TRA Art News

TRA Featured Item

2009-12-17T09:42:00.001-08:00

"Smokey Eye" 48 x 73 inches $2750 Retail NOW $650

This is a print on wallpaper. That's right. Our printer did this piece for us a while back as a sample of what he can do for us. He can print on wallpaper, tile, metal, just about anything. At 48 x 73 inches, this piece really pops. It is vibrant and striking. It is stretched on canvas and ready to hang. Our printer visited us yesterday and said "Why do you still have this? Get rid of it!" So we are. Let your clients know!

Epiphany Glass Show

2009-11-11T11:24:00.000-08:00

TRA Art Group Presents: Epiphany Glass

Stop by to view work from master glass blowers April Wagner and Jason Ruff.

April Wagner and Jason Ruff met while attending the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI. They both graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art, emphasis in glass, in the early ‘90s. For the past 10 years, they have owned and operated epiphany studios, located in Pontiac, MI. Their studio is the largest, most sophisticated private studio of its kind in the Midwest. Their work is exhibited in galleries worldwide, and featured in numerous private and corporate collections including those of Russian President Vladimir Putin, General Motors, The Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, Pfizer, Inc., Strategic Staffing Solutions, and Ross Controls. April was recently featured as one of Crain’s Detroit Business’s 40 under 40 honorees for 2005.

The gallery is inside the Michigan Design Center down the hall from TRA Art Group. Please join us to celebrate these prolific Michigan Artists.

TRA Featured Item

2009-09-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

"Winter" and "Summer" by Susan Kulbacki are a diptych which can be sold separately. They are signed giclees on canvas. A giclee is a high quality print on canvas or paper. These are signed by Susan. The canvases are floating inside a 2 1/2 inch thick curved wood frame. The image is a study of the same tree in summer and winter months. They would look great in a cottage setting. Since many of our clients were busy spending their last nice weekend at their cottages I thought these items would be fitting. Come in for a closer look. Below you will find the artist's bio."Summer" and "Winter" by Susan Kulbacki
Retail $1950 each Sale Price $695 each.

Bio

Susan Kulbacki has had a life-long love of art. Beginning with coloring books and mud pies, it gradually matured into the beautiful oil paintings for which Susan is now so well known. Her early love of nature has remained with her as well, and that love is apparent in much of her artwork.

Susan was fortunate because in the Detroit area where she was raised, the Public Schools had a wonderful partnership with the Detroit Institute of Art, and she was selected to participate in the Saturday morning program. She says, “My early training was crucial to my development as an adult.” Although she was only in the fifth grade, the children were allowed to paint in different galleries; one day they might be in the Picasso Gallery and the next day in a Gothic Gallery. Instructors would give brief talks and afterwards the students would paint or draw their impressions. The one rule was they were never allowed to copy. Susan also studied life drawing at the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts.

During high school, Susan expanded her artistic horizons by taking part in theatre where she helped create and paint the sets. Because Susan’s father had dreams of her becoming an architect, she followed his advice and enrolled in mechanical drawing and drafting classes. Unfortunately, at that time women were not encouraged to study these traditionally male professions. Further discouraged when she found she was the only female in her classes, Susan rethought her career goals. Following her heart, she decided to instead pursue the arts.

After high school, Susan entered Michigan State University on a National Merit Scholarship. Remaining there for only a year, Susan moved to New York City despite her family’s strong disapproval. Eager to intensify and expand her involvement with art, the young artist wanted to explore the many artistic opportunities available in New York. Unfortunately, just a week after moving there, Susan was hit by a speeding taxi. While the recovery period was lengthy, Susan was aided in the healing process by her strong determination and attitude.

After recovering, Susan enjoyed the fast pace and exciting world that New York offered. Proximity to museums was an important factor in the jobs she held, which ranged from secretary and landscape gardener to a business Susan owned where she was an agent for artist’s models. Susan continued painting and drawing throughout this time, and the daily exposure to fine art gained through her trips to the Museum of Modern Art everyday after work were an education like nothing else she had experienced. Susan would sit in front of a painting for an hour or longer studying it until it “spoke” to her.

Susan moved from New York to Woodstock where she was very involved with the art community and met many established artists. In Woodstock, she had her first show, and continued studying art.

Several years later, Susan moved to New Mexico where she became very interested in the intensity of color and light, so different from the milky grayness of the East Coast. She says, “The color seemed to expand into a great space and then on into infinity.” It was here that she began painting her abstract “color field” paintings. Galleries noticed her work and shortly her work was being sold in the area’s finest art galleries.

After many years of showing her art in galleries across the country, Susan wanted to step back. She felt she was repeating herself in a kind of signature style and wasn’t creating, but rather just refining. Finding work with a traditional art gallery, Susan painted flowers, garden scenes, color field paintings and abstract garden scenes.

This venture paid off both personally and professionally as Susan met her future husband, and experienced growth as an artist.

The couple now lives in a small town snuggled in the mountains, along with their three large dogs and exotic birds. Susan paints for Rosenbaum and is delighted with the national exposure this association has brought and the wonderful open atmosphere she has found there.

Susan prefers to paint in a traditional style. She has a complicated palette that is cool over warm or vice-versa. She is passionate about her painting and likes to do it all. For years, she has kept files on her ideas and never has a “dry spell.” She likes to layer her art and loves texture. Susan appreciates every artist and style. Going back to her early years in New York, Susan still utilizes her technique of sitting in front of a painting until it “speaks” to her.

Susan has maintained her love of nature and if she cannot be found in her art studio, she can be found in her garden. Her husband teases her that all she needs to be happy on her birthday is a truckload of well-rotted horse manure. Her grandmother’s love of sewing and quilting, passed on to Susan when she was just a little girl, lives on in Susan today. And traveling, where she can find further inspiration for her painting remains a favorite pastime.

As Beethoven needed to compose, Susan needs to pant. She says, she depends on art. And after thirty years of creating her beautiful and inspired paintings, Susan likes to quote a one-hundred year old Japanese artist who says, “I’m just finally getting it, and it just keeps getting better and better.” Susan gets it too.

"Summer" and "Winter" by Susan Kulbacki
Retail $1950 each Sale Price $695 each.

TRA Featured Item

2009-08-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

"Dry Season" by Kirt Brown. Retail Price $7800. Net cost $2574.

Hello, I'm back with more deals from the TRA archive. We own a very large painting by Kurt Brown. He is a well known landscape artist, who works with acrylics on canvas or paper. I have no idea where the subject of the painting is. I assume it is simply a composite of imagery the artist enjoys. The medium is acrylic on canvas, and it measures 56 x 86 inches. I imagine placing this work easily in a great room or even a hospital setting. It is serene and deceptively simple. The frame is a reddish Roma wood frame with a distressed finish, with a strip of gold on the inside of the frame. The frame itself is probably worth $2000. I apologize for the hotspot in the upper left region of the photo. The piece is so large that it was difficult to light correctly. (You need a lot of room to light something like this.)

The quotation below is a taken from Kirt Brown's bio:

"Interiors and whimsical fish were what Kirt first painted. Now he is known for landscapes, many of them Italian. Memories of Utah and the land surrounding his parent's cabin also influence the art he does. First painting with oils and now with acrylics on paper or canvas, he loves acrylics. He says, "Painting with oils is too much like washing dishes." The immediate affect of acrylics is very appealing to Kirt, yet, with them he can achieve the same beautiful luminious and viberant look as he could with oils. He layers colors rather than mixing and builds the surfaces. He says of his contemporary landscapes that they are peaceful and his hope is that they exude that quality."

