Hello and Welcome!

This is our blog where we will try to keep you updated about everything that is happening at River Queen Artisans Gallery in Lambertville, NJ. Please come back often, and feel free to leave comments. (No spam will be tolerated.)

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The Bank of Princeton on Bridge Street in Lambertville, NJ is the location of our newest art show. It is a smaller version of the show, Busting the Doldrums, which we are currently exhibiting in River Queen Artisans Gallery on Church Street. The Bank of Princeton show will be up for about a month. River Queen Artisans Gallery is grateful to the Bank of Princeton for this opportunity to present our artist’s work to a wider audience.

The Bank of Princeton show includes several of our regular artists, and work that has not (for the most part) been shown in Lambertville before. The show includes new paintings from Bonnie, JC Turner and Bill Jersey, abstract paintings from Mike Hayes, digital paintings from John Styner, jewelry from Jane Spencer Wesby, glassware from  Sunflower Glass Studio, and pastels from Neil Thompson. All art work we are showing at the Bank of Princeton is available for sale through River Queen Artisans Gallery. Stop by the gallery or call 609-397-2977, if you need information. You can find directions to River Queen Artisans Gallery by clicking this link:  Directions.

We are hosting an opening reception on Friday, February 24, from 4 – 7 PM at the bank. The Bank of Princeton’s art gallery is located inside the bank, and is open during regular banking hours, if you can’t make the opening reception. Refreshments will be available during the opening reception. Several of the artists will be attending the opening. Come and meet the people behind the art!

The Bank of Princeton is located at 10 Bridge Street, in the old Dresswell’s building. Please call River Queen Artisans Gallery (609-397-2977) if you need more information about the show 0r directions to the Bank. There is a parking lot behind the bank. You get to the parking lot from Lambert Lane.

Come join us Friday, or stop by the Bank of Princeton, or River Queen Artisans Gallery and say hello!

River Queen Artisans Gallery is usually closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Since many people have tomorrow, President’s Day, off from work, we are going to open the gallery. If you are strolling around Lambertville, or you need an excuse to come visit Lambertville, stop by the gallery, and see our latest show, called “Busting the Doldrums.”

We are, as always, featuring work from local artists, we have around 30 artists in the current show. We asked our artists for work that would transport you away fro the winter doldrums, and they delivered. We have a great collection of brightly colored work in many different media and styles. We also are welcoming 3 new artists to our gallery.

Sculptures by New Artist Mary-Lynne Moffatt

We also have some new work from artists who have been with River Queen Artisans Gallery for awhile, like this new piece from Tom Foral:

Tom Foral's Fun New Painting

Tom is well known as a portrait painter, (and has painted Princess Grace of Monaco; his portrait hangs in the Princess Grace Theater in Monaco) but he has a less serious side. Besides this painting, he has painted a series of circus paintings, which he has describes as how he envisions a child sees the circus. We currently have several of his circus paintings hanging in the gallery, including three small works, and two larger paintings, all brilliantly colored.

If you don’t get the chance to stop in the gallery on President’s Day, the show will be running until April 8. Stop in whenever you are in Lambertville.

If you have already seen the show, we have already sold a number of pieces in the show, so the show is constantly changing, as we bring in new work to replace what has been sold. Stop in and see the changes, or just to say hello. Browsers are always welcome.

Many of our gallery visitors do not know this, but Ed is an exceptional massage therapist. He began his career in 1978, and studied many different massage styles, both Western and Asian. He also taught massage at 3 different massage schools.

Ed is going to offer chair massage at River Queen Artisans Gallery in Lambertville, NJ on select Saturdays. The first of these will be Saturday, October 22, from 11 AM to 2 PM. No appointment necessary, just stop by between 11 and 2. (Warning: Many of Ed’s clients say his massages are addictive.)

You can get a free 10 minute chair massage from Ed by making a purchase of $50.00 or more at River Queen. You may also purchase chair massages for $1.00 per minute (plus tax, since the governor wants his share).

If you can’t make it on the 22nd, call the gallery to find out when Ed will next be available. The phone number for River Queen Artisans Gallery is 609-397-2977. Please call during business hours, or leave a voice mail and we will return your call on the next business day. (We are open Wednesday through Sunday.)

Also on Saturday October 22, musicians Tony Kovatch and Kim Sorenson will be returning for an afternoon performance. They will be performing in the gallery (or outside, weather permitting) from 3 PM until 5 PM. Their performance is FREE and no reservations are necessary. This will be their third performance at River Queen Artisans Gallery.  Each of their previous performances was enthusiastically received. Come and hear why they have become so popular.

Kim and Tony will also be performing at River Queen Artisans Gallery as part of the Second Saturday celebration in November. This will be an evening performance. Details will be included in a future blog post. Check back, or join our email list and get our monthly updates about what is happening at the Gallery. You can join our list by clicking here: Subscribe

Directions to the River Queen Artisans Gallery are available here: Directions

Join us at River Queen Artisans Gallery in Lambertville, NJ on Saturday October 8 as we welcome back Tony Kovatch and Kim Sorenson.

Tony and Kim performed for us back in August, and their music was enthusiastically received by every one. Tony played a wide variety of music on his accordion, while Kim Sorenson provided vocals,  singing mostly in French. Gallery visitors thoroughly enjoyed their performance, as did many passersby who stopped to listen. Many people commented they felt like they had stopped at a cafe in Paris, France, rather than an art gallery in Lambertville, New Jersey. Every one left smiling.

Kim and Tony Performing at River Queen Artisans Gallery in August

Many of those who heard Tony and Kim perform in August have asked us if they would be back. Tony and Kim have graciously agreed to a return engagement for October’s Second Saturday celebration in Lambertville. Come and see why their last appearance was such a hit.

