Forrestall Family's Life in Art

Kerry's artist Ele D'Artagnan gets a nice mention in the NYTimes review of The Metro Show today.

2012-01-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

Martha Schwendener's review of the new art fair, The Metro Show includes a nice mention of Ele D'Artagnan's work as a fresh find of the outsider genre.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/arts/design/new-york-ceramics-fair-and-metro-show-review.html?adxnnl=1&ref=arts&adxnnlx=1327075661-eT8Wku1L/BAbX7A/9304ZA

Maxwell Projects in a new NYC Art Fair which opens today

2012-01-18T06:09:00.000-08:00

The newest NYC art fair The Metro show has its gala opening preview tonight. This show artfully blends important antiques, design and art. Kerry will be highlighting outsider art, including Filini actor, Ele D'Artagnan's work (seen below on the emailed announcement of the show.) The very centrally midtown located Metropolitan Pavilion on 18th street makes the show easy for anyone to get to.

Lucky No.7 on NYTimes art critic Roberta Smith top 9 shows of 2011 is Kerry's show of Tom Fairs drawings at KS Art.

2011-12-20T12:30:00.000-08:00

Thrill to have such a quiet, elegant yet riveting drawing show of small pencil drawings of northern London gardens and buildings be recognized.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/12/18/arts/design/12182011_RSMITH-7.html

WINDOW DRESSING: The Art of New York City Holiday Windows 2011

2011-12-11T05:09:00.000-08:00

"It's the most wonderful time of the year". Or, at least the most visually interesting time to stroll around town and "window shop"! All of the big (and small) department stores have had elves working overtime creating artful, memorable "windowscapes" to celebrate the holiday season. And the millions of visitors who come to New York city in December are taking them in, in record numbers, according to number takers at busy city intersections. Some smaller shops boasted truly creative ideas--such as non-stop snowfall--while the large stores--where there seemingly is endless budget for holiday decor--the displays were theatrical, breath taking and chock-a-block full of gifts to dream of finding under a tree or near a minorah.

Here are a few of the outstanding windowscapes around town:

At Bergdorf Goodman, some of the windows were themed for different materials.
This vignette, an homage to artful metal work.

Bergdorf Goodman's on Fifth Avenue, always a perennial favorite, showcased this
winter wonderland in shades of white which seemed
to be Snow Queen and Bride, all in one.

Bergdorf's long and the short of it window, a long-necked mannequin
in a white mini and an embellished giraffe.

Revisiting last years underwater theme, a bathing-caped vision in an Alexander
McQueen mini dress treads carefully in a mosaic blue coral landscape.

Woodworking was the theme of the this window, which had wooden

art mannequins, a carved monkey, curl of wood shavings, wood carving

tools and on the mannequin some fabulous wood-patterned pants.

Detail of the extraordinary dogs, panda and rooster all made of cut paper.

Marchesa black and white lace gown posing amidst a menagerie
of animals all made out of cut paper.

A window of jewelry display at Bergdorf Goodman.

A taxidermied squirrel rides a bicycle over snow dusted rooftops at Bergdorf Goodman Men's Store.

Punctual Polar Bears and snow dusted vintage alarm clocks.

Bergdorf men's store had windows themed with different personality traits.
Trustworthy shows an oversized kitty cat,
leading four small dogs on leashes.

The Mighty Lion sits atop his desk modeling what all high powered lions of industry
should be sporting: silk ties with a conservative, red and blue patterns.

A stack of silver raindeer cabinets displaying mens wear
at Ermenegildo Zegna store on Fifth Avenue.

The biggest wreath hangs over the main entrance of Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany designed elaborate carousel-toppers
to frame their artful windows.

This Tiffany window was of a tiny reproduction of Fifth Avenue. One little detail I loved
about some of the windows, like this one, is there is a mirror-element to it, so that
the spectator becomes part of the scene (like Max in the lower left hand corner.)

H.Stern's windows used colorful vintage illustrations for their jewelry displays.

At Fendi, the exterior of the store is wrapped up in Santa Belts, made of white lights with
icicles hanging from them.

A mannequin in the window of Fendi lounges on a red chaise in an artists studio with clutches and bags resting on paint boxes and side tables laden with brushes. The viewer participating in the scene, this time as the artist.

This store cleverly used mirrored paint to create the stores signature on the windows, and
portions of the viewer is reflected back to them as they gaze in.

