HOT OFF THE PRESSES!

Our Hitchfest 2012 VIP passes

The invention of the printing press was a pivotal moment in history, uprooting authority and closing the gap between rich and poor.  We still use a similar mechanism today….Why mess with a good thing?  It makes really cool posters.

We visited 7 ton press in West Asheville to print our Hitchfest (copyright 2012 Brave & Dandy Events)  posters, commonly known as wedding invitations. Our friend Alice Oglesby who is a (freakin’ genius and) graphic artist at io design and illustration created our invitations.

She designed

• our logo
• this here website
• our t-shirts
• rack & business cards
• most everything at Sunny Point
• the I 40 sound barrier
• children’s books

Her business partner Hugh Munro designed the gochairrepair.com site and they also have solar powered web hosting. They are one of the main reasons our business has made it almost 3 years!  They are helpful, fun, professional folks who anticipate and fulfill your needs in advance.  Thanks y’all.  I could go ON AND ON about how fantastic they are.  Here is our poster:

Coolest wedding invite EVER! Thanks Alice

Rainbow roll effect printing process

Because there was so much info, it was easier to use a plastic mold instead of each individual letter

Based on our thoughts to have a music poster theme for our invites, Alice suggested that Letterpress printing would be perfect for the poster and hooked us up with Bridget of Flatbed Splendor at 7 Ton Press (a collective including Quill & Arrow Press, Two Step Press, Tiny Story Factory, and Flatbed Splendor, though Bridget has since moved to Florida).  IT WAS SO….COOL!

I felt like I was in a museum seeing a piece of history in action.  It really makes you take for granted all of the books in the libraries!  Because of the complexity of our poster, Alice opted for a plastic plate version which takes less time to set up and is easy to replicate if we needed further printing runs.   It was a blast and we highly recommend io design and 7 ton press for any of your graphic, web, illustration, or printing needs.

Here are some pictures:

Letter signed by JFK? get UV protected glass

There are so many options for picture framing, so it is very hard when folks move their hands together or apart and say, “how much to frame something like this size?”

Well, here are the options that affect the cost of your frame:

• the type of glass
• matting or no matting and if so how much matting?
• acid free or regular backing, drymounted or hinged?
• the style of frame

There are several options within each category that will determine your cost and the longevity of your framed art.

The focus of this post is glass.

• regular glass blocks 45% of the sun’s UV rays which fade your art (least expensive option)
• UV clear glass has an invisible film that blocks 99% of the suns rays
• non-glare has a barely fuzzy side that reduces glare and it protects 45% UV rays
• UV/non-glare glass (99% UV blocking)
• acrylic (regular, UV, non-glare, UV/non-glare) is good for larger pieces or something you have to mail.
• museum glass (glare resistant, UV resistant, and really expensive but really cool)

Antique Japanese fan? MUSEUM GLASS!

Personally, I usually frame my art with regular glass if I’m feeling broke, then I regret it and wish I had used non-glare and eventually switch it out sometime in the next couple of years. Some folks don’t like the slight fuzzy appearance of non-glare, but I think it is better than looking in a mirror.

If you paid several hundred dollars for your art, I’d go with museum or UV-Non Glare.

Small photos, go for UV clear or UV/non-glare.

Anything with a black mat, non-glare.  Anything going on an opposite wall of a window in a sunny room, go for UV-non-glare.

UV clear to protect from fading, does not reduce glare

Lots of dark colors? Non-glare is the way to go.

40 x 40 heavy frame has acrylic "glass."

Last but not least, these large heavy frames weigh a ton, add a large piece of glass and they weigh that much more.  These tins are available for sale in 5 styles at the Green Man Brewery.  This is a good time to use acrylic “glass” which blocks 66% of UV rays.  There are UV, UV/non-glare, and museum options which block 99% UV rays and all are shatter resistant.   DISCOVER PLANET ART and get your art on the wall!  Bring your Go Local Card and get 15 % off custom framing!  Or switch out your posters, and save $ by bringing the old frame in.

Spring is right around the corner and River Arts District Artists are gearing up for Second Saturday which happens every month and includes the June and November Studio Strolls.  Second Saturdays are like mini-studio strolls with more opportunities to find artists in their studios doing special events, demos, classes, movies, fundraisers, sales, and more!  For more information on what’s happening with RAD restaurants businesses, click here.

Here’s what’s happening Second Saturdays on Planet Art:

Jack Dog thanks you.

