• Studio 180 Salon will be featuring Artist Jack Stone ;
• Chocolate Smiles chocolatiers will have chocolates afterhours;
• Graceful Expressions dance education will be featuring youth art exhibits;
• Styles Group Fitness will offer a two-week free invitation to join for those attending the event;
• West Trinity (blues / Rock) will be performing

The businesses of Chocolate Smiles Village enthusiastically support the local Cary fine arts community and look forward to playing an integral part of the renaissance of downtown historic Cary. Working together brings out the best in ourselves and for ourselves.

Chocolate Smiles Village is located at 312 W. Chatham St. Cary, North Carolina.

About the businesses of Chocolate Smiles Village:

• Chocolate Smiles chocolatier specializes in handmade chocolates and chocolate confections. It has a longstanding tradition of fine creations in the greater Cary area.
• Graceful Expressions dance education specializes in youth Ballet, Tap, Dance Classes.
• Studio 180 Salon is dedicated to fine hair care and coloring services and products. It is based in Cary, North Carolina and serves greater Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Apex, Holly Springs, Wake Forest and surrounding areas of the triangle Carolinas.
• Styles Fitness Group is a fitness boutique specializing in small group personal training for women. It is based in Richmond, Virginia with a regional location in Cary, North Carolina.

This month through October 2011, we are pleased to show works by artist Jack Stone. Jack grew up in the city of Baltimore and the surrounding countryside. He worked in his youth on farms and ranches, and traveled all 50 states with family. After a years tour with the Marine Corps as a medic in Vietnam, Jack took a BA in Journalism from U MD and studied art at Maryland School of Art and Design. He completed an MFA at UNCG.

After a career in the graphic arts industry, Jack has taught art and painted since 2002. His paintings include rural subject matter, and have been collected regionally. Jack and Paula Stone have three daughters and seven grandchildren.

Visit Jack’s website at www.brushfirestudios.org.

Studio 180 Salon supports the 2011 Cary Art Loop. Artist’s works will be featured at our Final Friday show and reception on August 26th from 6 – 8pm.

This month through July 2011, we are pleased to show works by artist Marissa Rose Ladd

Born into a ‘powerhouse of creativity & entrepreneurial spirit’, Marissa was taught the fundamentals of craftsmanship throughout the many facets of her traditional, Italian-American family upbringing. From humble beginnings, the seeds of imagination and endless possibilities were sown into the fabric of her formative years; each caretaker instilling their own brand of moral character and strong core values, adding color after color to her palette. Within the inherited cultural parameters of this super-sized family, and even as a toddler, it was imperative for a young girl to firmly grasp the basics of modernized domestic duties: cooking, mending, child-rearing, housekeeping. Fortunate to have been raised by a ‘career parent’ mother, while grandma occupied the first floor of the two-story home they shared on Long Island, Marissa’s family encapsulated her in a stable, loving, super-fun, and nurturing environment which spawned the diversity of her artistic abilities that she has carried well into adulthood.

“It became much clearer to me, especially after the move [to North Carolina, in the late 1990’s], that not all children were brought up inside this ‘bubble’ of boundless potential, from where I derive much of the inspiration that’s evident in my current, artistic style. I began to discredit statistical reports on studies of my generation, wherein scientists hypothesized that those children who had been assured – and reassured – as they grew up in the early to mid-eighties, that they had each come to existence “anointed” as a very special sort of superhero, that it would inevitably turn our civilization into scattered, poorly adjusted, self-serving individualists.” Marissa subscribes to certain ideals once held by Randy Pausch, a well-respected and incurably optimistic professor who taught at Carnegie Mellon University. He is best known for the “Last Lecture” he’d given not long before tragically losing his battle to Pancreatic Cancer in July of 2008. During this inspirational and moving speech, Dr. Pausch mentions that one of the most wonderful things his parents did was let him paint his bedroom as a kid.

Marissa, the oldest of five in a now-blended family, wholeheartedly agrees. “My brother, sister & I…we were always told we could save the world, you know – in our own little ways; we were encouraged, with overwhelming enthusiasm, [Thank you, Miss Tolve] that were each “delightfully” different and would someday contribute to society by way of the natural course of things to come, if only we gave it our best. So I did. I was soon awarded this incredible opportunity to attend specialized programs for the academically gifted, once my ability to separate myself from fleeting, pop-culture trends took root. I think those experiences; not only the freedom given by my parents – they would say, “yes”, even when I insisted upon painting a ceiling-scape in my bedroom at age 7- but also the hands-on, individualized attention in the classroom, alongside the freedom to “just be Marissa”, is really what translates to my adaptive and intuitive skill set that’s poured into the work I’m producing today.” The impressions left upon Marissa’s heart by each role model, protector, teacher, and *especially* her “wise counsel in the world of creative adventures” are contributing factors which surround each goal she sets, and every ounce of her realized successes, thus far. Today, Marissa uses a multitude of techniques to create richly colorful, meaningful works. From Faux-finished backdrops and traditional calligraphy to wood burning, to hand-painted acrylic canvases, the variety is really what keeps this artist motivated and engaged. Armed with challenging ideas, she creates as she goes, sometimes morphing a project many times before it’s completion. To the free-spirited girl, who wanted to wear her beauty-pageant gown to her grade-schools’ science fair unveiling of a fully-operational, hydroelectric generator, one she built alongside a classmate, “Special, just like everyone else” is not a phrase that she has ever been able to quite comprehend.

Studio 180 Salon supports the 2011 Cary Art Loop. Artist’s works will be featured at our Final Friday show and reception on April 29th from 6 – 9pm.

