August 2010
Imagine the Sound of Peace
David Greenbaum: Potter turned Bell-maker
by Paula Damiano
As published in Flair Magazine
From his home studio in Shohola, PA, potter turned bell-maker David Greenbaum reflects on the curious path of an artisan’s life journey. He threw his first pot while in college – and never looked back: “I loved it. I completely lost track of time and place.” After that, David (who freely admits he’s never taken an art class) apprenticed with a potter in Rhode Island. “I lived in an attic and worked 18 hours a day,” he remembers.
The apprenticeship paid off. After 38 years, he has won countless awards and honors for his art pottery, and still loves sticking his hands in the mud and creating beautiful things. “It’s that grittiness that rang true for me from the start,” he confesses. “The organic quality of the process is so direct.” His award-winning pots fill his studio and local galleries, including the Bluestone Gallery in Milford, where David is one of the principals. But his primary focus for the past year and a half has been hand-crafted bells.
“Beautiful, gigantic ceramic bells decorated with carvings and stamped designs. Smaller bells, equally exquisite. Each with its own artistic and musical identity.” David’s eyes shine as he describes the “joyful presence” bells create. There is a mystical quality about these bells – and their creator. The tag line for his series of Shohola Bells is: Imagine the sound of peace. “That’s what bells sound like to me,” he says simply.
Although the ceramic process is the same for pots and bells, bell-making has required David to learn a number of other skills. From inventing the unique wooden ringing mechanism to building custom stands and devising the rigging needed to safely hang the larger bells, he kept experimenting. “At the beginning, I just wanted a lawn ornament,” he admits. He points out his first bell, which now hangs in front of the new home he shares with wife, painter Joann Wells Greenbaum, and their enthusiastic spaniel Fred.
David continues to modify and improve the bell ringing mechanism. The largest bells he can make are about two feet in diameter. These giants completely fill his kiln, where they’re fired at almost 2200 degrees Fahrenheit. He estimates that each bell takes about a month to create, from concept to graceful, resonant end product. “Customers seem to like them,” he modestly admits. “They sell as fast as I make them.”
Every bell has its own ring tone. David recently bought an electronic tuning fork so that he can accurately identify a finished bell’s tone, and he now includes that information with each bell he sells. “If I can create about an octave and half in bell tones, a musician friend will compose something for them.”
The bells are completely weatherproof. The glazed ceramic exterior withstands weather and seasonal temperature variations, and the wooden ringer prevents high winds from breaking the bells. All fittings are stainless steel. The sturdy stands, from which the larger bells hang, are constructed of decay-resistant cedar and heavy welded steel. The bells and stands are completely maintenance free.
“I just did a craft show and this woman asked me what I do for a living,” David remembers. “I heard myself saying, I’m a bell maker.” It’s the first time he didn’t say potter. But whatever you label him, David Greenbaum continues to create inspired, exquisite ceramics with timeless souls.
August 3rd, 2010
Professional Organizer and Author Andrew Mellen Presents “Unstuff Your Life! Kick the Clutter Habit and Completely Organize Your Life for Good” at BlueStone Gallery
Milford, PA – Professional organizer and author Andrew Mellen will be hosting a workshop and question/answer session based on his new book, “Unstuff Your Life! Kick the Clutter Habit and Completely Organize Your Life for Good,” at BlueStone Gallery in Milford, PA, on August 7th. The event will begin at 6:30pm and consists of a 30 minute low-stress workshop, where attendees will gather helpful tips and techniques from Mellen on how to get and stay organized, followed by the Q&A session.
Andrew Mellen is an author, speaker, professional organizer, and life coach who has been featured widely in the media, including O, The Oprah Magazine, Martha Stewart Living Today, and Woman’s Day, as well as on HGTV, DIY, BetterTV, and NPR. With a coast-to-coast roster of clients, he leads workshops, like the upcoming one in Milford, throughout America.
Based on the methods described in his book, Mellen’s workshop will elaborate upon his unique, lasting techniques for streamlining living and bringing order out of chaos in every situation. No matter where clutter collects, Mellen provides easy and manageable solutions to every problem. At his workshops, attendees often learn where to find a permanent home for car keys; how to sort the mail in a manageable and time-effective way; what it means to group “like with like”; how to tackle bills and budgets; effective approaches to organizing and managing email; the importance of separating “self” from “stuff”; how to problem-solve with these new skills, and much more.
The event will be held at BlueStone Gallery, a chic and modern art gallery located in Milford, PA. With an extensive collection of art by prestigious local artists such as David Greenbaum and Joyce Ellen Weinstein, BlueStone Gallery provides an inspiring and inviting atmosphere for this unique event.
For more information on Andrew Mellen, his book, workshop, or question and answer session, please email Andrew@virgoman.com.
June 20th, 2010
BlueStone Gallery Presents “Uncommon Figurations”, A New Exhibit by Artist Joyce Ellen Weinstein
Milford, PA – The BlueStone Gallery in Milford PA is proud to announce a new exhibit by nationally-recognized artist Joyce Ellen Weinstein to open July 23, 2010. Although Ms. Weinstein works in many mediums, her newest exhibit “Uncommon Figurations” focuses solely on her beautifully expressive and striking expressionistic paintings of people she has encountered throughout her life. According to gallery owner Robert Levine, “The people Joyce paints are transformed by her artistic eye into glorious painterly images that capture the essence of her subjects. Joyce is a uniquely talented artist and her show is extraordinary."
