The "Epic" Art Show

Just before the fire happened at The Marketplace Gallery a few weeks ago, our friend Sam Contompasis had planned a gallery showing of local artists and called it the Epic Art Show. When the fire hit, there was no gallery space to have the show in, until a friend stepped up and offered this space. After going to the opening of the show on Friday night, and enjoying it very much, i found the space was wheelchair accessible, and Bill and i went back there on Sunday to see the show. And in the daylight, i could also take better pictures too! So, i thought you might want to take a stroll with us thru the gallery. Here are some of the paintings at the show...

These paintings are large

so is this one...

This room was filled with paintings that had survived the fire. (The light bulbs in the room are red, so that explains the red photos!) The painting i bought was from this room.

Some of them were scorched, some stained with smoke and water damage...But actually, most of them looked pretty darn good to go thru a fire like that and still come out intact....

There was all different kinds of art work in different styles and mediums

This wall held mixed media paintings by local artist Robert Gullie

As you can see, this painting was huge! And i thought it was really beautiful...
(oh and the guy sitting in front of that painting isn't bad either! ;)

Another huge, beautiful painting

On opening night i said to my sister, "i wish Sam painted smaller sized paintings, because i would really like to have one hanging in my home." I have his sculptures, but they are outside in my gardens... In the fire room i fell in love with an abstract painting that was not marked with a price or the artist's name. So when i went back the second time and it was still there, I asked Sam about it and found that HE painted it! So, i bought it! Here he is explaining the way the painting was made and it's name
"Beautiful Madness"

Then he signed it for me.... and off we went! Oh and just to show you the size paintings Sam usually does....

here's part of one of them!

The Kindness and Goodness of Friends

I have to admit, the last few months have been tough ones for us. It just goes to prove you never know what's waiting for you around the bend. Instead of riding out for our yearly trip to see Amma, we rode in an ambulance in the wee hours of the morning to an Emergency Room. Instead of going to the county fairs and looking at the chickens and cows, we sat in a hospital. My poor husband Bill had to go thru surgery and a long, ongoing recovery period. And on top of it all, we learned that our friend and neighbor's son was in a horrible motorcycle accident, with a life ending head injury, and we waited with her until he finally slipped away... Definitely not the kind of events you look forward to when you think of things to do in the Summer... While sitting at the hospital, i noticed all the folks who were bedridden and recovering who had no visitors at all, day in and day out, and i started to think about how lonely this world can be for some people... Doesn't anybody care??? And then one day last week a package arrived with my name on it! It was sent by my blogging friend Alex, the lovely creative soul behind the blog Lola Nova. I opened that box up and i could actually feel the love come pouring out of that box with the wonderful scents of the gifts wrapped inside... Here is a look inside the box! It was a celebration of color and creativity inside that little square space! It totally brightened up my day (week...month...who knows?) in a way i cannot even describe! Look at the color! How can you stay tired and gloomy looking at that?

On top of the box was a handmade card from Alex, with a message in it that really warmed my heart. (I think this was one of my most favorite parts of the gift Alex)

There was a beautiful handmade therapeutic neck pillow that she made. Pop it in the microwave and put it on anyplace that needed warmth and comfort... I LOVE the colors and fabrics she chose...

Even her stickers are sweet as pie!

There was a hand sewn handbag for Lola, and bars of yummy chocolate inside for me and Bill

and a handmade mug, some herbal tea and tea infuser, a candle with a sweet little owl dish to hold it, a bar of wonderful perfumed soap, some homemade jam made with fruit from her garden, and a beautiful journal that is so pretty i am going to have to force myself to write in it! All little reminders to take time to take care of myself too. This was amazing! Alex and i have never met outside of sending each other comments and notes...and yet, the feeling i got when i opened that box... We are all connected, no matter what form that connection takes. I felt totally rejuvenated, and so reassured that the world is full of good and loving people. And i am so fortunate to have so many of them in my life. Thank you Alex. I hope it is alright i posted this. I wanted to share it with ALL my friends out there. And it makes me want to pay it forward....(PS- I LOVE that Jam!)

A day at the museum...

