Brewbakers Show

  

 OK, I appeared to have lost the thumb drive with the pictures of Brewbakers Cafe, so all you get is pictures from the exhibition. If you want to see the cafe you will just have to go and enjoy the coffee and the ambiance. 

 

As I start to write this we are on approach to Rome Italy.  We have an exciting three week itinerary ahead.  The only unfortunate thing is that I will be missing the early tastes of autumn in New England.  On our ride to the airport we already saw some early color, mostly along the road and in the marshy areas.  It should be a great season and I look forward to getting back just in time to lead what is now my annual Fall Foliage Workshop, October 13 – 15.  There is still one, maybe two slots available and I expect to have at least spotty email access on the trip to accept more participants. 

 On our trip, I expect I will have little time for blogging, so I will start with a mention of my show at Keene’s Brewbakers café, which continues in my absence.  Brewbakers is one of my favorite coffee stops in Keene and it is at its tables that I write the majority of my weekly blogs. Jeff Murphy runs a place that offers just the right combination of friendly atmosphere, unobtrusive staff and excellent coffee.  I enjoy the constant flow of interesting clientele, but I’m never as distracted as I am with all the options that I have at home.  I put on my noise cancelling headphones (their music is not my first choice) and settle into the work that needs to be done.

Several times a year I get the opportunity to show my work on Brewbakers walls.  The exhibitions are quite informal, but the lighting is good, the hanging system is easy to use and there is a good flow of visitors who, while siping their lattes, are forced to stare at my work. The café is a comfortable spot to unobtrusively enjoy eavesdropping to comments about my pictures – mostly. Twelve of my pictures, which include many of my newest work, will be hanging at Brewbakers through October 10th.  Sadly, no eavesdropping this time. We won’t be getting back until late on the 11th, but my good friend Steve Hooper has agreed to take down the pictures for me.  How is “good friend” better defined than as someone who is willing to take down your show.

Come by sometime over the next couple of weeks to check out my work at Brewbakers on Main Street in Keene, New Hampshire and, while you are there, settle back with their wide range of coffees, soups and sandwiches.  Enjoy the early fall for me and I will try to find ways to post a few pictures from our tour through, Rome, Tuscany, Florence, Bologna, Lake Como and Venice. 

Bel Autunno!

Jeff Newcomer, NEPG
jeffn49@myfairpoint.net
www.partridgebrookreflections.com




Art in the Park 2017, Rain and Shine

Partially Packed for Friday Night

It is Labor Day Weekend, which means Art in the Park.  This is my one art show for the year.  The one time when I drag out my 10x10 pop-up tent and struggle to remember how I’m supposed to suspend my improvised hanging system.  

Ashuelot River Falls in the Rain

It is a long chore that is followed by hours of sitting while the multitudes wander in and out passing judgement on my work and, happily, occasionally buying some of it.

It is also the time when, instead of writing my blog, I am stuck In my tent.  So, this week, you get a short article about the  being stuck in my tent.

Aaron, My most loyal student

The annual Keene Art in the Park is organized by the Monadnock Area Artists Association and attracts a remarkably varied collection of artists from throughout New England.  Nearly 90 artists showcase a broad range of genre, including, oil, water color and pencil fine art, as well as  sculpture, and fabric art.  There was even some nice photography scattered about.

I have been participating in Art in the Park for years, primarily to show my work to my neighbors, but I also get enough sales to make the weekend financially worthwhile.  

Hanging the Art : Elegant System ?

The set-up is always a chore.  The Easy-Up pop-up tent is a marvel of engineering.  It really does pop up quickly, creating the standard 10 x 10 enclosure.  The difficult part is setting up the hanging racks that I have created from metal shelving attached vertically to wood strips.  It isn’t elegant but it was a lot less expensive than most of the fancy display systems.

Saturday, Beautiful and Busy

Everything Under Cover

Over the years I have been undeservedly luck with excellent early autumn weather.  It has generally been seasonably warm and sunny, and, most importantly, no rain.  That is until this year.  Saturday was beautifully sunny and cool, but on Sunday my luck finally ran out. 

Excitement of the Show

 Hurricane Harvey, which hammered the Texas coast, had lost most of its fury, but enough remained to anoint us with bands of rain on Sunday.  Happily the wind was gone and we were able to pull much of my work under the pop-up.  Surprisingly a few people actually came out to view the art, but much of Sunday was spent commiserating with the other poor artists as we huddled in our little tents.

Sunday, Rain and Solitude

Damp Oak Leaves on the Tent

Despite the rain, it was a successful weekend and, perhaps most importantly, I was able to get my pictures home without significant water damage.  It will take awhile to dry out the tent before I pack it away for another year.  

