Tired... But Happy!

See that? Who could that be? Why, it's Manish Vora of Artlog.com, taking a break at the AAF to get his shoes shined by artist Greg Haberny! What more could you ask from opening night?

With Greg in one booth, and LtS in the other, you can be sure that there's plenty of great art happening each day this weekend. Even after day one, we've made some great new friends and kissed a few of our pieces goodbye. And all the excitement! The traffic! The way we forgot to take pictures because we were so exhausted from excitement and traffic!

But don't you worry, because we ran into our new pal Rafael Fuchs from Rafael Fuchs Art Photography and he shot a bunch of pictures. We're thinking you'll find them here on his blog once he sorts them all out. Rafael was a really great guy and we expect to see him again, so watch this space, and we'll remind you when they're up!

In the meantime, want a little sneak peek of the booth? Here's a brand new Rachel Beach we're proud to have on display. It's called "Strange Loop" and we bet you can just imagine what that's gonna look like in person...



...but why just imagine? Why not come in and check it out? Also, don't forget, we've got different work every day, including Chino Amobi, Rachel Beach, Allison Edge, Treasure Frey, Dean Goelz, Eric LoPresti, Jenny Morgan, David Mramor, Bennett Morris, Reuben Negron, Leah Oates, Nicki Stager and Jessica Stoller, and that means you'll never see the same booth twice. Plus the I Heart Brooklyn Party is happening on Thursday night, so you know Thursday's gonna be a wonderful time. Stop in, enjoy the excitement, say hi to Greg Haberny, and check out some Affordable Art!

Fair And Fair Alike

Loyal LtS lovers will know that one thing we simply don't do... is stop. But this Spring, oy vey! Can you believe we're doing TWO art fairs, back to back? We really need your moral support on this one, so let's tell you when and where you can come and give us good cheer.

First of all, we're going to Chicago! This weekend we'll pack up the van and race to the Windy City to attend the Next Art Fair at the Merchandise Mart (click here for directions). Our artists will include Rachel Beach, Greg Haberny, Jenny Morgan, Leah Oates and Nicki Stager. PS: Click on the image below for a sneak peek...

Since those are just a few of the pieces we're taking with us, we hope you'll come to see the rest in person! Like the Spice will be in Booth 8066, and the show will be open to the public from April 30th until May 3rd. You can check out the schedule on the Next Art Fair page. Will you be there? If so, drop us a line, because we've got VIP tickets and we're ready to share!

Now, you'd think a whirlwind trip to Chicago would wipe us out... and you'd probably be right. But nevertheless, come May 6th, we'll be right there at the Affordable Art Fair, showing off all sorts of pieces. Want to see some examples?







Of course, we've got things that we aren't showing you just yet. But in those images, you've got a good idea what it looks like to combine the works of Chino Amobi, Rachel Beach, Allison Edge, Treasure Frey, Dean Goelz, Eric LoPresti, Jenny Morgan, David Mramor, Bennett Morris, Reuben Negron, Leah Oates, Nicki Stager and Jessica Stoller. Plus we'll be sponsoring artist Greg Haberny in a very special, very original artist's booth that you won't EVEN believe. And keep in mind, we'll be adding art every day, so there may even be a few surprises, including the always-beautiful work of Allie Rex! From Thursday, May 6th until Sunday, May 9th, we'll be open to all in Booth BKLYN-100, and, yes, we've got VIP Preview and regular ol' day passes for all of our collectors and friends. Just drop us a line while supplies last, and we'll see if we can hook you up.

Plus don't forget, The Homeless Boys Social Club continues until June 6th, right here at the gallery. Remember, until the second we drop dead from exhaustion, we're ready to show you some art!

Excitement! Glamor! Miami! New York!

We've been all over the East Coast for the past week... and it shows! We've gotten some very nice press from some very nice people. Care to see? Of course you do!

Trendceteramag covered us here in New York, with a very nice review of Jenny and David's work. It includes spiffy sentences like this one:

Putting the two together, who are in many ways polar opposites, likely forced them to challenge themselves by stepping outside their boundaries. Jenny, with her precise ideas and mastery of form, and David, with his spontaneous approach and infectious personality, together result in a one unified passionate artist.

A review like that, you can't help but enjoy. Head over and check it out!

