Past Away

What makes one item vintage and another a Goodwill candidate? Sorting through thrift store rubble, it’s hard to tell what ephemera will make people wistful for days gone by and what junk will make you glad you’re living in the age of the iPhone. The title of Scandinavian painter Virginia...

By Nicholas Gerbis

August 11, 2011

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What makes one item vintage and another a Goodwill candidate? Sorting through thrift store rubble, it’s hard to tell what ephemera will make people wistful for days gone by and what junk will make you glad you’re living in the age of the iPhone.

The title of Scandinavian painter Virginia Earle’s solo show at Practical Art, “Nostalgia,” seems fitting, until you consider that her minimalist portrayals of ten-speed bikes, Polaroid Zip cameras, and Brother De Luxe typewriters look almost too real. True nostalgia views the past through the soft focus and gauzy lens usually reserved for a Barbara Walters interview. Then again, it’s the bleak and honest moments of those shows that we remember.

Get wistful at an artist’s reception for Earle from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, August 12. Admission is free, and snacks and drinks will be served.
Mondays-Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Starts: Aug. 1. Continues through Aug. 31, 2011

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