For your home work you can fix as many grammatical mistakes as you like in the preceeding paragraph and send an email back to me. Please take note that I copied it word for word from his website. FYI; I always suggest that artists use a non-artist to proof read their bios.
Extra credit: Fix my grammer if you like.
See you soon. Jeff

TRA Featured Item

2009-07-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

Hand Crafted Stone Globe of the World

We have an amazing piece of craftsmanship in our gallery on consignment from a collector. He no longer has room for the piece and asked us to show it for him in TRA's showroom.
It is a world globe. The literature which accompanies the work reads as such:

"To create this giant work of art, craftsmen spent nearly 1,000 hours hand-fabricating each component, beginning with a gypsum sphere as a base. As the sphere is the canvas, it is critical that it is perfectly round and in correct proportion to the cut stone pieces that will be assembled to for the map of nations. While the sphere is curing, the craftsmen carefully cut each nation, taking care to use stones indigenous to the country it represents. Only when the entire cutting process is complete are the stones assembled on the sphere to form the world's geometry.
To represent the 2/3rds of the world covered by water, the artisans use a centuries old process of stone grinding. Genuine Lapis, because of its stunning bright blue color, is ground into a fine powder and applied to the sphere where the earth is covered by oceans and great bodies of water. After the Lapis covered globe is inspected, it is hand polished to a high gloss and a thick coat if protective acrylic is applied to ensure a long lasting finish with a deep rich sheen."

Small Flaw Pic

There is one flaw in the piece. In the Bay of Bengal close up you can see a crack which is about 8 inches long. The flaw is in the acrylic outer layer. The stones are not affected. The flaw is not very noticeable either. It actually almost exactly follows the coastline of the Bay of Bengal.

Retail Price for this item is $62,500. The net price is $25,000.

The item was originally placed by the owner in an estate over-looking the Detroit River and Lake Erie. It was an adjunct to the many ships passing by from all over the world.

Featured Item June 2009

2009-06-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

Thames River by Unknown Item# V114 Oil on Stretched Canvass 35h x 47w
Retail Price $1400 - 70% = $420

We have a lot of nice inventory that has been here for too long. I can't believe that we still own some of these items. They have been through Sample Sales and in and out of client's houses. Hopefully you can help us find a home for them.

This featured item is a skillfully rendered bird's eye view of the Thames River (I believe) in London. This is our best guess. We know nothing about the origin of the piece. We don't know the artist or the title. But we do know that it is very handsome and charming.

Let us know what you think!
Jeff

Al Newbill /// new acquisitions

2009-04-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

Will be exhibiting new Al Newbill paintings down the hall from our space.

Al Newbill was born on January 13, 1921, in Springfield, Missouri. Although born in Missouri, Al Newbill was primarily raised in Detroit. His first painting at the age of twelve, was a copy of Winslow Homer’s “The Gulf Stream.” While attending Cass Tech High School, he concurrently enrolled in courses at Detroit’s Art Museum. Additionally he studied at the Society of Arts and Crafts, currently known as The College for Creative Studies.

After serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II, Newbill headed for New York where he studied at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Hans Hofmann School of Fine Art, and the New School of Social Research, where he studied Painting, Aesthetics, Psychology of Art, Art History, Art Criticism, and Chinese Art and Poetry. He remained in New York for fifteen years amid the exciting atmosphere generated by the Abstract Expressionists, one of the most important movements in 20th century American painting. Amoung his aquaintances were Franz Kline, William de Kooning, and Jackson Pollock.

Originating at Queens College, the lure of teaching eventually took Newbill away from New York to the Universities of Southern Illinois, University of California, Berkeley, Kansas, and Cornell. He then became the director of the art program for the Rodman Job Corp in New Bedford Massachusettes. He finally moved to the regional campus of Ohio State University in Mansfield where he taught until 1976. Newbill still resides today in Mansfield.

His work has been exhibited widely at prestigious institutions and galleries across the United States and remains in the permanent collection of many.

We welcome everyone to come and see the new paintings in Suite 27 of the Michigan Design Center.

Selected Exhibits
Detroit Institute of Art
Toledo Art Museum
Santa Fe Art Museum
University of Kansas, Museum of Fine Art
Arts & humanities Gallery, Ashland College, Ohio
Don Coburn Gallery, Ashland
New Paltz State Teachers College, New York
Leo Castelli Gallery, New york
Laurel Gallery
Stable Gallery
Mortimer Levitt Gallery
Creative Gallery
Parma Gallery
Holland-Goldowsky Gallery, Chicago
Hendler Gallery, Philadelphia
Stanley Yulish Gallery, Cleveland

Selected Collections
Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, Missouri
University of Kansas, Museum of Fine Art
Gallery of the University of Illnois
Kings College, New York
Marist College, New York
Ashland College, Ohio
The Olsen Foundation Collection, NY
The Chrysler Collection, NY
The Dalad roup, Ohio, Cleveland
American Recovery, Inc, Cleveland
Summit Venture Corporation, Newport Beach
Kichler Lighting, Cleveland
Paul Hamlin Interior Design, Cleveland

New Artist February

2009-02-20T11:03:00.001-08:00

Mansky "Castle Rock"

Munazza Naeem "Day Series"

Matthew Sarnette "Bouquet 11"

At TRA we are always looking for new artists and new art. I enjoy discovering new talented people, and most of the time they enjoy being discovered too. One of the great joys of running a gallery is giving excited new artists a chance to show their work to a new audience. The design community does not always get a chance to see new artists. Many galleries tend to show people who are “cutting edge”; art that is fun so talk about but sometimes difficult to look at, and definitely hard to sell. TRA tries to float somewhere in the middle. We try to find quality. We try to show art that maybe falls through the cracks. We show art that is enjoyable to view and to own.

Paul Mansky is a local dentist. You read that correctly. I am trying to come up with an art for dental work barter system. He doesn’t know about this idea yet… In his spare time between kids and work, he shoots photos. Like many photographers he is drawn to the landscape. Mostly he spends his time in Michigan, but there are shots of Canada, and numerous national parks. Now the difficult thing about being a landscape photographer is that there are so many people doing that subject matter that it tends to be a cliché.

I meet photographers all the time who show me great work, but it really does look the same as everybody else’s. Mansky sets himself apart.

Mansky "Mount Sinopoh with Tour Boat"

His method is different from anything I’ve seen. In fact I didn’t know it existed until he explained it to me. He uses an archaic process call “platinum palladium printing”. It is the oldest exposure process in the world. Platinum printing’s origins come from a man named Sir John Herschal, who in 1832 discovered that when you expose certain platinum compounds to light they can be reduced. In 1873 William Willis was able to create the process of platinum exposure and printing, so much so that he got a patent for it. Of course by then photography was a well known process, but the use of platinum as an element of exposure was dabbled with before the first photograph was ever made. What does this all mean? I don’t know, but I like the story. The moral is, that the process is ancient, difficult, time consuming, and expensive. The final product however is quite amazing. The photos I show here do not convey the unreal amount of detail in these prints. Paul tells me that the ink actually soaks into the paper instead of floating on top. This gives the image a great amount of depth and detail. In the world of digital manipulation, instant gratification, and anyone with a camera phone who can claim they are a photographer, Mansky is a breath of fresh air. He is doing this because he loves the art of photography, and he enjoys the tedious process of the dark room. Bravo Paul!