Born and raised in NYC, Joyce Ellen Weinstein recently moved to Milford, PA from Washington, D.C. She received her Masters of Fine Arts degree from the City College of New York, NY, where she also attended classes at The Art Students League of NYC. She received fellowships to work at Mishkenot Sha’ananim, Jerusalem, Israel; Blue Mountain Art Center, New York State, and a residency at Europos Parkas Museum of the Center of Europe, Vilnius, Lithuania. Ms. Weinstein’s work is known worldwide and has been added to many collections: she recently painted a mural in Prague, Czech Republic, and her works are in permanent collections in the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC; Hebrew Union Institute of Religion Museum, NYC; The Florida Holocaust Museum, FL;, Gallerie-Junge KunstWerkStart, Vienna, Austria; The Social-Cultural Center, Prague, Czech Republic; Amnesty International, and Einchen Americe, Princeton, New Jersey. Her artwork is also visible among other public and private collections.
Ms. Weinstein has also been included in various books, such as Fixing the World: Jewish American Artists of the Twentieth Century, published by the Brandies Division of New England University Press, and The Book as Art, National Museum of Women in the Arts. She has received many honors and awards and has been named a Fulbright Senior Specialist Candidate, as well as a three times finalist and one time winner of the Metro DC Dance Awards for Scenic Design.
When asked where she finds her inspiration, Ms. Weinstein said, “… in the personal and emotional as well as the interaction developed through self, family and community. Growing up as part of the ‘anything goes’ cultural atmosphere and the diversity of New York City, I accepted the larger community as part of my extended family. My works begin with myself and extend outward to include family, community, ethnicity and nationality. I continuously ask the question ‘Who am I and where am I going?’”
Ms. Weinstein’s exhibit will be on display from July 23rd through September 26, 2010. The artist’s reception will be held on July 24th. For more information on Ms. Weinstein’s exhibit or on the BlueStone Gallery, please call 1-570-296-9999 or visit their website at www.bluestonegallerymilford.com.
June 3rd, 2010
BlueStone Gallery Presents New Exhibit by Photographer Jim Wallace
Milford, PA – The BlueStone Gallery is proud to present an exhilarating new exhibit by landscape photographer Jim Wallace. From June 11th to July 18th, the gallery will display several pieces of the artist’s stunning natural photography.
Jim Wallace was born in Niagara Falls, NY and grew up with a passion for the environment. After graduating university, he taught environmental biology and outdoor education for 9 years, but in 1978, Wallace left teaching to pursue his true dream: landscape photography. Wallace says, “In teaching an awareness to the natural world, I found my own sensitivity to the natural world sharpened greatly.” The soft and even light, as well as the overgrown fields and woods of the local areas taught the artist a new sensitivity to texture, color, and natural designs that are expertly portrayed throughout his photography.
Wallace studied with Frank McLaughlin, who was head of the Dye Transfer process at Kodak, and Elliot Porter, a New Mexican landscape photographer, although he says much of his formal training has been “primarily hands on, a process of learning from my own mistakes and trying to understand more about the powers of perception and visualization.” Currently, the artist continues to travel into the wild depths of the American landscape and explore the possibilities of photographic print.
Jim Wallace’s show “Landscape Photographs” will run from June 11th to July 18th, 2010, with an artist’s reception Saturday, June 12th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. “Don’t miss this one. Experiencing Jim’s other worldly images will change the way you perceive landscape and see the natural world. His work is truly extraordinary,” says BlueStone Gallery owner Bob Levine.
For more information on Bluestone Gallery or Jim Wallace visit them online at www.bluestonegallerymilford.com or call 570-296-9999.
BlueStone Gallery is located at 104 East Ann Street in Milford and is open Friday through Sunday each week from 11:00 through 6:00 pm.
April 20, 2010
Fiber Landscape Artists Ann Brauer and Karen Henderson exhibit at the Bluestone Gallery
Milford, PA - The Bluestone Gallery’s is pleased to announce their latest exhibition titled “A Sense of Place,” by fiber landscape artists Ann Brauer and Karen Henderson.
Ann Brauer grew up on a farm in Illinois, where she watched her grandmother create beautiful traditional quilts; the last quilt she made was a postage stamp quilt for her granddaughter Ann who slept under the quilt for many years marveling at the detail and care. Although she loved to sew, Ann never felt she could make a quilt. Instead she used her desire to find order form the mixture of life and became an attorney. Eventually Brauer rediscovered her love of fabric and began to make quilts. Twenty eight years ago she moved from Boston to western Massachusetts and began supporting herself as a full time quilt maker.
Each quilt is a new adventure that starts with a name and concept. It can take years to go from the concept to figuring out how to achieve the overall effects she is seeking, while retaining the same care and attention to detail that she learned from her grandmother.
Her work can be seen in numerous public and private collections including the American Museum of Art + Design, the Lodge at Turning Stone and the Federal District Courthouse in Springfield, MA. In 2006 she received the Award of Excellence from the American Craft Council at the Baltimore Craft Show. She has also received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and Massachusetts Artist Foundation.
Karen Henderson began her artistic life growing up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Studying fine arts with an emphasis on printmaking and focusing on batik. After studying weaving and print design at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia, Karen became immersed in the study of textiles. Karen worked as a textile designer in the wallpaper industry, while in her spare time pursuing her personal artwork in fabric collage. She ran the Peter’s Valley NJ craft center’s fiber department for a few years; while getting back to a more serious studio practice. Karen now lives in the beautiful Green Mountain State of Vermont.
Her work has been shown in high-end craft shows, galleries and both National and International exhibits. Her work has also been published in The Guild Sourcebook of Residential Arts #6 and in Fiberarts, Surface Design Journal and Selvedge magazines.
“ The brilliantly colored abstract landscapes of Karen’s weavings and Ann’s quilts must be seen. They are like rays of sunshine on a dreary day,” says BlueStone Gallery owner Bob Levine.
Artists Ann Brauer and Karen Henderson’s show “A Sense of Place” will run from April 30th through June 6th, 2010, with an artist’s reception Saturday, May 1st from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.