Then there was our dear friend Hrag Vartanian. He came all the way to Miami to see us, wasn't that nice? He even pretended to blog about many other exciting Miami events so no one would suspect. But don't worry, Hrag, we know you loved us best. It shows in sentences like this:

Always adventurous, Marisa chose to forge a new path away from the traditional art fair booth, and she moved her wares to a hotel suite on the South Beach strip where collectors, critics, and friends of Like the Spice could enjoy private viewings accompanied by wine and informal conversation — it was a lovely experience.

Hrag has a nice little review of the latest pieces from artist Rachel Beach as well, so be sure to take a look.

Finally, back on the homefront, we got a little shout-out from L Magazine. Great to know you stopped by, guys!

Remember, if you haven't yet seen Civil Union, you've only got one more weekend left. Make it count! Come and visit!

You Can't Spell Union Without YOU (At Least We Hope You Can't)

Did you enjoy Civilware, the latest and most delicious of all our Monthly Dinners so far? If you were here, we know you want more of that cake. As of right now, we still have a few slices left, and it's just as good now as it was then. Stop by and have another piece on this beautiful Sunday afternoon! Before we eat it all ourselves!



Even if you weren't able to make it in, we know you were here in your heart. So here's the wrap-up, just for you.



Civilware filled up so completely, we had to get out the extra long table! That made for great conversation between our guests and our artists. We were very pleased welcome some old friends, as well as meet a few new ones! We know for a fact we'll see them again. Once you dine Like the Spice style, you can't help but want to come back.



Despite the fancy glasses and delicious lobster ravioli, the atmosphere stayed rather informal all night long. It was more like a group of intimate friends than a table full of strangers. We know from experience that Jenny and David have that sort of effect on people, but it was still magical to see it happening.



Jenny and David compliment each other in real life just as well as they do on the canvas, so hearing them talk about their work, their ideas, and just plain talking about the inspiration that created a piece makes for a captivating evening. You can perhaps capture a bit of that feeling at home by checking out our very first podcast, where we feature a brief but lovely interview with the two of them. It's worth hearing them together!



These two young artists have a real passion for their field, and share between them a clear and obvious connection. By the end of the meal, it wasn't hard to understand why this show looks so wonderful.



If you couldn't make it in, remember that Civil Union runs until December 13th, so you've still got plenty of time. Jenny and David been getting lots of compliments and plenty of praise, so trust us when we tell you this one is a must see. Be sure to plan a trip to the gallery, maybe even for our NotMiami Party on December 4th?



And remember to keep an eye out for details on next month's dinner with Michelle Hinebrook and Nicki Stager. We're still planning it now, but we'll tell you more soon. Right now, we've got to get back to that cake.

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!

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?

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.

Next Time She Can Only Drink Maple Syrup

Now, we want to be clear, we absolutely adore Lovely Assistant Leia. She does good work and her blog posts are generally top notch. But obviously she had a little too much sangria during our Friday night artist's dinner. because she seemed to have forgotten all the fun stuff that happened, and just mostly talked about drinking. We admit, we had a bit too much ourselves (after all, talking in third person always makes one thirsty) but let's go over a few of the highlights anyway.



Practically the whole end of the table was full of our artists. Jenny Morgan (in black), David Mramor (at the head), Charlie Leadbetter (in blue), Allison Edge (in white), and Jason Bryant (hiding just out of frame) were on hand to talk about the joy and pain of assisting.



Can't you see that pain in Jenny's eyes? That's a thousand yard art stare! Actually, we're just joking, Jenny Morgan and David Mramor had nothing but good things to say about artist Marilyn Minter, for whom they both work. It was clear that their little family is a close one and that they enjoy their jobs very much.



Another person with nothing but happy stories was Jason Bryant. Jason simply could not give Kehinde Wiley enough respect. It was clear that Jason felt fortunate to have worked with Kehinde and thought of him very highly. Kehinde, do you need a blogger on staff? Because he literally made you sound like the best boss ever!

Around this point, however, the sangria began to kick in. Lovely Assistant Leia wasn't kidding, it was good stuff. So good, in fact, that we forgot to take a photo while Charlie Ledbetter and Allison Edge were talking. To make it up to them, we'll show you some photos of their work instead.




Charlie and Allison both assisted Jeff Koons, who has around a hundred different assistants. These stories were a little darker and not quite as loving, although they made it clear they had a great respect for Jeff as a creator. Allison also talked happily about her time with McDermott & McGough and what she felt she learned there.