Mansky "Old Tree Lake Superior"

Mansky Collection of photos at TRA Art Group

The next artist is Munazza Naeem. She is a Canadian painter who got her Fine Arts Degree from Wayne State. She has been in a few competitions through out the Detroit Area, and she found us on the internet. When I spoke to her the first time over the phone I was taken back by her soft spoken-ness, and once I saw her work I realized that it did all of the talking for her. Her paintings are intimate, quiet, and at first glance serene, but if you look longer a narrative starts to show up. The images start to tell a story of some sort, but not in a preachy or didactic way. The underlying subject is as subtle as the art itself. I have always had a fondness for small paintings. They have a way of naturally drawing in the viewer. You must lean in and look closely. I was amazed by the technical ability shown in these works, which is matched by a depth of subject matter and underlying tension between the image, the viewer, and the narrative. Again what does this all mean? I don’t know. That’s why I like these paintings. They don’t tell me what to think. No one likes to be preached to, do they?

Naeem "Day Series"

Naeem Day Series grouping at TRA

Our final artist is Matthew Sarnette. Of the artists I speak of today, his paintings are the simplest in subject and application. Only a few block of color and a classic subject of flowers. Now if you are looking at these images to see flowers you are missing the point. He wants to you see the paint. The goopy, sticky, color blocks. The paintings again are smallish 12 x 14 and 16 x 20, but they appear as solid things. They are sculptural in approach. They take up more visual space than their size lets them. The paint is slathered on, yet they are not slopped on. He paints just enough. And that’s enough for me.

Sarnette "Floral 5"

Sarnette "Floral 6"

Sarnette "Floral 7"

Bringing the Outside In

2008-11-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

TRA Presents Artist

Jamie Young

"Crystal Blue" oil on canvass 84 x 60 inches

WE are in the season when the days seem desperately short, ridiculously cold, and dare I say it....depressing. The old adage "If you don't like the weather just wait a few minutes" does not hold much water in November through February, and most of March for that matter. It's cold! Snowy, wet, and cold. The chill in the air does have a positive effect on Art and Design though. Clients are forced to deal with their interiors with no chance at a reprieve until the tundra thaws in late March.

"Rabbit Hollow in Moonlight" oil on canvass 84 x 60 inches

One trend I see over and over is another old adage "Bring the outside in". This month TRA presents Jamie Young. She is a well documented landscape artist who lives and works in Massachusetts. She has been bringing the outside in for 3 decades with fresh, loose, and colorful landscapes. She notes that she paints in between caring for her farm and her kids, but her work is anything but weekend warrior, part time paintings. They have a depth of color and light, that very simply but cauciously, portray the land that she travels everyday. As she drives her truck though Ashfield MA, where he farm is located, she frequently stops on the side of the road to photograph or sketch something that catches her eye.

"North Field Pass" oil on canvass 60 x 60 inches

The work itself has a sketchy quality to it. Though the final product is fully constructed, with every brushstroke thought through before execution, the looseness of the work gives it a thoroughly modern sensibility. The brushstrokes are long and juicy. A three inch brush easily communicates a tree branch. A confident stroke shows a control over the medium that few painters ever master.

"Rabbit Hollow" close up

Jamie Young is talented at making it look easy. The trees and the sunlight are just part of the picture for Miss Young. If you are only seeing landscape in Young's pictures you are missing the forest for the trees.

"Crystal Blue" close up

New Stuff

2008-10-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

Jillian Bonahoom "Sycamore Tree"

There is always something new and exciting at TRA Art Group. We are doing our best to have a constant flow of new art coming into the gallery. It keeps us excited and it keeps the clients coming back. Here's some new stuff from our artists:

Wall of Russ Klix paintings

Russ Klix does these amazing, simple, muted landscapes. They are very delicate yet masculine. Wind swept trees-scapes in remote places in Michigan. The snow has a timeless quality like that of a sand dune. The trees are toppled or erect, as they attempt to survive the harsh climate.

The water looks icy cold as the sun rises just out of site of the picture plane.

I cannot tell if it is blackish water or earth. Not dirty or polluted, but without the sunlight that filter through the trees in the distance.

A new group of paintings from Nancy Dendy. Always Michigan. Always serene. The bluish one on the lower left is my favorite. The water reflects the distant misty tree in the center of the picture. It takes a skilled hand to create depth in a painting using only coloration and shading.

This new 4 panel abstract piece from Laurel Pitynski has a defiant Donald Judd kind of thing goin' on. Something about stacking it up like this; it seems more imposing to me. It's totemic quality forces me to consider the similarity in mass to my own body. The mirror quality to it gives us something to ponder also. I can't get away from the feeling that I am being reflected upon, thought about, and sized up by an inanimate object.

This one has some lovely browns, blues, taupes, and metallics in it.

Here's a close up

A new 6 panel is brighter and more intense palette for Laurel.
Lower left is a "Spiky Bowl" from local glass artist Andrew Madvin. To the right is a figurative bronze on a green marble base by Porret.

Paul Runde has been blowing glass in Detroit for years now. He builds these interesting hanging systems to create a powerful sculptural effect for a medium normally aligned with craft. His blown and cast pieces hang from steel armature. The separate items, which are intesting enough on their own, unify to make a hanging sculpture that invokes nature and man-made items.

2 more from Mary Rousseaux. Sweet. Nuf said.

Cheers!

Art Opening Party

2008-09-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

Did you miss the fun?..........

If you did not stop by last Friday you missed one heck of an art opening. Tons of food, booze, art, slurred words, and muttered opinions about our gallery, our artists, and our total lack of budgetary restraint (shrimp trays, champagne, Bud Light). I stuck to the Bud Light. We waited for the Autumn art gallery scene to swing into action before we threw our inaugural Grand Opening Party. We were greeted with a great turn out (shrimp trays gone faster than your hedge fund manager), lots of new people who have never visited the gallery before, and old friends who cheered us on.

The party was a blast, but the set up was labor intensive to say the least.

Here is an unfinished gallery with a few new Rousseaux pieces. Pinkie red, and silvery yellow. With the slick resin finish.

A few more paintings waiting for a decision.

And the Payoff...
Front Gallery ready to show. With some contemporary black chairs we put the finishing touch on the viewing area. On the left is a tall bronze figure from Paul Varga. Matthew Sarnette's thickly applied abstracts hung to form a T. In the middle is a series of bronze figures featured in a black marble base. Reminds me of some of David Smith's narrative pieces. On the right is another new Mary Rousseaux. Lime green, silver, and a resin coat. Funky Detroit fo shizzle.

Our artist, and professional party planner Laurel Pitynski (left) helped set up the food, the flowers, and the mood for us. Charlette (middle) does the books, inventory, and took care of ordering the party trays. When you call us to dispute a bill she is the one you talk to (sorry Char).

And the party. I should have taken more photos. Next time I will be more obnoxious with the camera (for posterity). I learned quickly that if you ask for a picture people flee. So I took most pics on the fly. On the left is a large paper cast by Frank Gallo (one of Tim's long time friends).

Here's Lenore Gimpert posing next to one of her tutu pieces. She had good time...really.

Tim Pike (gallery owner) and Morris Natre (local artist and semi-retired designer). Morris won for best story telling that night. He should right a book.

Meet Elizabeth Ladd. CCS senior, TRA intern, professional coffee maker, beer aficionado (of legal age of course), and sculptor.

This is Michael Simon posing next to his multi-panel installation. He called the gallery out of the blue one day, and set up a meeting to show his portfolio. When he came into the meeting with artwork in hand, one of our designers (Michelle from Vohs Interiors) saw his artwork lying on the ground. It is a resin coated canvass with light blues, greys, and tans painted in kind of a swirl pattern. She asked me how much it was before I even decided I wanted to show his work in the gallery. Now of course I have 4 of his pieces hanging in the gallery. He's such a nice fellow it's hard to say no to him. Plus he hangs his own work! (You have no idea what that means to me.) Note to artists everywhere; Always show up with your art "show ready". If you offer to hang it yourself I could be persuaded.