For more information on Bluestone Gallery or artists Ann Brauer and Karen Henderson visit them online at www.bluestonegallerymilford.com or call 570-296-9999.
BlueStone Gallery is located at 104 East Ann Street in Milford and is open Friday through Sunday each week from 11:00 through 6:00 pm.March 12, 2010
Bluestone Gallery announces an exhibition of “Personal Language” by local artist James Sheehan
Milford, PA- The Bluestone Gallery announces a exhibition by local artist James Sheehan. Sheehan’s work can usually be seen gracing the pages of “The Milford Journal”. As art director he carefully selects images and words to bring the pages to life. As a fine artist Jimmy, as everyone knows him, draws on both personal expression and iconic imagery borrowed from ancient civilizations to accentuate the classical aesthetics of his paintings. His paintings are often archetypal, a expressive face, drawn using simple lines and circles, figurative pieces that incorporate elements of abstraction, but create a unique expression.
Sheehan was born and raised in upstate New York and moved to New York City at the age of 20 to study at the School of Visual Arts. He currently lives in Milford, Pennsylvania, where he is an art director and designer; he also teaches at the School of Visual Arts. He has had numerous solo and group exhibitions over the past decade in New York City and has been the subject of a documentary “Trusting the Struggle” produced and directed by Libba Marrian.
“Originality comes from a place we haven’t been before. Movement of any kind is positive. When I stop creating, life seems harder. Being like water isn’t easy, but it is possible. That feeling I get when I know I’ve let go, to see where the flow will take me… aaaaahhh… a breath of fresh. To be appreciated all the time. Giving thanks for moments so far, as well as ones to follow. Breaking free from fear to discover a place of rarity. Constant reminders of love help. Family matters. Boundlessness matters. Never forget to deeply breathe the feeling of life. Give back to keep the cycle moving, says James Sheehan.
“Jimmy is a significant emerging artistic whose unique personal style continues to develop and grow. His work is a must see! This show is a wonderful opportunity to experience an increasingly important young artist. We are honored to have him at the Bluestone,” said gallery owner Robert Levine.
The BlueStone Gallery features a unique collection of fine and functional art and has already become a center for intimate cultural events in Milford.
Sheehan’s show entitled “Personal Language will run from March 26 through April 25th, 2010, with an artist’s reception Saturday, March 27 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.
For more information on Bluestone Gallery or James Sheehan visit them online at www.bluestonegallerymilford.com or call 570-296-9999.
BlueStone Gallery is located at 104 East Ann Street in Milford and is open Friday through Sunday each week from 11:00 through 6:00 pm.
January 22, 2010
Bluestone Gallery Artist David Greenbaum Wins Best Local Artist for 2009 in Annual River Reporter “Best of” Contest
Milford, PA- David Greenbaum has been awarded the 2009 Best Local Artist Award by the readers of The River Reporter for his well known classic burnished pottery as well as his beautiful Shohola Bells which were introduced this year. These bells, all individually-made, are renowned for their resonant, meditating sounds and graceful, restrained aesthetics.The inspiration behind these hand-molded Shohola Bell comes from the heart of their creator. Each bell can be made in a variety of forms, scales, and colorations depending on the buyer’s vision. These bells can withstand the brutal northern winters without maintenance, yet still produce melodious notes in light wind. Their popularity among the locals of Wayne, Pike, Sullivan, and Orange Counties have awarded David Greenbaum the 2009 Best Local Artist award in the annual River Reporter’s “Best Of” Competition.
For the last fourteen years, The River Reporter’s “Best Of” Competition has polled consumers in Pike, Wayne, Sullivan, and Orange Counties for their favorite local businesses and talents. Ballots are posted in the newspaper, phone books, supplements, and on the website, and thousands of responses are returned. In 2009, consumers chose David Greenbaum and his unique, stunning pottery as their favorite local artist.
David Greenbaum has been working in pottery for thirty-seven years. He prefers the classic form concepts that have been explored by potters for thousands of years and spends a great deal of time perfecting the craftsmanship of his carving and finishing. He uses handmade carving tools, such as looped guitar strings, to leave precise impressions in his clay. He also relies solely on his experience and talent to produce the perfectly spaced, repeating patterns found on much of his pottery.
For more information on Bluestone Gallery or David Greenbaum visit them online at www.bluestonegallerymilford.com or call 570-296-9999.
BlueStone Gallery is located at 104 East Ann Street in Milford and is open Friday through Sunday each week from 11:00 through 6:00 pm.
November 20th, 2009
BlueStone Gallery Presents a One Day Only Holiday Trunk Show and Sale by Wearable Artist Robin Lennon
Milford, PA – “The Sunday after Black Friday seemed like the right day to provide a special reason for people to come into BlueStone for some unique holiday shopping,” says Bob Levine, owner and co-curator of the Ann Street gallery. “Robin Lennon’s one-of-a-kind fashion accessories are a good fit with what we’re about. The manner in which she combines textures and colors in her jackets and accessories reflect her training in painting and sculpture – the results are extraordinary and affordable.”
The trunk show at BlueStone Gallery, 104 East Ann Street, will be from noon to 4:00 pm on Sunday, November 29. Lennon will be on hand with her jackets, scarves, wraps, bags and hats at special Milford prices.
“I design each piece as if I already know who it’s for – I just haven’t met them yet”, says Lennon. “My Inner Designs store in Newton, NJ has attracted customers from the Milford area and I’m delighted to have this chance to be in their neighborhood, in a setting as exciting as BlueStone, to broaden my audience and offer great holiday prices,” she added.
Her shop is also her design studio containing thousands of yards of fabrics, trims, laces and feathers from which she assembles her work, as well as providing interior design color services.