Poor tipsy Lovely Assistant Leia was right about the conversation. This exciting discussion about the nature of the assistant in art really made for a fantastic night. There were plenty of disagreements and even some awkward moments we weren't expecting... but that's what art is all about, right? And everyone left happy.



If you weren't there, you missed out! Our next dinner will be Feed on September 25th. It'll feature our buddy Eric LoPresti, as part of his upcoming solo show, Fade, opening September 11th. Plan now to join us then! If you're lucky, we'll remember to charge the camera first. Please excuse these iPhone quality photos. We're so iMbarrassed.

Cracking the case of the mysteriously missing salmon

We had another installment of our monthly dinner series last night, and this one was a peach-sangria dream. I'm still recovering, and I wasn't even at the table till halfway through. What the lovely people who spent the evening in Like the Spice didn't know is that we had caterer chaos the morning, and our usual providers turned prima-donna, leaving us stranded... Salmon-less.

At the very last minute, Curiouso Pizzeria & Ristorante came the rescue with a seriously scrumptious spread of tiny meatballs and crisp salad, decadant eggplant rollatini and lemony chicken. If you haven't been to this awesome new local spot you need to plan a Saturday around it. Not only do they make DELICIOUS pizza and pasta (I'm eating a seafood linguini from them right now and I swear to god it's the only thing helping me survive my sangria hangover) they're run by the nicest guys we could hope to have as neighbors. Also, their website rocks hardcore. We sent them a video of us dancing to the funky background music. I think we should throw a Curioso/Like the Spice block party later in the summer, don't you?

So, we shared pitchers of homemade peach and white wine sangria and had, actually, one of the most stimulating and intense conversations ever to grace our table. With a mix of arts professionals, collectors and artists, we were amazed at the range of ideas and opinions that everyone the wine and camaraderie helped bring out. The matter of the Art Assistant's role in the art world isn't a simple one, and the conversation and debate carried on well past 10pm.



Off the Clock: The Artist Assistant Show is up until September, so make sure you stop in to see it! Remember, for the rest of the summer we're open Wed-Sun 12-7 (And Mondays by appointment). See you soon!

I need a vitamin water.

Summer's Here!

It might feel like autumn, but we looked at the calendar, and it said SUMMERTIME! So that means we're ready for our summer show, Off The Clock, a celebration of the artist's assistant.

Off The Clock is a great chance to get to know some of the artists who have been learning their craft under certain modern masters. In this group show we'll be featuring Jason Bryant (who assists Kehinde Wiley), Allison Edge (who has assisted McDermott & McGough and Jeff Koons), Charlie Ledbetter (also has assisted Jeff Koons), Jenny Morgan and David Mramor (assistants to Marilyn Minter) and Reuben Negrón (who assists Papa Colo).

As you well know, nearly every one of these artists have had a successful solo show here at Like the Spice, so we've been really looking forward to this show. We think you should be doing the same. Opening night is is July 17th, so plan now!

Of course, with every new show comes a new chance to dine. This month's dinner is Assisted Dining. We'll do the hard work, all you'll have to do is finish! A show like this is likely to get some attention, so we want to warn you: make your reservation now! Hit our online reservation page to save your spot. Everyone remembers how much fun our previous dinners were, right? What if we said this was going to be the best dinner yet?

How our Collectors' Tour saved us from the All-Car-Rent-a-Car Blues

Dear All Car Rent a Car,

If you didn't want to go out with us, all you had to do was say so. Why did you have to ignore our phone calls, then answer only to lead us on? It hurt us when you acted like you didn't remember that you'd promised us a 15-seater passenger van. Like all your vows meant nothing to you. You seduced us with your siren song of a one-time payment of 159.99. What changed? We just can't give you what you want anymore. Don't you know that you can't put a deposit down on love?

And still we tried to love you. We took your van. Were you trying to tell us something when you almost gave it away to a church group minutes before we arrived? There are better ways to break up with someone than tricking them into returning a van all the way out in Brighton Beach with no money in our pocket and way to get home. We've had it, All Car Rent a Car. We took the un-airconditioned death box on wheels that you gave us and turned it into a motorized love-machine.

We like big butts and we cannot lie...

Our little gang of collectors and artists started off at 92Y Tribeca with a discussion by Dean Goelz and Colette Robbins. Here is Colette talking about "Spirited Away" while her audience follows.

After 92Y, we piled into the death-trap and bumped and sputtered our way across the bridge to DUMBO, where we paid Eric LoPresti a visit in his studio.