Here's artist Mark Wolack with a friend. He had fun too... seriously.

Shirley Maddalena (right), Gina Bommaritto (white shirt), Vanessa Rice (light blue shirt), and somebody else (brown jacket). In the back ground is a wall of landscapes by Nancy Dendy. To the left are some assorted blown glass by local artists, Andrew Madvin and Paul Runde. More on them in the next blog.

Witness the total destruction of a shrimp tray.

It looked like pledge week for a frat house after everyone left. Leave it to TRA to throw a party the Friday before the DOW Jones drops by a record number (shrimp trays may be scarce at the next opening, but we will try). The gallery never looked better. So stop in to see what the buzz is about. See you at the next party. Stay Tuned.

Where Did the Buyers Go

2008-07-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

We are home, but our clients are on vacation.

Sounds familiar? We at TRA feel your pain. While summer looms, and customers wait, TRA's artists keep working, and our gallery keeps growing. We are suffering from Sample Sale hangover. The clients are gone and the inventory lingers. Our twice annual Michigan Design Center Sample Sale brought some decent sales, but now we wait for fall to come. Michigan in the summer time is definitely a taxing time for those in the art and framing business. Most galleries close up shop and wait for the fall gallery opening season to begin. We however are plugging along. An old Robert Crumb bit sums up my attitude to the summer sales slow-down.Our artists are hard at work scraping, mixing, moulding, drying, patching, and caring for new and exciting artworks.

Nancy Dendy has a number of new landscapes, with sizes that fit anything from conference room to powder room.

Here are some new ones by Mary Rousseaux. The red one has her high gloss resin finish. The blue grey one is a waxy matte finish.

Todd Richter, our resident steel artist from Ann Arbor, is always working on his continuing series of steel drawings. He cuts into a steel plate and creates a unique design with each piece. They are engineered to hang on a wall like a painting.

Here's a new oil from artist Matthew Sarnette. He saved no expense for paint on this one.

Stop in and check out all of our inventory. We have lots of great deals sitting around after Sample Sale.

Stay tuned for more new art from TRA Art Group. Hope you enjoyed the blog.

Keep on truckin'.

Jeff

Moved In At Last

2008-05-16T08:58:00.001-07:00

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

WE ARE MOVING

2008-02-26T07:25:00.001-08:00

That's right we are moving!

Unlike most art galleries in Michigan, which are moving into bankruptcy, we are moving into a bigger and better showroom! How about them apples?

let's not get carried away...

Since we are literally busting at the seams with art, we have decided to move into a place that can hold our considerable art girth...

ok not that big, but still pretty big...

In April, look for us in the #15 Showroom. We are right up at the front of the building next to Robert Allen. I good location I think.

This means many exciting things in our future:
We show more and larger artwork
We have more on hand for clients to view
We can hold events and art openings
We can hide in the back room where people can't see us
New business cards (although we will probably just cross off old information and write the new info on the old business card on with a pen or something...you know you've done that before haven't you?)
We can cop a bigger attitude because others will have gallery envy (we won't though)

man look at all that attitude...
Most of all we can be thankful that we are doing well, and that we have a better facility to serve our clients and our friends. We have both you know...

Mostly I'm excited to grow our business into the go to art gallery for designers and architects in Michigan. How do we do that?????? We just keep doing the same things we are doing now... just do more of it! More consulting, more art, more framing, more commission art work, more corporate clients, more residential clients, more friends, more artists.

I think I am going to wax poetic about some of our art for a bit........

Mary Rousseaux

We like Mary. Sorry but we do. She's a cool art chick! She knows what she's doing, and she is a darn good painter. I am still not sure whether she is a sculptor that does some painting or a painter that does some sculpture. Her work takes up a lot of space. It has a very physical presence in the room because of the size. Even the smaller ones are quite powerful in terms of their mass. They are thickly painted. She slathers on wax, resin, roofing tar, plaster, paint (the kitchen sink really) onto heavy wooden structures. When people come into contact with the art they immediately want to touch it. It is so thick and luscious that you want to feel it to try to get in touch with this "thing" that you are confronted by.

this one's really cool...

I think there is a lot going on behind the work. I man much smarter than I once said "Try to look behind the painting. That is what is really important!" What he meant was try to figure out what drove the artist to do this? What are the ingredients that made the stew?

I think Mary is part sculptor part painter. She builds the surfaces more than she paints them. She is an Abstract Expressionist with a little pop thrown in for flavor (plus lots of other flavors: saffron, tarragon, sea salt, sour creme...). The weight of the object both visually and physically, puts her into the Ab Ex realm. The grandeur of the art object and its ability to take up physical and spiritual space is part of the Ab Ex doctrine, but I don't think Mary thinks her work holds any of the pretences inherent in the "deep meaning" of art making. She is an object maker.

The loud and bright colors, along with the slick resin finish puts a pop twist on the art. The color choices for the art above is reminiscent of candy apples and jolly ranchers. (lots off food references today, maybe it was the Krispy Creme donut I had this morning?) It brings it down a notch to a piece of manufacture type finish. Engineers love her art, because it looks "slick and well done". I love the work because it touches on many different levels. I think there is a serious side to it with a touch of sarcasm thrown in. The work does not take itself too seriously. There is all this stuff mushed together on wood to make a surface you wish you could walk on in bare feet. Then the resin finish teases us. It robs us of the opportunity to scrape our hands over the lush waxy substrate.

At the end of the day though Mary's art is beautiful to look at, and a joy to own. Her work evokes land, sea, and sky. They can be joyful and somber. It is both refined and unfinished. Elements of the human hand and the harsh slick sheen of manufactured product mix together; sometimes they are forced and sometime they are a natural transition. Don't take my word for it. Come judge for yourself.

Jeff

Winter Sales Event

2007-12-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

TRA Art Group's

Winter Sales Event

Now Through February 1st

50% Off Custom Framing (Entire Order)

no one in the industry can beat this price!

50% off Works on Paper

30% Off Everything Else

This includes all commissioned artwork by our local and national artists

Call for inquiries:

248-816-1691

A Bit of Framing History...

2007-10-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

Custom Framing Inside Information

Man, you will sure seem smart with this info (or maybe you'll just be a frame nerd like me).

There was a wonderful article in this month’s Veranda magazine about the history of the custom frame. It was a very concise article. I wish there could have been a bit more research involved, but I guess not everyone is as interested in custom framing as I am. (Go figure…)

The history of the frame goes back to “medieval ecclesiastical painting” which “were the first to be framed in a manner that would be recognized today” (Cossons, 130). The frames were made for protection, but they also mimicked the church’s windows in which they hung. Thus the paradigm for framing was born. The frame equates to the interior of the space in which it hangs. Things have not changed much.

In the 15th and 16th Centuries Renaissance craftsmen took the frame to new heights of elaborate construction. The frame became a specialty of craftsmanship like finish carpentry, or metal-smithing, and hence the elaborately decorated gold gilded frame was born by a need from the greatest art patron in European history…. Anybody?... the Catholic Church. The upper and newly developing “merchant class” also insisted on framing their belongings, which showed off the family’s personal wealth and taste. “Frames became secular as well as religious when wealthy merchants and aristocrats sought surrounds for the art they had commissioned” (Cossons, 132). The birth of the middle class in Renaissance Europe brought a higher demand for luxury items that only the very wealthy could afford years before.

