Local Art Residency - Chris Manobianco

LC: Thank you so much for allowing us to share your propagation stations here at Local! In six years, this is the first work of its kind and we're so happy to have them. Let's start at the beginning of this journey as such an interesting story. How did you begin working in this space?

Chris: No, thank you!! It has definitely been a slow progression into woodworking, but picking up steam over the last couple years. I’ve always loved working with my hands and building things since I was young. The quarantines over the past few years gave me some extra time to become more comfortable with wood, and the tools, to begin experimenting building some things!

LC: Please tell us how working in this medium has made you feel as I have to believe that the transformation from raw materials to a beautifully finished product is an extremely cathartic process.

Chris: It certainly is! It’s amazing to see the wood go from a very rough material, to a silky smooth and very solid feeling end product. Each step cleans up the rough edges, creates more definition in the piece, and brings out the natural beauty of the wood. It is also a very tactile hobby, each species has its own weight, grain, and smell as you work on it, really immersing you into the craft. After a long day of staring at a screen, it’s quite relaxing to bring something to life.

LC: Tell us about the types of woods that you seek out and are there any particular favorites? 

Chris: I am still very new to this and exploring the world of hardwoods, but the most prevalent ones in my current work are Maple, Mahogany, Cherry, Paduak, and Purpleheart. Out of those Paduak (the bright orang-ish/red one) is my favorite. There is something about the vibrance contrasting your typical browns of many other woods that always catches my eye. With that being said I love shopping at the wood supplier and seeing what new types I can try. The latest round of propagation stations will include a species called Wormy Maple, which has a really unique pattern.

LC: Perhaps a funny question but what has been the most interesting cutting or plant that has made its way into one of the stations?

Chris: A true staple in most of my propagation stations is the Pothos, featured on the walls in the coffee shop today! That being said one of the more exciting plants is definitely a Monstera Deliciosa plant (also known as a swiss cheese plant), with broad, bright green leaves and large fenestrations! I absolutely LOVE seeing the creativity of what everyone else puts in them, so shoot me a message on Instagram with your best décor!

LC: You included a philanthropic cause in this exhibition. Why is this important to you?

Chris: The root and name behind the company comes from my Mini Australian Shepherd, Evie, who I adopted about 8 years ago from a truly horrible shelter in the south. Since then I’ve always tried to be a big advocate for both pet adoption and animal sanctuaries in general. Having a hobby that allows me to both enjoy building new things and give back to charities is truly a win win!

LC: As a fellow canine enthusiast, I love that your heart is in this place as well. Tell us about Evie :)

Chris: I touched on this a little above, but Evie is one of the most unique dogs you’ll ever meet. Her experiences before I adopted her continue to impact her to this day so she is definitely not an average dog. She loves long walks, and carrying around her stuffed toys to show off to the neighborhood, and drinking water (weird, I know)!

LC: What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

Chris: While tea is always a morning staple, I have been slowly increasing my coffee intake over the years. While I’m still in the minor leagues (hello lattes <3), I am slowly becoming a more adventurous drinker! I will continue to work my way through the Local Coffee Menu in the coming months!

See more from Chris on his Instagram Page here

Local Art Residency - William Bullard

LC: What a treat to have your work shared here at Local! So much to cover here but let's start with your relationship to Montclair, NJ. Please tell us how you are connected to this town.

WB: During the summer of 1976, I drove across the country interviewing at every independent high school that still needed an English teacher for the fall.  The last interview was at MKA, and I was the last thing between the English chair and his vacation, so I got the job.  My wife and I moved to a railroad flat above the ice cream store in Upper Montclair, and I started my first teaching job.  Two years later I remember that I couldn’t believe they were actually paying me to teach…I was having so much fun.  In 1978 we moved into a cottage on Central Ave owned by the school, which we later bought from them.  In 1983 and 1986 our kids, Nick and Zoe, were born.  In 1991, we moved to San Francisco so I could try my hand as the academic dean of a school there, but Montclair was always my “origin story,” and I never felt so woven into the full life of a community as I did there.  And I never found brighter, harder working, more joyful, whole, and fully alive students as I knew at MKA during those 15 years.  To get to see a group of them again 35 years later – brighter than ever and still full of beans – was so cool.  Thank you.

LC: I had the pleasure of seeing you reconnect with some of your students from some time ago. It made me smile and got me thinking about reconnecting with some of my childhood teachers and mentors. How has this role (of teacher) allowed you to become an excellent communicator in your current (photographer) craft?

