http://pittcountynow.com Thu, 9 Sep 2010 22:09:42 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/351/12/lone-leaf-gallery-celebrates-one-year-anniversary-hangs-exhibit.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/351/12/lone-leaf-gallery-celebrates-one-year-anniversary-hangs-exhibit.html Now an official downtown-Washington success, Lone Leaf Gallery & Custom Framing, celebrated its one-year anniversary yesterday evening with hors d’oeuvres, drinks and a new art exhibit, ‘Interruptions’ by Ben Isburg. From 5 to 8 p.m., dozens of loyal patrons and supporters stopped by the gallery to congratulate the Loughlins and see the show.

After a shaky, but well intentioned, version of 'Happy Birthday', Neil and Meredith Loughlin, owners of Lone Leaf Gallery & Custom... Read More]]> Mon, 2 Aug 2010 14:49:57 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/335/33/rocky-hock-presents-david-a-man-after-god-s-own-heart.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/335/33/rocky-hock-presents-david-a-man-after-god-s-own-heart.html After watching this afternoon’s blowout performance of David (A Man after God’s Own Heart), I can now report that there is nothing ad hoc about the Rocky Hock Playhouse in Washington.

Just because it’s located in the old P.S. Jones Middle School building and is, by definition, a ‘Christian theater’, don’t assume that this theater company gives an unrehearsed performance. In fact, it was quite the contrary.

When compared with Raleigh’s Theater in ... Read More]]> Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:28:07 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/326/10/the-turnage-theater-announces-its-fourth-season.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/326/10/the-turnage-theater-announces-its-fourth-season.html For Release: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 Katherine Buchholz

The Turnage Theater, a recently renovated historic theater in the heart of Washington, North Carolina’s Historic District, is pleased to announce their lineup for their fourth season as a performing arts venue in Eastern North Carolina.

“We have a really exciting mix of shows this year,” says box office manager, Katherine Buchholz. “Right now we have 17 events including 2 comedy shows and 5 each of childrenR... Read More]]> Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:07:22 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/308/10/donald-underwood-thompson-band-will-play-the-turnage-theater.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/308/10/donald-underwood-thompson-band-will-play-the-turnage-theater.html This production is a lively and entertaining musical production featuring many of the great songs from the Blues and Rhythm ‘n’ Blues genres, as well as some favorite numbers from the birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Make no mistake, though; this is more than just a concert. Along with the music the audience will be treated to the stories behind the songs and glimpses into the lives of the songwriters who wrote them, as well as performances by the fabulous Boppin’ the Blue... Read More]]> Thu, 8 Jul 2010 10:58:15 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/304/33/an-introduction-to-jazz-part-1.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/304/33/an-introduction-to-jazz-part-1.html Like any form of artistic expression, jazz music can be appreciated on many different levels. The deeper one explores, the more nuances and subtleties can be discovered. Delving into the evolution of the art brings to light an understanding of its musical and historical perspective. Jazz is both cerebral and visceral for both artist and listener. This symbiosis can be played out in the sterile atmosphere of a recording studio or in a live setting where, at the highest level, the audience and art... Read More]]> Tue, 6 Jul 2010 12:14:17 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/284/12/lone-leaf-gallery-exhibit-visually-imitates-birdcalls.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/284/12/lone-leaf-gallery-exhibit-visually-imitates-birdcalls.html Lone Leaf Gallery & Custom Framing in downtown Washington is currently featuring an extraordinarily unique art exhibition, ‘Cleat', by artist Lisa Beth Robinson, which will be on display at the gallery through July 24.

The exhibit is comprised of nine original pieces by Robinson, an East Carolina University art professor with far-reaching artistic influence. Each piece in the exhibit represents the range of emotions experienced when a person digs in their 'cleats' to stop and evaluat... Read More]]> Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:58:18 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/251/33/the-gizmo-guys-will-play-the-turnage-theater.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/251/33/the-gizmo-guys-will-play-the-turnage-theater.html Press release from the Turnage Theater for immediate release, May 14, 2010. For More Information, contact Katherine Buchholz, Box Office Manager.

Gather the whole family to see the Gizmo Guys Comedy Jugglers perform live at the Turnage Theater in Washington, NC on Saturday, May 29th at 2pm. It’s all of the fun of the circus, with none of the animal smells!

Simply put, the Gizmo Guys are a comedy juggling act. But really, they are much more. Their act includes original routines, quick... Read More]]> Fri, 14 May 2010 15:56:36 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/248/33/james-gregory-leaves-them-laughing.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/248/33/james-gregory-leaves-them-laughing.html Rubber faced comedian James Gregory, self-billed as “The Funniest Man in America,” took to the boards of the Turnage Theater on April 24, 2010 and gave this near capacity crowd their money’s worth.

