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RED BANK: A PAWS FOR A BUSY PET PHOTOG

Kim LevinLittle Silver-based pet photographer and author Kim Levin visits Red Bank’s Galleria Sunday for a book signing session to benefit the Save US Pets Foundation.

Animal lovers and book lovers from all around the greater Red Bank Green know Kim Levin as the Little Silver-based picture-book creator (and self-described “phoDOGrapher”) whose many book bylines include Cattitude and Why We Love Dogs. Her images have appeared worldwide on everything from calendars to cocktail napkins; in People magazine and Modern Dog; and on her own line of Molly & Fig greeting cards and gift items.

The professional purr/pooch portraitist — who in 2014 documented her travels across Iditarod country in a Monmouth County Library exhibit entitled Alaska: Landscapes and Dogs from the Last Frontier — is back on her home turf, doing what she does best, and finding time Sunday afternoon to “paws” in Red Bank for an appearance keyed to one of her pet causes.

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RED BANK: A WALK OF FAME FOR LOCAL MUTTS

dog days 072215 1All Dogs Go to Hollywood  as Red Bank RiverCenter presents the latest of its canine-friendly Dog Days events Tuesday evening.

RB DOG DAYS 073013 6At a time of year when Hollywood separates its summer blockbusters from its disappointing box-office dogs, the Tinseltown-canine connection is being celebrated in style on the streets of Red Bank, as the latest in the summer series of Dog Days promotions returns on Tuesday evening.

Hosted once again by Red Bank RiverCenter and the Borough of Red Bank, the 6-to-9 p.m. event is presented under the theme All Dogs Go to Hollywood, with a strolling array of dog-focused vendors, pup-positive downtown businesses and informational displays given a red-carpet twist: guest-star canines (and their human personal assistants) are invited to dress up and walk that carpet for a free photo op worthy of a big-time movie premiere, fun props included.

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RED BANK: PHOTOG SHOOTS FROM THE HEART

Kim LevinFrom Meghan at Frame To Please comes word that the shop located inside The Galleria has opened a boutique-gallery kiosk under the name Art from the Heart. Each month, the space will showcase the work of a local artist, with a percentage of sale proceeds dedicated to an “adopted charity” of the featured artist’s choice. For the inaugural display in December, the work of animal photography specialist Kim Levin is on display — and the Little Silver lenswoman has designated a set of her favorite pet rescue organizations as the beneficiary of the collected funds.

AROUND THE GREEN: OUTSIDE THE BIG BOX

Bazaar_basketsSilent auction gift baskets await inspection during the recent Holiday Bazaar at Christ Church in Shrewsbury. For those who missed it, there are many more craft shows, artisan fairs and gift boutiques going on around the greater Green this weekend.

There’s an open-house glimpse into the wondrous workshop of a leading Red Bank artist. Unique handcrafted gifts, unexpectedly encountered at a pair of county parks in Middletown. Floral arrangements in Shrewsbury; fine art pieces by the area’s best-known creatives in Little Silver. All around the villages and hamlets of the greater Red Bank Green, a dedicated core of neighbors seeks to combat the seasonal brainfreeze of “shopper’s block;” seeding inspiration for gift-givers who want to think outside the big-box store for the special ones on their list — and it’s all happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Just weeks after hosting her annual Art Show and Sale at Mudslingers Pottery, master potter Lauren Bellero takes part in a special Holiday Open House event this Friday, December 5. Between the hours of 3 to 9 pm, shoppers on a quest for something truly unique can visit 12 Oak Street in Lincroft to select from a display of the artist’s award winning pit-fired decorative creations (candle holders, vases, bowls and more) and glazed cookware — or visit the Mudslingers website to make an appointment.

Open for business at picturesque Poricy Park this weekend, the Nature Conservancy’s Holiday and Craft Shop offers up an array of locally sourced wood, pottery, crochet, fine art and home decor items, available for purchase between the hours of 11 am to 4 pm on December 5, 6 and 7. They’ll be doing it all again next weekend too, with shop hours on December 12, 13 and 14 — but there’s much more to see this weekend, with details around the bend.

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SHREWSBURY: SAY CHEESE… AND MUSH!

kim_levin_photoImages of Alaska — and of the people and dogs who call it home — are on display at a reception for Little Silver lenswoman Kim Levin.

Animal lovers and book lovers from the greater Red Bank Green may already know Kim Levin as the Little Silver-based picture-book creator and self-styled “phoDOGrapher” whose many publication credits include Cattitude and Why We Love Dogs — and whose images have appeared worldwide on everything from calendars to cocktail napkins; in People magazine and Modern Dog; and on her own line of Molly & Fig greeting cards and gift items.

Back in June, the pet portraitist had the chance to indulge another passion, and spent her summer vacation traveling through Alaska, Vancouver and the Yukon. What she brought back were some stunning images of the Alaskan landscape, its people, and their state treasure: the iconic Huskies that run the 1,049-mile Iditarod race each winter.

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ART & ABOUT: GOLDBAUM TO GREENHOUSE

Jennifer Lukowiak demonstrates the potter’s craft during last year’s Artists Weekend at Sickles Market, to which she and 19 other creators return this weekend.

Art happens, as it’s wont to do, often in the most unlikely of places — and any number of art aficionados can tell you that it doesn’t require a formal gallery setting to showcase some pretty awesome stuff. If you’re “art and about” the greater Green this weekend, you’re just as likely to encounter this awesomeness at a gourmet market and garden center — or, in Friday evening’s instance, at two of Red Bank’s most dynamic hair salons.

Last we looked in on Glen Goldbaum, the superstar Manhattan stylist turned catalyst for a creative new vision on Red Bank’s West Side was hosting an event branded as Bewitched, a “magical evening of fantasy, hair, art and more” that transformed his two neighboring Bridge Avenue salons (Glen Goldbaum 72 and Lambs & Wolves Den of Beauty) into an environment populated by winged fantasy characters, live mannequins and guest conceptualizers from Asbury Park’s Cookman Avenue “Arts Bloc.”

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