WB: I don’t think I have anything more profound to say about photography than most photographers, but just as teaching helped me overcome my natural introversion, it also gave me some ability and confidence to connect to strangers, to be interested in and respect their presence, and see in a moment the potential for a story…all important qualities for street photography.

LC: Alrighty then...let's get right to it. I listen to my clients talk about your photographs and I laugh at the wild swing of characterizations. What were you REALLY going for when setting out to capture these moments in time?  

WB: I enjoy working in art museums because they provide ready-made some of the crucial elements for all street photography:  a “set” or dramatic stage that provides geometry, lighting, and, of course, compelling props and people who are absorbed, mindful, unself-conscious, often dressed for the occasion, and naturally arranged in tableaux.  Sometimes the compelling picture is purely formal – abstract arrangements of color and form that, once framed by the camera, hold the eye.  “Alexander Calder at the Whitney” is a good example of a time when I saw such a potential and waited until the woman in white turned to reveal that phenomenal Gallic profile.  Other times, the juxtaposition between the viewer and the work of art allows for a suggestive, psychological portrait.  “Brancusi at the Guggenheim” is one of many examples when I returned time and time again to a work of art waiting for the right person to appear in exactly the right relationship to that iconic sculpture.  And sometimes, though more rarely, a kind of dialogue occurs in which the viewer and the work of art appear to interrogate each other, in which the painting or sculpture appears to move or speak in response to the viewer.  “Ferrucci’s Caesar at the Met” or “Michelangelo’s Brutus at the Met” are the most dramatic examples in which that mutual interrogation occurs across cultures and millenia, but I see that happening in the Mukherjee, Medicis, and Picasso portraits as well.

LC: Your exhibition here at Local, 'Pictures at an Exhibition', encouraged me to revisit several Street Photography masters. I agree with your summation that the photo allows us to 'witness story after story unfold that can only be revealed in 1/250th of a second and bound within a 2:3 aspect ratio.' Looking back at images from Arthur Fellig (Weegee) and Saul Leiter who really nailed that raw NYC of yesteryear - I also think there's a bit of  'someone else out there understands me' as these images are so very personal. Do you ever feel like you've perhaps gone in and ultimately allowed someone permission to express something they couldn't have otherwise?

WB: In general, I find that street photography, and particularly these images, do not reveal a story as much as they create one.  So they may offer an illusion of self-expression, but it’s a fiction, entirely invented by the power of the frame, which creates its own context, and the invisible-to-the-eye momentary expression of the subject.  The man next to Louise Bourgeois’s creature was not, as it appears, shocked by the threatening shape looming behind him; indeed, I have no idea what prompted his fleeting look of horror, but it was perfect for the story that the frame of that picture tells, the frame which conveniently eliminates all the other visitors and thrusts him into a relationship with the sculpture that he’s not even looking at.

LC: You are lucky in that you are able to share your work across different venues. What are the types of things you learn from having the same work in different spaces?

WB: It’s rare, actually, for me to have this kind of opportunity to engage in a dialogue with an audience, but I’d say I’ve learned more by photographing in different venues than by exhibiting in different forums.  Occasionally, I’ll get into conversation with a curator or editor about the work, but then it’s usually a matter of selecting and sequencing photographs.  I have learned that folks often believe that the scenes have to have been staged or posed.  Or, at least, that the subjects knew that I was photographing them.  Those kind of questions seem to speak to the success of the illusion I just mentioned, that the images seem intimate and personal, that they seem to get inside a relationship or reveal a mind.  In fact, the subjects rarely know, if ever, that I’ve made a photograph, and I’ve never posed or set up a picture.  Occasionally, I’ve been tempted to ask, but that would defeat the purpose and certainly result in weak image.  One of the strategic advantages of photographing in museums is that I’m just another visitor with a camera, so it’s pretty easy to stay inconspicuous, to be the observer who does not influence what he’s observing.  Different exhibits inspire different general responses from visitors.  For example, the Michelangelo drawing show at the Met in 2018 seemed to pull in a lot of “slow art” sensibilities – visitors who would study a work for 20 or 30 minutes and be completely transported.  On many occasions I was able to get within a foot or two to make a portrait.  Others seem to provoke “mirroring,” visitors who take on a stance or posture reflecting a figure in the work of art.  In that case, I will compose the image ahead of time and wait (or “fish” in street photo lingo) for a visitor to complete the photograph.  But overall the failure rate is very high.  If I emerge from two hours at an exhibit with one image that I eventually print, I count the day as a huge success.

LC: Tough question (maybe) but do you have a favorite camera and why? 

