Happenings
Open for business…with a smile and a song.
Celebrating 30 years of business this summer, The Provender in Four Corners will be hosting a variety of celebratory special events to honor their 30th birthday. The sandwich and sweet shop has a soaring reputation in New England (recently voted Editor’s Choice, Best Of New England in Yankee Magazine) for their giant homemade sandwiches, and even bigger cookies. And while they get their fair share of traffic, this summer owner Jeffie Borden has decided to shake things up.
Starting this month the gals at the Provender will bring back old favorites to the chalkboard list of well-stuffed sandwiches. Limited time varieties like the “Jaws”– a a Texacali tuna salad with a cilantro-cumin mayo and just enough cayenne for a little “bite”– and the French Quarter–a Cajun chicken salad sandwich with caramelized onions, red peppers and light vinaigrette–will make fast and fancy two-week appearances in the café. And if the Jaws doesn’t send you running straight here for lunch, the regular list of sandwiches will.
Other promotional events this summer will include a framed-poster auction to benefit the Rhode Island Food Bank, and ongoing best-employee contests. The victorian-style gourmet food shop recently launched their first-ever website equipped with a full menu and a rotating selection of online cookie ordering so you can send chocolate espresso or oatmeal ginger cookies to those far and away friends.
And now for the best part: dessert. During the month of August all customers are invited to challenge the bakers at the Provender by picking any two ingredients from inside the store to use in a brand new cookie recipe. The winner of the best new cookie recipe will receive an impressive gourmet picnic lunch that will knock your socks off.
Specials will continue throughout the end of the year and holidays. Rumor is they’re planning a kids costume party in October, a pie giveaway in November, and a Christmas cookie giveaway in December. Happy Birthday Provender!
Love from T4C
Love is in the air at Four Corners and our shops are busy stocking special deals and darling gifts just for you! Our lovable local gifts come in all shapes and sizes. Here are some favorites!
Scroll down to read about more of this month’s specials…
More Great Deals!
Tiffany Peay is offering limited-time Valentine’s charms (pictured above) and free jewelry cleaner with any February purchase; Amy Lund Handweaver has made a stock full of soft and lovable scarves (all 14% off this month); Little Purls children’s shop is offering a ONE-DAY special on FEB 11TH–buy 2 items at 50% off and receive a free box of candy; Milk and Honey has new Laurent Vals Passionata dark chocolates, and Courtyards is offering free $10 gift card with any $30 purchase of their specialty gifts. Stop by and see for yourself what other great deals are happening on our block!
Spread the word, share the love, shop sweetly and locally!
With love,
T4C
The Ever-changing Exhibit Warming up the Holiday Season…
29 years is a long time to do pretty much anything. But, as Kris Donovan gets ready to celebrate her 30th anniversary running a fine arts gallery , 29 years of wonderful art is giving back generous gifts of wisdom, confidence, and grace.
The Donovan Gallery used to be a quiet home, erected on one of the “four corners” with crackling fire places, creaking floorboards and a narrow, winding staircase. Now, art work warms the walls and brings good tidings this season with a Holiday Exhibit featuring the late David Aldrich of Providence, RI. Aldrich’s work has been showcased in the Providence Art Club, Rhode Island Watercolor Society, and the Gallery on the Commons in Little Compton. His work is described as “fresh,” always painted with “freedom and spontaneity,” offered up in beautiful brush strokes, rich colors, and liberal compositions. The popular paintings arrived earlier this month, and are selling fast.“We already sold 6,” said Kris Donovan, who has witnessed the transformative talent of dozens of artists since she opened the gallery in 1994.
Before the Donovan Gallery Kris had opened a smaller place just around the corner in 1982 called Thistle Gallery and Gifts. Now she is one of the many artists featured at the Donovan Gallery, which represents the work of over 42 artists. Most of the artists have been with Kris since the beginning, however, their work is always changing she says; ”A lot of galleries just have shows, but we’re constantly changing. I keep the artists on their toes.” Despite the gorgeous variety of affordable fine art, the Donovan Gallery harbors a quiet New England theme, with paintings bursting with orange and blue skies, flower gardens, fishing boats, baseball games, hay fields, and old colonial farm houses. A fitting placement for a gallery located in one of New England’s most beautiful nature spots.