Yesterday we went to The Clark Museum to see the Georgia O'Keeffe/Arthur Dove exhibit. I just love Georgia O'Keeffe. I don't love all of her work, but i do really like her, the person and the artist. I think she was a fascinating person... and even if i found i didn't like the painting i was looking at very much, i could always feel her, her spirit and her emotions and her strength coming thru. And my very favorite thing in the show wasn't a painting at all, but this little picture of Georgia, sitting on the ground in her garden at Lake George, painting a watercolor of plants she found growing there. I actually have a new found appreciation for Arthur Dove's work too. The museum was fairly crowded for a weekday afternoon. Bill and Katie went off to see the show on their own, but Mom and i stood together and studied and talked about all of the wonders we saw. I love to go to galleries and look at paintings with her, and hear her opinions about different styles and techniques. We had a great time(but you know we have a great time together no matter what we do) It was a lovely show and made for a lovely day... If you'd like to read about the exhibit, click here:
http://www.clarkart.edu/exhibitions/dove-okeeffe/content/press.cfm And if you would like to see some of the images, go down to the bottom of the page and click on "Sample Images"

Ice Cream for Lunch!

Even tho school starts next week, there's still time to eat ice cream! And as you can see, this is serious business folks....
Good stuff.... A good day, good kids, good ice cream and a happy Gumma and Poppy. What more could you want!

Jinxie the Glove Kitty

Meet Jinxie the glove kitty...

He has a very cute profile, don't you agree? He is made out of black stretch gloves, polyfil, and lots of love

This little black cat brings good luck to anyone who takes him home... He's waiting for you on the top toy shelf at The Paper Sparrow...

Hats and Cats, and....

While i was spending most of my days at the hospital with Bill, i carried a canvas bag filled with patterns and yarn, needles and hooks with me every day. And i made lots of little hats. These are my little dumpling hats! Some are made of cotton and others are washable acrylic...

And this little one is an Apple Dumpling hat, made for a newborn.

i love the little rolled brims, and the stretchiness of the pattern allows for the hat to grow with the baby and toddlers for quite some time. A few of these little hats will be for sale at

The Paper Sparrow this week for Troy Night Out.

And some will someday make it to my Etsy shop, which still has not officially opened...yet. Here are a few of the crochet hats and beanies i have yet to finish. I think i will add some crocheted posies to the brims and edges...

I also knitted the bodies of these little critters and sewed them together yesterday. The little pink kitten "Tinka" is made of super soft and silky bamboo yarn, and the little teddy bear "Boo" is made of a wool blend. Both are safe for babies and children of all ages(even Grandmas) These two friends will be perched on a shelf at The Paper Sparrow for Troy Night Out Friday, August 28th. Why not stop by and meet them, and say HI!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Just one week after we celebrated Mom's 80th Birthday, we all got together and celebrated Dad's 79th Birthday

Except this time he insisted that he take us all out to dinner! So he got us this little room at the Redfront Restaurant, and we had a great time.
The group was much smaller and more intimate, just his closest friends, kids, grandkids and great grandkids...

Here the boys are helping "Bepa" open his cards and check his scratch off tickets

He couldn't open those cards fast enough!

My Sister Nancy and her husband Ned stayed here for both of our Parent's parties and Aunt Nancy always remembers to bring Disney stickers with her for the little ones...

except....

after she got thru with Lola

i'm not sure there were many stickers left for anyone else!

(Awww Mellon...another picture?!)

Anyway, the food was great, the company was fantastic

And a good time was had by all...especially by my Parents.

We Love You Mom and Dad !

Dogs DO go to Heaven...(i'm sure of it!)

(My Zebedee- in Heaven)

My sister just sent this to me and i thought it was so sweet, i wanted to share it with you.

-However-

***WARNING*** You may need to go and grab a box of tissues***

(my Mozie- in Heaven)

*********************************************************************************
~Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:
Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her. Love, Meredith
We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:
Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by..Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love. Love,God
It is not known who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.~

I DO Believe, I DO believe, i do i do i do....

Out of the Ashes.... Contompasis Gallery

Update on the fire at the gallery... I got a thank you note from Sam last night. He is so grateful for what didn't happen and feels terrible about loosing their beautiful dog in the fire. But he said, "I will paint and i will have shows in my gallery again. Tomorrow we go in and start to rebuild." That my friends, is the strength and power of the human spirit. Here is the story from our local newspaper...

