What's in Bornholn?

Every time I go on vacation, I try to visit the local galleries and museums. I also look for street art and artists. My last vacation was one of my best ones, it was a Baltic Sea cruise on Oceania. My ship experience is another topic to write about, and I will; a floating gallery.

One of the towns we visited, was Ronne, Bornholn in Denmark. There were adorable shops, a town square and a few ceramic studios. We stopped at Handlavet Keramik. It was great to see the artists at work and their beautiful pieces in the gallery section. I especially liked the pastel colors,  the clocks and the straight lines of the bowls and vases. I told them I would come to Miami and share their pieces.

Here they are! Enjoy!

National League of American Pen Women

You may ask what is the National League of American Pen Women?

It is the oldest women's arts organization in the United States (1897).  It is made up of professional writers, journalists, painters, sculptors, dancers, musicians, choreographers, art teachers and directors. I am proud to say that I am now a new member of this prestigious organization.

This Saturday is our exhibition. Hope you can attend and enjoy the talent of all of these women.

"Starry Night" - Acrylic on Canvas

"In the Distance" - Acrylic on canvas

A Visit to Bernice Steinbaum Gallery

Bernice Steinbaum (BS) was a name I had heard over and over. She is an art dealer, curator, gallerist,  speaker and author, but she is also legendary, a pioneer, caring, witty and fashionable. Imagine my excitement when I found out that the field trip for the Lowe Docents would be a tour of Bernice's gallery and home.

Her New York gallery was one of the first to showcase women artists and artists of color. She made a move to Miami's  Wynwood area and is now in Coconut Grove. A walk into her home/gallery is a feast for the eyes. There are so many things to see, explore and enjoy.  The tour was made even more special because Bernice is funny, witty and each piece came with a fabulous story. She told us about the artist and the creation of the pieces

It was a delight to walk into each room of her house. The creativity and art pieces don't just adorn the walls, but the ceiling and floors. As an artist, the visit to her gallery was very inspiring. The stories she told us about Cuban artist, Pavel Acosta, and how his pieces were created with the paint chips from crumbling buildings in Cuba touched me. It showed the passion to create even without art supplies. 

This was an experience I will not forget. 

Ribbon Cutting - Coconut Grove Village West Welcome Center

Four years ago, I met  Mr. Jihad Rashid at the Coconut Grove Collaborative to discuss the painting of the Peacock for the  Coconut Grove Peacock Tour. I learned that Mr. Rashid was extremely proud of his community and his heritage and had high hopes for its improvement.
(Click photos to enlarge them)

Fast forward, and this past week Mr. Rashid invited me to the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Coconut Grove Village West Welcome Center.  He felt that I was part of this community by having painted a piece of art that makes the village proud. I was happy to see the turn out and the enthusiasm in this part of the Grove. Behind the red carpet, ribbon cutting space was the image of the Nassau Daddy looking down.  He is also on the cover of the informational booklet and the Black Heritage Tour.

The welcome Center is located at the new KROMA Gallery, a new collective art space consisting of 18 art studios and a communal gallery. Also on Grand Avenue is the construction of the Gibson Plaza, a mixed use economic development project.  This development will consist of 56 rental units for the elderly and low-income tenants, plus a training center on the ground floor.  All this taking place in a part of the Grove that has long been neglected. 

Brochures available at the new welcome center.

Mr, Rahid, Comm. Sarnoff, Mayor Regalado

The Welcome Center is located at the new KROMA Gallery, a new collective art space consisting of 18 art studios and a communal gallery. Also on Grand Avenue is the construction of the Gibson Plaza a mixed use economic development project.  This development will consist of 56 rental units for the elderly and Low-income tenants, plus a training center on the ground floor.  All this taking place in a part of the Grove that has long been neglected. 

I took my grandchildren to see the peacock and now I hope to show them the new KROMA Gallery and the Gibson Plaza. It is a lesson for them to see what can happen in a community. The residents of this village, and the leaders with a vision, are finally seeing their hard work come to fruition. I hope they never give up.

Ribbon Cutting 
Gibson Plaza Update
Gibson Plaza Mortgage Info.
KROMA Gallery
KROMA Photos
Making of Nassau Daddy
Unveiling Nassau Daddy

MIST Paris Opening

I wrote before about experiencing heaven on earth on my last visit to Paris. One of the experiences that made it heavenly was a surprise one night on a walk to dinner. 