The gallery offers hundreds of affordable pieces of art and remains humbly, tax-free, making fine art accessible to everyone. A semi-recent victory in 4Corners was receiving tax-exempt status from the state, thanks to the “Donovan Bill.” The bill was initiated by Kris Donovan, and influenced Rhode Island’s decision to recognize the unique arts district as deserving. Lucky for us all.
David Aldrich will be at the gallery through this month (while his paintings last). Stop by and see for yourself what’s so fantastic about this little New England masterpiece.
To see a full list of contributing artists this season visit www.donovangallery.com.
Inside an Illustrator’s Mind
Open up an illustrators mind, and you find a flowering pictorial greenhouse. Anthony Russo, a self-described translator, is a professional illustrator and Tiverton resident who thinks in black and white, red, and simple shapes, not words. Honing a sophisticated vocabulary of pictures, Russo says he’s “a caveman in a high-tech world.” Yet, his so-called cave-man qualities of the mind are what has landed him an over 30-year career as an editorial illustrator for world-famous publications such as Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker. Popular book covers, magazine spreads, and news pages have all been marked with Anthony Russo’s steady hand at some point over the recent years.
Last Wednesday, Russo spoke to members of the FarmCoast community at The Meeting House in Four Corners about his career and life’s work of translating experiences. “It’s about communication with images…and how basic that is to our nature,” Russo says. Alternating between narrative and conceptual drawings, portrait and design assignments, Russo’s work is to fetch images out of the well of his mind and translate them into vivid and emotional descriptions–often to correspond with writing he has never read.”It’s my job to set up the emotion,” says Russo, and the words are someone else’s job. After receiving an assignment, Russo has days and sometimes just hours to sketch a drawing, but the results never disappoint. The artistic process is still slightly mysterious to him, but involves a large visual vocabulary and dedicated effort; “sometimes you have to be deliberate to be spontaneous,” he says.
His drawings have a strong and balanced perspective often composed in black and white shapes and sharp figurative lines. The drawings appear frequently throughout monthly and even weekly publications, and serve their purpose of attention-grabbing well. Even the most basic illustrations capture the essence of human emotion with honesty and integrity.”I like to strip things down to the essentials,” says Russo, “I like to get to the heart of the issue.”
Anthony Russo’s background is in fine arts, and was inspired at an early age by German Expressionists. His first job was a drawing for The Real Paper for $35, and he’s gone on to win national illustration awards. He has also taught at both RISD and Parsons in New York. Russo has developed a masterful connection to imagery and continues to build on his unique vision of the world through his valuable work, available for viewing at a newspaper near you.
To see Russo’s full portfolio visit www.russoart.com. Some works are also on display at The Cottage in Four Corners.
There’s Still Time to Win!
Despite the stunning weather, The Holidays have tip-toed into Four Corners early this year to make a lasting impression of their own. Over twenty participating village shops are offering an extraordinary opportunity through November 20th. By simply visiting the village shops you’re able to enter this year’s prize raffle showcasing the unique elegance and quality of T4C store products. When you learn about the prizes, you won’t want to pass this up!
Here’s what you do:
1. Visit any Four Corners Shop.
2. Get a raffle card.
3. Get your raffle card punched (7times) in participating stores.
4. Bring your Raffle card to Sakonnet Farm, pick your prize, and cross your fingers!
For a list of participating shops visit www.tivertonfourcorners.com.
GOOD LUCK!
Seconds Please!
Very hopefully, you had a chance to stop by Roseberry-Winn‘s “Seconds Sale” in Four Corners this weekend; the colorful fall sale was perfectly satisfying in many ways. First, the “seconds” were pretty near flawless, no haphazard mug handles or misshapen blunders you might expect from the leftovers. Second, everything in the sale was half-price. RW holds this annual sale every year most likely in response to its tremendous popularity.
The retail shop features candlesticks, cachepots, latte mugs, magnets, clocks, soup bowls….and everything in between. Each piece’s shape is bold and sturdy, while the designs are simple and symmetrical. And oh, the colors! Deep fall greens, bright sunny yellows, candy coated blues, and cheerful purples create a wonderful display of envy-some products, something to match everyone’s personal longing. For those of you who find thrill in the names of colors, you will love the deliciously named kinds: butter, mint, dove, linen, salmon…
Another trademark of the pottery is its functionality.What’s a beautiful cup or serving platter is also a completely useful piece of dish ware. The latte mugs are big enough to wrap your hands around, the serving bowls are designed to hold lots of your favorite food, and the teapots pour without spilling. It’s simple beauty with no unnecessary quirks. Even with miles and miles of searching, you won’t find anything quite like their stuff. People talk about Roseberry-Winn.
