But He Gave It His All, And We're Proud

You might have noticed that poor little Spencer is new to the world of blogging. That's why his post had no title, and no links. But even still, we're proud of him for helping us out in a crisis. Like they say in the world of chess, you've just got to lose your first hundred games as quickly as possible! Or maybe that's just what people have been telling us so we don't feel bad about always losing at chess.

Anyway, just in case you were too busy to cut and paste, we wanted to offer you a brand new link to our Like the Spice Podcast on the iTunes Store. Sign up, and let it come right to you! This time, as you're certainly aware by now, we've got a fantastic interview with Jenny Morgan and David Mramor, the artists responsible for our current show, Civil Union.

But that's not all! There's still time to reserve your place for Civilware, the very latest and potentially greatest of all our regular Monthly Dinners so far. Take a look at the previous dinners, because they've been a lot of fun, so RSVP now!

And get ready, because now that we've cleared the hurdles, we're going to be podcastin' fools. Our next one will be coming very soon, and it'll feature Nicki Stager and Michele Hinenbrook. Watch for details on their upcoming show!

Howdy folks. I'm Spencer, Like the Spice's intern, and this is my inaugural blog post.

It's official. Our gallery is now among the ranks of audio greats such as Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Limp Bizkit. That's right folks, Like the Spice Gallery now has an official podcast channel on iTunes. That's similar to being on a first name basis with the Pope. Simply search "Like the Spice Gallery" in the podcast section to get a listen. To hear the latest recording of our conversation with Jenny Morgan and David Mramor, head over to:

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=340784639


The next matter of business: you are invited to the Monthly Dinner Series: Civilware: with Jenny and David: A Night to Remember. The dinner will be held this Friday, November 20th, 2009, and will be served at 8:00 pm sharp. Based on our previous dinner experiences, this should be a night drenched in art, food, surprises, and debauchery. You will be begging for mercy and bragging to your friends, concurrently.


RSVP at:
www.likethespice.com/civilunion/civilrsvp.html

or call us at: 718.388.5388

Here's a view from our last dinner:

Civil Union Opening: Go Chemistry!

For those who came to last night's much anticipated opening, Civil Union: Jenny Morgan and David Mramor, it was one of our most attended and exciting exhibitions to date! Spilling with guests, opening night was the perfect chemistry of portraiture, collaboration and performance. Jenny and David's pieces are masterworks on the subject of artistic partnership. Rotating canvases, each artist builds and interrupts the subject matter never quite knowing where the piece will evolve after each turn. It is an exercise in catch and release, each artist trusting the other's artistic sensibility and vision.



Friends, family, avid collectors, writers, and a few of Jenny and David's portrait models turned up to support the artists and see their newest series. "Kuan Yin" and "Mystic" were among the most popular and discussed paintings of the night. "Kuan Yin" depicting a woman with a candid stare on a teal background that blends graffiti-like markings and saturated color.



The night went on to included a performance by David as his musical alter-ego Enid Ellen. Enid combines the personae and pomp of drag with Native American mysticism- her songs resembling chants and the spooky callings of a medium channeling the unknown. Already Civil Union is turning up in the press! Check out our write-ups and hot-spot listings with Heart As Arena, L Magazine, Brooklyn Street Art, Saatchi Online, and Brooklyn The Borough, Art Buzz.

Spicecasting.mp3

The rumors are true! Well, at least, we hope people have been spreading rumors. Because we want everyone's attention so we can tell them to start listening to the Like the Spice Podcast!



We'll be the first to admit we're still learning, but we're pretty proud of what we've done. This podcast you'll be getting a fantastic interview with Jenny Morgan and David Mramor about their upcoming show, Civil Union, opening this Friday, November 13th. Listening to them describe how they met, why they work together so well, and the way they first became and have remained friends will really get you in the mood for their opening night. P.S.: you want to be here for that too. 6:30pm - 10:00pm.

Anyway, we're trying really hard to get into the iTunes store. We even said our friends were already inside! But the bouncer just didn't believe us. So, for right now, you can hit our homemade RSS feed and download the podcast manually. Check it out! And then let us know what you thought, okay?

One Last Thing...

So we're just cleaning up the bagels and champagne after the closing brunch for Dean Goelz: The Beaded Curtain. Of course, you were here, so you know how much fun it was. But you might not have heard the very special story that Dean just happened to tell us. So we'll share it with you now!



It seems that on Halloween, Dean went to a costume party, and discovered that his cousin had spent a little extra time on the ol' costume this year...



...and that's when one knows one's arrived.

Congratulations to Dean for a fantastic solo show! And the rest of you, be here on Friday for opening night of Civil Union! But more about that in just a second...

Local Girl Makes Good

We at L the S always love it when our artists do good stuff. So we're very very pleased to mention that Nora Herting, who previously joined us as part of 2008's Flip, will be doing something wonderful this weekend!



This Friday, November 6th, from 4pm until 7pm, Nora will be on hand as part of Stand Alone Gallery's Portable Street Studio, which you can find lurking about 547 West Street (between 10th and 11th). An accomplished photographer (take a look and see!), Nora's going to be offering a free sitting to create spontaneous portraits as part of what they're calling an Interactive Community Portrait Event. We're going to try our best to be there, and we think you should try too.

Of course, Nora's been getting some good press lately. The Forth Worth Examiner has a very nice interview that's available to read online. Want a taste?

Richie Budd:
There is something gregariously pure and honest about where you leave the audience as viewers in relationship to your work. Can you talk to what it is you look for in your own photographs that make you want to share them? Or how do you decide to choose a particular photograph to display?

Nora Herting:
The criterion varies a bit depending on what I am expressing in each series of work. In each one I am communicating something a little bit different. I would like my photographs raise the viewers awareness to the nature of photography, as well as the actual subject in the photograph itself. So, in Free Sitting, a series I did about commercial portrait studios, the viewer has to think about the somewhat absurd measures that are employed when people make portraits of themselves.

It's a really nice look at the way Nora works, thinks, and creates, and it's worth the read. We're so pleased she's getting all this attention! So keep in mind: the place to be this Saturday is 547 West Street, from 4 - 7pm!

Civil Union: The Heart of Collaboration

Dean Goelz is our current exhibition, and The Beaded Curtain has been receiving rave reviews! It's open until November 8th so you've got plenty of time to come and enjoy. But can we just take a moment to wet your appetite for the future? Because there's something good coming up next...



Our next exhibition features works by Like The Spice regulars Jenny Morgan and David Mramor. It's called Civil Union, and from what we've already seen, it promises a fantastic showing of works that get to the heart of artistic collaboration. Combining photo-realistic portraiture with hybrid abstraction is no easy feat, but Jenny and David are masters of innovation.

And, of course, the hotline's already open for Civilware, our latest installment of the monthly dinner series. Jenny Morgan and David Mramor will be on hand, November 20th, at 8:00pm, and we'll toast their new show and talk with them about their unique process. You should make your reservations right now!

Remember, you've still got time to come enjoy The Beaded Curtain, but plan ahead. November's right around the corner, and this union is one you'll want to witness.