From glam art at Atrium to herbal sodas at Bowood

There was an opening at Atrium Gallery Friday evening featuring the art of Christopher Tanner, a New York artist. Tanner, who is also an an actor, playwright, performer, and cabaret singer (in drag), was not able to attend the opening–"Com'on to My House"–as he is in rehearsals for a new play. As a performance artist, he has worked with Cindi Lauper, Bloolips, David Lynch and Karen Finley among others. 

The bold, and in a few instances over-the-top mixed-media pieces contain bits of vintage jewelry, beads, baubles, bullet casings, millinery trim, and more. When you visit the Gallery–and you should–plan to spend some time, each piece deserves more than a quick glance.

Tanner's stunning 92" x 92" mixed media on canvas piece above, "Hand in the Pool of Maria Montez," is a cool $35,000. The close-up below shows a detail of "the Pool" and gives you an idea of the amount of work that went into creating it.

As you might imagine, Tanner has a quirky sense of humor as evidenced by the titles on his smaller pieces, 6 1/2 x 6 1/2", above–"Lucy Left and Tighty Right," "Diana Vreeland," and  "Mao Wow." Up close, each one is like peering into a tiny archaeological dig.

    

 

 

 

 "Helen of Troy," 2011 is 6 1/2 x 6 1/2", $1500.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Stars Have It," 2011, 6 1/2 x 6 1/2," is also $1500.

"Come'on To My House" will be on view at the Atrium Gallery, 4728 McPherson, until June 17.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, over at Bowood Farms…

Saturday afternoon, David Kirkland (above), chef of Cafe Osage at Bowood Farms was handing out samples of the restaurant's sparkling herbal sodas. The tasting coincided with a book signing by the authors of Missouri Harvest, shown below. The sodas are made with homemade herbal infusions of rosemary, basil, or lavender. 

Chef Kirkland generously shared the recipe. You'll need lots of herbs to make these, so stock up at Bowood, $3.50 each.

To make sparkling herbal sodas: Steep two bunches of rosemary, basil, or lavender in 2 cups boiling water for 1/2 hr. Discard herbs but save the steeping liquid to mix with an equal amount (or to taste) of simple syrup (heat equal parts sugar and water till dissolved). Cool. Pour 1 1/2 ounces herbal infusion into a glass, add about 7 ounces club soda. Fill with ice and serve. Herbal infusion will last for weeks in the refrigerator.

Also at Bowood last Saturday, Maddie Earnest, left, the co-founder of South City's popular Local Harvest Grocery and Cafe, and Liz Fathman, an anthropologist and Publications Manager at the Missouri Botanical Garden, were signing copies of their newly-released paperback, Missouri Harvest (see post here). The  "Guide to Growers and Producers in the Show-Me State," $18.00, takes you on a tour of farms throughout the state by region, with information on what each farmer grows and how to get your hands on it. There are also some interesting recipes including a "Spring Onion, Spinach and Goat Cheese Bread Pudding" from Goatsbeard Farm in Harrisburg, Missouri. If you missed the signing, stop by and buy the book. It's a great resource to have on hand.

And finally to Liz Fathman: Apologies for not capturing you with eyes wide open!

Bowood Farms and Cafe Osage, 4605 Olive, check website for hours.