"Take Two", was a common phrase used on Friday February 12th, as galleries around town scrambled to get the word out on their second attempt to a First Friday Artist opening. As the snow continues to fall on us, many of us still recall that Friday February 5th was a grueling day to be out and about in the snow, so for First Friday art goers it was a quiet town. The Stutz Artists reported that they chose to stay open for the evening, but aside from the artists they were the only ones enjoying the ambiance of the night. Over on Mass Avenue, several of the galleries like McFee, Kuaba and the Athenaeum ArtSpace chose to close the doors for the evening. Even in Broad Ripple the fairly new space found on North Keystone Avenue the T.K. Nelson Fine Art Gallery gave into the winter storm and closed their doors for the evening. But it was just for the evening, for two galleries reopened their doors in hopes to bring in a crowd to check out what their artists have done this month.

"Take Two", on Friday February 12th, Nelson opened his doors to a surplus crowd willing to bear the cold and take in some art from "When the Wind Blows" by local artist April Willy. A little irony in Willy's title, as temperatures continued to fall into the night, her paintings of wind brought warmth and a sense of calmness to the patrons. Showing over twenty works of art that all have the common theme of "wind" in the genre and in the name. Willy chose titles such as; "Whispery", "Swoosh", "Windlet", and my favorite "Whiffet". Do you know what a Whiffet is? Nope, it's not a made up name in a Dr. Seuss book, although it would sound pretty fitting. Willy's images of trees whispering to the wind come in many small sizes I have not seen in her work before. The petite paintings grab your attention just as much as her larger ones and for the art buyer still stuck in the economy rut, the prices range as low as $60. An astounding price for this artist who has been creating beautiful works of art for over twenty years in the Indianapolis area. Her sense of color and texture is another note I want to make, Willy works on a sanded canvas which makes you want to reach out and touch the painting, but the colors she is working in really calms and soothes the soul. If you have not been introduced to this artist's work in the past then I suggest you check out this exhibition. T.K. Nelson will graciously accommodate and show you around his gallery and studio. This write-up wouldn't be right if I didn't mention the enormous banyan tree that makes quite a presence in the gallery, setting this space aside from others. When I first walked up to the T.K. Nelson Gallery it was a little deceiving from the outside as it is a one-story home, you don't think of it as being a suitable gallery. Once you enter, your mind is quickly changed as Nelson has done a beautiful job transforming the space into a place that can be inviting to the most prestigious of artist as well as not having an intimidating feel about the space if you know nothing about art or buying art. Nelson plays a big role of making you feel welcome into the space and his excited energy is seen as he shows you around the space and talks about the reasons behind the gallery and his banyan tree. When I asked Nelson why place a big tree in the gallery, he said, "It breathes a little life in to the room". The trees in Savannah Georgia where he attended for his undergraduate work have become a huge inspiration for creating his trees. Nelson is looking for ways to really put our town on the map and is excited about the possibilities of really stepping out and creating art work that will really attract the attention of others to Indianapolis being an "Art Destination". To see the current show, visit the T.K. Nelson Fine Art Gallery at 6331 N. Keystone Avenue, but be sure to call for an appointment 317.490.0678.

If you had the chance to make it out to the Mass Ave District on Friday February 12th you would have seen a few lights on at the Athenaeum's ArtSpace, where they were hosting fourteen local artists and more than forty works for original art. The ArtSpace has been open for about a year and has been attracting more and more artists and patrons to each show. This current show had a drop in attendance from the several hundreds that have been coming through on an opening night due to the cold and reschedule, but the March show has a promising hope for a huge crowd as they present "A Nod To Haiti". This show is a collection of photographs by Amy King showcasing the resiliency of the Haitian people. All money collected at this show will support local medical missions to Haiti. King's show will feature photographs from her own pre- and post-quake missions to Haiti. I have seen the images that King will be showing and this is not a day to choose to stay home on the couch. Even if you don't have a place in your heart for the suffering in Haiti, King has enough devotion and compassion for all of us as she has spent restless nights working on her exhibition to show us a little piece of what she went through when she was down there not only working, but loving the people of Haiti. This show will open on Friday March 5th from 6-9pm at the Athenaeum's ArtSpace, located at 401 E. Michigan Street on the corner of Mass Ave (the ArtSpace is located on the second floor). For more information follow Amy King on Facebook.

With out further ado, I would like to write a little about the changes in Fountain Square. Have you seen the renovations to the fountain? Wow, I am sure they meant well and when it's said and done it may look good, but sometimes the old is best left looking old and just needs to be revitalized, not redone to look like, well, I will let you form your opinion on the new fountain. The Pioneer Family statue at the intersection of Virginia Avenue and Shelby Street has been replaced by a cast-iron reproduction of Lady Spray, the water nymph sculpturer that stood there in the early 20th century. This effort to revitalize the fountain is nearly fifteen years in the making and I completely love the idea of bringing back the Water Nymph that once stood in Fountain Square, but some of the design around her standing ground has been less than desirable by the community. With the new design of the fountain and construction of the Cultural Trail to arrive on the scene and some new businesses showing up to play there is one that is going away that I must mention.

As of March 21, 2010, AV Framing Gallery will no longer have a brick-and-mortar location in Fountain Square. The recession takes a toll on all of us, being an artist I see this left and right, but with Sarah Adams at AV Framing instead of just hanging up the towel and calling it a day, she is excited about the changes that need to be made. She said "I am making leaner business choices in a challenging economy". If you have ever worked with Adams to have something framed then you already know that for her to switch to this style is not that different. She already makes appointments to come to your home or office to make it more convenient for you to have your item framed and she will deliver the framed piece once it is completed. So, for this change it's not really any different in that aspect, but the gallery is going through some changes. She is planning on taking it virtual. Adams will show online fine art exclusively through her website and will have occasional shows online. After hearing from Adams I know she is looking forward to these changes, as an advocate for the arts I hate to see a gallery close, but where one closes another one always opens.