Corning NY is a Finalist in Rand McNally Search for America’s Best Small Towns

Rand McNally announced yesterday that Corning NY is among the finalists in the America’s Best Small Towns competition. Our category... Most Fun! How can it not be fun with all the arts and crafts and history. Plus the Wineglass Marathon ~ coming up in October. See you then?


Looking south at Centerway Square

Another project to improve and beautify Corning NY. When complete, it will still be a “walking bridge”, but will include landscaping.

As I was headed into West End Gallery for a opening reception, I noticed this group and their splendid, shiny Harleys. More PA residents visiting Corning and NYS. Very nice people and I hope to see them again.

Look back at my previous post where my first picture was Terry Oakden painting by the river. Here are some of his paintings in the West End Gallery.

The opening featured paintings by Bridget Bossart van Otterloo (pictured above) and Brian Keeler.

The next day I took homemade brownies to the Benjamin Patterson Inn for the Bake Sale at their annual Whingblinger event.

Wood carvers from the Corning Senior Center

Herb garden and quilts in the background

Close-up of the herb garden and, behind the fence, plants for sale. I came home with Hens’n’Chicks and Coneflowers.

Just down the street on the same day, a huge, well-attended church yard sale that extended all the way around the far end of the church. Very pleased now with my like new T-Fal pan for $3!

Autumn flowers

Tending plants behind the Corning Senior Center.

Another gorgeous sky. We’ve had them all summer.

Walkway behind Corning Inc. Headquarters. In the background is the bridge I cross almost every day.

CORNING NY STEP BY STEP is now on Facebook. If you’re on Facebook, “Like” CNYSBS and you’ll see on your News Feed when I post a new entry to the blog, plus there will be extra photos of people, places and things of Corning, New York that didn’t make it into the blog itself.

Opening The ARTS, An Artist By The River And Searching The Alley

When I headed out to the gathering area behind our apartment complex's community room, I looked up at the dike and spotted good reason to detour. After photos and conversation, I knew I had to introduce you to Terry Oakden whose artwork can be seen at Corning's West End Gallery on Market Street.

The ARTS* has a new home, still on Market Street, but further west and now on the north side of the street. Huge crowd and the ribbon was certainly representative of art... Staff from Vitrix Hot Glass Studio walked over from next door and strung a glass ribbon for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

(*The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes)

I'm always finding pleasant surprises in Corning's alleyways.

Alley photos are by Corning school students.

More alley photos can be seen on an earlier blog post. As a matter of fact, included with those August 2012 photos is one of the incomplete circle of life.



Taking a look back to one year ago ~ August 2012

Arts In Bloom Weekend

Before setting out this morning, I wanted to get photos of this pontoon getting a Saturday morning shower. Kudos to the truck driver for a job well done, backing that huge boat into the wash bay.







Spring is officially here, not just because the calendar says so, but because the forsythia is blooming! Why are so many spring flowers yellow? Little Joe Tower, blue skies, sunshine, the slightest of breezes -- an all-round beautiful day.




Artists Michael Barr, Tom Gardner, Wilson Ong and others at work in front of and inside the West End Gallery.



















Exhibit A Contemporary Art...

Ribbon sculpture by Jeremy Holmes




Daphné Verley




The guard cat at Home Again Consignment takes a well-deserved break.

Artist Gary Myers and a Fine Kind of Flattery

Every five to six weeks, Corning’s West End Gallery opens a new art exhibit and several weeks later, the featured artist(s) presents a Noon Gallery Talk.

G. C. (Gary) Myers recently addressed an enthusiastic group of listeners descibing his life as an artist and the creation and meanings of his works.

Many artists take numerous photographs of the people, places or objects that they want to paint. That’s not Gary’s style. Instead he paints in layers, scraping away portions of each layer to uncover what is meant to be, not immediately knowing what it will be.

******

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.


Nellie Telehany, a Corning resident and a regular visitor to the Corning Senior Center, has used some of G. C. Myers’ art as the foundation for several of her Marquetry creations.

Wood identification chart showing various veneers used to provide color and texture in Marquetry.

A member of the Senior Center's dwindling Marquetry group (she explained that some are away for the summer and a few have died), Nellie and other participants are always ready to provide guidance and support to those who are interested in learning the art and to welcome seniors already experienced in Marquetry.

Personally, I also like to see any one of G. C. Myers’ paintings
translated into a colorful quilt.

Race Fever 2012

Coming up this Thursday, August 9 ~ on Bridge Street
Corning NY’s 27th Annual Race Fever
5:00 - 9:00 P.M.

More details in the Corning Leader.

(If you plan to be in town and attend, please note that Bridge Street and the bridge itself will be closed to vehicular traffic.)