Ralph Lauren's children store on Fifth Avenue used a stage set patterned after a Tramp Art picture frame.

Prada windows in Soho had an exotic travel theme.

Paul Smith window in Soho had a wall of vintage greeting cards as a backdrop.

Windows of the New York Academy of Art had wreaths embellished with gold spray painted tubes of paint and brushes.

The center drawing of Santa inspired the window idea at L & T.

Balls of yarn stretching out from oversized knit snowflakes at children's shop, Crew Cuts in Tribeca.

The theme for Bloomingdales windows this year was to pay tribute to an icon of the season: the shopping bag. They chose several particularly artful and popular designs of past years, like this one from 1978 of Santa
and Rudolf ice skating under the Brooklyn Bridge. Their high-tech experience add on this year was at every window viewers had the option to be photographed while gazing at the windows and have their photo be included on Bloomingdales social media page. For the shy--or those who have called in sick to work today---simply avoid standing on the star on the sidewalk and you won't be snapped.

Bloomingdales windows were tributes to holidays of the past. This one had a spaceman-Santa flying over the skyline of NY city with just a jet pack and a bag of toys tied to his waist with a long red ribbon.

The last window I got to see of the season was the most famous, Lord and Taylor's.
Their theme this year was inspired by a single, simple drawing by a child that they
found in their archives. They posed the question to children (isn't Christmas all
about children?) "What does Christmas look like?"
and asked them to submit a drawing of what they imagined. The works were beautiful,
and all created in different mediums, colored pencil, crayon, collage. The windows
themselves were designed with their usual fabulous miniature winter wonderland
scenes, but also included a lot of "drawn elements" such as chairs,
houses and characters driving by in taxis.

A stylish young girl (wearing Uggs and a trapper hat) waves from the
spinning carousel.

The first holiday window I saw this year, Aritzia, had one of the most creative
ideas; that of continual (fake) snowfall coming from on high. It begged for one to stop and gaze in marvel,
then try to figure out the workings of it all, conveniently exposed overhead.

Sorbet colored wedges and pumps cavort in the snow.

The Parisian patisserie Maison Laduree opened on Madison Avenue and boasted the longest line I came across second only to (of course) F.A. O Swartz, which was a block long.

Swarovski Star hanging over Fifth Avenue at 57th Street day and night.

I'd love to hear about themes of any wonderful windows you've seen this holiday season. Comment and let me know if you have a minute! Happy Holiday!

--Monica Forrestall

David Smith show at The Whitney is the focus for a great Family art workshop November 19th

2011-12-03T07:55:00.000-08:00

Max and I went to participate in a Family Art workshop at The Whitney Museum of American Art, based on the fantastic sculpture show up now of the great American sculptor David Smith, "Cubes and Anarchy."

As usual in the 45 minutes in the galleries looking at the art with the children, along with the children, I learnt a lot. That one of the larger pieces was based on a black and white photograph of his daughter carrying a dish to set on the dining room table, resonated with the children in the workshop. Making the connection between the abstract rectangular and geometric welded pieces of brushed metal and an extended leg or an arm was interesting to them. And I had no idea there was such a personal and figurative reference to this very abstract work.

Later the children went down into a new workshop area, and the instructor had them take pieces of white paper and a small rectangular shape of paper and create a pattern drawing of pencil lines. Then they carefully chose section to cut out.

The instructor then asked the children to take their created template and use it to create a colored marker drawing by moving the template around. He also said the children

could add color if they wanted and patterns.

The next piece of art, moved the children towards creating a three dimensional art piece. The instructor showed them how to fold a long rectangular piece of hard paper and then to tape it into place on another sheet of paper with hinges.

http://whitney.org/Exhibitions/DavidSmith

Artforum's year end top ten list by Matthew Higgs picks Tom Fairs exhibition at KS Art as one of the worlds best shows of 2011

2011-11-29T11:20:00.000-08:00

In Artforum's top ten list of the best art shows of the year from all over the world, a list that includes one show at the Hirshorn Gallery, one artist from the Venice Biennale and one show at the Guggenheim Museum, KS Art's modest, yet magnificent show of the pencil drawings of Tom Fairs gets its due.

Getting the New York City store holiday windows (and NYC) ready for Christmas

2011-11-27T09:09:00.000-08:00

The week before Thanksgiving is the traditional time in NYC for the entire town to be in a holiday decorating mode.

