Chroma at the Projective Eye Gallery

Chroma: lyrical lines and compulsive color, the current exhibit at the Projective Eye Gallery at UNC Charlotte Center City, showcases some of Charlotte's best abstract artists.

How beautiful this uptown Charlotte facility located at 320 E. 9th Street is.

UNC Charlotte Center City

The structure of the building itself is a work of art designed to look like unevenly stacked boxes creating a little more room on each floor, and giving it an animated look.

Lobby art at UNC Charlotte Center City 

 The occasion was a reception and gallery showing of beautiful art and music.The artists showed paintings , acrylics, collage and ceramics.

Linda Luise Brown, Marge Loudon Moody and Greg Scott, the artists, were there to present and give a talk on their art and let us see a little of who they are and what moves and inspires them.

Linda Luise Brown: abstracts in oil

Linda Luise Brown is one of the highest selling abstract artists in the market. Her color soaked abstractions in oil are emotionally charged and tell more than one story.

Marge Loundon Moody: collage and acrylics

Marge Loudon Moody displays incredible talent with her acrylics and collage works.

"One May Four" by Marge Moody 

"Chicago" by Linda Brown

Gregg Scott: ceramics

Gregg Scott's work displays his intricate surface design on ceramic objects and installations.

After a lovely reception and stroll through the galleries viewing each and every piece, we were invited upstairs, to the performing arts theater, for a performance by pianist Dan Knight composing spontaneous notes as the artists’ most beautiful and fascinating work moved across the theatre screen overhead. 

Dan Knight, pianist

If you have not had an opportunity to visit this extraordinary exhibit be sure to you are in for a real visual experience and meaningful memory.

The Chroma exhibit runs through Sept. 24, 2014. For more information visit the Projective Eye Gallery page at coaa.uncc.edu

Art in the lobby of UNCC Center City

Aliens and Androids at Discovery Place

“Are we alone?” Scientists are close to discovering new alien worlds and alien life on exoplanets – planets that exist outside the solar system.

The new exhibition at #DiscoveryPlace in Charlotte NC explores the possibility of life existing beyond earth. Fascinating to say the least. Some of us believe without a doubt that there is and some of us could never accept the idea.

Our alien chef serving up the difference in human and alien microbiomes

However you may view this subject, much-debated down through the centuries, this exhibit leaves me impressed by how much science really knows about our universe. 

C3PO from Star Wars 

  Discover the difference between robots and androids, and get an up-close look at famous sci-fi robots from movies, such as Iron Man, the T-800 from Terminator, C-3PO from Star Wars and more. 

Iron Man 

The exhibit brings to mind the old time Buck Rogers comic books that depicted space travel with space ships and suits complete with space talk and walk. Phillip Francis Nowlan, the Buck Rogers creator, somehow knew about alien life way back when. After Steven Spielberg’s “Encounters of the Third Kind” I began to really wonder. 

The exhibit will be at Discovery Place through September 14, 2014. For more information, call 704 372 6261 or visit discoveryplace.org

Out and About in Dilworth: Wine Tasting at COPPER WINE BAR @131 Main

We always have so much fun at the COPPER wine bar’s wine tastings at 131 Main on East Blvd. in Dilworth. The coolest people and the best wines always show up, not to mention the beautiful food served for the occasion.

Live entertainment by Mollie 

Gracious hostess

Knowledgeable servers explain each wine

Beautiful food

131 Main in Dilworth has a wine tasting on the second Thursday of every month in the adjacent COPPER Wine Bar from 6 to 8 p.m. Six different wines are served especially for you and your guests.

For more information please contact khuestis@131-main.com.

Fifth Annual Joedance Film Festival Benefiting Rare Pediatric Cancers

Film screening - great fun, great talent

The Joedance Film Festival was founded in honor of Joe Restaino who passed away in January 2010 at the age of 20 due to complications from osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. The annual festival celebrates Joe’s love of films and supports research for rare pediatric cancers at Levine Children’s Hospital.

