A Mysterious Invite...

About a month ago I received a personal letter addressed from a friend I play wedding music with, Ms. Angie Shyr (we have a string trio, Strings of Desire, and we play weddings and events). It was a letter sized envelope complete with fancy return address labels and one of the coolest comic book stamps ever. So of course I opened it instantly. Inside was a brochure for the Brookline Artists' Open Studios event and that was it.

So I carefully poured over every single name in the brochure to see if I could come up with some clues. Is Angie playing music, is a mutual acquaintance a closet artist? Then a bright picture caught my eye; I quickly read the artist's name and it occurred to me, oh my, Ms. Angie is a closet artist! I never knew! (I did later find out that she went to film school and did quite a bit of animation) (This vivid artwork at right, is an original mixed media piece by Angie Shyr)

Then a week later I received more pieces to the puzzle, a hand written note from Ms. Angie herself inviting me to come see her work (fantastic comic book stamp adorned envelope included)! Of course I jumped at the invite...but Dan and I decided to surprise Angie as we have not seen each other for a couple of months. Roadtrip to Brookline!

Angie was showing her work at the Brookline Sr. Center as a collaborative effort with several other artists. Including a highly skilled fiber artist Ms. Iris Sonnenschein. (At right is an original quilt by Ms. Sonnenschein)

Dan and I also loved the photography of Ms. Gloria Carrigg. Her subjects ranged from nature to her homeland of El Salvador to Cityscapes of Chicago as well as portraits of classic cars, a personal love of hers. (She told me so. At right is a wonderful sleek photo titled "duesenbergII3" © 2007). Dan and I are now owners of two fantastic photographs of arches with beautiful sculptures of people. (Sorry, she does not have a copy of them on her website or else I would share these great photos with you.)

While we were enjoying the art at the Brookline Senior Center, we were serenaded by Ms. Anita Suhanin, an amazing singer as well as a voice teacher. She was singing beautiful jazz pieces.

Dan and I also ventured into an artist's personal studio. We approached the classic brick townhouse and were unsure if we should enter the closed door of a residence. The address was correct, but there were no signs and it looked rather private. We then peeked in the window (we really wanted to see her work, she was one of two fiber artists featured in the entire event). And behold, the Brookline Artists' Open Studio sign appeared taped to the inner door. Phew! I marched in and timidly climbed the stairs to yet another inner door. Dan knocked, a dog barked, the window was dark and a the smiling glowing face of Ms. Marianne Busse welcomed us into her home studio. It was fantastic! Great decor, we had a fun time just ogling her decor in the entry way. She then led us into a room with racks of immaculately sewn clothing and treasures! Marianne specializes in "Cool Creations - Mostly for Kids" (The funky hat pictured at right was one of many incredible items available for sale)

We capped off the evening listening to a friend of Dan's, Phil Raptis and his band "Gold Star Campaign" open at Worcester's own The Lucky Dog. Phil has great pipes and "is not afraid to sing falsetto" (as Dan put it) and his band (after only two months of rehearsals) sounds really tight. They play all sorts of rock originals.

(All art depicted here is credited to its original author and may be subject to copyright.)

Skidmore College Element Fashion Benefit

Dan and I hopped in our car at noon on Friday the 13th and schleped our butts to Saratoga Springs, NY to visit my Alma Mater, Skidmore College, several good friends of mine, Liz Cobb, Lauren Cognato and Helen Thompson and to rub elbows with Patty Pawliczak whom I worked for in the Costume Shop.

Patty was great to touch base with as she suggested some excellent fabric stores in Massachusetts I should frequent...one she raves is "bigger than the garment district in New York". Mmmm YazBerry likes the idea. She also alerted me to a very exciting once per year flea market that is dedicated to purely vintage clothing and textiles...excuse me while I wipe the drool off my chin.

Anyway, back to my point. My motivation for going to Saratoga in the first place this weekend was due to the invitation from Lauren to attend the Skidmore College Element Fashion Benefit. (Check out the great poster to the right by Artist and Designer Deb Wenof, '07). All proceeds from the Element Fashion Benefit were donated to Art for Refugees, an organization dedicated "to engage both children and adults in refugee communities in visual, performing and creative arts drawn from their own cultures." Please check out their website as this is an awesome organization!

We loved many of the designs modeled at this show, some of our favorite designers include: Kim Bevan & Ashley McEvoy (co-designers) whose contemporary flares on classic designs and color combinations were superb and crisp(Kim Bevan Modeling their creation at left).

Olivia Janczyk had body hugging dresses in bold color combinations. We absolutely loved her dress composed of large bold blocks of color (pictured below on Model Blair Costello (far right with back to camera. Also pictured are her Models Emily Schor and Shay Roberts, and in jeans is the Designer herself).
We also enjoyed Alison Hunt's designs but were unable to track down photos (btw, all photos are credited to their anonymous authors and can be sourced to facebook.com)


Dan and I ran into Sandi Cun, a suitemate of mine for a year in college, in the Costume Shop before the show putting finishing touches on one of our all time favorite designs in the show! Her sense of color and line are stellar! (Designer Sandi Cun pictured at left with Model Nurys Garcia in one of the best designs in the show. Pictured at right are Sandi's Models Nurys Garcia and Shardae Gonsalves).

Emily Newton was also a favorite of ours; not only did she design but she also played a key role in organizing this event. Her pieces have whimsical and intricate details and her use of fabric is quite impressive. Our favorite piece by Emily is the black and ivory ballerina dress pictured at the far left. (In the picture at left are Emily's models from left to right: Holly Keating, Andrea Marks, Emily Newton - Designer, Michal Adut & Lindsay Thomas).




Deb Wenof, who was also both a Designer and major organizer for this event, had absolutely wonderful designs. She used striking color combinations and delicious textures! (Pictured below are Designer Deb Wenof and her Models Danielle Coccomo and Emily Kaplan (with back to camera)). We really enjoy the colors combination and textures on the piece worn by Emily Kaplan. (Pictured at right is Model Rebecca Horton). The textures on the piece worn by Rebecca Horton are excellent.


In conclusion, a supurbly excellent, fun and fashion filled fling in the fantastic town of Saratoga Springs, NY...