Jenna's Picks for Super Fun this Weekend

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Friday, 8/28/09
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Biddeford Art Walk, Biddeford 5p-8p. Visit their site for a map of participating galleries.

• Oh Baby Cafe (140 Main St) will have live, low-key music and new art
• HFS Annex (140 Main St, 107 back alley) has music starting at 8pm after the walk...$6 cover, should be fun. Coco and Gil always are.

Yoko Ono & WBLM Present: Come Together: A Message of Optimism: The Art Work of John Lennon at the Dunaway Center, Ogunquit (23 School Street) 12p-7pF, 11a-7pSa, 11a-6pSu, $2 suggested donation.
This is where I'll be tonight, but if you can't get away this evening the show goes all weekend. I am really excited to see his work...it's the largest collection in the world and it's been travelling for 15 years raising money for various charities.

Alison Violette at Blue, Portland (650A Congress St) 7p-8:20p.
Blue is Portland's most intimate music venue featuring Celtic, Middle Eastern, Blues, Old Time, Jazz, and Folk music. The Maine Arts Commission says: Alison is a Native Maine Singer/Songwriter who began writing songs at the age of 18. In 2001, she released her debut album, ''Melancholy Blue'' (available at Acoustic Coffee, Portland, Maine, and through contacting her) and has since graced venues from coast to coast with her soothing and, sometimes eerie, vocals and steady guitar playing.
She's also one of the nicest and funniest people you'll ever meet, so introduce yourself during a break.

Sol.Illaquists of Sound at Space Gallery, Portland (538 Congress St) 9pm, $10 advance/$12 door.
If you're into hip hop, this show should be awesome. Space says: Backed by a powerful message of self-awareness, the Sol.Illaquists combine rapid-fire lyricism, jazz-tinged vocals, insightful poetry, and innovative live electronic performance.


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Saturday, 08/28/09
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LL Bean Sports Weekend at LL Bean (duh), Freeport (95 Main St, but you cannot miss it) Fri/Sat/Sun.
25% off a lot of stuff at LL Bean this weekend. Check out the schedule of events...there are a ton of workshops and demonstrations going on. My pick? Saturday from 11a-3p Geo-caching: Adventure Treasure Hunt. Yeah, it's a little nerdy, but I love me some gadgets and hidden treasure.

Dominic and the Lucid at Empire Dine and Dance, Portland (575 Congress St) 9pm, $5.
Portland Phoenix says: Lavoie and company have done something difficult in carving out a fairly unique sound that dabbles in everything from ’60s psychedelia to ’70s lounge to contemporary jam and brit-pop.
Anyway, these guys are really fun. Again, introduce yourselves if you get a chance. They're really friendly, down-to-earth dudes. The show should be a good time...music you can dance to. Also, they always know about after-parties.

Greetings from Lesbos, Maine at The St. Lawrence Arts and Community Center, Portland (76 Congress St) 8pmF&Sa $8/$5students.
The world premiere of a play by Maine playwright Carolyn Gage, adaptations of lesbian literary works and a choreographed trapeze act.
The first work is about Natalie Clifford Barney whom I adore. Reading about this woman is like a soap opera...except it's all true. She used to vacation in Bar Harbor and ride her horses bareback! This should be an interesting evening.


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Sunday, 08/30/09
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If you want to relax after a busy weekend, maybe catch a matinee and save a couple bucks. Taking Woodstock comes out Friday and I want see it NOW. Right now! Or maybe Sunday since I'm at work. This film stars Demitri Martin (my favorite comedian ever!) and the ruggedly hansome (ok, hippie looking) Emile Hirsch. This movie isn't a comedy as you might expect from Martin, but it does look like great film about the people, the time and the place around the music festival. Let me know what you think if you see it.

-Jenna

Frame Enhancement

Last time I blogged, I was learning about preservation of work. Now I’ve learned about the choices that have to be made, to get the optimum appearance for your art.



Jim our resident framer, meets clients over his consulting table, to choose the type of glass, the matts (and how many), the molding (which we typically think of as the frame), the fillet or other specialized applications (more on that later).



Glass is just glass, right? Surprisingly, besides regular picture glass, there’s uv clear, uv non-glare types. (Plexiglas comes in uv clear and uv non glare too.) Then there’s museum glass which pulls you eye right into the artwork.