It's fun to see what some part of the process is all about.

Here are a couple of windows at Bergdorf's in the getting ready phase. One window even had three people working on one area.

Same window below with "elves" at work.

Huge red Christmas ball ornaments on Avenue of the Americas, all wrapped up still.

Fireplace watercolour that Forrestall painted at White Point lost in blaze

2011-11-21T17:04:00.000-08:00

by: Elisa Barnard

Tom Forrestall, pictured at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in 2008, says he's more worried about the staff at White Point Beach Resort than the fate of one of his paintings that used to hang in the main lodge, which was destroyed by fire on the weekend.

The Tom Forrestall painting destroyed in the White Point Beach Resort fire Saturday depicted a blaze in a cabin fireplace.

The Nova Scotia artist, who always travels with his watercolours, was staying in a seaside cabin at the resort during New Year’s in 2009-10 and got caught in a snowstorm.

"We got cabin-locked by the storm, and I was looking at the fireplace, and the storm was raging on," Forrestall said in a phone interview from his Dartmouth home.

Although he is known for his egg tempera paintings, he calls watercolour "the most enjoyable side of painting."

"You’re dealing directly with the real experience of the thing. In that work, the whole focus was on the wood and the burning and the brightness, and you looked right into the flame, which is tricky to do (in paint)."

The resort’s owner, Robert Risley, was so taken by it, he bought the watercolour, valued at $4,000 unframed, and hung it in the entranceway of the main lodge.

"Risley put a beautiful, elaborate frame on it. I was greatly honoured it was in an area where it brought pleasure to so many people. I heard from people who liked it.

"When I heard about the fire, I thought, ‘That painting is gone, too.’ "

Forrestall has no photograph of it.

However, he said the loss of the artwork is minor compared with the loss of employment and the loss of the historic Liverpool-area structure.

"When I think of the overall lodge and all the people that worked there and the families that depend on it, that’s the great part of it; mine is a very small part. I’m delighted to hear they’re going to rebuild and I’d be delighted to go back.

"Perhaps some good will come out of the ashes. I’m sure of it."

The artist, who spent five weeks painting watercolours in Israel last fall, just wrapped up an exhibit of watercolours, egg tempera paintings and new "rotator" paintings in Vancouver.

All of his sketchbooks, about 300, are going to Mount Allison University’s rare book collection, and Virgil Hammock, a professor emeritus of fine arts at the Sackville, N.B., university, is writing "a book on the books."

Forrestall is showing his Israel watercolours in Toronto next spring at a private home. He has a show opening next May 5 at Kinsman Robinson Galleries in Toronto and an exhibit of watercolours at the Art Gallery of Sudbury next summer.

Filmmaker Zac Barkhouse is making a film focusing on Forrestall’s conviction that the rectangle is the wrong shape for a painting. He has made shaped paintings and is now making rotating paintings that can be shifted on the wall and viewed in different ways.

Seeing MoMa's preview of exhibition of Diego Rivera murals with muralist Curphey Forrestall

2011-11-12T06:19:00.000-08:00

One of the main museum exhibitions Curphey was interested in seeing while he was here in NYC was Diego Rivera's murals for MoMA at (of course) MoMa. We picked Friday night to go (Free Fridays, not really necessary but time convenient for both Curphey and I) which was lively (LOTS of students and foreign visitors.)
The poster in the lobby though said the Rivera show was only opening on the 13th and yesterday was the 11th. Onward we marched to see the Fluxus show and the DeKooning. The Fluxus show was fascinating, we were both most amused by the music making sculpture pieces.

On exiting the show, Curphey noticed a locked glass door view into the Rivera show and people were circulated about. We found the entrance and were told that it was only open to members as a preview evening. Luckily I had a members card on me, so in we went! The show was fantastic.

Curphey Forrestall by entrance to the Diego exhibition at MoMA.

It was fascinating to listen to what surprised Curphey about Rivera's working methodologies; like making full life size scale charcoal drawings of the murals. He expressed an interest in trying that one day. The colors were so vibrant, and his images were so powerful. Getting to see the murals, which were painted on concrete was fascinating. There was one particular mural "Frozen Assets" (1931) of a landscape of NYC, with a dozen recognizable buildings (Rockerfeller Center, The Empire State) on the top, a cityscape of NYC with above ground subway cars in the center.