Since opening last winter, BlueStone Gallery has garnered a reputation for excellence with shows of works by more than a dozen esteemed, nationally and internationally known Pike County and Hudson Valley artist. “Generations”, a new show combining the works of both Adam & Michael Lowenbein, runs from November 20 through January 15.
November 6th, 2009
Bluestone Gallery to exhibit the works of Adam and Michael Lowenbein
Milford, PA – The Bluestone Gallery is delighted to exhibit new works by solo artist Adam Lowenbein, along with work of his late father Michael Lowenbein. The unique exhibit titled “Generations” is a composite of works from each artist.
“My father Michael painted the people, places and things he lived. He painted only what he believed was essential in a picture,” said Adam Lowenbein. “My work is a more contemplative experience and employs natural imagery such as birds, foliage and landscape as will as unnatural images that appear through free association. I endeavor to create a resonant moment out of chaos – a kind of meditative escape.”
Adam, who lives and works in New York City (NYC) and Pond Eddy, NY, uses inspiration from both regions to create his art. Lowenbein studied painting from a young age, attending private classes along with his father in NYC. Adam’s award winning work has been featured many times in American Illustration, and he has had work published in The New Yorker and The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine. Most recently, he has contributed to Dreams and Possibilities, a work by Praxis at The Whitney Museum of American Art.
Michael, who was born in New York, began painting at the age of ten by copying the work of old masters; he went on to graduate from Pratt Institute. For many years Michael combined his painting with a successful career in commercial art. His work as an illustrator appeared on the covers of Reader's Digest and other magazines, in various children's books and national advertisements for major corporations.For the past ten years he concentrated on his painting, accepting commissions and exhibiting in regional galleries and shows. His portraits and paintings hang in private collections in New York, California, Maryland and Connecticut.
The exhibition will run from November 20th through January 15th 2010, with the artist reception on Saturday November 21st from 6-9pm.
BlueStone Gallery is located at 104 East Ann Street in Milford and is open Friday through Sunday each week from 11:00 through 6:00 pm.
October 13, 2009
Bluestone Gallery celebrates successful opening with collage artist
Jonathan Talbot
Milford PA – BlueStone Gallery recently celebrated the opening of its latest gallery exhibit with Warwick based collage artist Jonathan Talbot. Over 100 people turned out to meet the artist, view the exhibit and enjoy the event. Talbot has exhibited in Europe, India, New Zealand and in galleries and museums through America, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His work is represented in museum collections in the U.S and Europe and in many other public and private collections worldwide.
The BlueStone Gallery features a unique collection of fine and functional art and has already become a center for intimate cultural events in Milford.
Talbot’s show entitled “Circumstantial Evidence: Collage Paintings” runs through November 8, 2009.
BlueStone Gallery is located at l04 East Ann Street in Milford and is open Friday through Sunday each week from 11:00am through 6:00 pm.
September 17, 2009
Major Exhibition of Work by Nationally Recognized Collage Artist Jonathan Talbot
The BlueStone Gallery announces a major exhibition of work by Warwick based collage artist Jonathan Talbot to open on September 25th. Talbot has exhibited in Europe, India, New Zealand and in galleries and museums throughout America, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His work is represented in museum collections in the U.S and Europe and in many other public and private collections worldwide.
Talbot paints with diverse materials - his Collages utilize paint, antique papers, maps, letters, sheet music, foil, images from old books and whatever else his imagination calls upon to create unique integrated paintings with a rich glazed patina. His work is sophisticated, surprising, beautiful and remarkably accessible.
"It is a great honor to have Jonathan Talbot join the amazing group of talented artists who have chosen to become part of the BlueStone community" said gallery owner Robert Levine. The BlueStone Gallery features a unique collection of fine and functional art and has already become a center for intimate cultural events in Milford.
Talbot's show entitled "Circumstantial Evidence: Collage Paintings" runs from September 25 through November 8, 2009, with an artist's reception Friday, September 25 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm.
BlueStone Gallery is located at 104 East Ann Street in Milford and is open Friday through Sunday each week from 11:00 through 6:00 pm.
August 2009
Living Art
A Colorful Story in Black and White
by James Bridge
Reprinted exclusively for The BlueStone Gallery with permission from The Milford Journal, Copyright 2010
The Fouts-Gilkes story is a colorful one, often in black and white.
A bluish glint flickers from the black and white television at the rear of Joe and Louise Fouts’ The Variety Show store at 29-31 Front Street. The vintage set plays episodes of “I Love Lucy” throughout the day. The black and white undercurrent of the lives of Joe Fouts and Louise Gilkes also took them to the famed Chiaroscuro Fashion Shop, a store that features garments that are either white, or black, or black and white. Even the cover of a vinyl album, Blue, an Andre Previn’s orchestral study in the blues that you could see at their store, is essentially dominated by a black woman gracefully posing, with pearls in her hair and swathed in a white cotton sheet.
The black woman in white is none other than Louise Gilkes herself.
Joe Fouts and Louise Gilkes (pronounced jilks) have long been at the center of the fashion industry, but recently they have taken antiques and curios to an entirely different plane. They create fashionable period-wear with period fabric. Hats, gowns, dresses, all resurrected in the style and feel of the time the fabric was created. This is just another sharp innovation of this talented pair, who once upon a time were breaking social taboos and making fashion
waves in the heart of New York City.
Forty years ago, the young not-black, Virginia Beach native
Joe Fouts, an artist studying and teaching at the Pratt Institute in New York City, and Brooklynite Louise Gilkes, the dancer, fell in love and into a lifetime of cutting edge fashion with fresh ideas and innovation that intertwined their lives.
