Jay Shapiro

I have a good friend who is very sick, currently battling two brain tumors. He is a wonderful man, who I was destined (to be sure) to have crossed paths with, because his philosophy was so drastically different from mine and MAN, did I need to change direction.

His name is Jay Shapiro and is one of the owners at Binders Art Supply, where I teach Calligraphy and Bookbinding classes.

Shortly after I began teaching at Binders, Jay and I were casually talking right before a class and I drew a little sketch on the table of a wooden inkwell I wished were available for my calligraphy students. Most inkwells you see are just plain and round or unimaginative OR totally beautiful yet breakable because they're vintage.

Hrrrrm. So Jay took that sketch and said he'd give it to his wood guy, who took my schematics and returned the next day with the first existing Petal Pod. He e-mailed me this note: "Our little venture is off and running." And just like that ssszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzing! I was in business.

My previous understanding of any kind of entrepreneurial venture was that is was too much of a hassle to commit to and to keep going - and that it would suck the life right out of me. I'd be wealthier but unhappier. I was just plain scared. And the truth is, is that if you love what you're doing and making and you're open to the path(s) it takes you, then you're in for the ride of your life, which really IS your life. One thing leads to another, your life begins to unfold and you realize that everything is working for your good. REALLY.

Back to Jay.
When you walk into Binders, and if Jay is there, he stops what he's doing and greets you with a hug. His partner, Howard, does the exact same thing. And everyone there really loves and respects one another. It's amazing to be a part of that community. I just love it there.

Jay had been having a lot of sinus headaches suddenly and poof, he's diagnosed with brain cancer - two invasions inside his lovely, light-infused head. Everyone aches for him. He is one of the most loved men I know. His approach to running an art store is SO drastically different from anything I've ever seen. And trust me, I've been a fan of art stores for a lonnnnng time.

Jay creates community. He makes a place for everyone to meet. Jay makes good things happen. He's a dear, dear man.

He's still up at Duke in NC getting treatment. He is being strong and is surrounded by family and love.

If you'd like to hear the story of how Jay and Howard began their business careers, go here to a delightful retelling at the Binders art Blog article: From Beer To Paint.

and

If you know Jay and would like to send him a message, click here.

Props to Mom

My mother, Nancy Dusenberry will be in a show at the Quinlan gallery in April. Check out the info here and read this lovely bio:

The Fabric of Women

Current works by artist Nancy Dusenberry

Atlanta area artist Nancy Dusenberry began painting figures with Marc Chatov, the premier figure and portrait artist in the southeast, and with Burton Silverman and Daniel Green, figure and portrait artists with signal reputations in the northeast. Drawing inspiration from the works of Sargent, Sorrolla, Henri, Cassat and Hopper, the artist believes a good figurative painter must reveal more than how a person looks but also tell a story about the interior life of the subject. Bold and painterly, Dusenberry will be a delight this spring.

Design & Calligraphy

One of the nicest calligraphy clients I've ever had recently took a chunk of the calligraphy I did for her daughter's birth announcement and incorporated it into the invitation of her 1st birthday party. I think she did an amazing job. Kudos to you Ranielle!

GRACE Grand Opening Night

Well. It was amazing and perfect. I sold another piece last night, a book called "You Are Loved" to a man who was looking for a birthday gift for his beloved 80-something mother. I love hearing the story behind why a piece is chosen. I got lots of interesting comments, each enlightening to the maker. Man - art gives in so many ways, over and over again.

Thank you to everyone who came out last night. I loved each and every hug. It was truly surreal to be in that space and be a part of something that was dormant in me for so long.

I still can't believe this is just the beginning. "Surrender to grace" is a statement a good friend said to me months ago. And maintaining "an unshakable standard of grace" came from my brother on the other side.

As I walked from the opening to the after party at Aurum, I held Doug's hand in my right and Steven's in my left. I felt like I had two brothers again. I still do.



All photos by Michael Cooke www.MDSGstudios.com
To see his Flickr page of this event go here.

Anne's new site!

Hello everyone! This is Kevin M. Scarbrough of The Robot, Monster & Ghost Company. I’m currently building out Anne’s site, there are a few kinks left, so thanks for your patience.

If you see any problems, give me a shout. I’ve got a list running, but I’d hate to miss something. The new address is: anneelser.com

Have a great one!