WB: Actually, it is an easy question.  All of my recent museum work is made with Leica Q2, either the regular model or the new monochrome version.  It is a light, nimble, silent, inconspicuous camera with a fast, fixed 28mm lens, pretty good autofocus, and excellent resolution at high ISO values – so it’s very good in the dim light of most museums.  I do very little post-processing and print on smooth baryta paper because I want the prints to look like classic silver photographs.  The harder choice for me is between B&W and color, and with the monochrome camera, I often have to make that choice before I go into a show.  By experience and taste, I am a B&W photographer and mostly agree with Ariana, your previous artist, that color is often a distraction and conceals more than it shows, especially in street photography.  I have photographed frequently in Cuba – really the color capital of the world – and always process that work in B&W, which focuses my eye on the geometry of the streets and on the character of the people.  And yet with the museum work, where the color in paintings is so critically important to the experience of the artwork, the juxtapositions I’m seeking are often strengthened by working in color.

LC: What's your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

WB: Small cappuccino, regular milk (just a little, please).

Learn more about Bill by visiting his website here

Local Art Residency - Janette Afsharian

LC: Janette, we first connected more than a year ago when the concept of showing your work at Local was first discussed. What I remember from that call is that we were on the phone for more than an hour (which is a rarity these days) and it was the most honest and enjoyable conversation I had in a long time. You have this pure form of communicating that both made me laugh but also made me feel better about some of my own thoughts. Have you always been this forthcoming in your dialogue?

JA: We totally clicked. Our phone conversation was great. But seeing you in action at Local it’s pretty obvious you have a talent for making people feel comfortable. It may be one of those, “it ain't me, it’s you” type of things. However, you are right that I’m pretty candid. I have a tendency to lead with letting people know I’m not on 100% footing on many things. I’ve been joking around lately saying that in a job interview when asked what are some of my weaknesses I’d say, “I’m wrong a lot of time.” Thankfully, I’m self-employeed. Also, I’m super cool until I totally panic. I like to tell people I’m the person that you’ll have to shake and slap a few times when things get in a high stress situation. Even though I like to lead with my mess, at times, I do have my crap together (sort of) but I like to connect with people on the interesting and funny stuff... the struggle that’s where I relate.

LC: I love this approach because I can tell immediately when either a person, a brand OR anything else for that matter tries to be or do something that they do not have the experience or right to express. Think this is part of the beauty of growing up in NYC... most of us can immediately sense authenticity or lack of it. How did your childhood and/or formidable years contribute to you being so real?

JA: That is 100% why when I moved to New York City 25+ years ago, I knew I had found home. I grew up with two cultures that strongly believe in manners over truth. The Iranian culture (my dad) and Texans (my mom) have may subtle mannerism which always left me wondering what was the truth. In New York if they like you knew it, if they wanted you to get the fuck out of the way, you knew it. I loved it!

LC: OK so I was setting you up with questions number 1 + 2...tell me how this honesty translates into your craft and expressing yourself in your art?

JA: Honestly, I have no idea. I think I’m trying to work out something in all these lines but I’m not sure. I paint in my attic listening to music. It’s meditative for the most but part but I do get frustrated at times because I can’t draw a perfect cat or deer or something like that but then I just move back on to my abstract line drawings. I try to balance the colors and find depth and balance as I draw each line with yard sticks. I try to perfect some things and destroy others as a progress. I think about my family, friends, kids, my past, crazy times, marketing art, and grand ideas of being an artist as a grow old. I'm really simply painting because I have always wanted to but also always found a reason not to until now. I’m just doing it.

LC: Tell us about this work you chose to share -

JA: Right now, I have a total of what I think of as four collections of work. The first, are in a minimalism style and fall into the Gerhard Ricther area (people say). I love these but some may I think they are too simple. Surprisingly these are ones I get the most purchase requests for on Instagram. I haven’t been able to part with them yet. Next, is the plaid series. These are the most fun to paint and look pretty cool in person but I didn’t think they are complex enough. The third, are leaning into cubism. I don’t have enough of them for a collection plus I just sold one of these yesterday so I have even less now. The forth, Linear Motion, is what I selected to exhibit because they are what I’ve been experimenting with most lately. I think they capture where I’m at with my painting at the moment. A combination of all of the other collection trying to fit into one space and be seen.

LC: I can tell you how much I appreciate it as it just seems so timely right this very moment. There is so much going on right now...so many distractions..so many directions but it is ultimately up to each of us to make sense of all of it. Also, these paths/lines can be quite chaotic but if you step back and breathe, they can also be quite beautiful based on your interpretation. I've gotten more comfortable with this concept as of late. In my best Wendy Williams voice, how you doin' (through all of this)?

