Artist Anna Arnold with her painting Angel on My Shoulder, from her website

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Friday the 13th may bring bad luck but The Gallery at Gray's is bringing great art to Cleveland tonight with the opening of a new show Aftermath: Works by Chris Zahner.

The Gallery at Gray's is located in Gray's Auctioneers, on Cleveland's Westside. It is a great space if you have not seen it -- one especially designed for exhibiting art. Owner/auctioneer Deba Gray is herself an artist.

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Preview, Thurs 2/5 noon -8pm; Fri 2/6 noon - 5pm Last minute preview 2/7 11:30am - 1pm

The shining star of this auction ...

A Claude Cononver Vase, lot 84, estimates $5000-7000

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I was very saddened to learn today we lost a great artist, loved friend and family to many, and inspirational Clevelander with the passing of Clarence E. Van Duzer. I knew Van Duzer as a family friend and always was inspired and energized by talking with him, his work, and his approach to life. At our last meeting, at his Convivium opening, in 2006, he was so strong and clear it seemed he would live on forever.

There is a new photography studio and gallery in NEO. Studio 22 Photography & Gallery is located at Beachcliff Market Square, 19316 Detroit Road in Rocky River. Despite the snow and cold, many friends and family gathered to celebrate at the opening reception Saturday, January 10, 5-8 pm.

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 Benin Bronze, Head of an Oba, Cleveland Museum of Art

Museum Exhibition Showcases Works of Nature Artist, Former Director

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As part of a professional membership application I need to provide a sample estate appraisal/Fair Market Value appraisal. To qualify for my application the appraised property must be American paintings, prints, sculpture or furniture (any time period), and preferably 20 items or more.

I was saddened to learn today that the excellent Northeast Ohio painter - a Cleveland Institute of Art graduate and productive artist - Scott Miller passed away, this weekend. I'm sure detals will follow here and in other arts media. My mother taught Scott at CIA and remembers him as a great talent, who lived life his own way. Scott just had a powerful show of recent work at Gray's Auctioneers Gallery, in December 2007, at which I shot these photos of Scott and his work - I'll post more later.

Please join Convivium33 Gallery and the Cleveland Institute of Art Ceramics' Department Icons/instructors, Judith Salomon and William Brouillard, as we meet, greet and share stories in an open forum Question& Answer reception.

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This will segue nicely to my next post on Romanian cinema, but in the meantime, pay close attention to the future star/campaigner pictured below:
 

Three year old Owen clinches Pittsburgh as the site for the 2009 G-20 summit with a high five. 
 

Cleveland Institute of Art Faculty and Students, Ceramics Program 1978-2008
Opening Reception: Friday, April 18 from 6pm –9pm

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Amir Fallah started the magazine Beautiful/Decay with his friends as a teenager; it now has a circulation of over 45,000. The publication has the reputation of being on the cutting-edge of the design/art/fashion/music and art worlds. Reflecting the hybridity of culture in multiple ways, Beautiful/Decay is a concept that has transcended the printed page to curate art shows, launch an artist's apparel line, and create branded books. An artist in his own right, Fallah has exhibited his work in numerous galleries including cherrydelosreyes, LA Louver and Rhys Gallery.

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Over the past few weeks, I've noticed strange Clevelandesque slogans posted on billboards around town, with the attribution "Mind of Cleveland". I remember wondering if this was another Cleveland+hype campaign... or about AIDS prevention... and planned to google it later...

 

Gray's Auctioneers Saturday March 1st sale was an exciting event in the fine arts market with the sale of two paintings by important California Impressionist painters, Orrin Augustine White and Arthur Grover Rider.  This was probably the first time works by these artists were sold in Northeast Ohio.

Both works had languished for decades in a Cleveland area home, their historical significance and value unrealized until they were discovered discovered by auctioneer Deba Gray. Both paintings were securely identified by the artists' signatures and original gallery stickers on the back of one of the canvases. The consignor was thrilled to find out that the paintings, which she believed to be worthless except for their gilded original frames, were actually worth thousands of dollars. Gray's Auctioneers featured both paintings on  their promotional postcard and on the cover of their auction catalog.

