Good n†Plenty, Pixy Stix, Zots, Necco Wafers – these are just some of the candies kids snacked on back in the day and that still evoke childhood memories in adults of all ages. People seem to connect through the shared experience of reminiscing about candy; everyone knows someone who can wax poetic about wax lips.

 Double Bubble Bubble Gum, Bon-o-mo Turkish Taffy, Lemonheads, Dots, Pop Rocks, Candy Buttons – the candy list is endless – and photographer Beth Achenbach of Jersey City believes her photographs of candy will help people make happy connections at her upcoming exhibit NOSTALGIA at the Mary Benson Gallery in Jersey City.

“When you start talking to people about candy, it brings you back to that simple time to when you were a kid,” Achenbach says. “(Back then) the hardest decision was having a dollar and which candy did you want to buy with it. The show will bring you back to those childlike feelings. The few photos Iâ€ve posted online have already gotten real responses from people.”

One part of the exhibit will feature people blowing bubble gum bubbles.

“Popping in some bubble gum and blowing a bubble loosens you up a little,” Achenbach says.

Achenbach remembers middle school and how bubble gum was “the commodity”. She says: “You couldnâ€t chew gum in class, so kids would be selling pieces of gum for a quarter. That was our thing in middle school.”

Achenbach first got into photography working at a one-hour photo-processing lab in Chicago in the 1990s. One part of her job was processing film and printing photos; the other was selling cameras.

“They would let us take cameras home and play with them so we could sell them better,” Achenbach says, “and thatâ€s when I started liking photography.”

Achenbachâ€s sister passed along her manual Pentax to Achenbach who started taking pictures all the time, she says on her website achenbachart.com. Since then she has experimented with different equipment, subjects, mediums and presentations which, she says, have all been a great learning experience. She now manages a photo lab in New York City.

“Iâ€ve seen thousands and thousands of photos over the years and you develop an eye for what you like and donâ€t like,” Achenbach says. “I started experimenting, and I still try new things. I never showed any of my work until I moved to Jersey City in 2002. I moved here a couple of days before the Jersey City Artists†Studio Tour. I showed my work that weekend and Iâ€ve been in it every year since.”

For the exhibit at the Mary Benson Gallery. Achenbach went online to order some old time candy. She hopes her photos will inspire adults not to act their age.

“Itâ€s important to remember what you were like as a kid,” Achenbach says. “I think itâ€s good to tap into that. I find I can be really forgetful, but when something conjures up a memory, when someone posts an old photo on Facebook, then I start remembering things. Thatâ€s what the candy does and the bubble gum. They ignite some streams of thought that take us a little bit somewhere else and yet are still a part of us.”

 If you go:

Fri, Sat, Sun, Dec 5, 6, 7

NOSTALGIA, photos by Beth Achenbach

Mary Benson Gallery

369 Third Street

Jersey City

www.achenbachart.com

Fri, 5 to 10 pm;

Sat, 3-6 pm; Event Reception: Sat, 6-10

Sun, Noon to 5 pm

 

 

The post Candy Crush; New Works by Photographer Beth Achenbach Capture the Joy of Sweets   first appeared on River View Observer.

Who is the Artist?

When was it painted ?

Does it have any financial Value?

 Who else has a print? Only 250 prints were made Number 80 is in my posession.

By Joe Calamito

Many years ago while rummaging through the downtown Jersey City Salvation Army on 14th Street I came across the above print. I was intrigued by its subject matter-a little girl with blonde hair pulling a toy duck on a string while her mother or guardian stares at a fountain, perhaps in France. My own mother had passed away a few years earlier in 1994 and the print reminded me of how she would always take me to Hamilton Park in Jersey City. I paid $20 dollars for the print and it has shared a prominent place on the walls of our homes for the past 15 years or more. I love it!

On the right as you can see by the above photo are rows of trees, and in the background stands a statue, and a arge building. The original painting is done in pen and watercolor, the colors the artist chose to use are beige, and blue, and brown for the trees.

It is beautifully done. And the angle of perception gives it a 3D effect.

My best questimate is that the print size is 27″ w x 30″h.

What I believe I have is a serigraph of the painting clearly marked on the right side it reads 80/250. I have tried for years to establish who the artist is but with no success. I have shown it to Art Dealers and artist alike.

Of late, finding out who this artist is or was has become an obsession. On any given day I might snatch it off my wall, and walk around with it asking people in the Hudson County art community, “Do you know who the artist is”?

So now I am asking you the reader. Do you know who the artist is? If I have 80 of 250 prints there has to be another 249  out there and like long lost estranged siblings I am eager to reunite with other owners of this print.

Whoever painted it has a very distinct signature; to the left, it looks like the mouth of a Seagull, and to the right, the caricature of Jerry Lewis the comedians head, and for a while I actually thought he was the artist of the painting.

An idea I havenâ€t entirely given up. I told you I was obsessed with this print.