JA: I think the painting capture how I’m doing. The lines are stationary yet there is a lot motion.

LC: Alrighty then...I know you are quite busy so I'll save the rest of my questions for when I see you next. But before you go, critical inquiry - what is your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

JA: Black coffee in the US. Black tea in Iran.

Learn more about Janette here and find her on Instagram @janetteafsharian.art

Local Artist Residency - Ling Chen

Let's get right to it! Please tell us about the dark, seedy, underbelly of the world of watercolors!

Can’t tell ya because I kinda live under a rock (yes, in the world of watercolors as well). I am rather ignorant of the bubbly local art scenes and am really bad at remembering names. Thanks to the Internet, I got to admire the wonderful works of the watercolorists from around the world  and to drool over their work virtually. For me, the best watercolor is fluid, spontaneous, and captures the mood and atmosphere without spelling out every detail. Water and pigments interacting with the help of gravity can do wonders.

So you're saying that WYSIWYG? I have to believe that there's more in that image than a beautiful representation of a person, place or thing?

Luckily what you get is more than what you see sometimes, although I cannot claim credit for that. When people look at the sketches of Local Coffee, they’re reminded of the cappuccino and the amazing owner who-shall-not-be-named. And people reacted warmly to my sketch of American Royal Hardware because they just love that place. I captured the moments and places as I see it, and viewers enrich it with their own fond memories. 

OK, I tease you because you have this wonderful sense of humor and your work is obviously beautiful and moving AND everyone loves it. How did you get started?

Whew! I’d be devastated if you had neglected to notice or praise my wonderful sense of humor. 

I learned how to draw in middle school. In an after-school drawing club I became really good at cross hatching while drawing still life with graphic pencils. Fast forward 30 years, I started to draw again since my life was overwhelmed with work and kids. I did Saturday classes for a few months and attended a few weeklong watercolor workshops. It was a surprise that I improved quickly. I took on sketching because that’s something I can squeeze during the little free time I had - waiting at the airport during work trips, or hanging out at the playground with kids. The type of city sketches you see here actually started in May 2018.  A  friend of mine and I attended our first Jersey City Artist and Makers Fair where I had a total of 3 sketches of Jersey City downtown. A couple of prints were sold and people asked for more. And that started my journey documenting my neighborhood. The more I sketched, the more to sketch to capture the changing face of the places.  

Perhaps a silly question but how did you get SO good? I mean, c'mon - this work is masterful.

I wish I could agree with you, but I appreciate you believing so. Drawing from direct observations on location helps, I believe. It forces you to capture what you see and how you feel instead of every little detail that a photograph captures. Showing how people interact with a place brings a piece to life. 

I had the pleasure of meeting your 84 year old mom who is adorable and has quite a bit of spunk. How influential was mom in your life and while developing your craft?

My daughter recently commented on how strong grandma was rolling the dough when she demonstrated how to make scallion pancakes, unimpressed with the wimpy attempts by the youngsters. She used to run an editorial department in a rolling stock (trains, that is) research institute publishing periodicals and books. And she dedicated her entire self taking care of the family. She hand-made dumplings, noodles, sewed clothes, knitted sweaters, and made hats and shoes - not as a hobby but often as a necessity. After she retired, she took on Chinese painting and shocked all of us with her art talents. But then she readily gave that up and came to take care of her grandkids - my babies could win the cleanest bottoms contest and the fervor in feeding her grandchildren is unmatched. I have half of her talents and a quarter of her drive. I taunt my kids that my mother is better than their mother.

I noted how fast you are when creating each of these works. Was that a need based skill OR was there another reason you are so expeditious?

Yes and yes. It certainly started as need-based. I was sketching while watching my kids at the playground, and as any parents have well practiced, I was prepared to jump into action at any time. I also really like to capture the moments, such as music performance on stage, and those moments are fleeting. Some of the work I personally like most are those created within 5 minutes.

Aside from your Local storefront watercolor being your favorite (obv), what comes in as a close second for your favorite work (Montclair or otherwise)?

You forgot I have two sketches of Local, that make my two favorite works. Of Local.

I like Dem Two Hands. I like the color and felt I captured the spirit of that beautiful place. 

I also like a few sketches of murals - Jersey City has plenty of them. It’s like picture-in-picture.  

This question is for my sister, an aspiring watercolor enthusiast - what tips can you offer someone seeking to up their approach to this discipline?

