You're Invited! Please join me at the opening to my Wayne Theatre Gallery space show! Next Monday, 8/26/24

My exciting opportunity is almost here!  I had a preview of the show and Liz Moss and her partner did a fabulous and creative job - naturally! - of designing the show.  

If you are in our area, please do drop by and celebrate with me on Monday, August 26th, 5-7 PM at the Wayne Theatre in Waynesboro, VA.

        Here's the link to the Gallery announcement at  the Wayne Theatre Website. 

        Here's the link to the Waynesboro Theatre Events Page on Facebook.  Say you'll be there!! 

The show is focusing on my 'Regional' collages, anchored in photos of the area, landscapes,  mostly in Waynesboro, but also Staunton and Charlottesville.  As well a group of my 'Inner Region' collages; landscapes of  'inner and other'.

I especially like the 'mural' collage series.  Waynesboro has quite a few fantastic murals and more continue to appear.  Inspiring!  

The mural for this collage, Flowered, is on Main Street, near the Wayne Theatre. Apropos!

Flowered collage
mural by Nils Westergard

From the Wayne Theatre website...in the Exhibit Gallery

From the website...Wayne Theatre, Waynesboro VA

The show will be available through November 18.  So lovely.

All Around Town

My love of what I call 'regional' collage, collage anchored in photographs of buildings and place,  certainly thrives in my town, Waynesboro, Virginia. 

The WayneTheatre was the focus of a fantastic renovation, which turned this vintage theatre into a place for live theatre, music,  film, art and more.

The 'TimeLine' on their website tells the story. The Wayne opened on January 18, 1926, with plans to be a vaudeville/movie house. It advertised itself as the 'finest theatre in the Shenandoah Valley.' It had an orchestra pit with organ, and a small 'Wayne Orchestra' entertained the audience before the program. In 1929, the Wayne installed a 'talking machine' by RCA which allowed the Wayne to show talkies.

In 1999, the owners closed the theatre and deeded the structure to the city of Waynesboro. In 2000, to prevent the demolishing of the Wayne, a group of citizens incorporated the Wayne Theatre Alliance with the goal of renovating the theatre. On March 1, 2016, the Wayne Theatre, historically restored, artistically updated and technologically current, opened to the public as a performing arts center.

Some of the elements in this collage echo the Wayne's journey - from Theda Bara to Johnny Ray. Others are just for fun or caught my eye.

Welcome to the Wayne Theatre collage

                            

 

Wayne Theatre circa 1940

                                    

Waynesboro has also become know for it's plethora of murals. Many are the work of  Nils Westergard and are a major inspiration for me.  This mural on the wall of the Waynesboro Family Y always gives me great pleasure. It is so filled with love in the eyes of the father with his daughter at the Pool.  The Y is near an entrance to the Waynesboro Greenway walk path, where my husband and I walk most days; so it is an almost daily delight.

 

Father and Daughter Love At the Y collage

       

                                                        

Till next time!

Cuban Window Cafe and a Cargo Ship Meet Pabst Blue Ribbon With a New Mural

While Savannah is most known for it's beautiful historical and Victorian architecture, you'll find other things to catch your eye.

I read about the Cuban Window Cafe before we arrived in the Savannah in the  'Eat It and Like It' blog by Jesse Blanco.  Check out his Cuban Window review here.  We were very delighted to find this little gem was quite near where we are staying.  Carry-out traditional Cuban Sandwiches were our first meal in Savannah.  Since then, we've enjoyed their extensive menu often, and have new favorites in Guava Pastelitos, Papa Rellena and Empanadas Cuban-style. Everyone who works there are just terrific and working hard to keep you happy - all in a funky vibe that I love.

Cuban Window on Abercorn - Savannah

Savannah is one of the major cargo ship ports in the country.  It is quite impressive to stand on the River Walk and have one of these behemoths glide by right in front of you. Catching sight of the ships is one of my husband's favorite Savannah things. The yellow teacups are a huge sculpture that is on the River Walk in the new renovated power plant area, Plant Riverside.  By the way, check out the JW Mariott lobby on the Plant Riverside website.  It houses the most glorious natural crystals collection, in sizes I have never seen before.

Savannah River Cargo

Well, I didn't drink PBR or go bowling, but I did love the building and jaunty air of Moodrights on Abercorn Street, where you can do both those things - Duckpin bowling to be exact.   Pool and Bingo too!  I think my retro characters would feel right at home at Moodrights.

Pabst Blue Ribbon Moodrights - Savannah

There is a lot of wall art and murals in the city and I thought it rather cool to come upon one at the beginning of the venture.  I decided my artsy style  people would appreciate it fully. SCAD - Savannah Collage of Art & Design - offers many fashion design programs, and I am often taken by the unique stylings people wear.

Mural Beginnings on Bull Street - Savannah

Savannah continues to be one of my most favorite cities and places to be.

West Asheville Summertime

West Asheville, NC is such a fun and inspiring place.  Asheville itself is a great place, but I really thrive in the little-bit-funky West Asheville vibe.  Any walk around town is full of things that catch my eye and many yearn to become a collage. Yeppo, they tell me so. 

The weather was great and our time a bit short, so only two collages came out of this visit.  I typically do my 'regional' collages while I'm actually visiting and in the area.  It's part of my fun with capturing the locale I'm visiting.

Bari Salon - West Asheville, NC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The West Asheville Lion

Special thank yous to Liz and Morris our West Asheville hosts.  It's always special and so are they. Always.

Asheville NC 2018 Murals, Art, Collage

I recently had a lovely week in Asheville, NC, most generously gifted to us from the most Lovely Liz and the Ever-Dancing Morris.  West Asheville, where we stayed and spent most of our time,  is it's own nicely funky part of town in a city with many creative aspects.  As I am wont to do, my walk about town photos become collages, using my photos as backgrounds and collage elements extracted from them.  I call my collage while traveling my 'regional art'.  Rainy afternoons provided perfect space for playing with images.

The Traveling Dog has it's own story.  We noticed this wonderful and a bit odd dog sculpture by a front gate.  It's about 3 feet high and of course, was photo-worthy.  A day or so later, in the same neighborhood, but a block or so away, I saw another dog sculpture.  My husband thought it could surely be the same dog, but in the end we figured it was a replica. Yet the next day, we noticed that the original dog was not by the gate.  Another day or so we the dog by a house on our own block, which is several blocks from the first sighting.  So it became the Traveling Dog and in the end, a collage.  I hoped to see someone who could tells us the tale, but did not.  I even searched for dogs of west asheville on Facebook, thinking it could 'be a thing' as they say, but with no luck.

  

Traveling Dog At the Green Door collage - Asheville NC

This piece had added inspiration from our breakfast music playlist.  A greet, funky, classic diner. 

Martha and the Vandellas At the Tastee Diner collage - Asheville NC

More musicality influences!

Fleetwoods Rock N Roll Chapel and Bar collage - Asheville NC

Another wonderful dog!  Loved the poster.  The delighful headless children are from The Littlest Birds children's clothing store and the napkin holder from the home of the ultimate french fries, as well as great sandwiches, the Asheville Sandwich Shop,  All the shops featured in the collages are all along Haywood Avenue, West Asheville's main drag. Go visit and check them out.

The Odditorum- All Ages collage - Asheville NC

West Asheville is just awash with wonderful murals, painted buildings and artsy things.  Very inspiring indeed.