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203 E. Maple
Birmingham, MI 48009
(810) 647-4007
CAVEMAN SPORTS
Specializing in Entertainment & Sports Autographs.
Where Artistic Expression
Meets Practical Reality
FRANK PROVENZANO SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
E
verywhere in Karen
Halpern's home is a re-
minder of her work as a
painter and water colorist.
Everywhere.
On just about every wall. In
the hallway. Lined up along the
walls in her basement. And, of
course, the canvases piled up in
her studio, where a lone spotlight
pinned to her easel focuses on a
work-in-progress.
She seemingly disregards the
clutter from a world consumed
with practical demands. The
laundry will wait until the brush
strokes are just right. The gro-
cery shopping can hold a few
more days.
From most appearances, Ms.
Halpern isn't concerned with the
ways of the practical world
wrought from organization, effi-
ciency standards and usefulness.
Or, is she?
Although Ms. Halpern's ap-
proach to her work is hardly dif-
ferent than most dedicated
commissioned artist who creates
a mood on canvas to fit the aes-
thetic requirements of a space
(unlike the traditional approach
whereby an artist produces a
work from a heartfelt impulse).
"It's nice to create a work that's
already sold," she said. "Most of
the time, when you're doing your
(personal) paintings you're out
there in the dark, hoping that
someone will come along and like
what you're doing."
The first step for Ms. Halpern
is to evaluate the dimensions and
examine other competing shapes
and colors in the space where her
painting will be hung. She will
speak with the owners of the
space to determine their taste
and construct a small-scale mod-
el of the painting in the space.
And then, based on "approval,"
create art to fit the space.
The only art critic she has to
listen to is the one she calls
"client."
"It's like their very own piece
the commercial artwork of more
than 1,400 painters, tile makers,
sculptors, furniture makers and
fabric designers assembled at the
Michigan Design Center (MDC)
in Troy.
The 210,000-square-foot facil-
ity was established in 1977 by
real estate developer Marvin
Danto, who formerly owned Eng-
lander's furniture store. MDC's
40 showrooms, according to Su-
san Zinger, property manager, of-
fer styles from traditional to
contemporary to avant garde.
Ms. Zinger noted that MDC is
available exclusively to 7,000 reg-
istered interior designers and ar-
chitects in the Midwest.
Reidelbach Gallery, a furniture
design showroom, opened in ear-
ly December at MDC. Ellen
Monkman, gallery director, said
that work from a range of artists
from around the nation is on dis-
play throughout MDC.
"It's a way of bringing the
artists to the marketplace," she
Truely unique autograph collectables,
such as
Babe Ruth • Elvis Presley
Marilyn Monroe • The Beatles
Steve Yzerman • Dan Marino
Barry Sanders • Mohammed Ali
and many other
Great selections for all ages.
S PORTS
Ms. Halpem's
only critic Is
the one she calls
"client."
M AR K ETING,INC
24083 MEADOWBROOK ROAD NOVI, MI 48375
PH: (810) 344-6666 or FAX (810) 344 7163
-
Store hours: Monday-Friday 9-8, Saturday 9-6, & Sunday 11-6
C=:
Departing Daily Back To Your Childhood
`Da, Da, Da,
Daaaaa..."
w
Schroeder and Lucy
and the ever famous
Beethoven bust.
U)
© Charles Schultz
U-1
CC
LU
U-I
F-
64
mfultri
Animation Art Gallery • Cartoon Collectibles
"IF ms CARTOON RELATED, irs AT THE ANIMATION STATION"
Westchester Square 550 Forest Avenue, Plymouth • (313) 455-0190
artists, her focus on paintings
with "practical" designs has giv-
en her an edge in the market-
place.
Two years ago, Ms. Halpern, a
Bloomfield Hills resident, start-
ed Art Interior Systems. Her
credits include a lively mural for
the walls of a social hall in a tem-
ple, and large-scale abstract
paintings for the homes of sever-
al private clients.
She views her work as "close
to the idea of stained glass." It
is based on geometric shapes, col-
or schemes and texture.
Basically, Ms. Halpern is a
of art," she said. "It's a painting
about them."
Ms. Halpern is one of a num-
ber of artists-turned-entrepre-
neur. Today, successful artists
realize they must have as firm of
a grasp of marketing principles
as the technique of their chosen
medium.
In many ways, Ms. Halpern's
transition from fine artist to art
interior designer is indicative of
how artists balance commercial
art and their own creative pur-
suits.
A number of Ms. Halpern's
paintings are displayed alongside
said. "I choose the art (for my
gallery) because I feel that I can
sell it or it's something that peo-
ple can use."
Architects and interior de-
signers buying art to complement
a space is really no different than
people who go to galleries to find
a painting that will look good
with their furniture, Ms. Halpern
said.
That must seem like a far
stretch from pondering the work
of Picasso, a painter whom Ms.
Halpern cites as a major influ-
ence. Ironically, she often exam-
ines a Picasso print, showing a