First, learn from the best, I mean, the very best, even from the beginning. My first watercolor workshop was with David Taylor, a watercolor master from Australia. I was such a newbie that I was identifying basic colors such as Ultramarine Blue and Raw Ciena in the evening after day 1 of the workshop. By the end of the week, I produced some of the best work among the workshop attendees, partially because I didn’t need to unlearn anything. Joseph Zbukvic, another Australian artist, is an absolute master in watercolor. He has an amazing process that makes painting landscapes seem effortless. I also learnt from Eudes Correia, a Brazillian artist in Portugal. I love how he paints people. 

Second, do what feels natural to you. I learned how to paint watercolor from those masters mentioned above, but I sketch in my own style. I use a calligraphy pen filled with permanent ink to sketch first, and use watercolor on top of it. Scribbling the lines feels natural to me.

Learn more about Ling Chen here

Local Artist Residency - Mike Ferrari

Mike, thanks so much for sharing your work with us and the Local community. The response on your format has been super-positive. When did you first think about this particular platform?

Hey Rob.  First off, thanks for the opportunity to show my art at Local!   After graduating Art School in 2001, I moved back home and set up an art studio in my parents’ basement.  I was constantly experimenting with my art and exploring different types of surfaces to paint on beyond traditional canvases.  After painting on wood and other found objects, I came across an old box of vinyl records that my parents had stored away, so I looked through them and found one that was probably not worth listening to ever again and thought, “why not?”  Trying to stay true to the medium, I painted a classic portrait of Billie Holiday with the big white flower in her hair and that’s where it began.

 Lots of discussion, notably surrounding what musicians and bands you decided to paint and post. How did you ultimately land on this mix for Local?

I just really like all kinds of music.  I’m always listening to music while painting.  In one session I can easily go from Wu Tang to Fiona Apple to Metallica.  I can honestly say that 99% of the artists that I choose to paint are artists whose music I like...or at least appreciate.  I also try to give the viewers a little of everything in hopes of sparking a positive music memory or feeling.  It’s always great seeing people really engage with the work and pick out their favorites, both artistically and musically.  I hope with this diverse collection of 48 records up at Local there is something for everyone.

As we're in the shop all day, I am constantly looking at the albums and reengaging with so many of these artists. Of particular interest is Dolly Parton. Her voice in 'Jolene' is arguably one of the most passionate, in and out of country music. Have to ask, how did you come to paint her?

She was one of the more recent ones I painted.  Dolly is a legend in so many ways and seems to be coming back around in pop culture.  She is one of those artists like Bob Marley or the Beatles that just transcends her genre.  I dare anyone to say anything negative about Dolly.  It doesn’t matter what style of music that you prefer, if someone puts on ‘Jolene’ those 3 minutes or so are going to take you somewhere special.

Curious - have you connected with any of these musicians through your art?

Not yet.  I’ve created several personal vinyl paintings for friends who are musicians and I’ve had a few local musicians reach out, but I’m yet to get the invite to Saint Tropez on Jay-Z and Beyonce’s yacht...fingers crossed for this summer!

Many people have asked, so I'll put it out to you here - what albums did you paint over for this project? 

They are all painted on first press copies of the Beatles’ White Album… No, just kidding.  People often ask me if the artists painted on the records match the music on it, and the answer is no – I would never paint on a vinyl record I would want to listen to.  I’ve acquired a large collection of old records from various places like garage sales and friends have given me old stacks that they didn’t want anymore.  There used to be a great music store in Hoboken called Tunes.  When I lived there, I would go all the time to look through the old clearance records.  I would pick up a bunch of vinyl for like 25-50 cents apiece.  It’s a different kind of crate digging.  I always wondered what the cashiers were thinking as they scanned my random collection of classical baroque, some obscure jazz, and Norwegian death metal.  As long as the vinyl is in good condition and not scratched up, I’ll use it...unless I end up keeping it for my personal collection.

Luckily, I preserved all of my albums from childhood as well as my parent's collection. I love that moment when the needle hits the vinyl and a crackling is audible, almost like that moment when starting a fire. Can we safely assume that you have albums to listen to as well? What do you love about this music format?

It’s a magical moment indeed.  My parents had a decent record collection from the 70s and early 80s and we always listen to music in our house growing up.  My brother and I had a small, typical 80’s kid collection like Michael Jackson, Weird Al, Beastie Boys, Culture Club, the Breakin’ Soundtrack, and other randomly acquired finds.  Most of those records are still part of my current collection of “listening” vinyls.  Though the format has changed many times over throughout the years, music has always been a big part of my life.  There is always great music flowing through my house, unless my kids take control of the music.  Obviously, vinyl has come back around within the past few years and it’s great to see people of all ages really embracing the medium.  With everything these days being digital and right at your fingertips, it’s nice to have a tangible alternative and a collection that is uniquely yours.  Being able to put a record on the turntable, drop the needle, and hear all the pops and crackles is just so much more of a personal experience than scanning Spotify and pressing play (disclaimer: I also love Spotify and think it’s an amazingly wonderful platform that I use almost daily).

