Allegheny Almanac

Through Feb. 20 at the Crary Art Gallery: Sugar Grove native Zack Frank preserves nature with a camera

Crary Art Gallery on Market Street hosts exhibit by world traveller.

Interview by Brad Conquer. Zack Frank discusses his approach to nature and landscape photography, sometimes planning months in advance for a special shot.

For two weeks only, local residents can view 60 photographs by National Geographic and Stars and Stripes photographer Frank Zack. A public reception for the photographer will be held Saturday, February 5 at the Crary, 511 Market Street, Warren, PA from 12 noon to 4 p.m.

The title of the show is "The Appreciative Eye: War, Natural Disasters, and National Parks," which should prove to be an interesting juxtaposition of tragedy, cataclysm, and beauty. The choice of exhibit at this time may represent a sort of double play by The Crary. As they upgrade their exhibits to a national status they have found a local talent to show to the world. One wonders if they can do it again.

With the advent of digital photography and the internet, consumers are met with a flood of "eye candy" that usually only gets seen for about 5 seconds. With an exhibit of this kind, art lovers can get something they may long for--beautiful photographs in full size displayed as the artist meant it which may be something of a rarity these days in our multi-tasking, attention-deficit world. So text your BFF (while NOT driving) and give them the 411.

The Crary Art Gallery is a free museum of contemporary art, housed in an exciting neo-classic villa style home. It is open to the public Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 12 noon to 4 p.m. There are also special hours on Friday during which the art gallery is open, from 5 to 8 p.m. Just look for the celebratory "welcome" flag which is posted when it is open.

According to its web site the gallery was established in 1977 in memory of photographer Clare J. Crary by his wife, painter Gene Walker Crary. In addition to a permanent collection of their work, the gallery hosts current exhibitions from all over the country. The next exhibit after the current one will be "Urban Country," watercolors by Catherine Hillis starting on March 6.

For more info:

Zack Frank and Rena Rabold, a website of their photography.

Catherine Hillis, a website of her watercolors.

Watercolor Boot Camp, a special workshop for local artists sponsored by the Crary Gallery and Warren Hi-Ed to be held March 7 and 8 and featuring Catherine Hillis.

 

--Chris Lareau

 

 

The Fine Art of Farming

 

by Denise Grant

When the gardens are dying down and winter is approaching for many of us we find ourselves doing those odd garden chores like sorting through garden tools.

I tend to collect old garden tools. You never know when you might need a new handle for you favorite tool or a tool might break. But, many of us have too many tools.

If you find yourself in this position you may get inspiration from these useful purposes for old tools: Garden Art!

 image and article by Denise Grant, Copyright 2010

A combination of old unused garden tools and old tools creates a whimsical bird. Most of these items you probably have in the potting shed or garage.

I have set aside a stash of tools that could be turned into animals, birds, wreaths or trellises.

During the cold winter months this will be one of my projects, creating garden art. I will also spend a few weeks canvasing the local scenery looking for inspirational garden art created by local gardeners. I plan to use these ideas to create my own tool garden art.

Warren County native Denise Grant grew up in Kinzua, PA and now practices horticulture on the shore of the Conewango Creek in Akeley, PA. You can follow her adventures at her blog, called The Gardener's Rake.

Warren's Historical Postcards

 
The Point, intersection of Second Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue, Warren, Pennsylvania, on the 4th of July 1907. Note Ferris Wheel, installed at the right of the postcard.

 
 How to Collect Postcards

By Steve Grant
 
Postcards can be an exciting hobby or collection, that's easy to start. History and design are only a few of the interests for the serious postcard collector. The value of a postcard also influences collections.

Value is often based on condition, age and also by subject matter. Some topics are not very collectible at all, while other postcards are so highly desirable that people will pay outrageous sums for them.

Subject matter and themes can be complicated when determining value. So if you were starting a collection or selling postcards it would be wise to invest in a good reference book about them. Make sure that it includes a price guide.

Subject matter

• Holiday themes are hugely popular, especially postcards that depict scenes of Halloween or Santa Claus.
• Any card that the artist signed is automatically worth more than those that are unsigned. There were a number of very talented artists that created postcards back then and today their work is in much demand by serious collectors.
• Historical postcards or events or towns. Any image of a subject, time or location that does not exist has value.
• Sets of postcards and postcard series were very popular in years past. Postcard series were a very successful marketing tool that was used by several of the postcard manufacturers. Once someone had a postcard that was part of a series, they naturally wanted the rest of the set. Today, collectors will pay a substantial premium to secure the one card they might need to complete a set or series.

Unique types of postcards from the past.

• A “hold to light postcard.” These cards have cutouts in the top layer with colored paper placed below. An example would be bright yellow paper showing through cutouts shaped like candle flames. Upon holding the postcard up to the light, the candles appear to be lit.
• “Mechanical postcard.” This postcard will have at least one moving part such as a wheel that is hidden beneath the top layer of the card. The wheel might contain the 12 months of the year allowing for a particular month to show through a small window. This postcard provided the opportunity for someone to personalize a postcard to celebrate a special occasion. Birthdays, anniversaries and weddings were events often used for thistype of card.

 

 FOREST FURNITURE COMPANY, Youngsville Pennsylvania

One final consideration when collecting vintage postcards is most early postcards were filled out and mailed.  Cards that were used versus unused will have an effect on its value. When it comes to a used card, the value may not lie with the actual postcard, but with the postage stamp affixed to it, the postmark or the information on the card.

Many old postage stamps or non-existent post office stamps are quite valuable. For example I have a postcard in my collection that has the post office mark from Kinzua, Pa. The town was demolished for the building of the Kinzua Dam in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.

When collecting postcards take time to evaluate the entire postcard, its history and its use.

 

For more info on local postcards visit Allegheny Bookmart, located at The Point in Warren, Pensylvania.

This article originally appeared at the web site, www.alleghenybook.com and is used with permission. Copyright 2010 by Allegheny Bookmart, Warren, Pennsylvania.

To view a selection of local postcards from Warren's past, visit this link.