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painting

Our Mom & The Bouquet of Peace

April 8, 2022 by Janine Crowley Haynes

After you lose your mother, Mother’s Day becomes a somber day of reflection. Our mother is gone 21 years now. She died from lung cancer at the age of 56–a year younger than I am today. It was strange for me when I realized I’m older than my mother would ever be. Still, I reflexively reach for my phone to call her whenever something good or bad happens. Then, remind myself, with phone in hand, she’s not on the other end.

Her life was brief, but the life lessons she instilled in her three girls come back to us constantly. Sometimes, her lessons come slowly, subtly, and, other times, they slap us right in the face. I cannot express how much I love when that happens. Belonging to an Irish Catholic family, living in the Bronx, my mother was the eldest of six. Her life was filled with a steady stream of laundry–much of it done by hand. So, when she married, she insisted on squeezing a washer and a dryer into our already cramped kitchen. It would finally free her of the laborious chores of her childhood.

When I was 11, our parents separated. My mom, two sisters, and I would spend many years in our kitchen talking over the vibrational whir of the washer and the thunderous tumbling of the dryer. At dinnertime, she’d stop the machines mid-cycle so we could have some quiet conversation. Even after working twelve hours a day, six days a week, our mom always made time to sit at the kitchen table and ask about our day. The image of her reaching over to pull open the dryer door, without getting out of her chair, is forever etched in my memories. 

Right there, in our groovy 70s kitchen with its loud orange and yellow geometric, metallic wallpaper and knock-off Saarinen white-round table with matching bucket chairs, hung a print of Picasso’s Bouquet of Peace. Since I was, as my mom would say, ‘the artistic one,’ I had trouble with the drawing’s simplicity. I mean, I was 12 and could draw a more lifelike image of a bouquet of flowers. It perplexed me as much as it intrigued me. As a teen, I found myself researching Pablo Picasso and the phases of his work. His earlier work was spot-on realistic. So, clearly, he knew how to draw and paint, but the influences of the time, lead him to break free from realism and delve into cubism, and, eventually, he turned to painting in a childlike manner. I also learned he painted The Bouquet of Peace in response to the peace demonstrations taking place in Stockholm in 1958.

Our kitchen table was the roundtable of our world. Under the watchful eye of The Bouquet of Peace, it’s where our single bra-burning, bellbottom-wearing, liberal-leaning mother created a safe space for her three girls to talk about anything and everything. Nothing was off-limits. It’s where she celebrated our rite of passage into womanhood, and, subsequently, where we complained about our cramps and pimples. It’s where we learned to put on makeup. It’s where we cried over boys. It’s where we talked about our mother’s limited paycheck and how, if we wanted a new pair of Jordache jeans or a new pair of Candies, we had to work for it.

The response to a piece of artwork is typically an emotional one–even if it’s no response at all. Picasso’s flowers were always waiting to greet me in the morning. I’d stare at it while eating my Cheerios. My mother loved the cheerful nature of it and how it represented a sweet gesture of one person giving to another. She shared with me how the giving of something as simple as a bouquet of flowers could bring much joy to the recipient. In those moments, my mother was teaching us the art of the giving, the art of simple beauty, and the art of appreciating art. 

So, when I noticed my sister hung that very painting in her laundry room, it bothered me. Why would she choose to hang a significant piece from our childhood in such an obscure place? Then…BAM!!! It hit me. My sister got it right. It was the perfect place, right next to the whoosh of washer and the melodic tumbling of the dryer. Like I said, I love when that happens.

Filed Under: Inside Thoughts Tagged With: Artwork, Bouquet, Essay, journey, kitchen, Life Lessons, Loss, mom, mothers day, Our Mom, painting, reflection, remembrance

Korth & Shannahan Paints Picture Perfect Homes for 40 Years

August 24, 2021 by Stacey Pfeffer

In the process of buying a home, it’s widely agreed that a home’s curb appeal is a key purchasing factor. A well-maintained home’s exterior appearance sends a signal to buyers that the owners cared for their property. And one of the most important features of the exterior is a good, neat paint job. That’s where Korth & Shannahan, a 40-year old residential painting and carpentry business with New Castle roots comes in.

A Company with Local Roots

Will Korth, the owner of the business started painting at 14 years old as a summer job while attending Horace Greeley High School. He can still recall the first house he ever painted, a yellow Victorian on Roaring Brook Road in the 1980s. At the time, the company was called Shannahan & Shannahan and run by two local brothers Greg and Kevin who also attended Greeley. They did most of their work within Chappaqua, Mount Kisco and Millwood during the summer. People came to rely on the company because they were honest, hard working teens who made every effort to make the customers satisfied. 

Upon graduating college and entering the workforce, Korth held a number of successful sales positions but when Greg offered him the opportunity to buy the company, Korth decided to pursue it and he’s never looked back.

