Paint Pens in Purses X Marty's Pop Up Gallery

TakeOver coming soon!...April 21st
Ex Marty's Liquors (aka Paint Pens Pop Up Gallery!!)
193 Harvard Ave, Allston MA 02134

When Marty's Liquors in Allston permanently closed after 60 years of business many Allstonians were left heartbroken and dismayed. A landmark at the corner of Harvard and Commonwealth Avenue, at the foot of the T station and the 66 busline, there was always Marty's. Now, what once was has become another vacant storefront- a reminder of the current economic situation and the gentrification of Allston. Amongst those residents saddened by the loss was Shayna Shenanigans, founder of "Paint Pens in Purses", an all-female urban art collective.

In response to the loss, the ladies of "Paint Pens in Purses" sought out the Hamilton Realty Group to see if they could temporarily utilize the dead space as a pop-up gallery, in an attempt to reclaim and reinvigorate the infamous space. The idea was well-received and with the approval of the Hamilton Company, set to commence on April 21st, 2009. The artists, which span a multitude of mediums, plan to use the fifteen 7ftx5ft window display boxes of the large storefront as art displays.

Confirmed artists include Silver Oris, Kim Harris (of LAB), tofusquirrel, Shayna Shenanigans, Molly David, Morgan Thomas, Casey Williams, Mykim Dang, Genie B, Ali Nebel and Nineta. For more info on the artists and “Paint Pens in Purses” please visit myspace.com/paintpensinpurses.

"Paint Pens in Purses"...an urban art series

“Paint Pens in Purses” is an all-female urban art series. Since the jump off in the summer Shayna Yasuhara, founder and Boston-based illustration artist, has become absolutely obsessed with the on-going quest to find cream of the crop artists and bring them to you. Paint Pens is not about selling art to put over your couch instead it is about seeking out art you will remember…stuff that will give you strange dreams at night. (continued below...)

Paint Pens In Purses on MySpace

You Tube Video

In August ‘08 the concept became a reality with the first “Paint Pens in Purses” show at Via Matta, home to F.A.M.E, a monthly fashion, art & music monthly event. Here we featured the artwork of Nineta, Lichiban, Morgan Thomas, Kim Harris, Heather McGrath, illy L, and Shayna Shenanigans. Free apps & cocktails provided by Via Matta, music by Ms Thang, resident DJ for a successful monthly hiphop, house & reggae night at Goodlife in downtown Boston.

For the second show in the fall “Paint Pens in Purses” teamed up with LAB Boston and co-owners Todd MacLeod & Kim Harris. LAB is a collaborative space for artists, streetwear aficionados, record collectors and vinyl toy fans. For this show we invited artists Ali Horeanopoulos, Ashley B. Clark, Genie B., Silver Oris, Shayna Shenanigans and tofusquirrel to showcase their various forms of artwork. Music by DJ D-Lux and DJ Kares, a well-known Boston breaks DJ.

As an added bonus to the second show we added a live-art portion in which Kim Harris, Shayna Shenanigans and tofusquirrel combined forces to paint LAB’s 25ft window storefront. After approximately six hours, a massive amount of paint and the help of Nicholas Dimancescu to film this live-art feat we not only created a head-turning display but also two youtube videos that will be filed under “favorites” forever.

An important element behind the success of the series is the huge generosity of local companies and major sponsors. Scion, Sharpie, 42Below Vodka and The Weekly Dig, to name a few, loaded us up with free goodies to drink, eat, wear, draw on, draw with, read and dance around to.

For the winter we are taking the series to Middlesex Lounge (Cambridge, MA) on Thursday, December 11th with new artists; including photography from Molly David and Rich Millionaire, illustrations by Ali Jersey, paintings by Christine Newsham and mixed media work from MyKim Dang. Also for the first time we will be incorporating film work by Agnieszka Woznicka, who teaches at Rhode Island School of Design, and who has shown her amazing short film/ stop animation work at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.

The founder: Shayna Shenanigans (aka Shayna Yasuhara) is a Boston-based artist originally from sunny CA. The fuzzy animals, clown masks, balloons, everyday appliances and scary flowers that often appear in her work are meant to be playful yet purposely confusing. Her work is inspired largely by the phenomenon in which the mind seems to morph inanimate objects from comforting to eerie; much like how a coat rack can be just a coat rack or an absolutely horrifying human form in the dark. The messages and storylines in her paintings are also purposely scrambled and vague, leaving the viewer to "Choose Their Own Adventure". Her work has been shown at such places as Urban Outfitters, the adidas Originals store, the Harriet's Alter Ego gallery in Brooklyn and the SXSW Music Festival. You can see more of her work online at: www.myspace.com/shaynashenanigans

For more info on the series or to become a sponsor email: syasuhara@gmail.com.