"My Fairmount" Show at Rembrant's Restaurant

On the walk down to the gym this morning I had to stop and photograph the blossoms on the trees all up and down the block. I left Rembrant's to see the other art exhibits and found these amazing weavings at the Ukranian Social Club display. They had hand crafted wood carvings, embroidery, batiks, eggs, ceramics and paintings on glass that were intricate and beautiful.

All this month my work will be on display in the Z Cafe at Rembrant's Restaurant. There are 14 framed photographs, ranging from smaller 8" x 10" works to large 21" x 27" photo collages. The cafe opens at 8 am to serve coffee(espresso, etc.) and breakfast for folks waiting for the 48 or 7 bus at 23rd and Aspen Streets (like me) and has a really nice old wood bar to enjoy your coffee at while watching the flat screen to see when the bus is coming down the street (Bus Cam).

This is a nice neighborhood place in Philly.

The SHADFEST in Fishtown was great. I ran into many many Handmade Philly/Philly ETSY Teamers and local folks from garden, farm, library and design projects in the city. It's a wonderful park and being next to the water was great.

SUPER WEEKEND: SHAD FEST and ARTS CRAWL

Join me this weekend at the Shad Fest in Fishtown at Penn Treaty Park on Saturday April 25 from 11 - 5 pm! I will have new images from the Eastern State Penitentiary, from my trip to Charleston (beautiful bridges, pelicans, boats on the water) and from my series "My Fairmount," images of homes, signs, businesses and details. There will be a run, guided trolley rides, kayaking, music, food, kids activities and of course art and craft booths. Follow the link to directions and all the activities.



Then join me on Sunday April 26 for the Fairmount Arts Crawl at Rembrant's Restaurant at 23rd and Aspen Streets, next to the Penitentiary, from 2 - 6 pm to check out my show in the cafe (room behind the bar). I will have framed individual photographs, large photo collages and image grids of the "My Fairmount" series, along with a first draft of a hardbound book of the series. Follow the link for a list of events and venues for art as well as the artist profiles.

TRIP TIPS: Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston was awesome, and I wanted to share some of the things to see and do on your visit:

Some basics: Charleston is on a peninsula surrounded by rivers, large islands and smaller barrier islands. It's an old southern city with historic homes, churches, great shopping (alt. shops: design, fabric, records, crafts, art, furniture, cupcakes), good, fresh local food (think of your favorite breakfast place, they have it too), coffee shops, beautiful flowers, parks, trees, a really green downtown and it's small enough to be walkable, but big enough you keep finding more things you haven't seen. I was there for 10 days, and I could go back for another week and find plenty to do.

Place to eat lunch: CRU CAFE

Right behind the red barn where the carriage rides begin, CRU had lunch for under $10 and the food looks and tastes amazing! Nice porch and house like interior to choose from.

Thing to Do: KAYAKING SHEM CREEK

Nature Adventure Outfitters had great, super friendly guides who really knew their stuff. Kathie, the owner, had lots of advice on which of the many locations to choose from (Shem Creek had the most birds to take pictures of and is the closest to Charleston, we walked across the bridge to get there) and Craig was probably one of the best guide I've ever had. We took a casual paddle down several creeks and back past shrimp boats (one was on Dirtiest Jobs) and pelicans, gulls and anhingas and learned about lightning whelks and horseshoe crabs. Oh, and they give a portion of their proceeds to environmental causes.

Things to See: JOSEPH MANIGAULT HOUSE

A nice quick tour of a beautiful house, with friendly and personable hosts. The plaster work on the ceilings is unbelievable, as is the furniture. The house has a rich history of different uses over the years and the family of ownership is interconnected with several of the other historic rich plantation owners in the area (it's like the Young and the Restless).

Place to stay: VACATION RENTALS.COM

There were only a few rentals to choose from, but staying in an apartment or cottage (as I did) is 100 x's better than staying in a tourist trap hotel. I was in a beautiful neighborhood close to the visitors center, trolleys, the Charleston Museum, shopping, the Aquarium, the library, restaurants and the college. The neighborhood is called Mazyck-Wraggborough. I had a great place with it's own courtyard with fountain, it's own kitchen, and a wonderful family who left snacks, fresh fruit, wine and banana bread.