Moved In At Last

Well, we have been in our new space since April. We are not as put together as we would like to be, because of the steady stream of clients coming through our door. Not a bad problem to have. So here we are looking a lot like a real gallery. White walls, different rooms to showcase our different artists, different styles of art, and a fresh start in a shaky economy.

Welcome to the new TRA Art Group!

We are in suite 15, which may as well be on the other side of the world in the Design Center. We are right up front at the first entrance, next door to Beacon Hill, our new neighbors.

Our new front show room has more to offer to the artist and viewer. More space on the walls, more room on the floor. Modern art seems to need a lot more space to breath than traditional. We can finally do justice to some of the great artists we carry. Even with so much space though, it is still impossible to hang everything we have. I cannot believe the amount of art that was crammed into suite 98! I am seeing art I did not know we even owned. Now is the time to stop by and look through all of our inventory. We still do not have it all put away, and it is easily accessible to flip through. Some customers have found some rather good deals stashed away in our piles of art.

View from my desk

New Artist Michael Simon

In the midst of all this upheaval we have managed to get in some new art. Artist Michael Simon has already sold some art to local businesses. Like most artists Michael works a day job, and makes his art when he can. His paintings are intreuging. I think his art has a lot of potential. After he pours metallic paint, tinted with color, over the entire surface, he resin coats the canvass. He ends up with a flat slick surface quality, and a depth of color that has a dimensional look to it. Flat with depth. Tricky.

"Button" and "Segmented Squares" by Todd Richter

We got in some more work from Ann Arbor's Todd Richter. These new ones are on the small side (the largest is a 24 inch circle) but the have quit an impact as a grouping. We sold out of his work a while ago, and have been eagerly awaiting some new things. They are very light of the wall even though they are made with stainless steel, and they cast some interesting shadows.

This piece from Carl Krabill has been with us for a bit now. This one has a front and center position in the gallery. Apparently Carl worked in a completely different style until he saw Claude Monet's Lilly Pond installation in person. Ever since then, he has worked with landscape to hang his paint on. It's nice to see an artist take an influence and create his own style from it. There are too too many amateur Monet's out there. The landscape is littered with fluffy rip offs. I think Carl paints mostly with his own brush. (Not an easy thing to do). At over 3 feet by 9 feet, it would make a great statement in a corporate setting.


Here's the view from my desk. From left to right, 2 Mary Rousseaux's on the wall, followed by a new artist Matthew Sarnette with the large stripes. On the floor is another Michael Simon. (Not yet hung).

Here is view down the main corridor.

We still have plenty to do as far as hanging, unpacking, and organizing. This is one heck of a face lift for TRA. This gallery is still waiting for some help!

"Misty" by Sarnette

Here is Sarnette's work. Splashy washes of color fight for space on the canvass with hard edge stripes of color. The layers of paint don't show up in photos. At 5 x 7 feet, they pack a visual as well as structural punch.

Here is our new framing room. Finally we can get every frame sample on the wall and in order. Easier to view and sell!
Plus we have a skylight in the frame room. I don't know of any other framing operation that has access to natural light. You can see the true color of your art and framing in muted sunlight. Plus it's great for our plants.

We very excited and overwhelmed by our new space. At over 5,000 square feet, we have lots of room to roam, many walls to fill, and a lot more opportunity to showcase our wealth of talented artists. I cannot think of anyone in Metro Detroit that has this kind space for art. During the summer months we will be running special pricing on many pieces of art that we have had for too long. Plus a new focus on our framing operation lets us extend more options to the designer and the client. Come and visit anytime. Thanks for reading. Let us know what you think.

Jeff

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