Local Art Speaks Out

A small business makes a step into the creative world of local artists

Story and photos by Tiffany Richards

The art store, A Mano, sat by itself on the busy Plattsburgh city street. I almost felt bad it was so secluded from the rest of the stores on Margaret Street. Yet, it looked somewhat inviting with the stylistic writing for its name. Art was calling me, so I was ready to feel its essence grip me between its fingertips.

Welcoming warmth surrounded me as I entered the store. A little rock pond greeted me. Handmade creations like knitted hats, dish cloths, crafted clocks, beaded jewelry, pillows, bath salts, home decorations and much more were placed in various parts of the store.

The craft of everything this store had was so relaxing to my mind and soul. It made me want to open up my mind and let the creativity of the many artists enter my troubled thoughts.

The unique pieces of the local artists whispered to my ears and called me over to their colorful trenches. Paintings, photographs and wood carvings were decorated all around. A Mano even had a melodic taste as they sold CDs for a local musician.

In the front of the store, there were many vibrant paintings of women on much of the walls. The paintings exuded a natural element but pertained mostly to flowers. The art work by Aimee Wheaton characterized the gentleness of a woman’s spirit through the essence of nature.

One of her paintings was called “Fly Dragonfly.” This piece of ingenuity spoke wonderment and imagination. A painting of a woman in pigtails looks up in thought with embracing purple tulips surrounding her. The tulips are like a sign of comfort letting her know that it’s ok to dream; it’s okay to imagine. The background has light colors of green, blue, orange and white. A dragonfly flies above her head, coaxing her into thought. The words “Don’t ask how, don’t ask why; Just fly dragonfly, Just fly dragonfly” were written on the right of the woman. “Just fly” were written higher up on her left. These messages are like little reminders to never give up on your dreams.

Another painting of hers that caught my eye was called “Amoeba – Diptych.”  This had several light blue, bluish green oddly shaped objects. There were random gold swirls and lots of little blue spirals with white, blue, and gold centers. The background was black and had even more of these little spirals. Then, there was one gold shape that reminded me of a bird. The piece seemed a bit chaotic, but it served a purpose. The big shapes were like an amoeba taking in all the waste from the black stream. The golden swirls were like guides for the smaller swirls leading them to the Amoeba. It’s funny how much science can be seen in art.

As I continued through the store, I noticed shelves of jewelry, with blue and red prize winning ribbons on a select few. There were fuzzy multicolored scarves, nature-toned, pear-shaped decorations and origami art that looked like 3D snowflakes.

The back of the store displayed even more creative artwork, but the work of Lisa Richey caught my attention. She had a collection of art called “Cheap Therapy,” handcrafted paper art that celebrates life. They all took me back to the finger paintings I used to do as a kid. The handmade paper is created from plants, paper scrapes and dryer lint. Each piece is a small painting with little messages of encouragement and all seemed to have a spiral entailed somewhere.

One of her paintings had two purple-colored people who looked like they were running. One was both purple and pink. The other was purple and orange and looked like it was deteriorating. “There are two kinds of people: Those who finish what they start and...” Apparently, the pink person represents the finisher and the orange person represents the idler.

Richey had another painting that captivated my interest. There was a large multicolored spiral in the middle. Two clock handles made an L shape in the middle of the spiral. It looked like it read 3 o’clock. The spiral seems to signify endless fun, although, if it really says 3 o’clock, then I guess endless fun can only happen at that time. “Any time you enjoy wasting, is not wasted time,” is above and below the fun-loving spiral.

A Mano emphasized so much artistic beauty that isn’t seen too much in this cold town of Plattsburgh. The handmade artifacts and distinctive paintings made a nice touch to the busy downtown area. The warm feel of all the creative juices that flowed so smoothly throughout the store is well needed. APN gives this store 5 stars.

What makes you creative?