I was so happy to learn that you are an art teacher provided our particular interest in this discipline. Thank you for everything you do! What is the most rewarding aspect of this path that you have chosen? Any singular moments that put you over the moon?

There have been so many great moments teaching art over the years. I have had the pleasure of working with some very talented students and am grateful to have played a part in their artistic journey.  It’s always nice to reconnect with past students that have graduated who tell me that they still remember specific moments from my class.  Whether it’s specifically about art or just a positive memory.  I don’t expect all of them to become artists but if they can at least come away with a positive experience and a slightly stronger appreciation for art, then I’m happy.  

Please tell us about any current projects you're working on, either connected to the albums or perhaps something new?

Well, the album art seems to be an ongoing project that started in my parents’ basement and continues in my current Montclair basement, and will probably never end.  I have an ever-growing backlog of artists that I want to take on.  In addition to the records, I’m always busy working on something, whether it’s paintings, drawings, collages, etc.  I have a few shows coming up in and around the Montclair area this spring and summer and I’m always on the lookout for different opportunities to show my work and connect to people.

Learn more about Mike here

Visit Mike’s IG here

Local Artist Residency - Caleb Levine

Thanks for sharing your work here at Local. It's easy to drift into a conversation about your age and the ability to capture this level and context of imagery - so let's get it out of the way. You're 17 now, when did you start taking photos with the desire to share them to a broader audience?

I've been taking pictures for about five years, beginning in the summer after 6th grade. Public display has never been at the forefront of my creative process, but when an opportunity arose to show my work to my community and support a great cause in the process, I seized it.

Your generation was born with a camera in their hand (b/c of cell phones) as prior had to actively go and purchase a SLR to capture imagery. How do you either bundle yourself with your peers with respect to regularly taking photos OR separate yourself because of your photography intention?

There are elitist photographers who consider pictures taken on mobile devices to be less valuable or worthy of praise, but I find this ridiculous. The advent of pocket-sized cameras has democratized photography in a fascinating way and is responsible for some truly remarkable images. I enjoy taking pictures on my DSLR and not my phone, however, for two main reasons: my camera allows me to manipulate the components of the lens and sensor more directly and finely, and the act of shooting on a bona fide camera provides an intentional headspace that mobile cameras lack for me.

I appreciated the time we took to post your photos at the shop as you had a POV on what went where and to what degree the images played off of each other. Is there a particular story you are working to tell?

Though I was intentional in my placing of the pictures, accounting for color and contrast and brightness and subject matter, I didn't bring one cohesive theme to my installation. It's more of a collection of my best work.

What type of camera do you use for these photos and what technical aspects have you learned about photography from when you started to now?

I shoot on a Canon 80D, and over time have come to refine my use of aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance and flash. These are the parts of the camera I handle regularly.

You are donating the proceeds from your sales to the Montclair Sanctuary Alliance. Tell us a bit about the organization and the work they do, especially now during some challenging times.

The Montclair Sanctuary Alliance is a network of interfaith religious bodies of Montclair aimed at supporting and advocating for recently-immigrated families from Central and South American who are at risk of deportation or detention. Moving to a new country is jarring and difficult. But coupled with a language barrier, a pandemic and economic downturn that makes job-search more difficult, young children who struggle academically and socially, and alienating political rhetoric and the impending threat of deportation - you get the idea. These people need help. And the MSA works to provide it.

What's next for your photography platform? Are you aiming to broaden your understanding of this discipline or simply see where the day takes you?

For now, I hope to have a successful show and support the MSA as much as possible. I'm truly honored to have been given this opportunity. Long term though, I plan on studying photography in college and continuing to shoot for years to come.

More about Caleb and this exhibition here

Local Art Residency: Q+A with artist Natalya Khorover

Natalya, what a treat to share your work here at Local! I don’t think we’ve shared anything quite like it. Tell us a bit how you arrived at this format.

It’s a long story, but I’m happy to summarize it - I was a kid in the Soviet Union, which meant I had thrifty upbringing. That was the only way to be. It was only natural that the thriftiness eventually found a way into my art. I enjoy the challenge of creating with the materials on hand, of making do.

