Proud to be Yesterday's Local Mug

Thank you to Scout mob for featuring Emily as their "Local Mug" yesterday! Spotlighting the gallery, and Emily's love for all things arts related, Scout mob asks insightful questions as always.

If you haven't seen the article yet, or are not a Scout Mob-er, here it is: Meet Emily Amy, Gallery Owner and Art Visionary. As Scout mob hasn't quite reached the whole country yet, if you are not in an area that is covered by the online discount pros, you can also use it to discover new areas and businesses in cities like Atlanta, Chicago and Seattle. We like to read the Local Mugs every Thursday to learn about other local business owners and goings-on around town.

Some of our favorite past mugs include, "The Gift Card Giver," Jeff Shinabarger, and Alex West, co-founder of the local non-profit arts center, WonderRoot.

Thanks again Scout mob!

Mention one of Emily's favorite places to catch a live show, and receive a discount on your next purchase!

Spring Has Sprung

We have the doors propped open, and a wonderful breeze is coming into the gallery today. It's 72 and the sun is out, making us feel like we live in Southern California. And with Spring comes spring cleaning, and what better way to brighten up a living space just in time for sunny weather than a piece of art?

An excerpt from an article we came across recently on ArtBusiness.com, from Alan Bamberger:

"Art improves quality of life. All you have to do is think about the difference between a room with bare walls and one with walls full of art...Art stimulates the expression and interchange of thoughts, feelings, and ideas among total strangers who might never otherwise say a single word to each other."

We couldn't agree more.

Just a few pieces that conjure up thoughts of Spring...

Cara Enteles, Pollination Series #12

oil on aluminum

Dorothy Goode, Homage 72

egg tempera on panel

Margie Stewart, Inlet, Summer

oil on linen

Carl Plansky, Wild Flowers

oil on linen

Kristina Bailey, Hot House Flowers

mixed media on panel

Life on the Westside

Today a special post about all of the things going on this weekend on the Westside...

First, starting this Saturday just across the street from us (!), you can find the new location of Jennifer Schwartz Gallery, which features photography. (Fingers crossed as they are rapidly completing the build-out as we speak!) And this Saturday, from 11 - 5, they will be holding Life Support Japan, a silent auction to benefit relief efforts in Japan. Images will be sold in a special edition of 10 for $50 each. Bids can be placed at the gallery or online.

Please join us in welcoming Jennifer Schwartz Gallery to the Westside as the newest member of the Westside Arts District!

Secondly, we are having an opening on Friday night. It will be Meta Gary's first solo show at the gallery, and the body of work is spectacular. One of the standout pieces is included above, Taking Back the Days. Join us on Friday night from 7 - 10 for cocktails and to meet Meta, a local and native Atlantan!

(Jill Storthz)

Just up the street at Get This! Gallery, Jill Storthz is having an opening as well, also 7 - 10. The third solo show for San Francisco based Storthz, it will feature

her unique and eye-catching woodblock prints. Get This! is also part of our local arts/gallery district, WAD.

And speaking of,

(our gallery district off Howell Mill between 14th and 8th and Marietta Street between Howell Mill and Means)

There is a third-Saturday WAD walk this weekend from 11 - 5. Featured galleries include:

1) Jennifer Schwartz Gallery

2) Sandler Hudson Gallery

3) Kiang Gallery

4) Twin Kittens

5) Astolfi Art

6) Get This! Gallery

7) Saltworks

8) Tanner Hill Gallery

9) Octane Coffee

10) Atlanta Contemporary Art Center

11) EAG

OH, and it's supposed to be a sunny 80 degrees on Friday! Moral of the story, come check us out this weekend, and if you are a regular, stop in and say hi!

(Jennifer Cawley, Paths Cross)

The Post

(photo courtesy of dreamstime.com)

Alas, we are back from New York after a whirlwind of art fairs, gallery visits and Italian food. Now that we have caught our breath and are back to work, we are energized by the exciting art market there. More to come later about all we did on our visit to the big city, as well as the new book we have started, (after Peggy Guggenheim's memoirs), thanks to Jeremy Irons...

(photo courtesy of Google.com)

When we arrived at our hotel in SoHo, there were postcards on our beds. They had brilliant little quotes on the front in bold black letters on a white background. It got us thinking about writing letters, which is something we are very fond of doing. Nothing puts a smile on our faces faster than a handwritten note from someone that was unexpected or for no reason at all. Invitations are great, birthday cards even better, but a postcard or letter means someone took the time to sit down and hand write a few thoughtful sentences to say hello. When they could have just texted.

(photo courtesy of Etsy.com)

And of course, the best postcards are little pieces of art! Fun to tack up around the office... and a cheap collectible to pick up on travels.

How sad however, that handwritten letters are a romantic thing of the past. Something your grandfather did in order to court your grandmother as teens. Yes, thank you notes are still around, especially if you live in the South, as we are proud to say. But penmanship, true cursive of the kindergarten type, is almost mythical. Nowadays its all about

Copperplate Gothic and Times New Roman. We so rarely take the time to step away from the desktop, pick up a pen, and say hello. But more than that, will the next generation write anything down at all? Will they know how to write longhand? Or will they just hit send and hope for a reply?

(photo courtesy of the Australian Post)

So here's to snail mail, we are off to write postcards!

PS,

A very cute blog we found along the way.