The French took elaborate decoration to its extreme end with “Baroque and Rococo decorative schemes of the 17th and 18th centuries produced frames with ornate carving” (Cossons, 134). Think about craftspeople who dedicated their entire lives to carving frames. An entire industry was born out of this need for opulence, and it continues in 2007. You don’t send your million dollar client to Walmart to pick out a frame… at least I hope not. You send them to TRA Art Group (shameless self-promotion, sorry).

We skip forward to the birth of the “modern art movement”. Artists in the late 19th as well as early 20th century sought to challenge the notion of the frame just as they challenged the very notion of art. “Artists such as Seurate go so far as to paint a frame onto the canvass” (Cossons, 241). There is a great example of this at the DIA. One of my fav’s too. “Degas, Monet, Pissarro, and Van Gogh preferred white and colored frames, which were barred from exhibition in the Paris Salons of 1884” (Cossons, 241). It’s hard to imagine the Impressionists as rebels. We are surrounded by their impact everyday. In fact the Walmart and Target set see nothing but pure visual delight in the art of the Impressionists. I’ll bet there are more Monet and Van Gogh posters framed at Michaels Arts and Crafts than those by all other artists combined (pure speculation on my part). When put in the context of their own time period, they were living at the margins of not only the art world but society also. They did everything they could to fight the paradigm of the Paris Salon (which was really the only show in town if you wanted to be a professional artist). “The role of the picture frame has changed over time from protective surround to a statement of wealth, position and, in the case of the Impressionists, rebellion” (Cossons, 241).

So, the frame is really part of the art, not just an extension. You cannot have one without thinking about the context of the other. Whether you put a frame on the piece or not, leaving the art frameless is as pragmatic an effort as choosing one. I remember a critique at years end at CCS. One of the requirements for showing your art was for it to be “framed”. My paintings were rejected by the faculty. The frames overwhelmed the art. The teacher’s suggestion: “Don’t frame your art.” That was a hard lesson, especially since I spent all night building the frames.

So, beware of the framer that suggests the large expensive frame for the piece of art that does not require any frame at all. If the art does not need a frame I always tell the client. If the work is especially old or valuable, the original frame, as worn out as it may be, could be a considerable part of the history and monetary worth of the work of art. As for the Monet print in the purple metal frame which was dry mounted at Michaels… you are on your own.

Jeff Haefner
November 2007

Works Cited
Cossons, Malcom. “Art at the Edge, The Role of Frames”. Veranda Oct. 2007

That's right a works cited page on a blog! A tear gathers in the corner of my english teacher's eye...

The New MGM Grand Casino

2007-10-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hi all. In the midst of unseasonably warm conditions, there is plenty going on in the art community. Our own Ann Gordon is now in London where petrol is about $6.05 per gallon (adjusted for litres, we do our homework here on TRA Art News), and the pints of beer are more expensive than anywhere else in the world. Lucky for her before she left she did a wonderful commission for the new MGM Grand downtown. The piece hangs in the new Saltwater restaurant. Although that money does look a bit pint-sized when converted to Pounds. Oh well can't say I feel badly for her anyway at the moment!

Nice work aye love? Cheers!

Just goes to show, there are art buyers out there. You just have to get in front of them in the right place and the right time.

More to come

Jeff

New Artist

2007-10-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

Richter "Lilly" steel wall relief 2007 (at TRA)

Richter "Flight" steel wall relief 2007 (at TRA)

Richter "Wing" steel wall relief 2007 (at TRA)

Richter "Untitled" steel wall relief 2007

We are very excited about Todd Richter's work. They are wall-mounted sculptural reliefs made from welded stainless steel. They are not patinaed in any way. He shines the steel up with a grinder, David Smith style, so the art reflects the color of the surrounding environment. They are extremely light and easy to hang. Write us at traart@sbcglobal.net to inquire. We have three on hand and more to come.

Jeff

Art, the Most Difficult Sale of the Design Process

2007-10-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

Hello. From time to time on our art blog I am going to post some information, ideas, and opinions about art as it relates to design and sales. With my own opinions blasting out into cyber space, I also want yours. Please take the time to let us know what you think. Tell us you disagree. Tell us you hate us. Tell us that our opinions are B.S. For God's sake though do it constructively. Tell us why we are so bad. I want this blog to be a learning experience for all. So enjoy, and fire away. We can take it.

I believe that everyone agrees that ART is the MOST difficult part of the design process in terms of the sale. Believe me I know... first hand... from many, many customers, clients, designers, and friends, that art is difficult to get from the gallery walls to the client's home. Sometimes selling art to a client is like pulling teeth. The fact is that most people (including some designers) just don't get. They don't have a handle on what art is, how it relates to the design scheme, and especially: How to get the client to open up the wallet for something that they can't sit on, work on, cook on, or basically live on.
I want to make that process easier for you as a designer. That's what this blog is for. I want to inform, help, teach, and get taught myself, about how to sell art to people. Better yet: How to get people to buy art.

For every person that says to you "Perfect! I love it! How much?" You will hear, "I don't like it", "I don't get it", and the ever popular, "How much did you say that thing was?!" Here is a basic rejection we have all heard, and one way to deal with it:

Objection by your basic CEO or business owner:
Art is unnecessary, it serves no purpose, and it’s EXPENSIVE!
You know what you are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT (kind of…)! Art is an expense. It makes you spend money. Just like you spend money on: your car, your home, your clothes, your hair cut, your golf clubs, your vacation, your insurance policy, paper for the printer, school for your kids, your computer, your cell phone, your Blackberry, your $7 coffee at Starbucks, and your $10 beer at the ballpark. These are all things you choose to spend your hard earned cash on, because: they are in one form or another IMPORTANT TO YOU! What you need to see is that art is important to you too. All of these things reflect your style and give others a piece of information about who you are, what your values are, and what you want. Art reflects your style just like all the other things on that list. For example: If you wore a pair of jeans to the office you would probably feel out of place and possibly a bit silly even if you consider yourself a tee shirt and jeans guy. The jeans are inappropriate in an office setting, and reflect on you in a negative way in an office environment, because they don’t say “professional”. Sometimes of course jeans say “I don’t have to dress up like the rest of you, because I run this place.” Most of us though are not afforded that luxury. If we showed up in jeans on Monday someone would ask if we were feeling ok. And probably we would be sent home.
Bad art, or worse NO art also reflects on you in a negative way too. It says I am not willing to invest in the things necessary to my complete my environment for myself and my coworkers. Art makes your business look like you are going to be there for a long time. It makes you look solid and dependable. Just like the thousand pound desk that took 4 big men to move into your office, and an army of workers to fit, finish, and ship it, art completes a space and completes your image. You spent 7 grand on that desk, why match it with a framed poster for 50 bucks that you could get in Costco while you were shopping for that 5 gallon bottle of mayonnaise?

The point: don't sell art. Sell what it can do for the client in terms of prestige, image, and the joy of ownership. Sell it as a necessity not an add on or an option. Leave that kind of selling to car salesmen!

Jeff

October

2007-10-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

"Decent I Through IV" oil on 4 panels. 8 by 8 feet

Hello all. Got a new one from local painter Marcia Freedman. Abstract Expressionist by nature I would say. The paint is squished around the canvas by a carefully controlled frenzy of brush-work. Marcia has a solid reputation as an artist of note in the Detroit Area. We are doing our best to get her name out there.

The painting is made up of four separate 4 by 4 foot panels. They are hung together to create the 8 by 8 foot monster of a painting.

Let us know what you think. I am really enjoying living with this one!