APRIL 13/MAY 11

Picture Matting on Planet Art Benefit for Funds for Fluffs, 12pm-4pm

Discover Planet Art & learn how to cut mats! Bring some photos or small pieces of art and we will instruct you on cutting mat the mats.  FREE/Donation based ($1-$5 is great). Tea & cookies provided.

All proceeds go to help our 14 year old studio dog Jack get his pain medicine.  He is racking up vet bills faster than we can frame pictures.

1/2 off all chairs!

June 8/November 9 2013 STUDIO STROLLS

Chair Caning Demo & 1/2 OFF CHAIR SALE!

50% OFF OUR UPCYCLED CONTEMPORARY ANTIQUE CHAIRS ALL DAY!!

12-4 Brandy & Dave will be demonstrating Cane & Splint Weaving on some cool upcycled chairs.  Don’t be afraid to ask to weave a few strands!

$5 off everything on Planet Art

July 13/August 10,  12pm-5pm

EVERYTHING $5 OFF SALE!

Readymade Picture Frames, Matboards, Chairs, books, Go Local T-shirts, local photography, chair caning kits.

Exception of Arts for Life matted prints as they are to raise $ for kids with serious illnesses and disabilities. If it’s less than $5, you get it for free, just once though.  Thanks!

Informal chair caning class & $50 off your class if you sign up on Second Saturday!

September14, October12, and December 14,  12pm-4pm

Chair Caning Demo & Informal Classes

Brandy & Dave will be working on some cool   laced cane and splint woven chair seats.  Don’t be afraid to ask to help out.

Sign up for a class SECOND SATURDAY (of September, October, and December) ONLY and receive $50 off your chair caning workshop!

1/2 deposit (-$50) due Second Saturday when you sign up.  Great idea for Christmas!

CLEASTER COTTON, ALNUGE Inventor, Contemporary Primitive, Exo-Political Artist

Cleaster Cotton brightens any room with her fabulous smile and exuberant eyes.  And her art? Inspired by the ancestors, Cleaster figurative and textural art makes Picasso look like an amateur. You almost get absorbed by the paintings, and can study them for hours, seeing something new that blows your mind every second.

detail of Mother Daughter God by Cleaster Cotton

If it is true that the eyes are the windows to the soul, you can see millenia of strength and oppression, enlightenment and power, goddess-like sensual beauty and tribal humanity. Though many galleries like to have smaller pieces that make quick sales (buy them on her website for $5-$22!!), the 8 feet tall masterpieces are where she really shines.  I can just imagine her possessed by the ancestors, her heart glowing and bursting through her arms like two comets exploding every color of the cosmos onto paper.

Cleaster's poster for LEAF Festival

Cleaster is from Brooklyn, NY and has lived in California and Atlanta, but  has made Asheville her home for the last two years. She was featured at Pink Dog Creative’s Grand Opening in 2010, and her work is currently at the Gallery at Studio 375 in the River Arts District. Did I mention she is also an accomplished photographer?  She was featured in a show at Desert Moon Designs and a few (but not nearly enough) locations around Asheville and Black Mountain.

See her impressive resume on her website. You could spend days on her site, lost in her world of creative visions. Cleaster’s body of work just for the last couple of years could fill Blue Spiral and Woolworth Walk.

Can she get any more spectacular?  Yes, she can.  She also created an alphabet called ALNUGE (TM).  ALNUGE is a K-12+ STEM, core curriculum and art activity which fosters creativity, academic excellence, innovation, and ingenuity. ALNUGE, a teacher’s resource for STEM education, is based on letters, numbers, and geometry. It fits the guidelines and standards for the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics,) and STEAM (STEM + Art.)

I was fortunate to be invited to Cleaster’s home studio nearby Planet Art in the River Arts District.  We had tea and discussed travel and art and Asheville and how you need to BYOJ (job).

King

Then she showed me piece after piece of her work…the likes of which I’ve never seen….just rolled up in corners and piled on tables.  Art I’d expect to see for $10,000 in the MOMA or Guggenheim just hanging out in Cleaster’s apartment, waiting to be discovered and appreciated.

Exo-political art

Please, support local artists.   Spread the word.  For more information about Cleaster:

Go to http://cleaster-cotton.artistwebsites.com/index.html for your next greeting card or gift purchase, or to peruse her impressive and extensive work.

Check out her About Me site .

Stop by Studio 375 Depot  in the River Arts District to see the art of Cleaster Cotton in person.

Keep your eyes open for her next show…you will be part of art history in the making!

Life sized art

Two years ago, I went searching for a non-profit to support through my business….