Of all the work we’ve had at the shop, this seems to rank up there with level of physical challenge to create each work. How difficult is it?

Not difficult, just time consuming. Or slow, deliberate and meditative.

The vertigo series has captured my interest in a major way. It sort of reminds me of those beautifully crafted Marvel comics with no detail left out - but you create it with a sewing needle! Tell us about the genesis of this series.

That is the first time someone has related my work to Marvel! I am honored. I am one of those New Yorkers who drives, and back before covid, experienced plenty of traffic. Imagine sitting in your car in standstill traffic, caught under the BQE overpass or on the lower level of the GWB or the Queensborough bridge. If you’re me, instead of leaning on the horn, I look up and notice the large trusses, the interlacing beams, the rusty patches, the graffiti tags. That is where this series started.

The graffiti series offers this juxtaposition of small and fun but there’s a lot of them. Where/ How did you start and where did you end with this series?

I’ve had a fascination with graffiti since high school. I went HS of Art and Design on 57th street and had a lot of budding graffiti artists in my classes. This is my take on graffiti, again playing with the make do and use what you have strategy. Letters cut off from plastic packaging and rearranged with lots of stitching. Not sure if I’m done yet, still plenty of words I need to stitch.

Given this current existence and challenges with plastic - how does this material play in your messaging?

Plastic pollution is one of the largest contributors to the climate crisis. With my work I hope to keep at least a small portion of it out of our oceans and alert people to the problem at hand and hopefully inspire some to act on it.

Growing up in Soho/NYC - I was blessed with some of the best local galleries on the world. I can’t help but think this work needs a bigger stage. What’s next for you and this truly unique craft?

I am still looking for that NYC gallery for my work. Know anyone? Meanwhile I am happy to have an opportunity to exhibit my work, I look for opportunities to create site specific installations in public places and I teach my techniques virtually at the moment and hopefully in person in the near future again.

Thank you so much! Anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you for opening up your beautiful space to artists

Visit Natalya’s website here

Darin Wacs is Back with 'More Cute'

Created specifically with Local's magnet wall in mind, this series of plasma cut, autobody-painted, metal sculptures are analogous to magnets on a refrigerator door – well, a giant refrigerator.

Working directly on and with the metal, from drawing and outlining each playful shape, then plasma-cutting each figure, the forms produce their unique characteristics, accentuated by the perfectly smooth enamel paint colliding against the jagged and rough plasma cut edges.

Asked about the project's name, Darin replied, "The name of this project comes from a conversation I had with a friend who was a designer at Sanrio. One day her boss looked at her work and replied MORE CUTE!  And, who doesn't want 'more cute'?"

 This is Darin's second site-specific project for Local.

See Darin’s first Local installation from 2017 here

| darinwacs.com | instagram @wacswork | twitter @darinwacs |

A Local Collab - Local X Kayla: 36

This installation is the product of imagination and inspiration and answering a simple question, ‘What if...?’

A collaboration from the mind of one of Montclair’s most creative and talented and your favorite coffee shop – we took to imagine what creative ventures could be developed in a shop where customers could temporarily (because of environmental factors) not join each other to sit and enjoy their coffee. ‘What if’ we utilized these chairs for another purpose?

Well, these chairs are now part of the installation ‘36’

This installation features a unique bespoke image on each of  the 36 chair legs, each design inspired and tied to that respective number – 1 through 36.

Find below each number, applied to each chair leg, and the design that it inspired:

1.

Correlation coefficients. Used to measure the strength of relationship between two variables. A CC of 1 indicates a strong positive relationship, as shown through a line with data points which would be measured as having a CC near 1.

2.

Abstract depiction of a binary star, a stellar system which has two stars circling around a center of mass.

3.

First triangular number (number that can form a triangle). Shown through a triangular pattern.

4.

Sticker shows the common 2D depiction of the four dimensions.

5.

The number 5 in Persian looks similar to an upside down heart. This is distorted to form a pattern.

6.

Number six can be formed by the sum of its factors (1+2+3). Shown through fractions.

7.

The seven wavelengths of light.

8.

The eight planets and the route of every satellite/spacecraft which we have used to explore.

9.

Cats have nine lives!

10.

The smallest number where its status of what is called a ‘friendly number’ is unknown. A friendly number (represented by a smiley face) is ‘Two or more natural numbers with a common abundancy index, the ratio between the sum of divisors of a number and the number itself. Two numbers with the same "abundancy" form a friendly pair’

11.

The number for the Jack card, and the fourth Sophie Germain prime (a SG prime is when the number p AND 2p + 1 are both primes) . Germain is depicted as a jack.

