The Art Files

The Café at Outloud to offer Original Artwork

Starting this month, The Café at Outloud Books and Gifts will be hosting an opening of new original art the first Thursday of every month. The art work is being reviewed and juried by two curators hired by Outloud. There is a submission guideline available via their website at http://www.outloudonline.com/cafe or you may pick it up at the bookstore. Submissions received before October 1, 2007 will be juried for the inaugural year. There will be solo shows as well as group shows in all mediums and formats.

The first opening was held Thursday August 2 and featured the brilliant photography of Stacey Irvine. I’ve written about Stacey before. Her travel photography dances with color and depth of personality. She has traveled worldwide in pursuit of new experiences, recording them with her camera. In 1999, after graduating with a B.A. in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University, she received the prestigious Margaret Stonewall Wooldridge Hamblet Award from Vanderbilt's Fine Arts Department. With funds from the Hamblet award, Irvin embarked on a four-month photographic journey through parts of Asia, and returned to Northwestern China five years later. In 2003 she spent a month at the family-owned and -run cattle ranch in Southwestern Montana. Don’t miss these very personal photographs at The Café’ at Outloud from August 2 to August 29, 2007.

Stacey is preparing for a month-long trip to Africa  but, fortunately,  she will be present at the opening to talk about her work.  Please make plans to attend.

White Dresses: New Paintings by Deb Garlick

I have had the joy of finding special surprises in galleries before. However, a few months ago I found a few treasures that I just  will not leave my mind. I relate to them in a way that is rare and I really need to find a way to get one on my own wall. Thanks to Estel Gallery, I now have my chance, and so do you.   When was the last time you asked yourself, “May I have the next dance?” Estel Gallery is pleased to present a celebration of introspection, White Dresses: New Paintings by Deb Garlick from July 25 to August 25, 2007.  The reception with the artist will be August 4, 2007, from 6pm to 9 p.m.

In our culture, white dresses represent innocence not tainted by the stains of life. Canadian artist Deb Garlick captures this purity in her paintings with sophisticated elegance and whimsy. In her work the color seems to emanate from the women and girls donning these dresses.  Garlick explains, “I strive to achieve an understated complexity and a stillness that I hope creates enough momentum to make people stop.”

From grand moments in a wedding dress in "Big Deal" to the simple play of a cotton summer dress in “27,28,29…” Garlick invites viewers to take a peek and find the joy within.

Deb Garlick earned a B.A. in Visual Arts and Art History from the University of Victoria in Canada in 1995. Upon graduation, she lived in England for six years, where she worked as a voiceover artist for international radio and television broadcasts. In 2003, she returned both to Canada and to painting. She has been successfully exhibiting her artwork since, and she has developed a strong style that is diverse but always recognizable. She is also a professional photographer and continues to lend her voice to documentary narration. Garlick currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia. Her work is in private collections in Canada and the United States.  

Estel Gallery opened in downtown Nashville in October 2006. The gallery strives to expose patrons and collectors to exceptional new and emerging contemporary artists, whose work is innovative, stimulating and moving. Located at 115 8th Ave. North, the gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 11a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Before or after hours appointments are welcome

The Fourth Annual Tomato Art Fest

Put on the calendar: TOMATO ART PREVIEW PARTY August 10, 2007.

A special evening for those who just can't wait to get a look at all that Tomato Art at Art & Invention Gallery! Always a popular event, add great music, shake it up with the great art and great food, and you will be guaranteed a wonderful evening! Space is limited, so make your reservations today! This year, East Nashville's own Eastland Cafe will be providing all the tasty tomato treats. We can't wait to see what they dream up!

Time: from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Cost: $30/person. Location: 1106 Woodland Street  Art & Invention Gallery Phone: 615.226.2070

On August 11, 2007,  the festivities begin at 10 a.m. Located in Historic East Nashville's Five Points area, which has been coined by Budget Travel Magazine as "Nashville's version of New York's East Village," this FREE costume-friendly event is not to be missed. The Motto: The Tomato... a uniter, not a divider - bringing together fruits and vegetables.