If anyone has this same print or any idea who the artist is and date it was painted, email me at jcalobserver@aol.com

I need an answer. Now! And no itâ€s not for sale!

Well that is unless Jerry Lewis is the artist of the original painting.

Didnâ€t he spend a lot of time in France?

Please email this story to all your art friend afficiados to help me find an anwer- Thanks if you do.

The post Unraveling An Art Mystery… first appeared on River View Observer.

On Wednesday, May 12, Hudson County Community College’s Fine Art Department and the Office of Student Activities held an unveiling ceremony of a 4′ x 18′ mural painted specifically for the Student Lounge at 25 Journal Square.

 In addition to the mural reception, the Fine Art Department had the students’ works on view in the Student Art Gallery on the fourth floor at 25 Journal Square.

 Pictured are Laurie Riccadonna (third from left), Coordinator of the Fine Art program, and College students who participated in the production of the mural during the spring semester.

The post HCCC Art Student-Produced Mural Unveiled at 25 Journal Square’s Student Lounge first appeared on River View Observer.

Carl Ellis was born and raised in Erie Pennsylvania and earned his BFA in photography, at Edinboro University in 1991. He moved to New York City in 1992.

Camera in hand, he had hopes of becoming a commercial photographer.

He began his professional career at a pre-press house in New York City where he learned the commercial aspects of the industry: from duping film, to account management, and everything in between; including managing a commercial photography studio.

Through this experience he soon realized Commercial Photography was not for him. He now manages the retouching department at one of New York City’s largest advertising agencies, and keeps photography on a more personal level.

Carl focuses on the Natural World, but doesn’t limit himself to Mother Nature. Most of his work is considered abstract or contemporary. His shooting style combines vivid color, motion, and blur. Rarely using a flash, he prefers natural or existing light.

In addition to his fine art work, Carl recently began exploring the many possibilities of shooting for NGO’s.

On a volunteer basis, he will travel and shoot, handing his work over at the end of each assignment. After his first trip to Uganda, he certainly hopes to continue this work in the future.

Carl exhibits his work whenever the opportunity presents itself.

The post Art Views- The Fine Art of Carl Ellis first appeared on River View Observer.

Select Saturday afternoons starting March 20, 2010, 1 – 4 p.m.

$5 per person for members. $7 per person for non-members.

Pre-registration required.  Call 201-413-0303 x116 or email nstoler@jerseycitymuseum.org  to register.

 

                                                                                                      Jennifer Mazza, 2009

Jersey City Museum is proud to announce the new schedule for Adult Workshops at JCM, which was postponed from the original February start date due to snow. In this series of three workshops, participants will explore the museum’s current exhibitions, have the opportunity to learn art-making techniques and discuss issues in contemporary art with professional artists in a small-group setting. 

 

The program will take place on select Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. in March and April, 2010. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to pre-register, please contact Manager of School Programs, Noaa Stoler, at 201-413-0303 x116 or nstoler@jerseycitymuseum.org.

The program’s schedule is as follows:

Life Drawing with Michelle Loughlin, Director of Education and Public Programming at JCM

Saturday, March 20, 2010, 1 to 4 p.m.

Participants draw from works currently on exhibition. In the studios, Michelle Loughlin, artist and Jersey City Museum’s director of education and public programming, will lead a discussion on contemporary drawing issues and a group critique of works created in the galleries.

 

Painting Tips and Techniques with Jennifer Mazza

Saturday, March 27, 2010, 1 to 4 p.m.

Participants discuss Jennifer Mazza’s current painting exhibition at JCM, Self-Deceit. In the studio classrooms, Mazza will lead a discussion on creating artist statements and a group critique. Participants should bring one small work of art for a group critique discussion.

 

Photo Talk with Roger Sayre

Saturday, April 24, 2010, 1 to 4 p.m. 

Participants discuss Roger Sayre’s work in JCM’s Hair Tactics exhibition. In the studio classrooms, Sayre will demonstrate how to take professional-quality photographs of flat or three-dimensional artwork with supplies purchased at the hardware and grocery store.

 

 

Founded in 1901, the Jersey City Museum is the major presenter of contemporary art serving the people of Jersey City, Hudson County and the region. The museum organizes several group and solo exhibitions every year, drawing from works by culturally diverse, contemporary artists and from its 10,000-piece collection of regionally significant art and historical objects. Through exhibitions, educational initiatives and programs, the museum welcomes over 25,000 visitors each year, including 11,000 school-aged children and youth.

 

Jersey City Museum’s gallery hours are Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, and free for children under 12 and museum members. Jersey City Museum is located at 350 Montgomery Street at Monmouth in the Historic Downtown District of Jersey City, within walking distance of the Grove Street PATH and Jersey Avenue Light Rail stations.  For more information, visit www.jerseycitymuseum.org or call 201-413-0303.

END

The post Art Views-Jersey City Museum presents Adult Workshops at JCM first appeared on River View Observer.