Local artists' work damaged by blaze
Damage at Albany building just "small bump in the road'

By HUMBERTO MARTÍNEZ, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. First published: Thursday, August 20, 2009
ALBANY -- An artist's apartment caught fire on Tuesday evening, burning several paintings and leaving others in the attached gallery with smoke and water damage. No people were injured, but one dog died.
Samson Contampsis' apartment was empty at around 6:20 p.m. when what police believe was an electrical fire set off two alarms. The blaze was contained within the apartment by sprinkler systems and the Albany Fire Department, saving most of the approximately 30 pieces of work by 25 artists held in the gallery space.
"I lost everything inside aside from a couple of photos," Contompasis said of the apartment.
His venue -- previously known as Contompasis Gallery but renamed to MarketPlace Gallery this month -- was one of the 40 stops on Albany's 1st Friday art tour, where he had a lot of support from other artists, said Michael Weidrich, organizer of the event. A fundraiser for the gallery, Contompasis and his brothers who also lived in the damaged apartment will be held at Lark Tavern at the next 1st Friday, Sept. 4.
"He was a great addition because it's not a regular gallery," Weidrich said.
"It's in a rustic, old building in a different part of town, it diversifies the venues."
Among items lost to the fire were at least six paintings, including several in a series called the "100 Guns Project" by Contompasis himself.
Also gone is photography done by his brother, Max Contompasis, of deteriorating buildings in the Capital Region. Most of the other works just had smoke or water damage, while some were completely unharmed, Contompasis said.
While no one was harmed by the fire, Contompasis said his family lost a highly valued member.
"She was the coolest dog in the world," he said of his 4-year-old American Bulldog, Xena. "She was probably the most travelled dog in Albany, we took her across the whole country ... She was the closest a dog could ever get to being a person."
Located at 40 Broadway, the gallery was in the Greenbush Tape and Label building, near the Port of Albany. The building has long been popular with area artists because of its generous studio space. It was also the site, in May 2003, of a $2.1 million heist of bearer bonds and cash from the tape and label company.
The building did not sustain any serious damage in the fire, police said.
Contompasis said he was set to put on an art show later this month, but now he will have to find another venue for "Epic."
He plans to have his gallery open again soon.
"Yesterday was the past and tomorrow we're going to go back in there and start rebuilding as soon as we can," Contompasis said. "We're going to have a show as soon as possible, this is just a small bump in the road."
Fund-raiser for the MarketPlace Gallery
When: 8 p.m.-close Sept. 4, to coincide with 1st Friday Albany.
Where: Lark Tavern, 453 Madison Ave., Albany
Note: Salvaged art will be sold to the tune of live music. All proceeds will go to the gallery and family.

More Bad News - The Contompasis Gallery Fire

Do you remember these posts on my blog around this time last year ? I have a friend named Samson Contompasis, who is a very talented multi media artist. Since these posts last Summer, he has returned from Europe to make his home here in the Capital District. As a matter of fact, he actually moved into an old warehouse/building in downtown Albany, and created living space for himself, his brothers and his Dad, AND a super beautiful art gallery, featuring not only his and his family's work, but many local artists.

Well, last night there was a terrible fire in the building and it looks like they lost...well...just about everything....including the family dog. I just felt terrible about this all day long.

I got a note from Sam tonight and he is going back into the building tomorrow and start to rebuild. He is quite an amazing young man... Please say a prayer that they are able to turn this around. If anyone can, Sam can.

Best Birthday Ever! Mom's 80th Birthday Party!

I haven't been posting much lately. We went right from leaving the hospital to getting ready for my Mom's big 80th Birthday Party! I have spent every last minute this past week cleaning and getting our house ready to host the Big Event! Thank Goodness for my nice big cool garage. The sun and heat was oppressive yesterday.

Mom's birthday fell on a Saturday this year so we were able to celebrate right on her special day too. This was her delicious cake. Butter cream frosting on yellow cake layered with custard and fresh blueberries. YUM!

Everyone made dips and snacks to start with, and then we had a huge delivery of pizza and wings. I am SO glad we didn't have to cook or fire up the grill in that heat yesterday!

Everybody just sat and talked and visited with each other...The kids played in the gardens, catching bugs and running up and down Bill's ramps.

We all sang Happy Birthday and then Mom cut her cake.

Here's Seth modeling a snake like moustache he fashioned out of some found wire .

Lola, sweaty but not letting the heat get to her!

Here she is dancing in the garage.

getting hugs and kisses from "GG" which stands for Great Grandmother.

and singing Happy Birthday with Aunt Kate to GG. Later, after all our guests left and we did some major cleanup, we all went out and sat on the cool deck and played a trivia game my daughter Katie put together (i flunked) and listened to music and enjoyed the cool night air and each other's company. My Mother told us just before she left for home, that this was her best birthday ever. And looking at her beautiful face and hearing the emotion in her voice, i knew she really meant it. And that meant the world to us all...

Happy Birthday Mom!