I found Arts for Life, a program for children with serious illnesses where they create art and play music.  It operates in 4 cities in North Carolina with minimal administrative cost.   This is not the charity you will see with the director smiling for a photo op while holding an absurdly large check for thousands of dollars.  Rather, this is a little known operation, largely volunteer based, with only a few paid employees. In Asheville they operate out of a back room donated by a furniture company.

Arts for Life currently has a show up at the Artery 346 Depot Street in the River Arts District called Home is Where the Art Is. It will be up through February 5.  I attended the show last Friday night and was blown away by the talent and level of creation.

The children don’t just color in coloring books while they await their chemotherapy, they create major art installations out of minimal supplies, they do oragami, pastel drawings, lino prints, make puppets and collaborative collages that cover a wall.  They get to socialize with other children and create elaborate works that most kids in public schools don’t even get to do.

Origami sculpture

AFL’s staff members and volunteers teach the arts to patients for over 250 hours each week. They work with more than 4,700 patients annually.

“Our visual art, creative writing, and music programs decrease patient stress and anxiety, keep patients active and engaged, and help families cope with the realities of illness.”

collage color flow at the Artery

I was not prepared for the effect of working with the incredible Arts for Life organization…the work they do with so little, the love they give is only possible with the effort of people just like you. Their altruistic efforts are expressed through color, imagination, and the attitude that life can be full of wonder and artistic expression despite major obstacles.

currently on display in the River Arts District

Want to help out? Sign up for the newsletter.  The money raised usually stays within the community, unless specified to go to the area of greatest need.

You can purchase matted artwork or notecards on Planet Art with 100% of the proceeds going to Arts for Life.  Donate unopened art supplies (there are compromised immune system issues) on Planet Art and we will pass them along to Arts for Life.

Visit us at 375 Depot Street, Asheville NC 28801 where their art is permanently on display.

email discoverplanetart@gmail.com

or call 828-707-4553

****Please spread the word about Arts for Life to your friends in Charlotte, Winston Salem, Asheville, and Durham.******

CALL FOR TEACHING VOLUNTEERS!

They’re looking for dynamic new teaching volunteers to fill positions in all three of our programming areas.  Previous art experience is not required; experience working with children is helpful.

Contact Annie at annie@aflnc.org to schedule an interview.

The Last Calendar You’ll Ever Need is a collaborative effort by local artist Jossie Mosser and her sister Corina Dross.  

Going from Josie’s imagination of real creatures in uncommon settings and situations, Corina drew the images and Josie painted them in amazing color.

13 x 19 prints are available for $30 and the original artwork (framed and with acid free matting and backing) is $200.  Small postcards are available as well for $5 each…calendars are only $15.

Click here for images.

Visit Josie’s site to see more of her work.  Stop by Planet Art to see this impressive and imaginative display.

eARTh Dragon

Greetings eARThlings.  We are excited about 2012 in the River Arts District, and if the Mayans are correct, we are sure to go out with a Big Bang! 

I had originally planned to take the “slow season” to complete numerous project chairs, as well as “the Beast,” (some of you may have seen us slowly make progress on a gorgeous but large, delicate, and tedious chair over the last 10 months).  It seems that the River Arts Galaxy has other plans for me. 

I am on a committee with Angelique Tassistro of Fly Coop Studios and Sarah Rolland of The Village Potters to expand our 2nd Saturday initiative in the River Arts District. 

Joint us for A Closer Look with

• more open studios throughout the year without the crowds of Studio Strolls
• education and demos
• special events like December’s Food Drive at Studio 375
• teaming up with local businesses and restaurants 
• community partnerships and growth in the neighborhoods around the RAD
• working with our favorite local charities like Asheville Greenworks 

We are gearing up to start in April so look out for fun stuff to do in the River Arts District 2nd Saturdays…and everyday! 

www.ashevillerad.com & www.riverartsdistrict.com  will have schedules of open art studios and special events.  

Here’s a the low-down on the beginning of 2012: 

• White Duck Taco is open again after a much deserved break
• The Asheville Public (TAP) opened just before Christmas
• The Junction is open for brunch on the weekends
• Magnetic Field has a new play called Solstice
• shows happen all the time at the Grey Eagle
• Greenworks is hard at work with huge recycling drives and trash pick-ups

Gently used, nicely framed art ON SALE!