The man runs a clean show, and no one is safe from ridicule - especially the “calorically challenged,” rednecks in trailers, ardent and fatalist environmentalist and other sissified men. Before the end of the show I was even feeling a bit uneasy. Am I next?

Fortun... Read More]]> Thu, 13 May 2010 16:53:10 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/241/12/downtown-washington-caters-to-art-lovers.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/241/12/downtown-washington-caters-to-art-lovers.html Eastern North Carolina residents took advantage of the slow pace and warm breeze of a southern night to stroll down Main Street in downtown Washington, stopping along the way at the seven different art galleries and neighboring merchants participating in the spring Art Walk, organized by the Beaufort County Arts Council and Washington Harbor District Alliance. Washington’s first Art Walk, the winter Art Walk, was held in November of last year, and was a huge success.

After laying down almost... Read More]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 13:17:05 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/220/13/high-fiasco-for-some-bop-to-you-drop-for-others.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/220/13/high-fiasco-for-some-bop-to-you-drop-for-others.html And still I found the Holy Ghost Tent Revival, hailing from Greensboro, North Carolina, an enigma. Was it the music, or their stage presence - a high octane jump and dance competition, where all of the band members finished in first place - that forever colored my opinion? I don’t know.

The one thing that I do know is that their music suits their antics, and their antics were maddening in the sheer force of their constant energy in the second show of the first night of the Beaufort Co... Read More]]> Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:53:34 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/213/13/turnage-theater-full-of-warm-spirit-lacking-warm-bodies.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/213/13/turnage-theater-full-of-warm-spirit-lacking-warm-bodies.html At $12 a ticket, the three-and-a-half hour opening concert to the Beaufort County Arts Council’s second-annual Beaufort County Music Festival was a smart buy. Nevertheless, only 150 of the 300 tickets were sold, according to Turnage Theater Box Office Manager Katherine Buchholz.

The low turnout can be partly attributed to the ignored back-story of performer Lipbone Redding, aka Citizen One, aka Lawrence Vanderpoel Behr II, in preview stories and advertisements leading up to the event.

Lipbo... Read More]]> Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:07:54 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/200/11/every-picture-tells-a-story-don-t-it-part-viii.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/200/11/every-picture-tells-a-story-don-t-it-part-viii.html Downtown Washington, North Carolina is a Regional Mecca for Art

This article is born out of two purposes: To give a short expose of some of the new art that was on display in the Washington, NC area and to finally give some exposure through our publication of some shows I attended since the first of the year, 2010. I intended to do 3 separate articles but time did not permit anything other than what I can offer at this juncture … and since this is art, and pretty fine art at that ̷... Read More]]> Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:16:34 EDT http://pittcountynow.com/post/99/10/the-rachel-getting-married-syndrome.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/99/10/the-rachel-getting-married-syndrome.html What is Normal? And Where Do I Run To It?

Yes, it is a Syndrome, and it influences what passes for art in our world growing smaller. You might ask: What is the "Rachel Getting Married" Syndrome? Well it is complicated, and it will need more time than I have at this sitting to develop what will be an ongoing thesis. I will, however, find the time to expound on the subject, but I honestly believe it may be deeper than the “Rabbit Hole” from “Alice’s Adventu... Read More]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:19:18 EST http://pittcountynow.com/post/62/10/the-local-gallery-and-its-show-part-i.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/62/10/the-local-gallery-and-its-show-part-i.html Lone Leaf Gallery Unveils the Showing of a New Artisan and Bids Goodbye to the Last

In Washington, North Carolina, on the southwest corner of Market and West Main Streets, is the recently opened Lone Leaf Gallery, featuring an eclectic collection of work by local, regional and national artists and artisans. The gallery, studio and shop, within this small, quaint and most efficient space, is owned by local residents Neil and Meredith Loughlin. Both owners are artisans / artists themselves, ha... Read More]]> Fri, 1 Jan 2010 13:02:30 EST http://pittcountynow.com/post/61/12/museums-in-review-part-ii.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/61/12/museums-in-review-part-ii.html The Franklin G. Burroughs and Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum Features the Story Painter: E. B. Lewis

Every time I vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, I visit the Burroughs and Chapin Art Museum on Ocean Boulevard near the Farrow Parkway intersection with Kings Highway (US Hwy. 17 Business). The little museum, with its back facing the blue of the Atlantic Ocean, on every sunny day, often has a worthwhile show of some talented artist that is of local or regional renown.

On my latest visit... Read More]]> Fri, 1 Jan 2010 13:01:23 EST http://pittcountynow.com/post/60/13/in-concert-riders-in-the-sky.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/60/13/in-concert-riders-in-the-sky.html In the Holiday Spirit the Cowboy Way ...