Their first big splash was in the wake of the Academy Award winning film, Tom Jones (1963, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Music, and Best Writing/Screenplayfrom another medium). Joe and Louise produced a line of shirts with the same flouncy sleeves worn by Albert Finney as Tom Jones. This fashion clad an international generation of performers, artists and hippies. Michael Meyers made sure that his Austin Powers character wore that style, too, in his movies that were both send-ups of and homages to the 1960s.
After Louise and Joe had seen Tom Jones, Louise made a shirt for Joe out of a panel of drapery. At the same time, they had been trying to get fashion heavyweight Henri Bendel to see their creations. Bendel’s chief buyer, Jean Rosenberg, wouldn’t take Louise’s calls—more than 40 of them. “I said to Joe, ‘I don’t care what she says. I’m going to Henri Bendel.” Once Louise forced her way in and stood opposite Rosenberg, the woman was impressed with Louise’s brashness. “She said, ‘If you have nerve, I have nerve,’ ” Louise recounted, and Rosenberg and her staff descended upon the Fouts’ Bowery studio, where Louise, sisters Ann Murrell and Clara, and brother Victor Gilkes and of course Joe helped feed the fashion world with bleeding edge creations.
Joe and Louise had prepared a line of hats to show the buyers. Joe said Jean kept looking at him. Finally, she said, “I love the hat, but I love even more your shirt!”
“That,” Louise said, “was the beginning of our marriage
to the fashion world.” The first year they were contracted for 5,000 shirts, and their line of evening wear would land simultaneously in the windows of Henri Bendel, I. Miller, Lord & Taylor, Bonwit Teller, and Bloomingdale’s. “We translated that Tom Jones shirt into silk organza. We ended up in the windows of all five stores with our silk and organza evening wear,” Joe said. These displays were of mannequins wearing their signature shirts atop chrome motorcycles, with layer upon layer of color upon black, a nuanced rainbow
of hue and contrast.
They also had some impressive press clippings. “We had four pages in Vogue magazine,” Joe said, featuring a line of Greek-styled garments, thanks to the backing of then Editor in Chief Catherine de Montezemlo.
Now, they weave antiques into art, and interweave art into nouvelle antiques in a blend of artistic expression that has deep roots in that posh ‘60s fashion world of Manhattan. The Fouts have built a new kind of art, one that reaches back across the years and produces period piecework made from corresponding period fabric. They have made gowns and hats from the 1890s and up.
Their period fashion in period fabric idea had its genesis
during an association with world-renowned tie maker, Countess Mara. Joe asked Senior Vice President Peter Juruka a fundamental question: “ ‘What do you do with the silk when you cut your ties?’ I asked. I got six boxes, this high,” Joe motioned a hand about a yard or more high, “full of Italian silk,” in every possible color and pattern.
Those ties were exclusive, and that silk was precious. Some Countess Mara ties sold at $5,000.
Joe and Louise began making
patchwork vests, jackets and hats out of the material.
Not long after their creations
were seen in the early 1990s, Saks gave them a window in its Fifth Avenue store, as did Countess Mara at its Park Avenue location. Joe and Louise were a hit again. Now, they recognized the need to find the stuff that was making their dreams come true.
“Louise and I always loved hunting fabric, and silk. It was the end of the bolt, or three yards of that, 10 yards of that. We saved all that stuff,” Joe said.
Louise concurred. “I love salvaging things, recycling things,” she said. That impulse was born of necessity, because,
like almost everyone starting out in fashion or art, they were broke. “We had no capital when we started our business,” she said.
Louise was used to making things with her hands. Her father, Edwin Gilkes from British Guyana, and her mother
Ivey Boyce of Barbados, West Indies, were old school, not wealthy and worked hard to provide for their eight children. Louise learned to make do with what she had. Once while in high school she wanted knee-high socks, so she pulled apart a sweater and made them herself.
As she made her way into the world of dance, into the famous
African dance troupe of Pearl Primus, she was soon given more responsibilities upon the heaping hours of practice. Primus had noticed something about Louise.
“I used to come in with different outfits on. When Pearl learned I could sew, she put me in charge of costumes and models. We all learned how to sew,” Louise said.
She learned much at Primus’ side. But Primus was an exacting
mistress. “Nobody was as tough as her. You worked nine to nine every day, and weekends. One of my boyfriends
at that time threatened to kill her!” she laughed.
Louise once noticed the time on a clock on a building across the way, and told Primus that it was quitting time. Primus looked her over, and then excused everyone but Louise. When they were gone she told Louise to stay and to keep practicing for three more hours.
“I never reminded her of the time again,” Louise said.
Louise and Joe met in 1963. Joe was an art student at the Pratt Institute. “They hired Louise to do a demonstration for the drawing class I was in,” Joe said. He was smitten. “Would you like me to get you lunch?” Joe ventured after one demonstration.
Louise accepted, and was enchanted, too.
“He invited me to his place, and I remember what he served me: toast, a hard-boiled egg, and some juice.” Their bond deepened when Louise asked Joe if he knew anyone who wanted to take the vacant studio
apartment she had for rent.
After a couple of days, Joe said to her, “You have a new tenant.”
“Who?” she said.
“Me,” he answered.
Soon they were in love and living together.
Not that there wasn’t drama. Joe’s mother sent someone to investigate whom he was living with. Louise’s father, Edwin, wasn’t pleased, initially. One day he was improving Louise’s dwelling by painting, and there stood Joe before him. Joe’s presence was like the proverbial elephant in the room.
“My father was in my apartment painting, and Joe came up to him and said, ‘I am marrying Louise,’ ” she recounted.
But the guess-who’s-coming-to-dinner moment was so tense, that soft-spoken Joe was fairly loud in his pronouncement
of intent. Edwin looked at him and said, “Why the hell are you shouting at me?”