12.

The twelve lunar cycles.

13.

Depiction of a bell number as a flower. An ordered bell number is the number of weak orderings on a set of elements- not that I know what that means.

14.

There are 14 Bravais Lattices, which are depicted. A Bravais lattice is “infinite array of discrete points generated by a set of discrete translation operations described in three-dimensional space”.

15.

The second hexagonal number. Has 15 points.

16.

A base to the power is the same as the power to the base: 2^4 = 4^2 = 16.

17.

Total number of Brodmann areas, which has to do with the senses.

18.

The number 18 in Morse code.

19.

Centered hexagonal number repetition.

20.

Twenty circles of lunations in the Metonic cycle.

21.

Carly Rae Jepsen’s birthday is November 21st, 1985. We ❤️ Carly Rae. Call Me Maybe?

22.

Maximum number of sections created when you cut a circle with six lines (Lazy Caterer’s Sequence)

23.

Birthday Party Probability- number of people where there is a 50% chance two people share a birthday.

24.

Kissing number (greatest number of non-overlapping unit spheres that can be arranged to touch a common unit sphere), in fourth dimensional space.

25.

Octagonal number.

26.

Shows sporadic groups, which is one of twenty-six groups in classification of finite simple groups.

27.

27% of the universe is dark matter.

28.

There are 28 convex uniform honeycombs.

29.

Number of days in February during a leap year.

30.

Forms a square pyramidal.

31.

Messier object M31 is the Andromeda Galaxy.

32.

Freezing temperature of water in Fahrenheit.

33.

ASCII code for exclamation point.

34.

M36 is the constellation Perseus, famous for killing Medusa.

35.

Number of combinations of six squares.

36.

The number of degrees of each angle in a pentagram, and the ASCII code for $.

About the artist

Kayla Weaver is a senior at Montclair High School and a person with many passions and pursuits. Her top three may just be art, science and coffee.

Somehow, all three of these passions came together in one very interesting and inspiring project, hatched in collaboration with Local.

Local Art Residency: Q+A with Street Photographer Scot Surbeck

Scot, it's fun to think that this is your second exhibition at Local. You're still taking photos and we're still serving the community. How has your passion for your art evolved since we first displayed your work back in early 2019?

My passion is constant. It’s been there from the first time I pressed a camera shutter, many years ago. What is evolving is my emotional growth. Also the ability to see something photographable, compose the picture, and click the shutter, usually within 1 to 2 seconds.

It's challenging to have this Q+A without mentioning the current state of affairs in the world. As the person behind the lens capturing this environment as it unfolds, what significant trends are you able to highlight?

New York City is recovering, as I discuss in my artists statement. What’s trending is the awareness that this pandemic can be defeated only when we, and our governments, study history and respect science.

This past question leads us to the current state of our beloved NYC. At 50 years old myself, I've lived through quite a bit in the city and always felt that some mix of pure grit and spiritual vibes would enable the greatest city in the world to persist through difficult times. Please share your POV on how NYC will continue to persevere through challenging times as you review thousands of images over the past 5 years.

New York City has always been a potent and unique mixture of enlightenment, brilliance, awareness, toleration, humor and strength. I go to the city, day after day, to be recharged by that energy. Taking street photos is a wonderful plus. My photos confirm what I already know. New York City has an indomitable time tested spirit. It will defeat the pandemic and beat back the foes of democracy, and in the process solidify it’s position as a beacon of civilization for the world.

You mentioned in our last Q+A the desire to 'get better' (sic) at Street Photography. Would you be able to compare more recent photos to your initial from a technical perspective?

In my previous show, I used 26 large format pictures,  (20) - 13"x19' and  (6) - 20"x30". Set in two grids, they were easily seen from a distance. 

In this show I've used 108 pictures, all 5"x7", set in one grid. Though the overall grid of pictures has a strong visual presence, you have to get close to see the details. There is also a much stronger sequencing effect here, with paired photos selected for their shared emotions, actions, colors, shapes, etc. This technique, along with the smaller photo size, creates a slower and more intimate viewing experience than the large format pictures. It is a presentation technique I will continue to explore.

A client asked me yesterday, how does the photographer capture these images without intruding on or modifying the moment? From a purely technical perspective, what insight(s) or recommendations on Street Photography can you share for our fellow Photophiles out there?

You have to learn how to blend into the scene, to move in a way that doesn’t draw attention to yourself. It’s very difficult to do. It’s takes years to learn and master.

Mindful of current environment, Scot was thoughtful to recreate the exhibition here for online viewing