Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Art on the Avenue: Visitng Lenore Schneider's Hull Massachusetts Seaside Gallery and Home


I dream often of owning a home on the water and spending my days painting. In fact I have even found my dream home. Right now however "my dream house" is occupied by another artist.

Meet Lenore


Her name is Lenore Schneider, a retired art teacher who bought this delightful home in 1997 and who has successfully transformed this lovely home into a living gallery with a 360 degree view of the Atlantic Ocean, Boston Harbor Islands, Boston Light and Allerton Bay.

This multi-level studio/home sits on Nantasket Avenue in Hull Massachusetts. I discovered Lenore's gallery while visiting a family member a few years ago.

Photos of Lenore Schneider's Gallery/Studio/Home

Returning to Hull, Massachusetts
A Visit "Art on the Avenue"
: A Seaside Gallery

Father's Day Weekend, I returned to "Art on the Avenue" http://www.lenoreschneider.com/index.htm to visit Lenore and "kvell" * over the exciting mixed media paintings hanging on every wall of every room of her home and gallery.

Lenore's studio is on the top most floor. A winding staircase leads you to her sacred space which like all the rooms of this house are facing the water. Her husband Bill Smyth maintains his studio on the main level. While both Lenore and Bill enjoy painting local scenery, Lenore has a passion for abstract mixed media and is always experimenting with products and techniques.


Molding with Gesso Coated Canvas

Currently, Lenore is having fun with molding Gesso coated canvas sheets and adding images and color.

When you visit "Art on the Avenue" you will also be introduced to the work of other local artists as well as family members. There is so much to take in when you are touring this unique gallery........Lenore's taste for quirky and whimsical art..............the smell of homemade bean soup tended by her husband with care as Lenore gives visitors a VIP tour....and of course the breathtaking views of the ocean and harbor .............

The entire visit is a treat one remembers. Lenore promises me that someday I too will have my dream house studio near the beach with views of the water. For now....I will share some of these lovely photos with you, reminding myself that dreams do come true....they did for Lenore.

* kvell: to feel delighted and proud to the point of tears (Yiddish קװעלן kveln, from an old Germanic word akin to German quellen 'well up') http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvell

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.

To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link:
C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff

Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com

Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com


Dianne is a member of:
The American Society of Journalists and Authors
The Authors Guild, Inc.

Friday, June 12, 2009

How to Get the Retro Miami Beach Look With Vintage Straw Pocketbooks and Beach Robes

Retro Miami Beach, that is what flashed into my head when I was strolling through the second floor of Antiques on the Farmington, a large Multi-Dealer Antique Mall in Collinsville, CT.

You see I had just stopped into a booth that specializes in vintage clothing when I looked straight ahead of me and spotted what looked like my grandmother's cabana on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach back in the day.

Or even her closet after a trip to the Bahamas. I mean, the beach robes, the straw pocketbooks, the shoes......pure Grandma Esther!

These were not repro's from Walmart...this was the real deal. I could only imagine that some little old lady had all this stuff tucked away in her closet for years and years and passed it onto to a family member who finally decided to put it out at a tag sale. Or maybe this indeed was my grandmother's stash of beach gear and it had finally made it's way up to Connecticut via Brooklyn, Queens. Monticello, Florida etc?

Wherever these beach items came from, I am glad these treasures found their way to Antiques on the Farmington.... it was fun finding them again. I especially had fun looking at the Terry beach robes Oh had I wished I could see the gal who wore these beachy cover-ups.

If you have been shopping around, you will notice that more and more Antique Malls, are becoming the home for Vintage clothing shops (booths). One Mall in Bantam, CT is actually being "invaded" by lots of Vintage Clothing dealers because friends tell friends and the gals start to congregate together. Come to think about it, once upon a time, my grandmother was one of those gals....hanging out with her girlfriends in Miami Beach!


C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.

To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link:
C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff

Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com

Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com

Dianne is a member of:
The American Society of Journalists and Authors
The Authors Guild, Inc.

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