The ice was broken The families came together, and the tension of the black and white union ebbed as they all got to know each other. During the wedding, though, Joe noticed the wedding cake had white figurines.
“I’ll be right back,” he told the gathering at their studio,
and got his palette and brush. “I came back with brown paint, and painted the lady brown.”
Their love helped them overcome setbacks, like missing out on an opportunity to trademark an innovation in knitting needles, that someone else snatched away from them. Or suffering the loss of business due to cheap knock-offs from unscrupulous manufacturers.
The Fouts’ flare and verve have survived the hectic, way-too-much-work-in-a-day world of art and fashion. They’ve retreated from the hot center of New York City, where ideas and prototypes are constantly stolen,
where artists and visionaries had better take care to protect with copyrights and contracts those wonderful things they do.
A black woman and a white man joined their lives together
in the groundbreaking, earth-rattling days of 1960s change and fashion. They dressed us through the years with color and zest. Their path was rough and exhausting, rich with success and shaken with disappointments and hardship. But they embrace the bright side of life.
“We’ve always managed to be positive, no matter what the circumstances,” Louise said.
Looking at them both, sitting together, smiling to each other and at me as they recounted their ups and downs and we laughed, and groaned, I knew what it was that brought them here to Port Jervis intact through it all.
It was love.
MilfordJournal.com, August 2009
Autumn 2009
Arts and Minds
A New York City attorney realizes his vision to create a regional gallery intimately tied to the Milford, Pa. community
by Lyn Greene
An art gallery is, in itself, a work of art: an assembly of elements that strives to create a meaningful presence where
before there was none. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't. It seems to be working at BlueStone Gallery, a new art space in Milford, Pa.
New York City intellectual property attorney Bob Levine, a 35-year part-time resident of Milford whose practice includes representation of many artists, had a vision of creating
a uniquely regional gallery that would be intimately tied to the local community. The place he pictured would not
only display and sell curated works by area fine artists but would also serve as a lively cultural arena in a town that was
becoming ever more sophisticated in its sensibilities.
"Milford has a community of very interesting people," Levine says. "Every time my wife and I came here for a party or a dinner, we'd find
people we were interested in knowing. I thought this would be a wonderful way for me to become part of the community, a way to enrich
my life while enriching their lives."
Levine had the means to achieve his end, but what he needed was the medium. "Two things were essential," he says. "The first as finding
a partner who could operate the gallery and who had a sensibility compatible with mine. And the second was finding the right location."
That's where kismet came in. True to his local focus, Levine ran a half-page ad in a Milford newspaper describing the partnership opportunity,
and lo-and-behold, David Greenbaum appeared. "His wife saw this ad from 'some shyster lawyer,' " Levine says with a laugh, "and she said, 'Write him a letter.' "
Greenbaum, an accomplished ceramic artist who had relocated to Milford several years before, was a perfect fit
. And for Greenbaum and wife Joanne, both artists who had been pondering their future in Milford, the opportunity
came along "at a ridiculously wonderful juncture in our lives," he says. Next thing you know, Levine and Greenbaum were scouting spaces, hoping to find an appropriately central location for their cultural center.
Et voilá! There it was: a rundown, grungy, 2,000 square-foot disaster of a space in a historic building smack in the middle of Milford. "You didn't even want to walk in there without a respirator," Greenbaum jokes.
Nevertheless, it was perfect. Seven months of down-to-the-studs renovation later, the partners had a pristine new venue for their vision, three rooms laid out to accommodate not only artwork but also gatherings for events, including performances, speakers, benefits and parties.
Of course, it's mostly about the art. "The major criterion is that we like it," Levine admits, and words like "brilliant," "genius," and "extraordinary" pepper his speech as he walks from room to room, showing works that range from Greenbaum's pottery to paintings, collages, wood turnings and even wearable art. "Art is about any medium that allows a person to express themselves," Levine says, an idea well demonstrated by Levine, Greenbaum and BlueStone itself.
Our House Magazine, Autumn 2009
August 3rd, 2009
Ted Orlin discusses issues of Domestic Violence at BlueStone Gallery
Milford, PA – On Friday, August 14, 2009 from 6:00PM – 8:00PM Ted Orlin will be discussing the issues of Violence Against Women at the BlueStone Gallery located at 104 East Ann Street in Milford, PA. Tickets are being sold for $15.00 and are available at Safe Haven (500 West Harford Street in Milford) or at the BlueStone Gallery. Seating is limited, so please purchase your tickets in advance.
Attending this lecture will count towards PCADV's continuing education requirement for active certified volunteers! It's a new fiscal year, so this would be a great way to get a head start on the requirement!
About Theodore (Ted) Orlin
Theodore (Ted) Orlin, J.D., is the Clark Professor of Human Rights Scholarship and Advocacy at Utica College (founded by Syracuse University) in Utica, New York. He is a founder and Director of the Human Rights Advocacy Program (HRAP). As an international human rights lawyer he has worked extensively as a trainer, consultant and advocate in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa. He has been a Fulbright Professor at the Institute for Human Rights. He has been the Senior Human Rights Consultant for the Finnish Institute for Human Rights Project in Kosovo and was lead lawyer for the International Human Rights Law Group mission to Romania in 1992.
He has written, edited and contributed to a number of human rights books including “The Comparative Jurisprudence of Human Rights Law” (Orlin, Rosas, Scheinin) and the UNESCO Albanian/English Human Rights Glossary. He has contributed chapters to three books on the internationality legality of the death penalty, including a chapter in a 2001 Taiwanese book entitled “The Burdens of the Death Penalty.” In 2004 he delivered the paper “Violence Against Women” in Amritsar, India, which has been published in India and elsewhere. He has taught at The Institute for Human Rights in Abo, Finland and lectured at other universities in Europe and North America. He has authored and led the effort to draft a human rights glossary in Chinese/English. He has contributed to the Oxford University Press Encyclopedia on Human Rights and has published a chapter on minority linguistic rights in Europe (2009).