Tony Kovatch and Kim Sorenson will be performing in the gallery Saturday, October 8, from 6 PM to 8 PM; there is no charge to come and enjoy the music. Light refreshments will be available.

If you need directions to the gallery, or more information about the music, or anything else related to the gallery, you can call Jane or Ed at 609-397-2977 during gallery hours. (We can also let you know about our favorite local restaurants, if you are looking to dine in Lambertville.) The gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday; 11 AM – 6 PM Wednesday through Saturday, and 11 AM – 5 PM on Sundays. We stay open late on Second Saturdays. There is metered on-street parking on Church Street, and other local streets. (Meters are active until 9 PM, so please plan accordingly.)

You can also visit this link for directions to the gallery: River Queen Artisans Gallery Directions

I mentioned recently that we had added our first abstract artist to the gallery. I was thinking that there are a lot of misconceptions about what Abstract Art is, so I thought I would include a post about it. It’s taking me some time to get my thoughts together in a sensible way, so I wanted to recommend an entry from Wikipedia.

Wikipedia begins their discussion about abstract art talking about visual language:

“Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world.^[1] Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an attempt to reproduce an illusion of visible reality. The arts of cultures other than the European had become accessible and showed alternative ways of describing visual experience to the artist. By the end of the 19th century many artists felt a need to create a new kind of art which would encompass the fundamental changes taking place in technology, science and philosophy. The sources from which individual artists drew their theoretical arguments were diverse, and reflected the social and intellectual preoccupations in all areas of Western culture at that time.^[2]

Abstract art, nonfigurative art, nonobjective art, and nonrepresentational art are loosely related terms. They are similar, although perhaps not of identical meaning.”    Read the full article here.

Abstract art has actually existed for far longer than the modern art movement know by that name, you can see examples of it in most cultures, going back as far as the stone age. (See the carving called Venus of Willendorf as an example of paleolithic abstract art.)

Here is an example of one of the abstract paintings currently in our gallery by the artist Mike Hayes:

Abstract Art by Mike Hayes

I hope this gives you a taste of what abstract art might be, I will finish my thoughts and post them here, hopefully, by the end of this week.

Please come by the gallery and see Mike’s paintings in person. (We also have prints of two of Mike’s paintings.)

If you have been to our website, River Queen Artisans, you have seen that it is currently being updated. The update is needed for several reasons. First, we have a new show, Summer’s Bounty, running through early September.  (You can see a sampling of the artists featured at this link: Lambertville Art ) so we have a lot of new work we are trying to showcase. Jane wanted a lot of bright colors to reflect how she sees summertime, and warm weather.  Hanging the new work certainly changed the whole feel of the gallery, and we have received quite a few compliments about it.

Here are a few photos Jane took during the opening of the new show:

Summer Bounty Opening

Another view of the Gallery

If you would like to join us at our next opening, or at any of our events, sign up for our newsletter here: SubscribeMe.

The second reason that our website needs updating is that we have had quite a few new artists join us for this show. We are currently featuring the works of 28 different local artists in our Lambertville Gallery. I am trying to get bios and samples of each artist up on the website, so you can see what kinds of art we are currently featuring.

We now have six jewelry designers, two woodworkers, two sculptors, a ceramic artist, stained and fused glass artists, a printmaker (who also works in pastels), another pastel artist, several photographers, quite a few painters , who work in both oils and acrylics, including our first abstract painter, and a fabric artist.  Their work is so varied, the photos on the website will never do it justice, so, if you can, come in and see it.  We are open Wednesday through Sunday, or by appointment.

You can always call the gallery and talk to Ed or Jane if you need more information.

We hope to see you soon.

Join us at River Queen Artisans to celebrate Lambertville Second Saturday, August 13, 2011. We have a new performer premiering that night, Tony Kovatch, a wonderful accordion player.

Tony and his accordion

Since arriving in Lambertville a year ago, Tony Kovatch has charmed audiences in music venues, restaurants, and on street corners throughout the area.  From French Musette to Balkan folk, Tony performs an eclectic repertoire while introducing the Accordion to new generations of listeners.

Come and join the fun at River Queen Artisans Gallery. Light refreshments will be available. (Sorry, we don’t have enough space to polka.)

[A note from Ed - my reference to polka in the last line was meant as a joke; I have had someone comment that accordions play more than polkas. I am aware of that, in fact I have been a fan of several accordion players who play very different styles of music. I have seen Irish accordion player Joe Burke in concert several times, and am a loyal fan of his. I also greatly enjoy Flaco Jiminez, Buckwheat Zydeco, and Beausoleil (I think their accordion player is Jimmy Breaux). So I do know that accordions play much more than polkas, and am looking forward to a fun evening with Tony  at the gallery, whether or not he plays any polkas.]

As part of Lambertville Second Saturday, River Queen Artisans Gallery will be open late. Tony will be performing from around 6 PM until closing, usually around 8  or 8:30.

If you don’t know how to find us, you can find directions here.  Or you can call the gallery at 609-397-2977 during business hours. We are open Wednesday through Sunday, usually 11 AM until 6 PM, except Sundays, when we close at 5 PM.

Friday, August 5, 2011, Geoff Caldwell and his Blues Trio will perform at the Lambertville Gallery River Queen Artisans. Geoff’s music is always well received, and if you haven’t experienced it yet, stop by and see what all the buzz is about. Geoff generally starts around 6 PM and plays until 8 or 8:30.

Scott Hartley, Geoff Caldwell and Guy DeRosa

Light refreshments will be available. There is no charge to come and listen.

If you have never been to River Queen, you can find directions here.