Ken Farkash Art at 42nd Ave Station!

Guest post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

Last night marked the opening of NoMi's newest resident artist, Ken Farkash's work on display at the 42nd Avenue Station. Despite my knowledge of NoMi geography, I had mistakenly started calling this great coffee shop the "42nd Street Station." As catchy as the song is, it's misleading. Repeat after me: 42nd AVENUE Station.

It's too bad that John himself is out of town, because the thrust of this exhibit is not only to show off Ken's work and a cool coffee shop, but also to show how AFFORDABLE art is. Many of the items on display are selling for a mere...

$20. Like the one above, that's already sold. Or for $40, you can get BOTH lucky sevens AND snake eyes:




If you've got the money to spare, my favorite Farkash piece, "The Conversation," is also on display. Before I could plop down my money though, someone else picked up a more frugal depiction of coffee and cigarettes:


But thanks to my own klutziness, I will get a Ken Farkash painting/sculpture. A few weeks ago, I was having one of those days and locked my keys in my car on a Friday night. I called up my good friend Connie Nompelis to vent, and she and Ken came over to help. In any other situation, I'd be relieved to find out that my car has safety features that render a slim jim device useless. Just for that night, it would have been nice to break back in quickly. But the Hawkmobile is tough to break into.

So we went back to the Dinosaur House and Ken grabbed a few metal rods he uses for welding, and for his painting and sculptures. With a little ingenuity, we used those to open my car again. As payment for their help, Connie and Ken provided ME with pizza and beer that evening. Ain't life grand? Anyway, I asked Ken if he could do a piece of artwork incorporating the metal rod that we used to get into my car. Can you get art with that kind of a personal connection at the Walker? I don't think so.

Another patron bought a painting, but couldn't wrap it. Luckily, Brian Finstad was on hand, and he made good on his claim to be able to wrap anything.


After closing time, we went back to the Dinosaur House for the "after party," celebrating art and friendship in NoMi. But hurry over to the 42nd Ave. Station to pick up your piece of artwork!