The worn wooden stage at the head of the Turnage Theater was aglitter and aglow with the bright, but tacky Christmas lights adorning some of the many stage props of the night’s entertainment, Riders in the Sky. The fabricated cactus that stood behind Joey the Cowpolka King and Too Slim was strung with the glittering lights, the synthesized campfire glow had its place in front of the singing foursome, with a large Woody action figure (from the Dis... Read More]]> Fri, 1 Jan 2010 12:57:45 EST http://pittcountynow.com/post/59/13/in-concert-bearfoot.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/59/13/in-concert-bearfoot.html Bearfoot are a Breath of Fresh Air as they Breezed through Town

The bluegrass / traditional country band Bearfoot came to Washington’s Turnage Theater and gave a near perfect performance of the music that steels my will to consider the talent that could stir my soul. And what a resounding success it was?

Bearfoot is a group of five young folks, ranging in ages of 22 to 26 years of age, who have grown preciously wise in their approach to an American genre of music that is becoming some o... Read More]]> Fri, 1 Jan 2010 12:55:10 EST http://pittcountynow.com/post/44/12/museums-in-review-part-iii.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/44/12/museums-in-review-part-iii.html The Franklin G. Burroughs and Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum Features an Assemblage of Work: Soul’s Journey: The Creative Process

On this occasion when I visited my good friend and publisher at his condo in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, I took the opportunity to visit the Burroughs and Chapin Art Museum on Ocean Boulevard. Once again this little museum, on the northern edge of the old Springmaid Hotel property, with its back facing the blue of the Atlantic Ocean, exhibited another notable... Read More]]> Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:16:30 EST http://pittcountynow.com/post/37/13/in-concert-missy-raines-and-the-new-hip.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/37/13/in-concert-missy-raines-and-the-new-hip.html Rhythmic Rhapsody: Missy Raines and the Boys Get the House Rock'n

Missy Raines brought her new band, Missy Raines and the New Hip, to Washington, North Carolina on October 23, 2009, to play the Turnage Theater, and they really just blew me and the sparse crowd frequenting the Turnage Theater, into the stratosphere of rhythmic satisfaction. Some of you may query: Who is Missy Raines and the New Hip?

Missy and the boys take stage.

Understandably, I did not know of their existence before that... Read More]]> Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:12:24 EST http://pittcountynow.com/post/32/11/andrew-wyeth-is-dead.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/32/11/andrew-wyeth-is-dead.html Andrew Wyeth May Have Passed But His Art Will Live On

When I was much younger, back in the early 1970's, and trying to find my way in this world of good and bad art, music and movies, I searched for living artists of quality to guide me as I sought my own path, and I discovered Andrew Wyeth. Andrew Wyeth was already middle aged and had produced some of his best work, including but not limited to; Christina's World, Evening at Kuerners, Master Bedroom, Karl and Winter 1946.

Winter 1946, a se... Read More]]> Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:01:07 EST http://pittcountynow.com/post/21/11/painting-lies.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/21/11/painting-lies.html As creator of the art program at what would become the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Claude Howell is considered the city’s father of the arts and possibly the most important figure in native art of our state.

Claude Howell (1915-1997) died in the same bedroom in which he had been born 82 years earlier — in number 53 at The Carolina Apartments in Wilmington. The apartment was the anchor for the rich life of a talented artist, academic, and teacher. Howell said he paint... Read More]]> Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:17:35 EST http://pittcountynow.com/post/14/11/andrew-wyeth-s-helga-series.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/14/11/andrew-wyeth-s-helga-series.html Andrew Wyeth’s Helga: a Compulsive Fetish or his Best Work

Probably somewhere in between is the best answer. For all who are not familiar with Wyeth and his Helga Series, I shall endeavor to explain it simply as 240 pieces of work (mostly water color studies, some spontaneous sketch studies in monochromatic mediums and a smaller number of finished egg tempera canvases) of one woman, Helga Testorf, that were made between 1971 and 1985.

Andrew Wyeth had met Helga as a young 32 year old... Read More]]> Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:37:50 EST http://pittcountynow.com/post/13/13/dillon-fence-plays-the-turnage.html http://pittcountynow.com/post/13/13/dillon-fence-plays-the-turnage.html Dillon Fence Enjoys a Piece of Their Past

Dillon Fence enjoyed a nostalgic night of partying with their friends at the Turnage Theater in Washington, N.C. Dillon Fence was, in the early 1990's, a big draw in Chapel Hill, but as of late, they really haven't had much success as an ensemble.

Their Saturday night at the Turnage was a reminder of their days in Chapel Hill playing Cat's Cradle, and knowing the admiration of folks that understood and seriously enjoyed their music. It must have bee... Read More]]> Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:36:00 EST