This auction features some real art treasures discovered in Cleveland area homes by auctioneer Deba Gray.

Lot 342. Arthur Grover Rider american, 1886-1975) Cracked Bottle, Oil on Canvas. Estimates $10,000-$15,000.

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Michael Chattem, Semen is Thicker Than Blood. Blood, ink, marker

One of the greatest times when the Cleveland School May Show is the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Annual Student Independent Exhibition, now in its 62 year. Drawing from a huge, diverse body of work in every imaginable media and medium - this year, including semen?! - from an awesome pool of talent, connected by a world-class arts college, in a great arts community, the SIE always delivers an inspiring, mind-expanding experience of genius.

Jessica Jurca, Reliquary to the Brontosaurus. Enamel on Copper, pine.

 

How can the Internet be used to preserve an artist's legacy? Can the Internet make an artist accessible to the world when their work is not exhibited in museums or found in art history books? Is art experienced through the Internet and never seen in person as meaningful and inspiring as art experienced in person? Most of the Realneo community would agree that the Internet and social networking is a useful tool in promoting artists and arts events, but what are the untapped possibilities and limitations. What role can the Internet play in preserving art for the future? As we begin the 21st century there are more artists in the world than ever before, more art work created and probably larger audiences for art as well. But with more artists and art created there is also more art being lost.  
 
Several recent experiences have led me to ponder how the Internet might be used as a cost effective and space saving way to preserve and promote an artist's work for the future. One such experience was Wednesday afternoon February 6th, I had the pleasure of visiting the studio of local artist Gina Brand. Gina Brand is a sculptor, though I am reluctant to give her such a limiting title. On this recent visit I learned that for her entire career she has also painted and produced beautiful charcoal drawings.  
 
Gina Brand has been part of the Cleveland arts scene for many years. A Cleveland Institute of Art graduate, she has been tirelessly producing work that is consistently high quality, both technically and aesthetically strong for many decades. Her studio is filled with works in progress, recently completed works (may of which are sold) and older works that represent her artistic development over the years. Her studio space is in an old warehouse, which I would guess was once used by Cleveland's thriving turn-of-the-century garment industry, is filled with natural light and well organized, though it is obviously the site of much artistic activity.  

It's a new year and a new day of the week for Gray's Auctioneers monthy auctions! The first auction of 2008 is this Saturday, January 26th at 1 pm. In this auction you will find the typical great deals and unique and interesting items. There are vintage and antique Chinese decorative items, textiles and furniture. There are some high quality vintage dining room sets by makers such as Ethan Allen and Drexel Heritage that are sure to sell for such low prices that it will make anyone who buys such stuff for retail ill. There is a very handsome Arts and Craft desk. The newest jewelry consignments are tasteful and priced to sell (great Valentines Day gifts). The real deals of this auction, in my opinion, are the fine art. There are some great prints mixed in lots of "framed decorative items." But, by far the coolest thing in the whole auction is a hand made model of the Quenn Mary made by E. K. Koos in a hand made glass and teak wood case.

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Global warming will bring an end to white Christmas and winter as we've always known in, here in NEO, so during the first real snowstorm of this season, December 16, 2007, I went in search of a visual symbol of NEO, in my neighborhood, strong enough to stand out in white-out conditions, and I came to the Breuer! Not the Breuer Tower, of global controversy, but the Breuer Museum wing of global celebration, design elements of which are featured in the latest additions to the Cleveland Museum of Art, shown on the left here, now evolving form in the hands of Vinoly.

Derek Hess showcased his latest work in a one-night exhibit at Kelly Randall Gallery, in Tremont, December 14, featuring new prints and original illustrations and collages that continue growth and demonstrate innovation in this fine artist's work. His work makes powerful statements in form and message, and Derek's message is stronger and more on-target than ever, in these troubling times.