Grace: the shoes

Ten minutes after I sent out the first official e-mail invitation to GRACE, I get a reply from Alton Brown, purchasing two of the 8 of my series of paintings on enlightenment. Alton chose Listener and Thrust because of how well they paired each other. Really profound way to tune into the work. This was a good sign.

A few months ago, Yu-Kai and I sat down to chat about the show, and about what my specific contributions might be. We named it Grace.

About a week ago, I am sifting through my wardrobe and decided a new pair of shoes for the opening would be a great idea. I have a pair of teal Frye boots I wear just about every day and a lovely and chunky pair of brown leather Frye platforms with hefty hardware. I LOVE them.

So I’m on the net surfing for a deal. I type in “Frye platform” and the word “Grace” just for kicks. Holy fucking shit, these babies appear for sale in a variety of colors, my favorite being the natural because of the visibility of the brass hardware AND I want my lovely feet to appear uplifted and naked. :)

They are just over $100 and I’m beginning to doubt spending that kind of foldin money on a pair of shoes I don’t HAVE to have. I decide to see how much shipping might be and to get to that stage in the process, I must type in the scrambled word I see on my screen so Zappos knows I’m a real human being. The word they give me is (no shit) “HARRIOTTE.”

My jaw drops open. I e-mail Doug (hubbie) and Debra (therapist) to get their opinion and they both concur that the shoes were meant for my feet during the opening of my first show in 20 years.

Harriet is the name I gave my healing angel back when I’d first met Debra and started to work through my issues and get over the emotional pain preventing me from growth and movement. Harriet sat with me every morning at 5AM while I knitted a scarf of teal blue silk and mohair blend. I called it my Angel Scarf, posted the pattern, notes and photos. Crediting Knitch, Debra and Harriet, I was on my way to healing.

There really are no coincidences.

Tonight is the big grand opening of Grace at the Kai Lin Art Gallery and I’m going to have a great time. I’ll be wearing my angel scarf, my angel shoes and pumping the flow of pure love and energy through my living heart.

PS: Sorry for spelling your name wrong all this time Harriotte. I love you. :)

Tooth Fairy Box

This one's for Anton when he starts losing his baby teeth. For now we'll put his first haircut clippings inside. Made this little drop spine book in the last round of Bookmaking at Binders. Paper is from a vintage children's book illustration found at Atlanta Vintage Books.

Grace Wall

Here they are - lined up and ready for action. Little art soldiers.

Wow. Twenty Years in the Making.

Anne Elser
Artist Statement
March, 2010

I see our universe as a living, breathing organism, rich with color, passion, grace and infinite goodness. All things being interconnected, our worlds reflect everything about us. I paint in fullness, in love, employ metaphor, and am guided through the deconstruction of our subconscious prejudices. The work is a snapshot of this process. It is a reflection of the connections shared by all.

Biz card box

A new box for business cards. The pattern on the yellow paper I did in acrylic before gluing it to the box. Fun fun fun! The bottom has an extra wide foot to give it some air while resting on the surface of the table.

So Much

The answer to You Are Loved.

New Business Cards

I finally printed ACTUAL business cards instead of hand making each one. Good thing because I'm too busy to spin my wheels. I love saying that. :)

Grace Signage

Hallo Friends,

Today I spent the day at the gallery painting the glass windows, interior walls and hanging the grace foam letters for GRACE. A really fun day being part of the live window display as it was being created. Every few strokes, Yu-Kai would fling across Peachtree to take a look at the window display from afar, then shout back his comments for me to absorb. We had lunch, we chatted, we painted, we had fun. And POOF, the day was done and we'll meet again on Tuesday night for the VIP Preview. So excited.

After a day of up and down ladders, my right thigh is pretty sore - but my heart is thumping a glorious march as I absorb all that is happening in my life.

Yay life, indeed.

Up

The answer to “Open Me All The Way.”

Right Now

The cover to the book “Come Alive.”

I Am Safe

This is the answer to the book cover “Thoughts Are Things.” We are always up for the task when we know we are safe.

Yay Life!

The front of one of the boxes soon to be on display at the Kai Lin Art Gallery. I love this phrase. The girly confidence - its solidity.

GRACE Window Display

Working on the window display for Grace. And having a blast. I managed to keep all digits attached to my hands – this is simply black quarter-inch foam core cut with a #11 xacto blade. It’s really liberating thinking and working this big.

Boxes for Books

Just completed the boxes for the books shown in GRACE at the Kai Lin Art gallery. Such fun to do. Acrylic on board covered with washi paper. Each box has a signature on the inside of the back base. Color! What a dance.