A large section towards in the lower quarter of rows of sheeted figures lying down, who were homeless workers on the Depression era construction sites in NYC and finally at the bottom, a bank vault room, with wealthy people in the cages running gold through their hands. Rivera wasn't particularly subtle about his views of the wealthy and the poor in the United States. This mural, in particular felt very poignant and very contemporary in light of OWS, and a growing (unstoppable) movement to tax the rich happening in the US right now. Curphey is working on a mural for a friend while here, so getting to see the work of one of the most famous muralists was relevant.

The rooms of sculpture were interesting to wander around in.

Curphey looking down into Carlito Carvalhosa's "Sum of Days" installation piece.

Looking down from the sixth floor landing into the center of Carvalhosa's Sum of Days piece was thrilling,
and not for those who suffers from vertigo.

Kerry's show "Scruffy" gets a GREAT review in the New York Observer today

2011-11-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

At the small, surprisingly harmonious group show currently hanging at KS Art on Leonard Street, the elephant in the room is the figurative image. But actually, it’s a mammoth—not only because the show is called “Scruffy,” or because the image began as a cave painting, but because it functions here like an exhumed fossil, reconceived in a world it never imagined.

...continued below click link

http://www.galleristny.com/2011/11/avoiding-the-subject-‘scruffy’-at-ks-art-and-‘walking-forward-running-past’-at-art-in-general/

An article on Tom Forrestall's notebooks in The Spectator

2011-10-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

A follow up article by Larry Powell on my father's notebooks.

http://www.novanewsnow.com/section/2011-10-24/article-2784954/The-Notebooks/1

--Monica Forrestall

Wonderful article "Being Tom Forrestall" in the Spectator newspaper

2011-10-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.annapoliscountyspectator.ca/Arts/2011-10-22/article-2784356/Being-Tom-Forrestall/1#.TqNdDJTF-I8.facebook

--Monica Forrestall

Scruffy gets high praise in the Downtown Express

2011-10-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

The group painting show "Scruffy" currently up at KS Art Gallery in Tribeca, just got a great review in the newspaper The DownTown Express. Congratulations to the artists Chip Hughes, Sadie Laska and Jocko Weyland.

The link to the terrific review by critic Stephanie Buhmann below:

http://www.downtownexpress.com/?p=3732

--Monica Forrestall

Curphey Forrestall's mural in Fairview gets a feature story in The Chronicle Herald

2011-09-29T12:43:00.001-07:00

Artist makes his mark on Fairview
Painter’s mural tells area’s history
By EVA HOARE Staff Reporter
Tue, Sep 27 - 4:54 AM

Artist Curphey Forrestall recently completed his mural on the wall on the corner of Main and Hillcrest streets in Fairview.(MARK GOUDGE)

Fairview just got a whole lot more scenic.
A local painter with some serious street cred is putting the finishing touches on a mural that depicts the history of the western part of Halifax.
"It (is) all based on a book somebody wrote on the neighbourhood," said artist Curphey Forrestall, who with his brother submitted a proposal to the city for the roughly 1,000-square-foot mural at the corner of Main and Hillcrest streets in Fairview. (His brother did the original design for the mural.)
Forrestall has an impressive artistic bloodline, being the son of artist Tom Forrestall of Dartmouth. "He is my father and I don’t try to make any secret of it," said Curphey.
But the 44-year-old is more intent on talking about his wide-sweeping mural, done in acrylic, and telling the story municipal officials suggested be used for the artwork.
"I was interested in doing a mural with some kind of historical context."
Forrestall read The Little Dutch Village: Historic Halifax West — Armdale and Fairvew by Devonna and Don Edwards, before setting out to paint the mural, which depicts a forested scene, a train and historical buildings of the area.
"They put out a call three years ago now," Forrestall said, referring to the municipality’s streetscape design plans. "We put in a couple of submissions."
He started painting at the first of September and although he’s an experienced muralist — having painted a number for Superstore and Neptune Theatre — Forrestall admitted the Fairview project was a bit overwhelming at first. (He’s also exhibited his artworks at many galleries.)
"The hardest part is after it’s primed . . . and then you’re looking at a big blank wall and thinking, ‘Oh my God, what have I got myself into now?’ "
But he got going and then had trouble thinking of anything else. "You get to the point where you’re anxious to get back."
The artist will return to paint a small plaque on the mural telling the public about the book upon which it was based, and to include a contact number.
Forrestall was paid for the work, which took a month to complete, and is next off to New York to paint a mural inside a Manhattan apartment.
"People asked me, ‘Are you just doing this for fun?’ I wish I could afford to."
Normally pretty cynical about his efforts, the artist couldn’t help but be happy with the Fairview artwork.
"It was really fun to paint," he said.
"I’ve never had a response as I’ve had there in Fairview — tooting and honking, people coming over and chatting to me. After about 300 people come up to you and say, ‘You’re really enriching my life,’ I thought, ‘Well jeez, maybe I really am doing something good for the neighbourhood.’ "