And tomorrow I will be hanging a show at Brewbakers coffee shop in downtown Keene.  The “Showing the Work” never ends.  And don't forget the Fall Foliage Workshop coming up October 13th -15th.  There are still a couple of spots left. 

Jeffrey Newcomer

www.partridgebrookreflections.com

603-363-8338

Burdicks Show : Great Art and Even Greater Food

Graze the Fence, Alstead, NH

Earlier this week I hung a show of New England photography at the Restaurant at Burdicks in Walpole New Hampshire. Burdicks has always been one of my favorite exhibition locations and with the holiday spirit all around it is a great time to be offering the work. Burdicks is an elegant restaurant with excellent french inspired cuisine in the heart of beautiful historic Walpole. In a previous article I explored the desirable qualities of the perfect exhibition site which includes, good lighting, a flexible hanging system and an attentive audience, and Burdicks fulfills many of theses attributes.

 


Audience

Ferrier's Touch

Restaurants that encourage relaxed dining provide an atmosphere which is conducive to looking up from the food and, at the risk of sounding pretentious, Burdicks seems to attract customers who are more likely notice and appreciate the art on the walls. I have nothing against a busy pizza parlor, but in those venues my concern is less about a beautiful display of my images and more about keeping the the pictures high enough to avoid being splattered by cheese and beer.

 






Hanging

Orchard Wall, Dublin, NH

I hate pounding nails into crumbling plaster. Burdicks has a nice hanging system that allows easy adjustment of the pictures for uniform spacing and height. From the restaurant's perspective, hanging systems such as this require an initial expense, but they are simple to install, allow neat professional displays and, perhaps most importantly, avoid the periodic need for costly repairs to the walls. I am still amazed by how many venues still allow artist to damage their walls with haphazard and insecure nails. 







Let There Be Light 
  The one problem with the Burdicks has always been the lighting. This is a common difficulty in restaurants, that try to maintain a dark romantic atmosphere illuminated by candles, and leaving the walls in murky shadow. Burdicks attracts some wonderful art to its wall. It is an important part of the decor and to hide it is a disservice to the artists as well as to the patrons (see below).  I have long argued that spots casting focused light on the walls could enhance the interest and beauty of the environment without intruding on the soft ambiance at the tables. 

Romantic Dining  Low Light of  Previous Show

Onward, Chesterfield, NH

For this show there has been an improvement in this issue. The restaurant has been recently remodeled and, at least for the holidays, sparking lights, attached to networks of branches have been suspended from the ceiling. The effect is festive and provides a modest general increase in illumination which I think may be continued after the holidays. It is improvement, but a few spots would make an amazing difference.

 








Choosing the Show

Multnomah Falls, Oregon

Selecting images for any show is always a struggle. I rely on lists from previous exhibitions to give me an idea of about how many pictures will be needed and then I bring about 50% more than seems necessary. I have displayed my work at Burdicks four or five times so I knew I needed between 12 and 14 pictures. I wanted to show only new images and it was a great opportunity to work on prints of some of my more recent work. I ended up printing 5 new pictures and framing another that had been previously matted.

Super Moon, Saybrook Lighthouse

I'm not sure that it was a clear intention, but the images are mostly of recent autumn color in our region. Two prominent exceptions are the image of the majestic full "super" moon rising behind the Saybrook Lighthouse in Old Saybrook Connecticut and the mystical Multnomah double waterfall along Oregon's Columbia River valley. I alway agonize about the pictures I have to leave out from a show, but in the end I was very pleased with selections and how they fit into the wall space. 

Giant Sugar Maple, Guilford, Vermont

Of Course It Comes Down To the Food AND the Chocolate

Burdicks Chocolates Cafe

Many of my exhibition venues turn out to be restaurants and in talking about the attributes of a great site I always come back to the food. After lauding L.A. Burdick's cuisine for lunch and dinner it would be tragic to neglect to mention the chocolate. Connected to the restaurant is L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolate. Burdick's chocolate is renowned. 

Add caption

The shop and cafe have also been remodeled and is a warm comfortable environment for a cup of coffee or a diet crunching dive into the many tempting deserts, pastries and, of course, chocolates in all sorts of configurations. It is fast becoming one of my favorite places to settle in to write. I just grab a coffee and try to find a corner to hide from the treats.

Ashuelot Floaters, Keene, NH

 

So if you are near Walpole during this month, drop by Burdicks for great food, amazing deserts, and of course, spectacular photography. The hours for the restaurant and chocolate are listed below. Both are well worth the trip 

For more pictures of Burdicks and the full show, check out the gallery on my New England Reflections web site:

Restaurant at Burdicks Show

  

 







And if you find yourself short of 2016 calendars for the holidays, the  

New England Reflections Calendar 

 is available at the Walpole Grocery, right next door.