New Fall Inventory

2007-09-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

TRA ART NEWS

New Fall Color Trends

We are please to present our new line up for the kick off of the fall season.
My personal favorite time of year in Michigan. The weather cools off and the Interior Design Business heats up! All the vacationers are back in town. All the new furniture lines are in, and all of the new color trends are on the market.

Artist Melanie Boone grew up in California. You can sense the California sun in the work with her use of gold, auburn, and red. Even her still life pictures have a sense of the outdoors, with a rich color palette that evokes the last few moments of a sunset, or the dry golden colors of wine country. You need to see these in person to get the full view of her collage of different items onto the canvas.

M. Boone "Floral 137" oil and collage on canvas 60x48 inches

M. Boone "Floral 127" oil and collage on canvas 51x37 inches

A few surprises from little known artist Eileen Roth from the Cleveland area. The landscapes are dark and rusty with blacks seeming to run right off the picture plane near the bottom. The scenes look as if they are back-lite by the blue sky which is behind and on top of the scene. This definitely is not Cleveland...

E. Roth "New Earth V" acrylic on canvas 50x60 inches

E. Roth "New Earth II" arcylic on canvas 30x30 inches

Nancy Dendy is trying a new approach. A brighter palette and looser brushwork liven up her landscapes. Form and color are still the basis for these works, but less is more for Nancy lately. Let us know what you think?

N. Dendy "Open Sky" oil on canvas 48x48 inches

Her palette looks richer and richer these days. Nice to see an artist stretch out a bit...
The titles evoke the end of something or moving on to something else; a snapshot of the seasons on the verge of change.

N. Dendy "October Oaks" oil on canvas 50x50 inches

N.Dendy "October Passing" oil on canvas 60x48 inches

Some nice abstract work from artist Durate. Was the landscape on his mind too?

Durate "Untitled" acrylic on canvas 50x50 inches

T.L.Lange is always surprising, and a bit unsettling. His work gives us a glimpse into a troubled soul. We will miss him. One thing about being an artist: you can leave something behind that continues to provoke and inspire.

This one is interesting because of it's sculptural quality. The work is 5 inches deep with the canvass stretched and stapled to the plywood backing, which gives it a hulking presence. The cartoon like waif of a figure floats toward us out of the darkness.

T.L. Lange "Untitled Figure" oil and mixed media on plywood and found material

Enjoy the new work. More to come. Let us know what you think.
Hope to see you soon.
Jeff Haefner TRA
248-816-1691

New at TRA...

2007-09-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

Untitled by Mark Wolack 33"x40" oil on canvass

Presenting new works by Mark Wolack

Mark just keeps cranking them out. We are always happy to see new work from our friend here at TRA. Mark always seems to have the landscape in the back of his mind while he works. The forms emerge from a smokey background and fight their way to the front of the canvass. His trademark action painter's brushwork takes the stage while his muted backgrounds set up the tonal variations in his frantic/thoughtful brushwork. Keep it up Mark!

Untitled by Mark Wolack 36" x 80" oil on wood panel

Also New to TRA Art Group:

TRA welcomes Jeffrey Haefner to the family. He wil be taking over as gallery director at the end of September. Ann will be moving to Los Angles after she and her companion Keith trip around Europe for a while. We will miss her. She single handedly got TRA Art Group on the web and into the Detroit art community by seeking out and promoting as much local talent as she could find.

Jeffrey is a fellow College for Creative Studies grad and local artist. He is the former Regional Manager for the Marshall Field's art galleries in Michigan. Jeff worked closely with the Marshall Field's Interior Design Department, and brings years of experience as an art consultant and an artist. Jeff will be running day to day operations at the gallery while branching out to work with corporate accounts.

New Rousseaux!

2007-05-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

Mary Rousseux

Untitled

Resin, encaustic, pigment on panel (three sections)

67 x 80", 2007

New landscape wall at TRA

2007-05-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

Dendy

Twilight Mood

Oil on canvas, 48x48"

J. Johnson

(left) Untitled (Michigan Landscape Series)

Oil on canvas, 36x60"

(right) Untitled

Oil on canvas, 36x60"

New at TRA...

2007-04-18T06:25:00.000-07:00

Mark Wolak

Untitled - acrylic on canvas, 48x60" 2007

MIDEX '07

2007-03-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

MICHIGAN DESIGN CENTER HOSTED ITS THIRD-ANNUAL “MIDEX” EVENT MARCH 22 & 23 AT THE TROY MARRIOTT HOTEL
TRA Art Group brought its top gallery artists to exhibit at the event - Rousseaux, Pitynski, Wolak, Johnson, Lange, and Anke. It was a much better turn out this time at the hotel (compared to the large outdoor tent last year) and has much room to grow with more exhibitors and scheduled events/lectures. There was high traffic the first day, while day two was a little slow. MIDEX focuses on building trade accessories - everything from office furniture, flooring, paint, glass, and we were fortunate to be the only gallery represented which was great for us. A large portion of the gallery's business is corporate artwork. TRA manages everything from large scale custom commissions to prints, posters and framing. Thanks for stopping by if you visited us at MIDEX...you should be receiving an email or package follow-up shortly.

New in the gallery...

2007-03-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

Nancy Dendy - Untitled

oil on canvas
Nancy Dendy - Winter Dawn

oil on canvas

30x40"

Mary Rousseaux - Untitled

Encaustic, resin, pigment, plaster on panel

60x66

James Brown @ TRA

2007-03-12T08:49:00.000-07:00

Arrival - oil on canvas
Departure 9 - oil on canvas
Departure 7 - oil on canvas
Departure 4 - oil on canvas

Massachusetts artist

2007-01-04T12:34:00.000-08:00

New to the gallery!

Jamie Young

"Ox Trail in Moon Light", 2000

oil on canvas, 48x72"

Artist Statement: "My paintings are intended to be reminders of the stillness. The Earth often is still, and when I am outside painting plain air the stillness connection lets me feel at one with everything. The joy and peace of those moments is what I hope to bring back to the viewer. That still place within is often referred to as the 'Zone' where most creative people are when they are painting, sculpting, writing, or playing music. I try to quiet my mind and listen to the stillness of the land. There are no houses, cars, people or animals in my paintings as they would be a distraction that disrupts the stillness. Although I have often painted on the sides of busy highways, the highway is not in the painting. Bells of consciousness are reminders that bring us back to looking at the world through the eyes of the soul. The Bells can be anything and everything. I pray that my paintings are Bells for someone."

TRA Artist Hospital Unveiling

2006-12-20T09:05:00.000-08:00

TRA's popular gallery artist Laurel Pitynski had an artwork unveiling reception at the Children's Hospital downtown. Pitynski created an art installation for the cardiology lobby featuring four whimsical heart dyptichs of brightly colored paints and slick resin coating. The works hold symbolic meaning for Pitynski, who's daughter was a recent patient at the hospital. The new edition of artwork has drawn many eyes to the lobby and brightened up the interior space for waiting patients. The artist's donation is a wonderful holiday present for the hospital, that also hopes to build a healthy art collection geared at cheering up the children!

Doctor with Laurel Pitynski and family

New Dendy

2006-12-18T12:03:00.000-08:00

Empire Dawn

Nancy Dendy

48x48

3750

New to TRA...

2006-12-18T11:53:00.000-08:00

We have new sculpture at TRA!

Paul Varga

1' bronze

Caesura

5800

Paul Varga

2' bronze

Kneeling Form

15000

Paul Varga

3' bronze

Standing Figure

18500

Paul Hudacek

Stainless steel

New paintings by James Brown

2006-11-29T07:53:00.000-08:00

Departure #4

oil on canvas, 48x60

2800

V-#2

oil on canvas, 48x60

2800

HOLIDAY SALE!!