Tom Forrestall's exhibition at Elliott Lewis Gallery in Vancouver

2011-09-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

Some installation shots of dad's one person show of paintings in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Dad opens his first show in Vancouver tonight at the Elliot Lewis Gallery

2011-09-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

Dad flew out to Vancouver yesterday from Halifax for his first gallery show there, at the Elliott Louis Gallery. His girl friend, Mary O'Regan went along. They will enjoy five days there, and dad said will be kept busy with interviews and talks.

http://www.elliottlouis.com/

Information below on the exhibition details are from the gallery's website.
"Tom Forrestall, "Master Works" (showing to Oct. 1st)

Previewing September 7 - 15

Opening Reception, Thursday September 15th, 6:30 - 9:00 pm

This significant collection of works dating from the mid 1980's to present includes 22 of Forrestall's signature egg tempera paintings on panel and 19 of his luscious watercolours.
Forrestall, who lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia is represented in virtually every major public collection in the Maritime Region, Central Canada and beyond, including solo exhibitions in prominent galleries worldwide. Forrestall is one of the four great Canadian "magic realist" painters (the others being Mary Pratt, Christopher Pratt and Alex Colville). This is Tom's first major exhibition in Vancouver.
The artist will attend the opening reception and be here to sign copies of his book, "Tom Forrestall, Paintings, Drawings, Writings" by Tom Smart. "

--Monica Forrestall

Home is Where the Art (Making) is

2011-08-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

Dad doing a watercolour at Victoria Beach.

One of the joys of summer time spent together as a family is all the art making we collectively do; both separately and together. From sketching with dad, to creating art works at events like Paint The Town and submitting artwork for art competitions like the Annapolis County Exhibition, to making a short-film that a few members of my family helped work on, the best part of all is that we are together. Here are some photos of some family and our summer art--and film--making.

A watercolour of toadstools I made while participating in the Paint The Town ARCAC benefit
event in Annapolis Royal August 20th and 21st.

Everyone sketched while we waited for the food to arrive at a local Annapolis Royal restaurant.

Dad holding up the portrait I did of him.

Dad sketching Goat Island from Clementsvale side. Gorgeous sunny day, and the seagulls,

which reside on this side of the island were "talking" so loudly at points dad and I

couldn't hear each other speak.

Max and his local birds color marker drawing which won a second prize ribbon

at The Annapolis County Exhibition art show.

Max and his pastel Loon drawing that won a third prize in the children's art category of the art competition at The Annapolis County Exhibition.

Marie drawing at the First Annual Peace Party in Young's Cove on August 14th.

Liz makes an Origami frog (with me) at the Theme Park. Liz's is the one with the fly on its tongue!

I won a couple of ribbons for a watercolour self-portrait of mine at the Annapolis County Exhibition; a second prize plus a prize for the best watercolour in the show!

One morning all three of us were making art in our porch studio at the same time. Kerry made some coffee dipped monochromatic pieces, Max was working on a drawing and I was finishing a piece for the Paint The Town show.

Curphey Forrestall is at the moment beginning a large block long mural that he won a big commission for in competition with several other muralists and artists! It will involve scenes of Nova Scotia

and this project will take him most of the month of September.

Frank Forrestall is in post-production on a dark version of a short film "Jack & Jill" he directed this summer that he describes as a "haunting fable about Love, Death and Spiritual Despair." Curphey Forrestall acted as Art Director while our amazing niece

Millie Webb did all the hair and make-up.

http://www.indiegogo.com/Jack-Jill-Short-Film

Renee was one of 8 artists chosen chosen to take part in CBC Radio's Sharing The View calendar 2012. Here is some of the information off the CBC website plus a link

below to a podcast interview of Renee speaking about her work.

"Announcing the Final Eight!

