Jennifer, Patti, and Peggy

The Power of Now, Julie Blackmon

Oh, Happy Day, Maggie Taylor

Elvis from Arrangement in Green and Black, Aline Smithson

Pipelines 3, Michael Marshall

Introducing: Jennifer Schwartz Gallery

Jennifer Schwartz opened her gallery two years ago to serve Atlanta's growing contemporary photography community and market. A Southerner at heart, Jennifer hails from Richmond and has her BA from Colgate, and her MA from Georgia State. Prior to opening her photography gallery in 2009, Jennifer owned a successful commercial photography business for a decade.

Just last month, she relocated to 1000 Marietta Street, and happens to be directly across the parking lot from us, over on the Westside. Previously located in TULA Art Center on Bennet Street, the gallery is now a part of the Westside Arts District. Open Tuesday - Saturday, 11 - 5, Jennifer Schwartz gallery seeks to promote both emerging contemporary photographers, as well as more established artists.

Please join JSG this Friday night from 7 - 10 p.m. for the opening of Still.Life., featuring Julie Blackmon, Michael Marshall, Maggie Taylor and Aline Smithson.

(image courtesy of google.com)

Meet: Patti Smith

Author of Just Kids

If you haven't read it yet, go buy it now. A poetic memoir regaling the roller coaster ride that was life at the Chelsea Hotel in the late 60's, and early 70's, Just Kids is beautifully written. Rife with high-highs and low-lows, the rise to fame and success for Patti Smith and her love Robert Mapplethorpe, was not an easy one. At times depressing, and often enlightening, Smith takes you down the rabbit hole into another world altogether. By the end, you might feel you could call Janis Joplin or Jimi Hendrix a friend, not to mention Patti herself.

Although not a brand new release, Jeremy Irons brought this book to our attention back in March, when we were seated next to him at lunch in New York City, following a trip to the Park Avenue Armory Show. Over 'Cajun poulet' and cappuccino, he feverishly read Just Kids after finishing the crossword in the Times. As it so happened, during that trip we were in the process of reading the last few pages of our then current read, Peggy Guggenheim: Confessions of an Art Addict, and in dire need of a new book. If you are looking for a fantastic memoir about life as a relentless champion of the arts in the early 20th century, this is a MUST READ! Responsible in large part for launching Jackson Pollack's career, Peggy's life journey is fascinating, and you will not put it down.

Suggestions for our next book??

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.

What We're Reading Right Now (and can't put down...) & What's On Tap

(images courtesy of bing.com)

If you think Steve Martin is hilarious, which we unabashedly do, prepare to see a side of him you might not recognize but will be a welcome surprise. Turns out, our favorite "jerk" is also versed in the mysterious and strange ways of the art world. If you haven't heard of it, or seen it on bookshelves everywhere, Martin's An Object of Beauty, is a must read for any art lover, and/or anyone who has spent time in New York City. Chronicling the life and loves of a young woman named Lacey Yeager who is destined for great things, it is a story of the art world in the late 90's and early 2000's. Infused with humor, emotion and an educational aspect, you will not want it to end.

But, when you do finally leave Miss Yeager behind, as we soon will be forced to do, a suggestion: Confessions of an Art Addict by Peggy Guggenheim, with a forward by Gore Vidal. As an art "addict," collector, and very colorful personality, Peggy tells of her life in the center of the bohemian art world in the 20th century. Not to mention she was (briefly) married to the artist Max Ernst, and was the niece of Solomon Guggenheim. We haven't turned a page yet, but Confessions is sure to be another very exciting ride through modern art.