2006-11-20T09:51:00.000-08:00

Stop in and see what's new for the holidays at TRA Art Group!

It’s that time of the year again…the start of a busy holiday season! TRA Art Group is having a HOLIDAY SALE that includes an extra 10% off all artwork and custom framing. Also we will be marking down all decorative boxes and readymade frames 70% and Vitra designer chair models 50%! Visit TRA at: www.traartgroup.com. Sale runs till December 31, 2006.

Readymade frames 70% off!

Decorative boxes 70% off

Vitra designer model chairs 50% off!

TRA art in Home Magazine

2006-10-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

In the lastest issue of Home Magazine there is a feature on a Birmingham house that was built and decorated to benefit the NFL Alumni. TRA worked with local designer Tanya Hamilton to supply the house with all of the artwork fitting of the home's country style appeal. The house is currently up for sale and is quite spectacular! This is just one of the paintings on display.

Cangel, oil on board, 2005.
Be sure to pick a copy to see more pictures of the Birmingham house!

NEW at TRA...

2006-10-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

We just got this beauty in the gallery!

Mary Rousseaux 80x66", resin and encaustic on three panels.

Corporate Install

2006-09-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

Today we had a big art install at a major corporate office in southfield. You can see from the picture above that the office was near the top of the building and had wonderful views all around! The prints were all landscapes reflecting Michigan's natural landscape. The prints made a big difference in the decor and ambiance of the office. I cannot stress enough how much art makes a difference in the workplace!

What's new at TRA

2006-09-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

Fall is here again and no better time to change things around at TRA! We have a couple new artists with works in the gallery and also some fresh work by some of the regular gallery artists.

Mary Gillis is new to the group but you may have seen Mary's paintings before at District Arts Gallery (now closed). Mary has an extensive resume: schooled in ny and works in many corporate and private collections.

Her pieces consist of acrylic painted panels, metal, and glass in a combination of divided sections. The have a balanced contrast between abstract expressionism and cool minimalism. The fragmented windows are many times symbolic of nature like with her Great Lakes Series that reference the five Great Lakes of Michigan.

detail

Also new to the gallery are these large black and white photographs mounted on foam core board by local artist Dennis Greaney. Each panel is 48x67" and are stunning in such a large format!

J. Thomas, an artist from Ohio makes ceramic vessels and wall hangings. Her new pieces have been very popular as an alternative than just a painting or print on the wall. Her sculptural, earthy designs would be great for a large blank wall above the fireplace!

Gallery artist Mark Wolak also has some new large panel abstractions. They can be hung vertical or horizontal or even left leaning against the wall.

Mary Rousseaux has this new encaustic piece in the front of the gallery. Made from a mix of wax, pigment and plaster on hollow wood doors this piece would compliment any office or lofty space.

New paintings

2006-07-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

Looking for a large painting? Here are few new paintings that are new to TRA's inventory.

TL Lange

62x64 mixed media on board

Nancy Dendy

72x84, oil on canvas

Mark Wolak

72x80, acrylic on board

Kolio at TRA

2006-06-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

Come on in and check out our new gallery wall featuring gallery artist M. Kolio!

farmington hills art install

2006-06-20T07:14:00.000-07:00

Laurel Pitynski - plexi wall installation
Lange - framed original print

Mark Wolak - acrylic on canvas

Designer on Call at TRA

2006-05-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

This time around, the "Designer on Call" meeting will be held in the gallery at TRA! The meetings always take place in the Michigan Design Center but rotate to different showrooms. The designers will get a full update this time straight from the source...the artists! TRA's top three local artists - Mary Rousseaux, Lenore Gimpert, Laurel Pitynski - will be in the gallery to talk about their work and address any questions from the designers. It should be a great eye opening meeting!!

Mary Rousseaux

Lenore Gimpert

Laurel Pitynski

New Glass at TRA

2006-04-18T06:42:00.000-07:00

Right in the middle of Romania, at the foot of Carpathians Mountains there is an old Transylvanian Saxon citadel called Sibiu, where objects have been created by the plastic artist Ion Tamaian in order to advance glassware to the rank of art. His artwork has been very well appreciated at the international exhibitions in Europe, Asia and USA.

Ion�s portfolio includes unique, one of a kind, hand blown and hand painted art glass, over 500 different pieces, signed by the artist, no two pieces being alike.

Fresh New Art at TRA!

2006-03-27T09:34:00.000-08:00

It has been spring cleaning time at TRA and we have freshly painted and re-hung gallery walls! In the front of the gallery we are featuring a new local artist, Marcia Freedman. Freedman paints out of her studio in the Pioneer Building in downtown Detroit. She has a full resume of exhibitions under her belt in Detroit as well as Chicago and Florida.

Freedman's oil paintings are very luscious and tactile. You really need to see her paintings up close to appreciate the quality. A lot of her imagery comes from inside the body like cell-like forms and inner cavities as well as nature and organic shapes.

We are also featuring new sculpture by Frank Gallo and also Cranbrook Graduate artist Kai Wolter.

Artist Anke Schofield is featured on this freshly painted wall. Schofield is an Atlanta artist who was formally trained at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her playful, whimsical designs look great in series!

conference art installation

2006-03-22T13:54:00.000-08:00

Could a conference room look any more stunning? The lithographs in this conference room are for a recently updated law firm in Farmington Hills. Well known New York artist Esteban Chavez is known for his architectural prints and created this Detroit series from photographs of the tops of famous Detroit buildings. The series called "Detroit Top Ten" features Detroit landmarks such as the Penobscot Building, Michigan Central Depot, David Stott Building, Once Detroit Center, One Woodward Avenue and other prized Detroit architectural buildings.

The positioning of framed prints between the columns works perfectly in the art deco flavored room! The lithographs are a great accent to the strong trim and other architectural features of the room.

These modern, black and white, geometric prints are hung in series down the main hallway leading into the offices. The crisp lines compliment the other lithographs nicely.

TRA Art Spring SALE!

2006-03-14T09:47:00.000-08:00

Gilda Snowden

Spring is in the air! TRA Art Group will be bringing in the new season with special discounts! Designers, art consultants, and architects will receive an extra 15% off their art purchases and framing. Offer is good till April 14 2006. Just mention the email when you come in!

Marcia Freedman

H. Scott

Jeffrey Johnson

Komar

TRA ART GROUP

located in the Michigan Design Center

1700 Stutz, Suite 98

Troy, MI 48084

248.816.1691

office art install

2006-02-27T08:10:00.000-08:00

This podiatrist opened an office in Warren some ten years ago and TRA finished his space with artwork then. After opening a new suite in Troy this year, he remembered his experience with TRA and called us back to decorated his newly furbished office on Maple Road. The goal: to create a relaxing, ambient office to make his patients feel comfortable and welcome.

The doctor chose a brushed aluminum frame that compliments the neutrality of the wall paint and blends well with the counters throughout the office rooms.

Some window-less offices have these art works in the form of faux windows offering pleasing views for patients while they wait.

A pleasing abstract conceals an unsightly circuit box. It's easily removable to access the circuit breakers if need be.

The overall effect is a soothing, comfortable atmosphere - a pleasurable environment for patients and staff alike.

Russell Chatham RARE Portfolio and Book

2006-02-21T14:15:00.000-08:00

We have a Russell Chatham original RARE portfolio and book in our collection at TRA. It is in mint condition and is straight from the artist! This set would make any Chatham collector's knees buckle! It is a wonderful portfolio and very hard to find. You can see more details in our Ebay store.

