP, WILL BE RELEASED BY RED DRESS INK. BUT THAT WON’T STOP HER TALKING TO THE DOGS.

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Book Reviews BY

The Browser

JULIE MCGUIRE

Good and evil clash in this legal thriller that pits likeable, hardworking, and ethical attorney Anderson Parker against his deceitful former boss and arch enemy Justin Cartwright. Devious schemes, intriguing and glamorous cases, and a good old-fashioned courtroom drama are a recipe for success.

Cody Fowler Davis, author of the award-winning thriller, Green 61, returns with Parker and Cartwright in Implied Consent (Palari Books, 2008). Cartwright, still smarting from a loss against his former associate and a public reprimand from the trial judge, vows to get even. He hires Nicole Babson, an attractive and manipulative paralegal (who just happens to look like Parker's college flame) to insinuate herself into Parker’s new firm, and his private life.

The resulting chaos rocks Parker’s confidence, his marriage, and threatens to destroy his career.

Life with a Side Order of Cancer

by Marcia Strassman

UNCORRECTED PROOF: NOT FOR SALE

Forword by Penny Marshall (Laverne & Shirley)

ISBN: 9781928662150

Both authors traveled across the state interviewing members of each tribe as well as Indians from tribes not indigenous to Virginia.

From members of the Monacan Nation in the western part of the state to the Nansemond tribe in the tidewater area, Indians shared their stories of tribal history and cultural traditions.

talented writer with a knack for

(and detestable)

ISBN: 1-928662-01-3

The Switch Effect: A Real-Life Example of How to Become an Entrepreneur by Richmond author Mike Gilbert offers a revolutionary approach in revealing the nuances of how to take a dream and turn it into reality. This book provides a captivating, yet authentic working example of the entrepreneurial process by explaining how to generate an innovative idea and then how to marshal the resources to make it happen.

reading long into the night.

Readers unfamiliar with the intricacies of trial work will learn from Davis’ extensive experience as a trial lawyer.

The storyline, while more glamorous than everyday trial work, is depicted realistically.

Cody Fowler Davis is a talented writer with a knack for creating likeable (and detestable) characters that will keep you reading long into the night. Davis’ twists and turns don’t let up until the somewhat predictable, but thoroughly satisfying end. g

JULIE MCGUIRE IS A LITIGATION PARALEGAL. HER PERSONAL ESSAYS & POEMS HAVE APPEARED IN THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR & SEVERAL SMALL PERIODICALS. SHE IS ALSO A FICTION EDITOR FOR THE INTERNET REVIEW OF BOOKS. Urge is currently accepting books by local authors or with subject matter that pertains to the Richmond area for reviews that will be posted online and printed in the quarterly. Subjects for consideration include fiction, nonfiction, comics, graphic novels and volumes of poetry. Submissions should be sent to: Urge Book Reviews 1113 West Main Street Richmond, VA 23220

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Entertaining and Informative-Also helps educators teach concepts required by the Virginia Standards of Learning.

The Switch Effect by Mike Gilbert

characters that will keep you

Experienced legal professionals will be entertained by the scenarios that challenge Anderson, and impressed with his ability to write a thoroughly entertaining yet fairly realistic portrayal of trial work itself. As a litigation paralegal that has experienced trial and pre-trial preparation first hand, I recognized Davis’ depiction of the long hours of sifting through deposition transcripts, the witness interviews that provide more questions than answers, and the myriad things that can go wrong, even with careful planning. The difference is that my trial experience has been somewhat more mundane.

Pre-order now and you'll be one of the first to receive this book when it comes out this fall!

We're Still Here by Sandra F. Waugaman & Danielle Moretti-Langholtz, Ph.D.

Cody Fowler Davis is a

creating likeable

Life with a Side Order of Cancer is a heartwarming and interesting look at Hollywood from the inside as well as an honest portrayal of Marcia Strassman’s (Welcome Back, Kotter) current battle with cancer. Her positive outlook and determination will inspire anyone who is affected by this disease.

ISBN: 978-1928662105

Virginia Colleges 101 by Christina Couch The Ultimate Guide for Students of All Ages Business writer Christina Couch makes it easy for students to locate financial aid in this easy-to-use resource that also provides summaries of all colleges in Virginia. .

ISBN: 9781928662112 Visit Palaribooks.com for more information on these and other titles.

Authors and publishers, promote your title in the region’s premier arts quarterly. List your title, ISBN, 75 words of promotional copy with a thumbnail of your cover for $150 per quarter. Additional advertising space is available contact: Dave Perry at 804.252.3519 or email dp@urgeonline.com

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