We had sat at a cafe and had a glass of wine. Not having dinner plans, we decided to walk down rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore and just eat wherever we found a place that pleased us. To my delight, we stumbled upon a gathering outside a gallery. (Click photos to view larger)

Of course, I needed to check this out. Of all things, this was the opening reception and book signing of a well known artist in France, MIST. He is an international graffiti artist and toy designer

We enjoyed walking around the gallery and seeing his bright, colorful pieces. After another drink and mingling with the crowd, we headed out in search of another great experience.

What a night..........What a city!!

Farewell to Grovehouse Artists Gallery

Three years ago, I had a life-changing experience when I took a workshop with Debra Cortese, and a number of local artists, at the Windisch-Hunt Gallery in Coconut Grove. I did not know at the time that the workshop would give me the information I needed to get my art out of the closet and into the technical world. At the same time,  I also made some life-long friends. Some of the artists there had been part of the Grovehouse Artists co-op and were waiting to re-open at the new location in Mayfair. With their encouragement, I joined the group. We were all so excited and enthusiastic at this new beginning for the gallery. The gallery offered art in all mediums, as well as glass, wood, mosaics and sculptures. What a wonderful experience!

 Although I left the gallery over a year ago, it was still the place to visit on gallery walk night and catch up with old friends. It was also through my friendships there, that I have participated in other fun activities in the Grove, such as the monthly drum circle and the fabulous Mango Strut parade. 

 Sad to say, Grovehouse Artist Gallery will have its last opening reception on Saturday, February 3^rd.  They will be closing their gallery space at the end of February and continuing on "without walls". What this means is that they will try and mount 3 to 4 exhibits a year in different venues. I wish these artists the best as they share their talents with the South Florida area.

Here's a video of the opening at Mayfair in September, 2009.  Click on the arrow to view. Enjoy!

Links to my web page products:
http://www.artistamundo.com/rosiesart

http://www.denydesigns.com/collections/rosie-brown-all-art 

http://app.medgestore.com/stylelab/?user_design_id=201633 

http://society6.com/RosieBrown/cases

http://society6.com/RosieBrown/laptop-skins

http://www.envelop.eu/shop/designers/p/detail/rosie-brown

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/rosie-brown.html

http://www.zazzle.com/artworksinmind

SoMi Art Walk

This coming Saturday starts the art walk season for the City of South Miami (SoMi).

 "SoMi ArtWalk is a free event in the heart of South Miami Town Center. One night each month, October through March, pedestrian friendly South Miami bustles with culture and local artists as participating venues open their doors and invite you to stroll around SoMi" 

South Miami is also the place where the Manatee Fest took place. While you stroll, pick up a map at the First National Bank of South Miami. The map will indicate the location of all of these works of art. My manatee, "Willy", is at the corner of Sunset Drive and 57th Avenue. To see how this manatee was painted, click here to see the video.

 Links to my products:
http://www.denydesigns.com/collections/rosie-brown-all-art 

http://app.medgestore.com/stylelab/?user_design_id=201633 

http://society6.com/RosieBrown/cases

http://society6.com/RosieBrown/laptop-skins

http://www.envelop.eu/shop/designers/p/detail/rosie-brown

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/rosie-brown.html

http://www.zazzle.com/artworksinmind

http://www.artistamundo.com/rosiesart

My Little Red Sketchbook

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my participation in the Sketchbook Project. The topic that I selected was "If You Lived Here". I felt that it would give me a good variety of things to sketch. I am not one of those artists that carries a sketchbook around. I usually just take photos that interest me and paint from that. I rarely sketch except on the paper or canvas that eventually becomes a painting. For this reason, I am finding this project more difficult than expected. I decided to use the first page to introduce my topic. You may not see clearly what the sketch shows, but it is all of the beautiful and crazy things that you find in Florida and that I may possibly sketch. Once I complete all of my sketches, the cover will be decorated.

My second sketch was inspired by the Grove Gallery Walk last month. The galleries were all exhibiting beautiful works of art. There was music all around. After walking around the Grove, we joined the drum circle. Beating those drums is therapeutic and the beat can be felt all over your body.

I am now in the process of sketching something happening this week. If you run into me these days, I will very likely be carrying my little red sketchbook!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h6aTyR3eEE
www.artistamundo.com/rosiesart
http://www.redbubble.com/people/rosiebrown

The art above is by: Carol Kingsley and Terry Mulrooney