The John Paul Jones House on State Street on a sunny fall day.
Tag: State Street
Revitalizing The Rosa
The renaissance on State Street continues with the recent acquisition and renovation of The Rosa. The Rosa has long been a fixture in Portsmouth’s ever-changing restaurant scene since its doors opened in 1927.
I’m excited to see what the fresh take on the restaurant and the space will be, it’s been fun watching the progress made on the structure inside so far.
A State Street Afternoon
The late afternoon sunlight creates long shadows on the State Street corridor. The shortening days make for interesting lighting while people are still out and about, and I liked the repetitive arrows along State Street in front of the Saloon and the Pleasant Street intersection at the Marple and James building.
210 State Street
I’ve posted these doors before, but there’s something about their vibrant colors and lush surroundings that can stop me in my tracks on a walk from Prescott Park. I love the way that the late day sunlight reaches this portion of State Street, and has shadowed “210” nicely from the salon inside the orange door.
Newspaper | Herakut Street AKA Museum
As I’ve written before, I’ve enjoyed the dialogue that has erupted in town over the Portsmouth Museum of Art’s Street AKA Museum exhibit currently in the museum and adorning building walls throughout town.
I noticed recently that the piece by Herakut on State Street (the one that features a man reading a newspaper along with a little girl) was created with an authentic Wall Street Journal, and that the paper has begun to peel away from the wall. The textures of the newspaper along with the painted wall and drawing made for a fascinating shot, one that I chose to present in black & white to focus on the textures itself instead of the vibrant colors of the scene. I’ll be interested to see what happens in another month when the exhibit is scheduled to close….which pieces will stay, which will go?
Sitting on State Street
Today’s installation of Street AKA Museum comes from State Street. This is part of my normal walk when I head to Googie’s for lunch….and I think it adds a whole new dimension to the streetscape. This spot also used to be the home of Puttin’ on the Glitz, and since the store had moved out – the space had an overly empty feel to it. This one is pretty fascinating with the different elements/materials used – stop by this week to check it out. More installations to follow through the week!
The McLaughlin-Hills Gallery
There’s a new gallery in town (on State Street across from Agave and Dos Amigos)…and I had the pleasure of stopping in to explore some of the work from Latin artists featured in the gallery. Visit WireNH for a great article on the new establishment and its founder, Catherine McLaughlin-Hills (who was very kind and helpful as I meandered around). It only took a matter of seconds upon walking in to realize that this wasn’t your typical seacoast gallery, which was a welcomed surprise. As someone who has very clearly made his practice photographing the beauty that surrounds us here on the New Hampshire seacoast, I most certainly appreciate more diversity in our art scene. Also, as someone who is marrying into a Cuban and Colombian family, I think I’ve developed a greater appreciation for art outside what I’m typically seeing/enjoying.
I strongly encourage you to stop in and explore for yourself. The gallery is full of fascinating and vibrant pieces of work…well worth a few minutes of your day on a stroll towards Prescott Park.
(Be sure to click the image – I really dig how this one looks on the black background)
Inside the Red Door
Literally…this shot was inside The Red Door on State Street. A tucked away spot in Portsmouth that you should try and check out for yourself sometime….I’ve previously featured the venue’s interior as well as its notorious door for which it’s named. Here’s a bit of a different shot from the recent bridge and cityscapes…will return back to those on Sunday and next week! I’ve also made an investment in a new toy, a Carl Zeiss 21mm….so far the clarity and the colors look to be promising and inspiring, eager to put it through its paces.
Welcome to State Street | The Ribbon Cutting
The Who’s Who of Portsmouth as far as State Street Improvements are concerned can be seen below in the ceremonious Ribbon Cutting Ceremony held on Friday afternoon at 3pm at the intersection of Pleasant and State Streets. Above, Mayor Tom Ferrini’s hands can be seen holding the grand improvement plans as signed by many of the folks involved…along with the ribbon.
Below, the City Manager (John Bohenko), Mayor Tom Ferrini, owner of Puttin’ on the Glitz Assiah Russel and Assistant Mayor Nancy Novelline-Clayburgh (one of the owners of Cava can be seen in the background) can all be seen enjoying the big moment. I must say, it’s pretty cool and a relief to see this long in-the-works project come to its final phase. There was an awesome turnout of people who shared the same sentiment, who came to celebrate. I’m very excited for the Portsmouth Art Exchange at 220 State Street, who has been very eager to see its sidewalks take shape – and where I have a good amount of work available for sale. Stop in to see Jane and tell her I sent you – she’s a sweetheart.
Below, something a little different….the sun climbs over the hill at Fort Foster on the seacoast in Kittery, Maine. I love this little tree and the bench that sit overlooking the waterfront. If my memory serves me correctly, the shot was taken with my Hasselblad Carl Zeiss 100mm lens…definitely a beauty. Have a great weekend!
Rejuvenation | State Street
As I promised earlier in the week, I’ll begin to feature the “evolved” look of State Street. The sidewalks have been jazzed up with bricks all the way from the Memorial Bridge entrance and near Prescott Park down to the Pleasant Street intersection at The Rusty Hammer and all the way to my parking spot at 325 State Street. Without question it’s a new look, complete with street lamps (all freshly adorned with pine wreaths for the holidays), sidewalk trees and nice bumpouts to moderate the flow of traffic – all which result in a handsome new look for the streetscape. I hope all the merchants are feeling good and enjoy some peace and quiet after the long year everyone has had…and that 2011 will reap some of the benefits. I almost can’t believe it’s been as long as it has, but also can’t believe how much has really been accomplished. Now when are we going to bury those overhead powerlines?
THE DAILY PORTSMOUTH 