RIP - Pirate Don (AKA Big Don) Cossaboon-DeGregorio

Today, Millville lost a great artist and entrepreneur, and we lost a great friend. Don was something you don't often find today - a truly honest and uncompromising person. He will be sorely missed. Whenever you see a Jolly Roger, think of Don the Pirate.

Housing Authority Mural - Complete!

Here it is, installed in the common room of the facility. The staff is suggesting a contest to name it during the grand opening on Friday.

MHA Mural - Day 3

Today we finished tiling. Tomorrow is grouting day. The architect for the job came by today to check it's progress and was very happy with our work. The residents and employees that work in the building also like it, and seem to take ownership since they are seeing it installed piece by piece. Here it is, tiling complete, ready for the next step.

The Five Senses

On First Friday, June 6, our new show The Five Senses premiered at Gallery 50 in Bridgeton, NJ. http://www.gallery50.org/ The show features work by myself and Carl B. Johnson, and the poems of Kevin Smith. We interpreted the tiltle quite loosely, as you can see by my mixed media piece U.S. Census - 1790. Here is a photo of the piece, along with a shot of myself, Carl, and Kevin at the opening.

MHA Mural Day 2

Good progress on this second day. We have one more day of tiling, then we will be ready for the dreaded job of grouting (at least for me - I HATE that job). Some of the residents of the building have been observing the work from the beginning (we call them our supervisors, and they love it). They ask questions about the mural, and tell us stories about their lives, which passes the time while we work. One lady, who is usually crocheting lap robes which she donates to local nursing homes, has a long history of working for the glass factories here in Millville. Her stories about the old days, when glass was king in South Jersey, are fascinating, and a real piece of local history. This concept is the theme of our opening this Third Friday. The show, Fading Ways, is a tribute to a disappearing way of life. I'll have pics here after the opening, which is at the Riverfron Renaissance Center for the Arts. http://www.riverfrontcenter.org/

New Mural - Millville Housing Authority

My partner, Carl B. Johnson, and I have the honor of creating a mosaic mural for the Glasstown Residences, the only completely green affordable senior residence in New Jersey. Today was Day 1 - we anticipate this project will take about a week to complete. Here are a couple of photos from todays work - Carl taping the walls, and the panels mirrored with tiling started. More on our progess tomorrow.