Final Friday.

It was a great Friday night for art. I met Karen at Red Tree Gallery in Oakley which is a great little cafe/art gallery with a nice mix of high-end and affordable art. The had some wonderful handbags in the $40-$50 range and cool t-shirt. But I managed to resist buying anything. This was a special gallery opening night so several artists were there with special displays. Beautiful ceramics, hand made cards, hand-painted ornaments and funky glass magnets. Red Tree also carries items from Beaded Hope.
Next we went to Pendleton and we covered a lot of ground. I haven't been to Pendleton on a Final Friday in a long time. I love going there. Eight floors of artists studios to wander in and out of. One artist (I should have grabbed a card) had a great poster of "The ABCs of Cincinnati." It would be a terrific gift.
Then we stopped by Friday Night Blows at the Glass Studio on 14th street. It was the end of the night but we got to see the finished product - a glass fire truck. It was not a little model that you could hold in your hand. It was big. Very impressive.
Last, but not least, we stopped by the book signing for "But I Thought Pigs Could Fly" the latest book from Edgecliff Press of photos of Cincinnati's best architecture. The book focuses on the small details in the older buildings. Like the phone carved into the old Cincinnati Bell building. The author also had prints of the pictures framed and hanging on the wall. I do love the older architecture downtown. I think it's underappreciated. Most of the street-level stuff is gone, if it was ever there, and you need to look up to appreciate the details on the older buildings.
Anyway, it was nice to see so many people out. Pendleton and the Glass Works were crowded and we had a heck of a time finding parking. But I am glad that so many people want to go out to look at the art and that they don't mind going downtown to do so.