Michael Roseberry and Bruce Winn make Roseberry-Winn, and there colorful creations make beautiful home accessories, not to mention award-winning press. Self-described “geometric-meets botanical” pottery pieces have made appearances in the New York Times, InStyle Magazine, Yankee Magazine, Bon Appetite, and House and Garden, among other local publications. They’ve also make frequent appearances in the local community to benefit non-profit organizations, such as the Audubon Society.
The couple is proud and confident in their work, having moved from the big city of New York to the smaller back roads of Rhode Island’s coast. Michael has a rounded artistic background –before ceramics in pursuit of publishing and French– while Bruce, as the story is told, has always wanted to be a potter. Since he was a little boy awe-struck by the process, Bruce dove in with steady hands. Their partnership creates balance in the business, and their devotion has sustained them. They are the kind, the ones drawn like a magnet to a craft, that make a statement in the art world.
Every piece from Roseberry-Winn is signed and dated, a hallmark from the hand, and the heart.
From Oceans Away
Of all the events that took place at at Four Corners this summer, this one was probably the most glamorous. Lustrous pearls arrived at Tiffany Peay from Austrailia and beyond, in the hands of Pamela Fox, a “gemologist” specializing in gorgeous, quality pearls. Traditional and unusual cuts and colors were displayed on the glass countertops of Tiffany Peay’s fine jewelry boutique, and they did more than look pretty. The pearls were inspiration for tons of new looks by Tiffany.
“This is agriculture at it’s best,” said Pamela, who’s from Sydney, Australia and has spent a career collecting and distributing pearls, gems, and diamonds. Peter Tirpaeck of Studio by the Sea of Little Compton was also on hand to service jewelry brought in by customers. The pearls seemed to glow and sparkle with ease, but the process of harvesting them proves to be an extremely lengthy and specific procedure. While fresh water pearls take only 3 months to culture, South Sea varieties can take up to 3 years.
Pamela was only in town for four days, but long after the pearl show Tiffany still has a lot to share about why she loves gems so much. Stop in and fall in love with the looks.
Here are a couple of pictures of girls who just want to have fun, with pearls…
Retrospective
To capture the essence of something remarkable is the work of an artist; to be able to pass on these glimpses of experience, emotion and reality is the lucid mark of a great one. Harry Nadler, one of the distinctive abstract expressionists of his time has made his mark on art communities around the world and continues to inspire viewers over twenty years after his death. Nadler, who died at age 60, well before his artistic vision was complete, remains a lively part of the art world through his vivid, transcendent works. His paintings, ranging from geometric wall-sized masterpieces to a less characteristic Moroccan portraits, are now showing at Gallery4 through September 25th as part of the much-anticipated retrospective, Harry Nadler 1930-1990, Evolution: Ingres to Geometric Abstraction.
The opening reception was held last Friday where Harry’s wife, Helen Nadler was present amidst the backdrop of her husband’s beautifully positioned pieces. Gallery 4 is representing the estate of Harry Nadler thanks to the support of Helen, an artist herself and now Little Compton resident who has cherished and shared her perspective of Harry’s lifetime as an artist. Her memories are captured in a distinguished book on display at the exhibit, Harry Nadler, Retrospective 1930-1990.” “For Harry the activity of painting was a way of connecting separate realities….His explorations were about weaving the space, and creating the ambiguity of figure and ground… Breaking edges, boundaries, merging the spatial and temporal…”using visual language to express deep ethical concerns.”
Committed to artistic study, Harry found enduring inspiration in European artists such as Cézanne, and felt equally compelled engage with his fellow 20th century community of artists. After studying in California and Europe, Harry set off to fufill his yearnings New York, where he spent much of his post-degree lifetime teaching and studying. Despite is constant immersion in the field, he maintained a unique style. “Nadler was unlike most artsits of our time because he never felt the compulsion to find any “trademark,” or signature motif. He had a refreshing confidence in his own originality…”
The transformation of Harry’s works can be followed through his lifetime; this exhibit showcases 60 years of transformation, thought, and perspective. John Spike, a close friend of Harry had the pleasure of witnessing his artistic evolution. “It is obvious from this retrospective exhibition that even in the very last works…Nadler was employing to the upmost every aspect of the age and experience and talent and intellect that were granted him in this life.” As you wander the inspirational space, feel the walls and gallery owners shine as they know they have something really special here.