Joe Restaino

On August 2,  Dilworth Now attended its first Joedance event, a reception for the four films being shown that night. The party took place in the historic neighborhood of Fourth Ward, a fun filled evening to celebrate the life of Joe Restaino through film and research.

Joedance Reception

The reception was held in a lovely old restored Victorian home on 10th St. and after the reception we walked over to the courtyard of the condos nearby where tents, vendors and cocktails were being served. The main tent was set up theatre-style complete with movie screen and well thought out lighting. It was comfortable and the rain stayed away just for the occasion, a beautiful night.

Actor and director of the film Blue

The night we attended, four of the festival’s eight films, all produced and directed by Charlotte filmmakers, were shown.

Diane Restaino and friend

Joe’s mother, Diane Restaino, the driving force behind the event, is an amazing organizer and so very gracious in honoring her son’s life.

Joe's friends

Joe’s friends came to Charlotte from faraway places to honor the friend they lost and support his love of film.

Ellison Clary

Present were many of well known sponsors, including Ellison Clary of Blue Cross Blue Shield and the list goes on and on. Many of the donors are the local businesses, sports teams and art lovers we see at many of the charity events in and around Charlotte. Charlotte Center City Partners also played a big part in this event.

Bert Woodard, who handles media relations for the festival, with yours truly

For more information go to www.joedance.org

At LaCa Projects: Leandro Manzo: Eternal

Leandro Manzo with his work Hallelujah: Requiem in white and black series

We were honored to visit LaCa for a reception for artist Leandro Manzo during his amazing exhibit of ink and pigment on paper and oils on canvas. The fire and smoke of his work arouses passion and is volatile, erotic yet calming and visually has its own spirit. 

Samba: Tables series

If you love color you can’t get enough of the way he plays his color on canvas and paper. “Samba” and Vertigo” were two of my favorites, envisioning them on the very high walls in my home to enjoy every day, maybe one day.

Vertigo: Tables series

The space is beautifully thought out, the art was impeccably hung and the lighting was perfect. Food and wine was flowing, ran into old friends and made a few new ones. Love the art in this town and how lovingly it brings people together.

Art lovers @lacaprojects

Dr Vincent Voci with his beautiful wife and yours truly

LaCa Projects is a platform dedicated to the presentation of contemporary Latin American art and culture. The gallery in the South End represents emerging and mid career artists, as well as established and master Latin American artists. Soon to come will be an expansion that will offer studios to Latin American artists and an authentic cafe.

Great space

The LaCa Projects gallery is located 1429 Bryant St. in Charlotte bordering South End and Wesley Heights off Summit Ave off W. Morehead St. Visit www.lacaprojects.com or call 704 837 1688. Hours open from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.  Mon thru Fri. or by appointment. The current show of works by Manzo runs through Sept. 5.

More of my favorites from the Eternal show by Leandro Manzo:

After the Chateau Marmont 

Burrito II El guitarrero

Dos por cuatro, cada dos por tres: Tango series

Texicali Taco and Tequila Bar

WOW! What a great new place. Alex Myrick has done it again at his new spot in the NC Music Factory.

Alex Myrick

Also owner of Osso in the NC Music Factory, and Blue in uptown Charlotte, Alex has brought the love of food and music from Texas, New Orleans and a little Tijuana to Charlotte. We had wonderful food and the best Margarita ever on our visit to Texicali.

Margaritas

The décor is something to see. It really puts you in a space of southwestern hospitality and unbelievable memories of all you know or have experienced in that part of the country. 

Having spent half my life in the west it was complete for me. Brought back memories of my time spent in Lake Charles LA on the bayou, net fishing in the Gulf, eating alligator for the first time and spending time with the locals during hog killing season. 

Then there was time in Tijuana with the music and the absurd nightlife the authentic Mexican food and of course the tequila. El Paso was different and Phoenix with its influence of biker bars. All the crazy cool people and oh, the music. I think Alex has truly captured all of that for me at Texicali. 

Wait till you see the Harleys inside especially the one on the bar.

Whenever you want a true southwestern experience be sure to go to Texicali and stay open my friends.
For more www.texicalicharlotte.com