Thrust

This is Thrust. She's in the Kai Lin Art show called GRACE along with her other 7 siblings. Thrust is a portrait of a lamp Doug found at a garage sale years ago. It's been in our foyer ever since. A great vintage find, this lamp has been bumped, tipped over and broken a few times. I keep gluing it back together and it's still standing.

Its resiliency resembles my own past and its thrust of me into the healing present. No matter how dark your past might be, there is always its gift to help move you forward. Nothing in our lives is wasted. The "good or bad" is offering us a way through and over something.

I'm just now on the other side of my first major thrust into the present. Proof of this is in this painting. I wouldn't have had the energy to spend on it had I still been pondering yesterday.

This painting has already been pre-purchased with "Listener" and chosen as a pair because they make such a good one.

Speaker

This is one of my new series on Enlightenment called Speaker. This uniquely feminine organ is a part of me I used to give a bad rap and politely disregarded. Well, no more. When I was very little, my first wish was to be a movie star - and a voluptuous one at that. I loved the lingerie, the makeup, the high heeled shoes. And somewhere along the line (in several places), I learned to become ashamed of my femininity.
Going to art school really sealed the lid shut. It just wasn't cool to paint anything feminine, especially if you were a female. And I bought that line and stayed that way for a very long time. It wasn't until a year ago that I had the courage to open the lid on that coffin and begin to let the female within me really glow.

Every male professor I had said the most outrageous things to me about my "decorative subject matter."
"Every young female painter is attracted to Egon Schiele's and Gustav Klimt's work. It's typical. Move beyond your cliché impulses."

"Your paintings look like pot holders."

"You can't see beyond your own navel."

Only one female visiting instructor was wise enough to look at my paintings as a whole, then went to each one and said, "This is you. This one's not you. This one's you., etc."

And there was only one male professor who looked at me and told me I was going to be a great mother someday. I think he meant it as a compliment and I took it that way.

But it was the most off-based comments given to me by my male instructors that I decided to shape myself towards.

For the next 20 years, painting was painful, brought back bad memories and enraged me. It was safer for me not to paint, because then I didn't have to hear those awful voices in my head. This was my choice.

She speaks now. She's aware of her gifts and abilities and nurtures them in gentle love. She's all girl. She's a superstar. This speaker's voice fertilizes herself over and over and over again.

Fernbank

Doug, Anton and I went to a really sweet birthday party at Fernbank last weekend. Took ourselves our first photo booth pictures. SUCH fun. I want to do one every year before he goes off to college. I’m promising that right now. REMIND ME if I forget!

Heather Ross

I have been bitten by the pattern bug and am inspired by Heather Ross. Take a look at her work and tell me you're not engaged. Organizational beauty hits me like nothing else. The best patterns do that and they are not thoughtless. They are loaded with interpretive intensity. So, so beautiful.

Safe (Completed)

Here is SAFE, ready for sale at GRACE in the Kai Lin Art Gallery. She is finished, she is strong, she is FOR SALE and is becoming realized in more ways than one.

GRACE

When you come to the opening, prepare to hear Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and The Andrews Sisters booming into your chest and to share in the vision of three female artists: Mary Farmer, Sun Hong, and myself.

So very excited!

Start Time:	Friday, March 19, 2010 at 7:00pm
End Time:	Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 10:00pm
Location:	Kai Lin Art
Street:	800 Peachtree Street NE Suite A
City/Town:	Atlanta, GA

KAI LIN ART proudly invites you to attend our eighth exhibition ”GRACE”, featuring the lush, ethereal work of three female painters Mary Farmer, Sun Hong, and Anne-Davnes Elser.

The show opens Friday, March 19th, 2010 and runs through May 1st, 2010.

GRACE: lush, ethereal, color

LOCATION: Kai Lin Art
800 Peachtree Street, NE Suite A. Atlanta, GA 30308

FOR MORE INFO: INFO@KAILINART.COM

PRESS CONTACT: 404 408 4248

Daily Candy

I've been Daily Candied!

LEARN
Italic Calligraphy
What: Local scrawler Anne Elser teaches a six-session workshop.
Why: You’ve got the write stuff.
When: Thru Apr. 1. Wed., 6-8:30 p.m.
Where: Binders Art Supplies and Frames, 3330 Piedmont Rd. NE, ste. 18, Buckhead (404-237-6331).