This month through April 2011, we are pleased to show works by artists Scott Plaster and Perry Boswell.

NC Whimsical Artist Scott Plaster is from the North Carolina Piedmont Triad area and has been creating whimsical paintings for 30 years. His line of”Whimsical Animals” has been featured in the Community Arts Cafe and the GoTriad NC artists section and is available for sale in art galleries, art boutiques, and shops around the NC Triad region, and from the Mountains of North Carolina all the way to the Coast. Matted ready-to-frame art repro¬ductions of the original whimsical oil paintings are sold in various sizes, art note card sets, art greeting cards, art posters, and even stickers.

Scott grew up in Denton, NC and was exposed to art at an early age. He still remembers how his father would draw Picaso-esque figures for his son to paint with basic student tempura paints on manilla drawing paper. When some kids were awaiting video games and toys from Santa Claus for Christmas, Plaster was eager to get paint, canvas, and pastels. Plaster was oil painting by the age of ten and found his inspiration in the works of Van Gogh, the French Impressionists, other early modern artists, and North Carolina artists like Bob Timberlake and Andrew Wyeth. As a self-taught artist, Plaster began subscribing to The Artists’ Magazine as a teenager and immersed himself in art history and technique books of a broad variety. Plaster maintained these interests into his young adulthood, but he did not initially pursue a career in art.

For more information about his work Visit Scott’s Website

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but that concept could not apply more than in the collage “stories” of Perry Boswell. These unique collages of Davidson County native and teacher are part antique, part history, part memorabilia, and part artistic creation. Boswell features his work at the Cosmic Cow Society.

Boswell explains, “I have become fascinated with the personal information that people leave when they pass away. I often find it in old books, locked drawers, and dusty boxes tucked away in remote corners. I’ve come to look at these scraps as fragments of the soul.” Scouring booths, boxes, and racks at antique stores, flea markets, and yard sales for items that speak to him, Boswell reconstructs these stories in the form of creative collages that incorporate a variety of artistic techniques in their construction. A line of music from a hymnal might reinforce a theme. A 100-year old scrawled note on the margin of a book might form part of the story line. Family photos from an album might demonstrate the passage of time. Three-dimensional items add texture, interest, and color. Each of Boswell’s creations tells a story that cannot be absorbed in a single sitting or reading, like a complex work of literature that can be read and reread. Every time you look at one of Boswell’s creations, you see a new detail that adds to its story.

For more information about his work Visit Perry’s Website

Studio 180 Salon supports the 2011 Cary Art Loop. Artist’s works will be featured at our Final Friday show and reception on January 28th from 6 – 8pm.

If you’re looking to freshen your look after a summer of fun and sun – We recommend a treatment of color and/or hilite using our fabulous Schwarzkopf Color along with a great haircut that will improve the condition of the hair, as well as giving it dimension and shine. The results will last well through the next month or two, so Friday’s gala should be no problem-with the proper styling products. We use Agadir Oil Products here at the studio.

Agadir Argan Oil is dry, non-greasy and absorbs instantly into the hair. Hair is nourished, moisturized and strengthened instantly. Fantastic fix for split ends, prevents breakage and color fade. Argan oil is excellent for hydrating, repairing and conditioning, dry, damaged hair. This highly nutritious oil is rich in Vitamin E, Omega-9, Omega-6, Linoleic Acid and Unsaturated, Essential Acids. It is extremely beneficial for dry itchy scalp. Instantly penetrates, moisturizes and shines Conditions, corrects frizzes, humidity resistant Dry and light, not oily or greasy and there is no build up! Reduces drying time by approximately 40% to 50% Ideal for ALL hair types Totally ALCOHOL FREE!

We swear by products that contain Argan oil in them and we have to let you in on the secret of Agadir Argan Oil. Other argan oils can stain the hair, but not this one. The line offers shampoo/conditioners/argan oil/and a leave in treatment. The Agadir shampoo is sulfate free and the products smell delicious. The Agadir conditioner. is a daily conditioner so it’s not as moisturizing as might think but it is phenomenal! Of course, the best product is the Agadir oil, itself.
Apply the oil before blow drying and you will notice a BIG difference. Besides drying faster, your hair will be silky, shiny, lustrous, and healthy looking without any oily or greasy feel.

Okay, Okay it has been quite a while since my last post but I have great excuse. I’ve been tasked to watch Shear Genius, a show on Bravo Network, where hairstylists go head to head in these challenges. I actually watched the first season first and loved it and the second season is even better. The first season had some great challenges but I love how the show is even more challenging now, like the blindfold cut and musical chairs. I think this is such an underrated show because of the lack of advertisement so here is my free advertisement for a great show. Ding!

People see blondes as having more youthful vitality than other colors, and blonde hair can make you look younger. There’s a subtle correlation between youth and blondness, since babies and children tend to have lighter hair than adults.

Q. What is the difference between a blonde and a shopping card?
A: The shopping cart has a mind of its own.

She was so blonde, she stood staring at the frozen orange juice because it said “Concentrate”.

Do we still think blondes are dumb? Many people say we don’t anymore. The Dumb-Blonde jokes are old. Modern blondes are perceived as powerful, independent and of course, still very sexy.

Blonde hair tends to require alot of attention to keep it looking glamorous and healthy, so blondes can give off the impression of high maintenance.

The blogs are created and produced by Anthony Miles, Director of Lucid Element Multimedia (http://lucidelement.com/) based in Cary, North Carolina.

Anna explains, “The Triangle region of North Carolina is growing as fast as the technology that supports it. With ever-evolving devices like phones, PDA’s and other mobile technology, it makes sense to serve our client’s future communication needs today.”