 










Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com

Sunflowers New England Photography Show

 A Warm Refuge from the Winter Chill
After several weeks of articles about enjoying and surviving the miserable winter cold, it is time for a word about warmth, hospitality, great food and of course New England photography. Once again I am honor to present an exhibition of my images at Sunflowers Restaurant in Jaffrey, New Hampshire.



 

What Makes a Great Venue
My criteria for a great venue for my work includes bright walls with good lighting, a modern hanging system and most importantly, friendly and appreciative owners. Of course, when hanging in restaurants, the quality of the food is a critical factor. Considering all these criteria, Sunflowers Restaurant is a great place to hang out, and an even better place to hang pictures. 

Jaffrey Meeting House & Mt. Monadnock

This is the second time I've had the opportunity to show my work at Sunflowers and whether it is at the restaurant or at the Jaffrey Civic Center, I always love exhibiting in Jaffrey.  It is a beautiful small town with a strong sense of community. I love any excuse to drive down Route 124, which I continue to believe is the best road for viewing Mount Monadnock.

Misty Hay Rake, Dummerston, Vermont

Carolyn's Welcome

Sunflowers is located on Jaffrey's Main Street just North of the intersection of Routes 124 with 137 North and 202 South. It is a cozy place with great breakfasts, lunches and dinners and has considerable wall 
space open to local artists of all persuasions. Carolyn Edwards, the restaurant's owner is wonderfully friendly and accommodating, and has a true appreciation for the artists who add color and interest to her walls.



Sunflowers has a good wire hanging system which keeps the walls clean and bright. The restaurant has a surprising expanse of wall space and although I always try to bring more pictures than I expect to be able to hang, on this occasion, I needed all 18 of the images that I had loaded into the car. I have come to expect that it will take at least two or three hours to hang a major show. I never know how I will arrange the pictures until I can lay them out and match the pictures to the wall spaces and the lighting. I always try to leave a show evenly spaced and plumbed, but I know that within a day or so that the carefully balanced perfection will be lost. This time, it was especially helpful to have Susan along to provide a fresh perspective on the arrangement and to assist in adjusting and cleaning the pictures.

Bucket Line, Westmoreland, NH

Whaleback Dawn

As usual the exhibition is dominated by local scenes from all seasons, but I also included a sunrise picture of Whaleback Lighthouse off of Portsmouth and the remarkable Multnomah Falls from the Columbia River Valley in Oregon. I have posted a gallery of the images on my web site, but, in this era of electronic everything, It is easy to forget the power and depth of the printed image. If you have a chance, I would encourage you to drop by to take a look. The show will be up through March 3rd. Sunflowers is open every day except Tuesday:



Hours:

• Breakfast 7-10:30

  

  Multnomah Falls

• Lunch 11-2
• Dinner 5-8 Mon, Wed, Thurs
• Dinner 5-9 Fri & Sat
• Sunday Brunch 9-3
• MONDAY & WEDNESDAY
• BISTRO NIGHTS 5-8 pm
• MEXICAN NIGHT every 4th WED
• PRIMO FRIDAYS - PRIME RIB
• Closed Tuesdays

 

So drop by beautiful Jaffrey. Its a lovely drive, the food is great and, of course, the photography is spectacular.

• Sunflowers Show Gallery
• Sunflowers Restaurant

Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com

Hanging Art, Showing Your Work at Its Best

First I get some shameless self-promotion.

 I am excited to have a solo exhibition of my New England photography at the Jaffrey Civic Center from July 11th through August 16th. The Center is one of my favorite places to show my work. The downstairs Auditorium Gallery is spacious, well lit, and has an excellent hanging system. Most importantly, the director, Dion Owens , is a delight to work with and has a tireless commitment to supporting the arts in our region. The only challenge of showing at the Civic Center is that the galleries are enormous. Exhibitions in Jaffery are easily the biggest that I have had the opportunity to stage. Thank goodness I framed 13 new pieces for the show, since I ended up hanging all 30 of the pictures that I jammed into my car. Jaffrey is a bit out of the way but the Center is one of the best places to enjoy art in the region and the getting there from Keene leads you down Route 124, which is my favorite scenic road around Mount Monadnock. Come by if you are in the area. The Civic Center is open Tuesdays 10 to 6, Wednesday through. Friday from 1 to 5 and Saturday from 10 to 2 . It is located on Route 124 just west of the town center and almost across the street from Sunflowers Restaurant, an excellent place for lunch or dinner. For more information and directions check out the Jaffrey Civic Center web site, you may even notice some of my pictures scattered through the pages.