Wow, what a challenge, to choose eight painters from among the 137 imaginative submissions! Thanks to our Marquee Artists for the time and care they dedicated to the selection process.
The eight artists chosen to take part in Information Mornings 2012 Sharing the View Calendar are:
Virgina McCoy, painting the Inverness racetrack.
Wayne Boucher painting an Annapolis Royal sunrise.
Al Chaddock painting Mahone Bay
Renee Forrestall painting Peggy's Cove.
Sarah Jane Conklin painting a fall landscape.
Alan Bateman painting the fields of the Annapolis Valley.
Carol Pye painting the church at Grand Pre.
Darren Bennett painting the Commercial Cable Office in Canso."

http://www.cbc.ca/informationmorningns/features/sharingtheview/

A fam sketch trip resulted in dad's beautiful watercolour (top left), Renee's wonderful oil painting (top right),
my unfinished watercolour (bottom left) and Max's landscape watercolour (bottom right).

My finally finished watercolour of Queen's Anne's Lace in front of a lobster boat for sale at Victoria Beach.

Renee sketching at Victoria Beach in August.

Max stands next to his watercolour of a Tree Swallow on the French Basin trail at the Silent auction
of The Paint The Town benefit event in Annapolis Royal in August.

I'm standing with some of the watercolours I made for Paint The Town art benefit in August,
which I did with Max this year. The watercolour closest to my head is of Max bird watching.

And I'm currently writing and illustrating a fun children's chapter booklet

as a project for a restaurant chain. It will be distributed in 120 restaurants all over the United States. Exciting!

--Monica Forrestall

"For The Love of Art" Natalie Forrestall memorial Art Prize for Best Child Art Entry at The Annapolis County Exhibition 2011

2011-08-21T02:46:00.000-07:00

Renee, dad and I gathered up art supplies and an art book to put together the prize we give annually in our dear mother's honor. Since mom was a children's art teacher, and always encouraged and inspired us to make art, for the last six years since she passed away, we have done this.

I delivered this years bountiful basket of sketchbooks, drawing material, watercolor paint, paper, brushes etc...to the Annapolis County Exhibition Art Show on Thursday, August 18th. Dad very generously gave a signed copy of his retrospective art book. It's such a wonderful thing to be able to do for the budding artists of the valley, who have no places to buy quality and varied art materials like these. I got to see the winning entry, a lovely charcoal still life of pears. Well done!

Here is a photo of dad and I with the basket, before I delivered the prize.

The note I included in the basket for the winner.

And here is a photo of the winning artwork, a pastel drawing of two pears by Kenzie Taylor. Well done, and congratulations!

Tom Forrestall has two flower themed painting in show Flora at Gallery 78

2011-08-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Dad's beautiful egg tempera paintings of two flower themed works are on display for the next few weeks at Gallery 78 in Fredericton.

There are a couple of egg temperas of dad's in the show.

Tom Forrestall's painting hangs at The National Gallery of Canada

2011-06-29T05:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots of an early painting of dad's hanging in the National Gallery of Canada.

A shot of the installation.

And another.

Renee Forrestall's contemporary portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is in a show of royals portraiture at The Beaverbrook Gallery in Fredericton, New Brunswick

2011-06-25T04:53:00.000-07:00

A special exhibition in celebration of the recent marriage of Prince William and Miss Catherine (Kate) Middleton and their royal visit to Canada headlines the Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s summer program. On view are portraits from the Beaverbrook’s permanent collection that depict British kings and queens, such as Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Queen Elizabeth I, King Edward VIII, and others, as well as various associated members of British nobility. Among the artists represented are Edward Irvine Halliday, Luciano Guarnieri, Walter Sickert, Graham Sutherland, George Romney, and Nicholas Hilliard.

Also included are contemporary portraits of the British monarchy by Canadian artists Joe Fafard, Christopher Pratt, Yvon Gallant, and Renée Forrestall, along with a humourous recent portrait of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, by contemporary Canadian icon Charles Pachter.

Tom Fairs exhibition gets a rave review in the New York Times!

2011-06-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

The exhibition of Tom Fairs sketchbook drawings at KS Art gets a rave review in the New York Times on June 2nd, 2011.
Follow the link below to the story.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/03/arts/design/tom-fairs-drawings.html?scp=1&sq=Tom%20Fairs&st=cse

An Observing Eye: Artist Tom Fairs pencil drawings at KS Art

2011-05-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

For those with an appreciation for the patience of an artful observer, an artist with a passion for drawing from nature has an exhibition of his sketchbook drawings at KS Art.