Today's Art Lesson: The Power of Primary Colors (Illustrated in Polo Shirts)
A couple of glasses of wine and a few nibbles of cheese later, we were back in the van and heading to Jenny Morgan and Peter Rostovsky's studios in Greenpoint!Then on to Rachel Beach who fed us dumplings and a heaping serving of new work. Check these babies out:


And here's Rachel herself, trying not to let on that she knows she's way more brilliant than any of us could ever hope to be.

And on and on! To Diana Puntar's. Here's one of Diana's sculptures. We were very excited to get to know her!


Finally, back to Like the Spice, where we had heroes deliciouso from Curiouso! David Mramor and Allison edge were sweet enough to come give us a little talk about their work, and who should reappear but Jenny and Colette! Our stalwart little crew of collectors had a well-earned snack and glass of wine, and stayed at LTS just long enough to catch the AMAZING double rainbow that appeared in the sky (no joke). Quite the party. And you know who WASN'T invited?

That's right, YOU, All Car Rent a Car. We wrote this letter to let you know that WE DON'T NEED YOU ANY MORE. In fact, we're seeing someone else. His name is Danny, over at AAMCAR rentals. We don't know what he looks like, but his phone voice is deep and sweet, and he's got a 17-seater waiting just for us and our next Collectors' Tour.
BECAUSE WE'RE WORTH IT.

Best wishes,

Like the Spice

"It Takes A Lot Of Work To Be This Cheap!"

Of course, that's a quote from the wonderful Dolly Parton, but after this weekend at the Affordable Art Fair, we found we could understand her exactly. The AAF is designed to present art that's high in value but low in price, so we've taken some of our most valuable artists along for the ride. We're pretty proud of our little corner of the show. Just take a look!







Don't we have a lovely booth? You just know you've got to stop in and see it in person. Long time LtS groupies will have already noticed that we're showing some fresh new work from the incredible Jenny Morgan. We've also got two brand new watercolors from Reuben Negron that are just amazing. Consider it a preview of his upcoming show, Dirty Dirty Love, which opens May 22nd. Reuben's hot stuff and he's gonna get attention, so you should sign up for his dinner right now. You won't want to miss it, we're certain.



Our team of Lovely Assistants are on hand and waiting for you! We've even put up a few Sunday surprises that aren't reflected in these photo. The AAF is open until 5pm on Sunday night, and we're in booth E-103. Wouldn't it be a nice way to spend Mother's Day?

Like A Bridge Over Troubled Waters, We Had To Lay Us Down

But now we're awake, sort of, and ready to talk about how much fun we had at the Bridge Art Fair last weekend.



Being out amongst our peers is always great, because LtS is all about seeing and being seen. We decided to show off a little by bringing some of our favorite pieces.



Over on this wall, we were rocking Ross, Rachel, Dean and Nicole. It's okay to covet our wall. We understand. Take a closer look.



Ross's digital drawings are always a big hit at the art fairs. You can probably figure out why. Check out his other work too!



Rachel Beach's "Rabbit Hole" got us a lot of attention. And, in case attention is something you haven't been paying, Rachel's solo show, Towers & Portals, is here at the gallery right now. You really need to make time to see it. You know you do.



Making up that arrow-like shape were the cubes of Nicole Stager. We can't get enough of Nicole. She'll also have work on display at the Tribeca 92nd Street Y, starting March 19th, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. If you'd like to see those fantastic little cubes in person, stop in.



There was a different feeling on the other side of the space, but it was no less wonderful, as you can plainly see.





The work of Dean Goelz is really so much better in person, but these photos will give you a rough idea. Dean's been with us for a while now, and we've blogged about him before, so we won't go into too much detail here. Besides, we think the quality of his work can speak for itself.



Another artist we can say that about is Jenny Morgan. Jenny's just finshed a very successful solo show. In fact, we often found ourselves wishing for a bigger gallery, so we could keep her show up forever!



Jenny's collaborations with David Mramor are up to her usual high standards. We noticed this particular piece catching more than a few eyes. Not even counting the staff.



Our lovely and talented assistants (you can decide for yourself which is which) worked so hard keeping the booth together. So many, many people passed through! It was great to see our friends new and old, and we're already looking forward to next year. Thanks to everybody who came out! Oh, wait, you want to know more about that flamingo painting?



Allison Edge will be our next solo show here at Like the Spice. Her new stuff is so new that we don't even have images ready. So keep an eye on our web page. We're pretty sure that once you can see it, you're gonna love it.