 

 Hanging Art
Enough advertising!  As I Assembled the Jaffrey show, I realized that in my long stated effort to "show the work", I have displayed my photographs in nearly 50 solo shows and group exhibitions. Hanging a show requires considerable effort and care both to display the work to best advantage and to protect the pictures from damage. Over the years I have dropped, bumped and scraped pictures leading to broken glass and scratched frames as well as dislodging dust to float in the frame. Through painful experience I have developed a system to simplify the process and reduce the risk of damage to the work. This includes a simplified approach to packing and transporting the images as well as a tool box of resources that make the hanging easier and more precise.

 
Packaging

Life-Time Supply of Corrugated

For years I have used the same plastic bins to transport and store my pictures. I struggled with various materials to protect the images as they bounced around in the bins, but I have finally settled on wrapping each frame in a sheet of corrugated cardboard. I bought a massive roll of the material and have cut sheets that completely unfold the work. There are many different materials to use to protect your work during transportation and storage, but I have found this approach to be simple, economical and effective. I use foam and bubble wrap to stabilize the load when the bins are not tightly filled. When fully loaded the bins can become quite heavy, but my newest container has rollers which makes transport much easier.

The Wrap

The Bins

How's It Hanging?
Over the years I have assembled a collection of tools that make the hanging process much simpler, but he greatest difficulty is that

Wire Hanging System

venues have a wide variety of hanging systems or, all too often, no system at all. I especially hate contributing to the carnage by pound nails into sadly scarred walls. The background looks terrible and the security of the work, suspended from the crumbling plaster, is often quite tenuous. Happily many of my host are learning that the investment in a hanging system is much less expensive than regular wall reconstruction (Are you listening Kristin's Bakery ?). The Jaffrey Civic Center has an excellent system of wire hangers suspended from a simple clean molding on the wall. This is my favorite approach and it is what I use in my own gallery at home. It allows infinite flexibility to adjust both position and height and the walls stay undamaged and clean.

 

My Hanging Toolbox
The contents of my hanging toolbox has expanded over the years as I have attempted to be prepared for all the possible challenges of different venues.  Given  all the possible scenarios, I recently had to get a bigger box.






What's in the Box

It will NEVER be this clean again

Let's start with the basics, a hammer, screw drivers, wire cutters, needle nose pliers, hanging wire, and various hooks. I have a collection of round and flat S hooks to attach to moldings or wires.  I know that, if I want to be invited back to a gallery, I have to take every precaution to leave the walls undamaged. I use a special hanging putty, called UHU Tac, to attach show lists and other information to the walls without stripping the paint upon removal.   This product attaches easily, is reusable, and is available at most framing stores. Similarly I use painter's tape to stabilize excess wires without causing damage (thanks to Dion for this tip).

Other key elements include a level and measuring implements. I have a tape measure to evenly position the pictures, but for final alignment and especially to adjust the height of the frames, I find it is easier to use a rigid yard stick.  A small foot stool occasionally comes in handy when hooks are especially high.  When I have the flexibility, " I like to arrange the pictures at average eye level and with their bases all at the same height. This is almost impossible to do when I must pound hangers into the walls and in those situations I will often purposefully stagger the picture at different heights. It looks better than having the pictures all slightly out of alignment.  Finally, before I level the pictures I do a detailed inspection and clean smudged glass with ammonia free glass cleaner on a lint free cloth.  I never spray the cleaner directly on the glass since it has a tendency to flow into the frame and contaminate the mat.

 




Labeling 

Show List

For a few early years, I attached separate labels to the wall next to each image, but this proved to be a hassle with labels falling off and stripping the paint or wall paper. Now I wait until the show is hung and then prepare a single, ordered list of the works to post with the exhibition. I identify the pictures with numbers placed on a lower corner with small white adhesive dots. In addition to the list of works, including titles, locations and prices, I add basic information about my interests and process. The list also provides me an easy way to keep track of the work in each show.


 
 

Once the show is hung, plumbed and labeled my last step is to photograph each wall as a further record of the exhibition. Finally, I grab a picture of the outside of the venue to use in my inevitable, self promoting Facebook and blog posts.






Sit Back and Enjoy the Show
I hope you get a chance to visit my show at the Jaffrey Civic Center.  Let me know what you think of the images. There are great places all around to "show the work", so get started on your own hanging tool box.  If you have already assembled your box, I would be interested to hear what you feel is the most essential part of your kit?  I still have a little room in my tool box.








Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com