My interest is primarily in things seen: landscape, interiors, still life where, in the light of the imagination, the commonplace may be transformed into the extraordinary. The ever- present transforming principle moves me. I have no theories, no special techniques and no information to communicate. I try to achieve a brief glimpse of the implicit order that lies beneath what we perceive as reality.
- Tom Fairs

Tom Fair lived a life highly suspicious and with a complete lack of interest in showing his work. He turned down any suggestion to show his exquisite, complex pencil drawings in his lifetime. To many artists, who spent their careers working to get their work out of their studios and in front of appreciative eyes, it is inexplicable.
After his death, in 2007, Tom's sketchbooks of drawings were given to a friend, Bobbie, who appreciated and treasured them. And was determined to find a gallerist with the vision to recognize their importance.

Tom spent most of his career as a teacher, and when he retired in 1987, he devoted the last twenty years of his life to making his own art. KS ART gallery website
http://www.kerryschuss.com/cexrelease.html

"Each vividly realized scene is a fresh proposition, with its own felicitous arrangement of forms and its own set of exuberant notational marks. Fairs was an extraordinarily inventive draftsman, with a repertoire of wavering contour lines, staccato dashes and thick scribbles with which to conjure not only the city's compacted jumble of nature and culture, but the sounds of rustling leaves and far away traffic, the smells of coal smoke and grass, and even the colors of wet earth and overcast skies. Every encounter with the world generated a burst of individualized loops, squiggles, and shadings, which speak of an unselfconscious absorption in a place at the moment of its depiction and give the works a physical and emotional presence out of proportion to their scale."

Painting Party: Several friends open shows at Chelsea galleries on Friday May 7th

2011-05-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

At least once a week, the streets of West Chelsea in Manhattan, stretching from 29th Street down to 22nd become a street party of sorts, when galleries host openings of different exhibitions. It is the most fun for my husband and I to go together, when one (or more) of the openings involve dear friends. On a night, such as last night Friday, May 7th, when several friends had shows that opened, it is particularly exciting. And last night the buzz on the street was all about paintings.

Untitled, 2011. Oil on canvas, 96 x 80 inches

My husband, Kerry and I had three gallery destinations last night. First up was a one-person show of the paintings of downtown New York artist, Alex Ross (David Nolan Gallery, 527 West 29th Street). We know him well, and have followed his career and seen some of his shows. His fascinating, quirky and colorful paintings have intrigued me for many years.
For this show, the subject matter was familiar, yet the work had more of a look of landscape than I've found in the past. He talks about this in a recent HuffPost Art interview I've linked in below, "For this show I invented a colorful family of "abstract naturals," forms that are vaguely suggestive of landscape fundamentals such as coral, tree, boulder, mushroom, log, butte, and spire." I've always found Alex's process fascinating, because although the works are essentially abstract, he actually creates clay models of clay, which he then photographs and then finally paints from. Marina Cashdan, Arts and lifestyle writer for the HuffPost Arts did a piece a couple of days before the opening.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marina-cashdan/alex-ross-the-art-worlds-_b_856089.html

The opening was lively, fun and packed with artists, friends and family of the artist. I even ran into an old friend from the East Village days, Jennifer Bolande and her husband artist Canon Hudson, in town for a show of Canon's.

We then stopped by a pop-up gallery that was doing a huge show of women abstract painters, which

Joanne Greenbaum (and Sheeba) at "A Painting Show"
with her painting on her left.

Polly Apfellbaum's floor painting "L'A-ZP"

included a painting of our friend (and neighbor) Joanne Greenbaum. Her neon pink abstract piece with complex drawing and map-looking patterning really stood out in a room full of paintings of more subdued tones. The three large rooms of the Harris Lieberman space at 508 West 26th Street were full of the artists, friends, collectors and writers. It was fantastic to see so many really strong American women artists, being celebrated and acknowledged for their work in the communal venue. The buzz about the show was very good.

"Silver Donald" by Joyce Pensato (left), Joanne Greenbaum's
painting (center) and four pieces by Kristin Baker in The Painting Show.