Matt choices enhance a piece of art through different texture (like suede, print…) or color (maybe a contrasting color on the bevel, which is the edge of the mat). Multi mats can be staggered over each other to bring out the colors in the art.


Another specialized application, the fillet can add depth to a work. It is a thin bead metal that rests between the image and the other layers, or matts. Think of fillet as a mini frame within the frame, as it is very thin.



If a piece has various sized items that need to be displayed, Jim can create a shadow box effect by building windows with in the matts. This particular application is good with family heirlooms and personal treasures.


Another specialized option is aptly called, “floating” an item. This is great for displaying team jerseys and memorabilia. Recently a customer had Jim create a frame for his girlfriend with a window for tickets, a double matt of the play’s program and float a prop newspaper headline from the play.


We at Sam’s were impressed with the customer’s choices and thoughtfulness towards his girlfriend and her gift. But not nearly as impressed as SHE WAS when he presented his framed memory to her.

-Kathryn

Some Window Treatment FAQ

My response to the 64 thousand dollar question, what is a window treatment? A window treatment is a window dressing that serves multiple purposes: light control, heat control, privacy and most of all aesthetics; yes a thing of beauty. The function of the window treatment can change with the control such as a "top-down, bottom-up" feature which allows the shade to be raised from the bottom and lowered from the top. This gives the versatility of covering one area, say the bottom for privacy, and leaving the top open for light.



And "Just what is R-factor?" you might ask. R-factor or R-value is the measurement of a product's ability to resist heat flow. Since today's homes typically have R-values of up to 25 in the walls and only 3.5 in the low-e double glazed glass, the windows become an energy sieve losing energy to the outside in winter and gaining energy in summer. So now we may have this consideration when choosing a window treatment. The best class of window treatments for R-factors is the honeycomb shade, also known as the cellular shade.

It is important to note that all window treatments have some R-factor and it is worth weighing all their features when making a decision about a window treatment.

-Paul

Review: Open House & Artist Reception at Bay View Company, August 20, 2009

Yesterday evening, Phil Grime held an open house for his new Bay View Company. There wasn’t a trace of the former tenant, Rosebud Tattoo Shop, anywhere. Phil has appointed his gallery space with the art of many talented local artists in various mediums, as well as some fine antique pieces. People were smiling over cheerfully appointed mirrors, and vibrant land and seascapes. There were scattered signs everywhere instructing, “please touch” the glazed pottery. One whimsical folk art piece constructed out of an umbrella, a haying scythe and some open-toed shoes encouraged lively discussion. When not taking in the sights, gallery goers reconnected with each other and sampled some stellar refreshments. If you’re in Saco, Phil’s at 5 Elm Street is worth a stop.

Bay View Company

5 Elm Street, Saco, Maine 04072

207-283-0074

-Kathryn

Preservation & Framing

Protecting Heirlooms

Recently I had the pleasure of watching Jim our custom art framer work on an antique frame. I mention it because it was unusual. It had a pieced wood frame - forming an oblong octagon. Another unusual feature: over the cherished hand tinted family photograph was the convex glass, that Jim gave a polish.

Jim explained that along with enhancing valuable pieces of art, framing is for protecting heirlooms. Jim uses archival conservation material – which are acid free, to prevent the dustcover (backing) from eating away the photograph over time. So when Jim sends a piece out he says, “Barring household accidents & acts of nature, bring it back in a hundred years, for a refit!”

-Kathryn

This Summer's Hot Seller: Down East Doormats

Down East Doormats

Handwoven doormats made from recycled lobster trap float-rope

After seeing these terrific recycled doormats on tv, Kathryn had to order some for Sam's Place. These mats are virtually indestructable and easy to clean! Each mat is one of a kind and handwoven by Maine crafters. The float-rope used to make these mats used to entangle whales and litter the ocean. Maine lobstermen are now required to use sink-rope and this is a wonderful way for them to recycle and keep the float-rope out of our landfills.



The Maine Float-Rope Co. also donates a percentage of its earnings to non-profit organizations and programs that protect whales and other marine life.



Come in and check out the selection! Support this amazing Maine company!

-Jenna

New Web Site

After taking an intensive web design class over the first weekend in August, I thought I could whip up a web site in no time at all.

It's proved to be a little more complex than that...but we've got a site up! I'll be working on improvements (constantly), but at least we've got some info up and lots of fun links.

We'll also be updating this blog and maintaining the facebook page so keep in touch and give us some feedback!

Thanks,

Jenna @ Sam's Place