Another Rousseaux Install

2006-02-07T12:40:00.000-08:00

Once again...another successful Detroit artist - Mary Rousseaux install! This time the two panel piece went in a great contemporary house that only heightens the presence of the artwork. The top resin covered panel is luscious and reflects some of the outside landscape onto the surface from the giant windows to the side of it. The height the work is placed is taken in consideration of the views from the kitchen and front room. This work is a knock-out in the space!

Superbowl Party House Staged

2006-01-30T13:31:00.000-08:00

It seems as though the Superbowl game is almost taking second stage when it comes to all the commotion of the parties, celebrities in town, and events going on during the week preceding the game. Not only is the city of Detroit preparing for the long awaited Superbowl game...but the outside communities are getting ready for their staged events as well! In Birmingham, we are working with a development company that has, with our help, staged a new house that's soul purpose is to host Superbowl parties and television shows like Good Morning America and Emeril.

Johnson landscape painting and Amaya sculpture on coffee table

Cangel still life painting on the mantle

Hile black and white photography

Klix evergreen landscape

Mary Boone collage in the den

Gimpert tu-tu in the front entryway

Russell Chatham in the upstairs hall

Chicago artist, Cynthia King

Landscape painter, Krabill

We hung Eng Tay original prints in the upstairs main hallway

A colorful Zarin pastel on canvas for the side entry

A gorgeous Pitynski plexi wall hanging went on the wall behind the kitchen. This piece was a little contemporary for the very traditional house, but it looked fabulous and was a nice touch to lead people from the entry to the back family room.

Don't miss out!

2006-01-24T12:38:00.000-08:00

TRA Art Group will be marking the works in the gallery from half off to 60% off and more! Don't miss out on these great deals!!

Another Rousseaux Install

2006-01-16T06:37:00.000-08:00

Yet again, another Mary Rousseaux install! This piece is a little different than her usual two panel pieces and has three panels of rich color. Her giant contemporary color fields can compliment any decor even if it is on the traditional or transitional side.

Kai Wolter

2006-01-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

Today we took a field trip to Cranbrook! Well...the grounds were beautiful despite the gray weather but our focus for the day was to look at metalsmithing graduate student Kai Wolter. We have seen such a sharp increase in interest in metal work for residential and corporate settings that we are bringing in some new artists to the gallery. Kai's works are very organic and resemble leaves, branches and other forms of nature yet the material is copper that he hand pounds into shape.

new works...

2006-01-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

Today we just refreshed the front of the gallery with two new abstract pieces by Lenore Gimpert. Gimpert is most known for her "tu-tu series" but she also has a large body of abstract work in her repertoire. These two paintings are from a series called "J Series" in red and yellow. The five foot square paintings make the space glow with brushstrokes and paint dripping of vivid saturated color.

Eng Tay

2006-01-03T12:15:00.000-08:00

A recent art installation featured our gallery artist Eng Tay. The clients loved Eng Tay's work so much that they purchased a grouping of prints so that they could be displayed in a sort of gallery fashion.

Here is a little bit about the artist:

Eng Tay was born and raised in Kedah, Malaysia, his artistry was honed on the world art scene in Europe, North and South America, and Asia - particularly South East Asia. He now lives and works in New York City, exhibits extensively throughout the United States, and travels regularly to Asia in conjunction with his exhibitions there.
He works in several media - limited edition etchings, painting and sculpture. Most of his work has found its greatest expression when addressing the concept of Family - the poetry of the family, of man and woman, of children, of friendship, of music and of the natural world.

He brings a universal quality, combined with personal myth into his works, and has evolved a narrative style that is lyrical, nostalgic, mysterious and exotic. He has found a way to reveal the harmony of life through the images of memory. Since his goal is to create simple poetry, his are not pretentious or ornate images, but a poetic language that is freely accessible and readily learned, leaving a lasting impression of people in action and poetry in motion.

Finished installation

2005-12-28T09:03:00.000-08:00

Here are some final pictures of the commissioned Rousseaux painting. The owners of the piece decided to take the bottom panel which they were debating about. Rousseaux's works usually come in two or three panel pieces where the top larger panel is resin coated and the one or two smaller panels are usually encaustic with a mat finish. The black and white painting looks fabulous against their contemporary furnishings and limestone columns!

Happy Holidays...

2005-12-20T12:28:00.000-08:00

Season's Greetings from TRA! Special for the holidays TRA is offering an extra 10% off art purchases when you mention "traartnews". Art makes a unique, personal gift on any budget. We have works on paper and also small original paintings that make great gifts! Local artist Lenore Gimpert (known for her Tu-Tu Series) has a new triptych in the gallery.

Dendy's Flaming June

2005-12-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

Also new to TRA is this gorgeous orginal oil on canvas painting: Flaming June(64x52). Michigan artist Nancy Dendy painted the reproduction of Frederic Lord Leighton's (1830-96) most famous work. It really is a beauty in person!

Judy Hintz Cox - new works

2005-12-08T08:21:00.000-08:00

It seems like we are constantly getting in new inventory which is great for our clients...but not so great when it comes to finding space for it on the floor! We just received from Maryland - artist Judy Hintz Cox's recent works on canvas. The paintings consist of oil and dry encaustic on canvas that make up the White Encaustic Series. The works have a soft, calming quality that read as surface landscape cut-aways or areal perspectives...but then again art is subjective!

what's new...

2005-11-30T11:54:00.000-08:00

We are getting ready for the holiday season here at TRA! Remember that art makes a great present for anyone and at any price range. We have a wide variety in the gallery from prints, giclees, and original art. We just got into inventory these fun rooster oil paintings - great prices!

Rousseaux Art Installed

2005-11-22T12:20:00.000-08:00

Today we installed a custom Mary Rousseaux piece in a residential house. The painting looked gorgeous against the white walls and limestone columns! Rousseaux is Detroit artist who has a studio downtown and shows in the Detroit and Chicago area. Rousseaux also teaches at Wayne State and the BBAC. Rousseaux's works are glossy resin abstractions that pair with flat wax and plaster/pigment panels.

Jeffrey Johnson

2005-11-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

We just got in a few more paintings today....Jeffrey Johnson a Michigan landscape artist. We hope to have in a few more on Tuesday...so stay posted for more pictures!

Susen Starr

2005-11-17T07:44:00.000-08:00

Susen Starr, from Birmingham Alabama, is a new gallery artist that we are featuring. Her glossy resin works have buried layers of rich color and sometimes earthen objects hidden under thick resin. The paint appears to float in between the ground and the gloss creating a beautiful atmospheric effect. Her bold color palette and square format lends nicely to a grid presentation and works in a series.

Blog = Newsletter

2005-11-15T11:41:00.000-08:00

Welcome again to TRA Art News! We at TRA Art want to provide art enthusiasts, consultants, designers, builders, and architectural groups with current art news- local and national. The news will range from pictures of our current inventory, featured artists with bio's and resumes, images of the gallery, Detroit art market info, corporate job installation pictures, opportunities for local artists, national art news, art links and much, much more.
The posts will be at least 3-4 times a week, so stay tuned. For all of you that aren't quite up to speed when it comes to computer technology... a blog, or as we call it an "art newsletter", is a journal that is consistently updated. A "blog" can be about anything from politics to a personal journal, but our newsletter will focus only on art and our gallery business. Since the posts are constantly updated, the back stories will move to the "archives" on the right side of the screen. Comments are a great way to ask questions and start a dialogue with other readers. Our email address is also linked in the "profile section" in the top right corner.

Thanks...and stay tuned!

up and running....

2005-11-14T20:55:00.000-08:00

welcome to TRA Art News!

2005-11-14T20:51:00.000-08:00