Gargoyles

Think gargoyle-ly, act locally

I spent my Saturday morning gargoyle hunting, and I found these charming little grotesques on a small house on the grounds of a church I sometimes attend. (To be more accurate, I already knew of their existence. I didn't find them as much as I sought them out to take their picture.) Interestingly, I didn't spot a single gargoyle… Continue reading Think gargoyle-ly, act locally

Contemporary Art

My Experience Seeing a Live Painting Demonstration

Last Sunday afternoon (January 29th), I had the opportunity to see a live painting demonstration. This was exciting because I had never before watched a painting be made right in front of me. I met Gerard Amsellem, one of the two artists involved, at a studio tour event last fall. He and his friend/frequent collaborator Mikel Frank reached… Continue reading My Experience Seeing a Live Painting Demonstration

Historic Places

Kip’s Castle – My Visit to a New Jersey Mansion

Updated with news photos from my Christmas 2017 visit to Kip's Castle. Click on the photo gallery below!   I recently took some time to visit a local landmark - Kip’s Castle in Verona, New Jersey. The former home of textile industrialist Frederic Ellsworth Kip and his family, Kip's Castle is a sprawling stone mansion at the very top… Continue reading Kip’s Castle – My Visit to a New Jersey Mansion

American Art · Contemporary Art · Exhibitions

New Jersey, represented by W. Carl Burger

I just returned from seeing W. Carl Burger: The Urge to Paint at the Morris Museum. The exhibition is almost over - it closes on March 27 - so a review won't do anyone much good at this point. However, Burger's work really resonated with me, so I wanted to talk about him anyway. Burger was born in… Continue reading New Jersey, represented by W. Carl Burger

Historic Places

Where in the world is this place? Not where you might think.

  The house pictured above might look like an English manor house or a French chateau, but it is actually a country estate near where I live in the United States. I went to visit this turn-of-the-century Beaux Arts mansion one day this past week. The home is now privately-owned and no longer decorated according to… Continue reading Where in the world is this place? Not where you might think.