On Planet Art, we are streamlining our framing process due to our increase in framing orders.  I’m looking into more Certified Sustainable Forest frame samples. Our scrap mats have been very popular and people have asked for readymade mats to grab and go.  In order to do this we have to make room by clearing out the Art Exchange.  ALL ART EXCHANGE ART IS ON SALE!!!  Eventually, I’ll get to those project chairs.

Good times at Studio 375

WOW!  It was a great time at the Holiday Party!  So many people showed up for the tasting with bags and bags of food.  We raised $810 and 348 lbs of food for Manna Foodbank. 

Thanks to Jessica of the Wine Studio of Asheville, and Tara & Ragan of  Colorful Palate Catering.  Dang, that was good food!  Thanks to Robert and Jed for playing music.  Y’all check out Town Mountain New Years Eve at The Grey Eagle!

HOLIDAY HOURS:  We will be out of town on a much needed vacation from December 23-January 2…returning to the studio at Noon on Tues, Jan 3~

See you (and your cans of food) at Studio 375! And please, help spread the word...Cheers!

Tis the season for EVERYONE to fill their bellies with food and their hearts with compassion.  We are hosting a food drive for Manna Food Bank as our 2nd Saturday December event.  If you can’t make it, please check out our Virtual Food Drive http://mannafoodbank.org/drives/studio-375-depot

Me and Angelique Tassistro at WCQS

Holy Fall in Ashevegas!

  To see some photos of the events listed in the last post, check out the Go Chair Repair website: http://gochairrepair.com/news/.  There was just too much to list in one post, so I’m continuing here. First and foremost:

Holiday Wine Tasting, Sale, & FOOD DRIVE for Manna Food Bank at Studio 375…….Saturday December 10 4-7pm

Enter the raffle & win art by Studio 375 Artists! Metal morphing jewlery, painting, photography notecards, pottery, Go Local T-shirt, & 2 tickets to a performance at The Magnetic Field.  Items are arranged in gift baskets valued at over $100 each. 

Cans of food = extra tickets!…..or purchase for $5, or 5 for $20

food and wine donated by The Wine Studio of Asheville & Colorful Palate Catering

375 Depot Street in River Arts District…Asheville, NC 28801   828-707-4553 

Earth Spirit $40

The evolution of Planet Art:  we’re doing away with the art exchange…for now!  All art exchange items are on sale up to 50% off!  Some lucky folks have gotten very cool framed art at unheard of prices, but we feel that the River Arts District is such a unique entity, that having framed prints not by local artists is paradoxical to the vibe.   (Hint:  it’s also a great way to get a nice frame for super cheap, just remove the art!)

                    Shop LOCAL this holiday season on Planet Art! We’ve got new artists & new work by our favorite local artists: 

Stacey's felted kozies and lino-cards

Stacey MacDonagh has been busy making felted bottle kozies…she can’t keep ‘em in stock, they are so popular!  Paw prints, planets, fish, & owls in fun colors will be great stocking stuffers, or just ‘cuz they’re awesome!  She has recently finished a series of original acrylic mountain scenes on 4 x 4 canvas boxes, and of course, her hand printed lino-cut cards are a steal of a deal!  Is there anything she doesn ‘t do?!  Price range  $3-$25!!

U R Here Bookmarks

Michelle Gober

has been making really cool bookmarks, using her photography and other scrap images to create U R Here Bookmarks.  Each has an image pointing to where you left off on the page.  Very fun and only $5!  Great stocking stuffers! 

Badass giclee boxes, the most original Asheville art out there!

Bryan Federico, a New Orleans native has recently left Asheville to return to his home after starting a family, but he left some fantasticly unique Asheville Art behind.  We got note cards, giclee boxes, matted prints and posters with the most awesome Asheville ART EVER!  $5-$40!!!

Ali's prints and Asheville Homegrown t-shirts

Ali Douglass

 has some work on display.  She does amazing, colorful whimsical paintings that are so precise and detailed, they look like they’re done with a computer…but they most certainly are not.  We’ve got chairs, cars, trees, and ferris wheels in prints and notecards.  $15-$50.

Johnnie's beautiful mountain paintings

Johnnie Stansfield & Beth Horton

are doing some great work with acrylics, impressive original paintings at impressively reasonable prices…

Beth Horton's original acrylic paintings: "The Prismatic Series."

Fall Studio Stroll was a great success, and a ton of fun. 

The River Arts Galaxy continues to evolve and prosper.  We had tons of fun with our colleagues at the Wig Out Post-Stroll Party.  For more information of happenings in the Galaxy, check www.ashevillerad.com or www.riverartsdistrict.com.