He was elected President of the International Human Rights Education Consortium. The Secretariat of the IHREC is now housed in Utica College and is currently conducting human rights training programs in Europe, India, Sri Lanka and elsewhere. We are honored to have such an individual educate us as we work toward promoting domestic peace in our community and beyond.
Safe Haven is pleased to introduce Ted Orlin on Friday, August 14 from 6PM – 8PM at the BlueStone Gallery for this most informative lecture. We encourage you to attend, reserve now, seats are limited.
BlueStone Gallery is located at 104 East Ann Street in Milford and is open Thursday and Friday 11am – 6pm, Saturday 11am to 8pm and Sunday 11am to 6pm.
June 23rd, 2009
BLUESTONE GALLERY PRESENTS ITS FIRST MAJOR SHOW WITH WORK BY ARTIST LAURIE MASON GODDARD
Milford PA – The BlueStone Gallery announces its first major exhibition since its opening at the beginning of 2009. BlueStone will exhibit the work of Laurie Mason Goddard, a nationally known artist exhibiting in the Hudson Valley for the first time, in a show entitled Lyrical Abstractions. Goddard’s paintings are contemporary abstract landscapes created with smooth layers of glazes and colors that reflect her time spent in Italy, Japan and western Massachusetts. She is influenced by the great modernists and abstract expressionists.
“It is a great privilege to have Laurie Goddard join the amazing group of talented artists who are already part of the BlueStone Community” said gallery owner Robert Levine.
BlueStone Gallery features a unique collection of fine and functional art and has already become a center for intimate cultural events in Milford.
Lyrical Abstractions will run from July 3 through August 16, 2009, with an artist’s reception Friday, July 3rd, from 5:00 to 9:00 pm.
BlueStone Gallery is located at 104 East Ann Street in Milford and is open Friday through Sunday each week from 11:00 through 6:00 pm.
Milford Journal, April 2009
Santa Fe, Milford, Druids of Stonehenge...and a Brown Couch
BlueStone Gallery: Art for Sale & Soul
Written by James A. Bridge
Reprinted exclusively for The BlueStone Gallery with permission from The Milford Journal, Copyright 2010
The BlueStone art gallery on Ann Street is of the Delaware River uplands.
The signature geology of the tall sentinel cliffs before and after town inspired its name. The art on display is crafted by local talent, and its windows see the top of the “Knob" that peers over Harford Street and down the length of Broad Street.
There is more to the BlueStone, though, than local roots and locale. Founder Bob Levine drew inspiration from far-off places, like Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Stonehenge, England.
“Blue stone is from the geology of the indigenous stone, but it is also the stone that Stonehenge is made of,” he said, with a glint in his eye that betrayed a hint of the mysticism that hangs around the world of art and spirit like the morning fog that lines the rocks of Milford.
While Mr. Levine—a high-powered Manhattan Intellectual Property attorney whose clients are actors, writers, and directors from the arts and entertainment community—confesses a fascination for the Druids and of Stonehenge, the formula for the BlueStone Gallery is ultimately not about mysteries.
His plan is to put on display in a homey setting fine art from local talent—art that has something extra in it.
“We're looking for things that just have an edge to them,” he said. He pointed at work from Mauro Giufridda. “He’s really good. Look at the complexity.” We walked to Anthony Ballatore’s art. “They could be in a museum.” Past David Greenbaum’s striated, pottery and Harvey Fein’s renowned turned wood; past John Tomlinson’s nudes with that great classic feel; past Jimmy Sheehan’s haunting grey-white-black figures evocative of Picasso; to Lisa Strier’s textured art that sport rich color and humor; and finally to Joe and Louise Fouts living art jackets, hats and other clothing made from period fabric in period style. BlueStone Gallery is all about art, or better said, mostly about art.
There is that funky brown couch.
“We wanted a sofa that makes you want to sit in it,” he said, leaning back in the golden-brown leather couch with its dull brass studs that line the back and bottom, and swirl up from the floor up on the armrest’s front sides. “We wanted this to be welcoming, a homey place. Have a cup of coffee, or something.”
The “we’s” of the BlueStone Gallery are three people: Mr. Levine, a silent partner and friend of his of many years, and the BlueStone Gallery’s manager, renowned potter David Greenbaum, whose work is also on display.
Music spices the open, bright, well-lighted space along with a whiff of fresh-brewed coffee. At the time of this interview songs by Eliza Gilyson played silky, soft and easy, with a wash of sultry sound that offered a counterpoint to the bright but chill sub 20° Fahrenheit Saturday afternoon that pressed against the windows and found its way in with shoppers and visiting friends. All of this put together forms a calculated and warm ambiance, that has its origins for Mr. Levine in the mountainous southwest of the United States.
Mr. Levine is no stranger to art. He was drawn to the tapestries and weaving of Navajo Indians in a time in his life when New Mexico was a second home. “I have collected Navajo weavings, which at their best are like the best abstract impressionist paintings—with soul.” He talked of the circle of their craft, from raising the sheep, to shearing the sheep, carding the wool, eventually weaving and bringing to it abstract shape and color that, sometimes, achieves brilliance.
“They are all the same shapes, but some soar,” he said.
Levine reflected about his time in the desert, about horseback riding and the monumental vistas of New Mexico. “I love riding horses across the desert, riding across the infinite desert and the plateaus that haven’t changed for millions of years.”
There in New Mexico he found the place that is at the core of what BlueStone’s experience is.
