The Search Begins

Okay so I started looking for art studios that offer classes and I found two so I will be calling them to see which ones offer classes that fit my schedule. I was also informed by a co-worker that some craft stores sell beginner's kits. I am really excited about getting started. Trying new things can be good. Once I get started I will be posting my art on here and on occasion I will be writing short essays on some of my favorite artists. But first to start off here is an article I wrote on a local photographer.


Seeing the World in Black and White
By: Jenn Schurga

While most people would ignore a crack in the road or a garden hose left lying in the front yard, Pamela Connolly finds beauty in everyday little things.
On March 1 Lot 84’s newest exhibit will feature work from local photographer Pamela Landau Connolly. The exhibit is called ‘here + there’ and will be open until June 30. Connolly, who has been a black and white photographer for 30 years, has the ability to transform something as insignificant as a cracked side walk into something beautiful. Her work features the modest beauty in every day life. She was recently awarded 2nd place at the Soho Photo Gallery for “Cracked Path,” which is part of her series of works entitled Archaeology of the Ordinary. “I am interested in how things break down, how they are repaired, and how the layers of each together create something new,” she explains.
While color photography shows off the vibrancy of life, Connolly still prefers to use traditional black and white, “I love the way black and white renders light, shadow, and form. I find that it reveals a certain essence in my subject.” Her interest in pursuing photography began with the purchasing of her first real camera when she was a senior in high school. “My first roll of film was black and white,” Connolly explains, “I went to a local park in my town and photographed these wild little kids playing on the swings and the monkey bars. They played with complete abandon.” Her ability to capture children in their element is astounding as well as her talent for finding beauty in the most unlikely of places such as in cracked pavement. Connolly is able to transform a simple landscape into something much more, as seen in “Inkblot Landscape.”
Aside from being a photographer Connolly has also been a middle school photography teacher for the past ten years. Connolly taught at various institutions such as Northern Westchester Center for the Arts, The Point Community Center in the South Bronx and The Horace Mann School in Riverdale, NY. She credits most of her inspiration from the work of her former students, “Their fresh take on the world never ceases to surprise me.” She has even done some philanthropy work with children affected by Hurricane Katrina. The two day workshop took place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and was called “Kids with Cameras,” in which Connolly, along with Mark Teiwes, a local photographer, taught them how to use the cameras. The children were then able to go out and take photographs of their environment. Connolly then coordinated an exhibit at Louisiana State University that featured the children’s art.
The owner of lot84, Rossana Fiore, opened up the boutique in August 2007. Fiore formerly owned Vintage Home in Chappaqua, New York. She decided on the name lot84 because she often buys from auctions, where items are listed as a ‘lot’and 84 is in reference to the street address. Fiore’s love of the mixing vintage and modern provides a unique atmosphere which makes this an ideal location for local artists to display their work.