Celebrating Diversity
August 9th is World Indigenous Peoples Day. Celebrated internationally, today honors the richness of culture in the lives of indigenous communities around the globe, as well as the amazing progress of groups like Cultural Survival to protect their rights and traditions. Last weekend we welcomed back dozens of native artisans to Tiverton Four Corners as part of the annual Cultural Survival Bazaar, an international fund and awareness-raising event which took place in front of the Arts Center.
Musical performances, storytelling, and native talks took the stage for two days straight, while representatives from over a dozen countries sold beautiful handmade goods under the cool shade of the event tent.
Cultural Survival has been around for almost 40 years as a instigator for improving the lives of hundreds of indigenous communities. Defined by their small numbers, unique languages and traditions, and faithful connection to their land, indigenous peoples face increasingly prejudiced and often hostile barriers to maintaining their lifestyles and basic human rights. CS partners with indigenous populations, by their invitation only, to protect these rights and help create programs that allow communities to govern their own way of life. In a small amount of time the inter-racial staff and board of directors has lead the organization to secure dozens of self-sustaining programs and strategies protecting indigenous voices, languages, habitats, and political independence, and of course the beautiful traditions of music and craft.
David Favreau, the marketing director for Cultural Survival organizes the Bazaar in Four Corners which brought over 4,000 visitors in two days; the event estimates around 35,000 American visitors each year and hopes to expand it’s reach in the US to outside of New England in the coming years. David spoke with passion for the cause, expressing his enthusiastic desire to bring back human diversity in a world where colonialism remains dominant. Even with our modern 21st century mentality, indigenous communities are still a subject for devastating subordination. David became involved with CS after learning of its mission, and is proud of the organization’s increasingly diverse staff, which speaks to Cultural Survival’s steady progress in establishing universal human rights.
If you have time, take a moment today to visit the Cultural Survival website where you can read about specific artists and performers at the Bazaars, indigenous communities around the world, and how to get involved. If you missed the Bazaar this year you can also see the fall and winter Bazaar schedule online. There are upcoming CS events in and around Cambridge, Massachussetts where the first Bazaar started in 2005. Happy World Indigenous People’s Day!
Bringing Back the Elephants
Years ago Bob Smith stumbled upon a village of elephants in Thailand. Not just any village of elephants, this one happened to house the talented variety. At the Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, Thailand, elephants learn to paint, and do a pretty good job. With the help of “mahouts,” or elephant caregivers, the animals produce a variety of masterpieces including paintings of themselves, trees, flowers, and a crowd favorite: colorful abstracts.
“People have an affinity for elephants,” says Bob, as he described their gentle and tactile nature. The majestic way they walk, stand, and paint elicit an awe-inspired response from onlookers, and just like humans when they paint, “you can see the concentration in their face.” Although there’s record of elephant paintings much earlier, the practice at the Elephant Conservation Center started in the early 90’s when partnering graphic artists Komar and Melamid came to the reservation as teachers. Now, years later, the elephants are naturals. While none are forced to paint, many pick up the brush because they love it.
Many of the elephant’s abstract paintings bear a striking resemblance to the work of Joan Mitchell, a 20th century expressionist painter known for her bold, emotional strokes and vivid mix of colors. The elephants seem to mimic this style with similarly-intense brush strokes, filling the canvas with amazing affection. Even more remarkable is uniqueness of each elephant; it’s not difficult to distinguish the hand of the artist, or in this case, the trunk.
The country has just under 3,000 domesticated elephants and the ECC works to nurture all aspects of their well-being. They are one of the only reservations with an on-site hospital, and mahouts provide around-the-clock care for the elephants, training, bathing, feeding, and painting with them. These enormous creatures are naturally emotional and intelligent, and painting provides a means of expression not often available to non-human breeds.
This is Bob Smith’s eighth year at Gallery4 under Wander Imports, a name for his collection of Chinese and Southeast Asian artwork, including furniture and decorative pieces. Bob gallery space is showing the elephant paintings through September 5th at 3848 Main Road in 4Corners. To learn more about this art form you can talk with Bob or his partners Sue, Elaine, and Alix at Gallery4 anytime. The book When Elephants Paint is also a helpful resource and available for browsing at Gallery4.
It’s a must-see exhibit you’ll never forget.