Korth’s company counts notable customers including the Clintons, Clive Davis and the Zabar family. “Painting the Horace Greeley House was certainly a feather in our cap,” notes Korth, who has done it several times over the past four decades.  His company’s commitment to high quality workmanship and service results in many repeat customers and long-standing relationships with his customers. He also offers customers a four-year warranty which is double the industry standard.

Currently the company consists of 32 painters and four carpenters who do everything from crown molding to replacing decks and they’ve expanded their customer base to include Southern Westchester towns. But Chappaqua and Armonk homes still account for one-third of his business. “The customer will always get a team I know and trained which ultimately results in consistently happy customers,” says Korth.

Cutting corners isn’t part of Korth’s mentality. When his team preps for a paint job, they sand rather than scrape the old paint which is more labor intensive but results in a smoother finish. He will also at times consult with a color consultant if a customer can’t decide on which color to choose. “The worst thing is to make a client feel pressured to choose a color,” explains Korth. 

Painting Through the Pandemic

Like many other home improvement companies, Korth has seen an increase in demand for his services during the pandemic. “People are home more now than ever and really seeing the value in investing in their home,” notes Korth. When the pandemic started, Korth ensured that all his employees took COVID safety protocol courses. 

Korth is proud of his company’s “squeaky clean reputation.” Whether it is learning the latest COVID protocols or becoming certified EPA lead renovators, Korth cares deeply about the safety of his customers and his employees. “Lead paint can be particularly dangerous to young children and is actually way more toxic than asbestos,” explains Korth. “If you are getting rid of lead paint, you don’t want to be sanding it off and get it on the children’s swing set. It needs to be removed properly to ensure everyone’s safety but it isn’t as costly as many customers initially think.” 

Before
After

Painting Tips

Most paint jobs tend to last eight to ten years. If you are thinking of painting your home in the near future, Korth suggests painting a few rooms each year and asking to see the company’s liability insurance. Fall is actually a great time to paint as Korth’s crew continues to do exterior work through early November so that your home will be picture perfect just in time for the holiday season and beyond. For more info or to contact, visit: korthpainting.com

Filed Under: Lifestyles with our Sponsors Tagged With: Exteriors, House Painting, houses, Interiors, Korth & Shannahan, painting, William Korth

The Annual Armonk Outdoor Art Show

August 24, 2019 by The Inside Press

Ranked #2 in the Nation
Saturday & Sunday, September 21 & September 22
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Rain or Shine.
205 Business Park Drive, Armonk, NY

“Come for the Art, Stay for the Fun!”

The 58th Annual Armonk Outdoor Art Show features 185 juried artists from 26 states, Canada, and Israel, including 34 new artists. The show is ranked the #2 Fine Art and Design Show in the Nation based on sales reported by exhibitors to Sunshine Artist, a premiere art and craft show publication. A broad range of art in every medium and price point will be on display, including painting, printmaking, drawing, pastels, mixed mediums, sculpture, photography & digital art, wearable art, and fine crafts. Free personal consultants, trained in fine art and interior design, are available to assist visitors in selecting art that best fits their taste and decor.

“The Armonk Outdoor Art Show is a must-see event every fall for thousands of discerning art lovers from the Hudson Valley and NYC metro area” said Anne Curran, AOAS Executive. Highlights include free activities for kids, collaborative art projects, great food vendors, and beer and wine. So, come for the art and stay for the fun.” Proceeds benefit the North Castle Public Library and its Whippoorwill Hall theater.

General $14, Seniors $12, 18 and under: Free

Facebook /armonkoutdoorartshow

Instagram @armonkoutdoorartshow

Twitter @armonkartshow

Filed Under: Gotta Have Arts Tagged With: Armonk Outdoor Art Show, Art Appreciation, digital art, free activities, mediums, New artists, painting, wearable art

Henry Finkelstein Lecture: October 5 at the Katonah Art Center

September 27, 2018 by Inside Press

FREE LECTURE Friday evening, October 5, 7 p.m. at the Katonah Art Center

Growing up in a family of artists gave Henry Finkelstein a unique perspective on art. His father, Louis Finkelstein, was an American painter, art critic and professor who taught at Queens College, City University of New York. Several of his works have been compared to those of French artist and Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne. His mother, Gretna Campbell, was also an exceptional painter who taught at Yale and was known for her powerful landscapes, often large and made at least in part from observation.

In addition to instructing at the National Academy and the Art Students League of New York, Finkelstein has taught and lectured at Brooklyn College, Haverford College, Maryland Institute College of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts. Although Finkelstein paints from life, the painters of the Abstract Expressionism movement have had a direct influence on his work.

New location for the Katonah Art Center: 40 Radio Circle Drive, Mount Kisco, NY  10549 

Filed Under: Gotta Have Arts Tagged With: Art, Henry Finkelstein, Katonah Art Center, painting, Post Impressionist

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