May Guest Artist is For the Birds

 Paul Schantz may be described as a builder who just couldn't stop when he retired. In his own words, “I just decided to build small homes.” Well, not exactly. Small homes, for sure. But, not just any small homes.

No two Paul Schantz birdhouse are alike . . .
but many will intrigue you

As someone who, since 1975 spent a career involved in designing, constructing, and remodeling homes he saw first hand the waste created by building demolition and construction by-products. Combine that with a lifetime interest in conservation and preservation, seeing scraps from various projects headed to the landfill bothered him.

All of a sudden a long-enjoyed interest in wildlife, birds, in particular, blossomed into a retirement avocation building birdhouses. Paul chuckles when he notes that “birdhouses do not have zoning requirements to adhere to, or need building permits or certificates of occupancy.”

All of Paul's birdhouses are original designs and constructed of repurposed materials. No two are the same. If you think that sounds simple enough you may want to visit Gallery 54 where he will be the Guest Artist for May and June. When Paul says no two birdhouses are the same, that really is an understatement. Indeed, at the recent Carol Watson Nursery fundraising show in LaFayette, NY he had more than 150 unique creations.

This birdhouse started out as a 100th
Anniversary tin of Log Cabin Maple Syrup

There doesn't appear to be any such thing as a typical Paul Schantz birdhouse. Construction materials may be as far ranging as old barn wood, maple tree syrup taps, sap bucket lids, door knobs, old tractor funnels, lunch boxes, and antique lanterns . . . to mention a few. The birdhouses are as likely to be found mounted on a rustic fence post or resting on a fine oak table or fireplace mantle as hanging from a tree.

While they are respected as artful renditions of their distant cousins, the common “cookie cutter” birdhouses, Paul certainly does not suggest that they need to be treated with kid gloves. “My birdhouses,” he says, “are indeed small homes for birds. They are designed and constructed to be used.” With that in mind backing off a couple screws is typically all that's needed to be able to clean out the latest inhabitant's nest before readying for a new season. After seasonal cleaning Paul recommends storing these artfully created birdhouses indoors during the winter months if only to assure their function for many years.

With more than 600 birdhouses created so far, it's hard for most people to understand where he gets

A small sample of the many birdhouse designs Paul has.

his ideas . . . ideas that have already incorporated such unique and diverse building materials as an old SU souvenir basketball, a maple syrup can, slate from an old roof, house siding shingles, oil cans, and the list goes on. There is one thing you won't find on a Paul Schantz birdhouse though . . . a wooden dowel as a perch. That would be too common.

Stop by Gallery 54 and scoop up your birdhouse while Paul is our Guest Artist in April and May.

The opening for his showing will be the First Friday of May, May 4 from 5 - 8 pm. In addition to light refreshments, guests will enjoy a wine tasting by Anyela's Winery and the guitar music of Jane Zell.  

Check out our online store at Gallery 54 online store 

for more 

fine art and craft of other Gallery 54 artists.

"What's that galloping sound," you ask?

One of the newest additions to Gallery 54 is a horse, would you believe. Well, maybe not a horse, but a pony. Okay, not a real pony. Would you believe a rocking horse? Of course, this is Gallery 54 so, "One of the Best Gift Shops in Upstate New York" according to the Syracuse Post Standard so it's not just any rocking horse. It certainly not like you might expect to find in most any other modern-day toy store.

Carefully handcrafted is one thing . . . and it certainly is. But, it is not only carefully, but lovingly handcrafted by Gallery 54 woodworker extraordinaire Fred Weisskopf. This particular rocking horse will make most people harken back to bygone eras when true craftsmanship was the norm.

Fred used cherry, walnut, and birdseye maple to create this one of kind heirloom piece. "No special tools or techniques needed," he says, not mentioning his years of experience that culminated in this work or the 30+ hours he committed to its creation.

You shouldn't expect a piece like this to stay in the gallery very long, so why not stop in today and grab something special for someone special in your life.

Gallery 54 is open Sunday - Thursday from 10 am to 5 pm and Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm.

Check out our online store at Gallery 54 online store 

for more of Fred's work as well as the 

fine art and craft of other Gallery 54 artists.

It's time for another new artist

I wrote that headline because I wanted a way to use the word "time" in introducing a new artist.

Introducing a new artist could be routine for a gallery such as Gallery 54. That is unless you understand that art and artists is what this gallery is all about. So every introduction of a new artist becomes a highlight 

Recently, Gallery 54 welcomed Leonie Lacouette and an initial collection of her elegant clocks. One of the first things other gallery artists, and more importantly, customers will recognize is that Lacouette “reconciles the strict geometries palette of colored patinas on the copper and nickel that predominate her designs.”

Her clocks are “created from a basic language of circles, squares, ovals and rectangles. The clocks are not only beautiful, but often playful. A recent description of one of her clocks describes the “otherwise hidden movement of the pendulum” swinging back and forth, “revealed by a perfectly circular hole punched through the face of the piece to create a dynamic (and unexpected) game of 'hide-and-seek'”.

Lacouette has been making clocks for 25 years. It started for her as a practical way to make a living, at the same time “using the aesthetic training she'd received in art school.” She explains that she needed a clock for her studio and saw an ad for clock mechanisms. After ordering five, she made one for her studio and the rest to sell. They sold quickly and the clocks hanging in Gallery 54 readily illustrate,

why.

Hailing from Manhattan, she recalls that “everything was go-go-go, always accumulating more stuff-stuff-stuff, having lots of things. It feels great,” she says, “to have something simple and beautiful, a style that I can call my own.”