“The concept comes from a gallery in Santa Fe: The Streets of Taos, Hilda Street. She’d be sitting there in her leather chair, a fire going in the fireplace,” he said. “She would welcome visitors in, to just really hang out. Very easy-going, but set a tone in town and became a fixture.
“It was an interesting way to run a gallery,” Mr. Levine said.
Mr. Levine graduated from Cornell in 1960, Harvard Law in 1963, and then studied at the London School of Economics on a Harvard Fellowship. His life is law, but many of his clients are involved in art or entertainment. His wife of 41 years, Suzanne Braun Levine, was the first editor of Ms. Magazine, and is the author of the just-released Fifty Is the New Fifty. While he lives a professional life of law, he is surrounded by art. “I don’t make art. But I've been told that my life is somewhat art. I have created my own living environment.”
Introduced to the area by Sean Strub, local businessman and coowner of the Hotel Fauchere, Mr. Levine said he was struck by the number of talented artists he came across who toil in relative anonymity. “The remarkable thing was, none of them had met the others!”
Levine has a distinct idea for his audience and patrons. “We’re trying to develop a kind of a BlueStone community,” he said. The vision was planned down to the exact place and the exact kind of person to run it.
“I have a very clear vision of what I’m doing. This isn’t haphazard. I wouldn’t have done it if I couldn’t have this space. I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t found Dave (Greenbaum). It’s part of the whole way you do a project. If you can’t put the pieces together, the project really isn’t worth doing.”
Mr. Greenbaum won the job of running the gallery as an operating partner when he responded to Levine’s advertisement in Milford’s local paper. Mr. Greenbaum is married to Joann Wells Greenbaum, who herself is an accomplished artist in pen and water color. Mr. Greenbaum attended Colgate University and Ithaca College, where he graduated in 1973. The Greenbaums have two sons, Granger, 28, and Ethan, 30, both of Brooklyn. Mr. Greenbaum is a New Jersey native, who came to the Upper Delaware River Valley five years ago after 24 years in Florida, and is pleased to be in Milford now.
“We were blessed to find Milford. Jo and I decided to move north to be in closer proximity to our parents. We were looking for a place with the natural and cultural gifts that Milford abounds with and through the suggestion of an old family friend, a real estate agent in the area, we found our home.”
Mr. Greenbaum’s signature pottery look is a striation and gloss that is captivating to the eye. He also has thrown a line of pastel pots, and is developing bell pots for ring and chime in gardens, lawns and parks.
Pottery quickly captivated him, and he threw himself into the craft. After time, though, he underwent a sea change in his perception of what his pottery could become.
“I began making pots in 1972 which excited a passion that is still alive,” he said. His path to his current work was roundabout, for in the beginning he viewed the work more as craft, and not so much as expressive art. “I knew I was an athletic potter. I had no art background. I tried many different things,” he explained. “Aesthetic notions never entered my consciousness,” he said.
The time in which he began his lifework was one of great ferment in the areas of folk craft.
“That was the beginning of the resurgence of craft in the late 60’s, a product of the social upheaval of that time. Potting, glass-blowing and conventional crafts had a resurgence at that time. How fast, how big, how many I could make—that was my initial involvement with clay.”
As Mr. Greenbaum began to achieve true mastery of the craft, he noticed other ideas confronting him. “The earlier part of my career was spent in the mastering of the material. Over time, some aesthetic decision-making crept in—analyzing form and surface. That was a real profound evolution in my artistic development.”
Mr. Greenbaum added that he throws his pots with purpose, now. “At this stage of my life, the design considerations are paramount. I’m attracted in my work to restraint, simplicity, and endurance.”
The pastel-hued pots were born of circumstance. “While building our house in Shohola (Pennsylvania) I did not have a studio with sufficient space to create the burnished work. An eight-by-ten foot garden shed served as a temporary shop. I designed a line of riotously colored functional ware that I could produce from my tiny space that also satisfied an urge to make something completely divergent from my signature designs,” he said, adding that his wife’s water color art had impacted him in this area. “No doubt the bold uninhibited colors were inspired by Joann’s work.”
Working with winter-resistant pottery brought him to the bells. “While living in Milford, I created a body of work in frost proof earthenware to decorate the yard. One experiment was the creation of a large bell. It sounded wonderful! Since then I've been intrigued with the notion of landscape sculpture and bells. Their visual and audible presence delights me. I hope to delve deeper in this direction in the future. The sculptural possibilities seem endless,” he said.
Greenbaum said that selling his creations is not always easy, but is necessary. “Parting with pieces I’m truly fond of is bittersweet. Although there is some attachment, the reality is such that I do this for a living.”
And so it is at the BlueStone Gallery, which is bedecked with the artistic fruit of men and women who create from a soulful place of inspiration, but who also hope to sell what they’ve made. Mr. Levine and Mr. Greenbaum are hopeful that this fine local art will find homes in our area. Both partners see in Milford and its surrounding neighboring communities places where such art is and will ever be in demand.
“What I see in Milford is a community at the tipping point. It is about to become a very sophisticated town. I think the fact that a lot of New York City people moving here is a good thing. So many people coming to the area that have sophisticated tastes make an art gallery with edgy art possible,” Mr. Levine said.
Mr. Greenbaum saw the BlueStone as something akin to the unique hand-crafted tapestries that Mr. Levine talked about earlier, the ones that soar.
“I hope we are adding to the rich fabric of what Milford already is,” Greenbaum concluded.
Gloria Steinem, American feminist icon, journalist, and activist, recently visited Red Square in Moscow, Russia, wearing a Joe and Louise Fouts’ hat sold exclusively through BlueStone Gallery, in Milford PA. BlueStone Gallery is open Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. through 6 p.m. T. 570-296-9999.