In his early career, Andy Warhol worked as a New York City window dresser, arranging commercial storefront displays for Bonwit Teller as did Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. Commercial window dressing is an art form and most storefronts outside the northeast never taught, learned or practiced this art form. Two consistently successful storefront installations in Roanoke, Virgina are LaDeDa & 310 Rosemont. If Roanoke public, business, professional and commerical storefront all practiced this lost art, tourism would surely rise from this pedestrian form of window browsing.
The image above is an example of window dressing in Philadelphia (not counting the two pedestrians : )). This particular storefront uses oversized photo-graphics and shadow producing text on the glass to create an interesting commercial comment. While not the 'high art form' as practiced by the window artist for Macy's in New York City or LaDeDa and 310 Rosemont in Roanoke, this Philadelphia example is still an enjoyable, effective and powerful form of window art.
Harkrader In Action on a new floral. The studio is packed with over 50 paintings. It is getting hard to manuver, but as the old expression says; 'the mail must get through'. The collage pile is on the red carpet. Rugs, carpets and mats protect the floor. Paint can be thrown or flipped through the air, hence the plastic curtains. A completed floral in the foreground, an in-progress behind the stool and a new diptych is launched on the easel.
In his early career, Andy Warhol worked as a New York City window dresser, arranging commercial storefront displays for Bonwit Teller as did Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. Commercial window dressing is an art form and most storefronts outside the northeast never taught, learned or practiced this art form. Two consistently successful storefront installations in Roanoke, Virgina are LaDeDa & 310 Rosemont. If Roanoke public, business, professional and commerical storefront all practiced this lost art, tourism would surely rise from this pedestrian form of window browsing.