Finally, we stopped by our main destination of the night, D'Amelio Terras gallery (525 West 22nd Street) to see a show of works on paper by Robert Moskowitz. His work was hung in the smaller gallery, with the large east wall filled with a grid hanging of rows of twenty-one black and white painted works on paper, devoted to the theme of New York. The center piece was a minimal work with the recognizable spire of the Empire State Building. Other pieces had the top of a smokestack, and flying birds.

The artist Matt Keegan opened his show "I Love NY" in the main space with an installation of photographs taken in NYC and the two shows complimented each other very nicely. After Robert's opening the gallery directors of D'Amelio Terres kindly invited my husband Kerry and I to celebrate at a dinner at a Chelsea neighborhood restaurant. The mood at Izakaya was buoyant, the Sake flowed and their traditional Japanese pub food was very good. Oustanding dishes included the Fried Oysters, the Spicy cucumbers and the pork fried rice was one of the best friend rice dishes I've had.

Congratulations to our friends on their wonderful shows!

--Monica Forrestall

Don't Let it Rain on our Parade! The art of the Easter Bonnet at the famous Fifth Avenue Easter Parade 2011 in New York City

2011-04-25T05:41:00.000-07:00

A deluge of rain was predicted for Easter Sunday, but the clouds parted Saturday night and Sunday the brilliant sun shone down (with 73 degree F weather) on the thousands of people congregated on Fifth Avenue for the historically famous Easter Day Parade. Thousands of people strolled up and down Fifth between 57th and 48th streets with bonnet central on the steps of Saint Patrick's Cathedral.

My favorite bonnet of the day? This marvelous mechanized ferris wheel perched firmly atop a straw hat worn jauntily by a young man, who completed the festive ensemble with a whimsical rainbow-stripped jacket.

The young lady, below had created a somewhat sheer dress and hat of silk flowers and had even decorated the teacup she carried with purple posies. Such a sweet touch! Everything here worked so well, and her Audrey Hepburn figure suited this form-fitting floral fantasy. Her charming curly-cropped do peeked out from under the purple flowers on her cap.

Below: A very complicated (and heavy) hat inspired by the children's film "Up." Although the woman wearing it struggled to keep her head upright with it on, she smiled and posed for everyone who wanted to take her photo.

Below: The fantastic creativity of hat making was evident in this paper collage hat and jacket combo. The back of the jacket was themed with bunnies and imagery of the cruxifixion of Christ.

Below: Festive Easter lilies sprout from a large walking silver watering can.

Below: It was particularly fun and festive when groups of friends dressed similarly and made matching themed hats and walked together! Here four super stylish ladies strolled down Fifth decked out in the new nude and pale colors of the season, a couple carrying their sorbet-colored hat boxes with them.

Below: A dynamic duo took it a step further and wore their hat boxes

keeping their fluffy white chapeaux tucked inside.

Below: A jaunty trio of stylish lads with a gal pal. Loved that the boys hats matched their shirts or vests. Adore the cap with bunny ears made of brown floral fabric on the far left!

Below: Five friends chose moss green and turquoise as their color theme,

while one of their friends went rogue red.

Loved all the textures this young lady included in her ensemble, from sequins
and fluffy scarf to feathers and stitched on green vines.

Below: These two ladies did the black and white theme best, with stripes, saucer hats and cool shades.

Below: A fanciful characther who complemented his plumed Mad Hatter hat with a fantastic costume. He offered Easter treats and wishes to Max, who sported a hat he decorated with water squirters. His joke was his hat was designed to water the flowers on all the other hats.

Below: This Versailles-like characther posed appropriately in front of the Versace boutique on Fifth.

Below: One of my favorite ladies from last year, pannier-skirt girl made a re-appearance wearing another fanciful skirt, this time embellished with roses. Her companion's head piece was a perfect match!

This dapper dog was sporting a tux and top hat.

Robin's egg blue Bugaboo stroller embellished with flowers carried the sweetest treat of all,
a wee little man in an Easter egg trimmed boater.

My bonnet was fashioned of an Irish black bowler picked up in a Dublin market

festooned with orange silk flowers and a butterfly finger puppet, worn with my favorite fifties-style sundress patterned with gray and black roses.

HAPPY EASTER!!!!
-Monica Forrestall

PS A few more chapeaux on The Examiner site. Enjoy! http://www.examiner.com/culture-in-new-york/the-new-york-city-2011-easter-bonnet-parade-on-5th-avenue-picture#slide=32391251