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Bring your dog to Pet Source in Concord or Marlboro and make him a true artist. The special event is called Paws in Bloom and featured artist of the day is your pet.

They will dip your dog’s paw in washable, pet-safe paint and imprint it on a canvas. Then  they will turn the paw prints into a flower paintings. The doggie artwork will cost only $20 and you get to take it home with you the very same day.

See how your dog’s paw print is transformed into a beautiful painting, and best of all, you have a piece of artwork to treasure forever. No reservations needed.

There are 2 Dates scheduled for this special  event:

June 10, 2017: 11 am – 3 pm – Pet Source -1173 Main St, Concord, MA 01742

June 24, 2017: 11 am – 3 pm – Pet Source – 1141 Boston Post Rd W, Marlboro, MA 01752

All proceeds will go to Phinney’s Friends, a small Massachusetts nonprofit that helps low-income people keep their pets by providing financial assistance and pet care. Read more about this incredible organization at: phinneysfriends.org/about

Location: Pet Source, 1173 Main St, Concord, MA 01742 – June 10th,
Pet Source- 1141 Boston Post Rd W, Marlboro, MA 01752 – June 24th
Dates: June 10th, June 24th, 2017
Hours: 11 am – 3 pm
Tel: Main Street 978-371-7072, Boston Post Rd. 508-229-7792
phinneysfriends.org/events/
patch.com/massachusetts/concord/calendar/event/20170706/157136/paws-in-bloom

For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: concordchamberofcommerce.org

It is really hard to take the boring authenticity-proving side of the modern art world and make it into a delightful audience loving (2 standing ovations on opening night) theatre piece.

Stephen Sachs, the playwright, took on the true story of Terry Horton, a former truck driver who scavenged a painting for $5 at a second-hand shop as a gift for a friend who needed cheering up. Maude Gutman, as she is called in this play, is a lover of kitsch – her trailer is overwhelmed by it (A congratulatory shout out here for the jam-packed shelves created by set and costume designer Pam Johnson, who really needed my Smart Shopping Montreal book to find all that stuff!). At a yard sale, the local art teacher noticed the painting and mentioned it might be a Jackson Pollock; and so begins the tale. Somehow Gutman managed to get a major art house in NYC to send an expert over to check out her claim.

And therein lies this sparring pied-a-deux. A foul-mouthed bourbon drinking trailer park madam vs. the snooty elitist artsy gentleman. Human authenticity versus art authenticity is set to be proven. Nicola Cavendish walks the walk and talks the talk. Her sneaker grounded stalking moves her around the trailer while her expert verbal comedic timing keeps the pace going. She even manages to give the garbage pail “a line”.

Jonathan Monro (Lionel Percy), himself a renaissance man (competitive swimmer, piano prodigy, singer, director, lyricist, actor), glides around her, expertly dodging her verbal and physical attacks. My take-away forever (as a former NYC art teacher) is the exuberant and sexually suggestive way in which Monro teaches us the how and why a Jackson Pollock painting is important – and not just a bunch of paint splashes on a canvas.

Though Percy always trusts his “first blink”, it is Nicola Cavendish who summed it up brilliantly when she observed Pollock’s paintings, “You can see that what emerges is layers and layers and layers. I think it’s a lesson on how we can learn to look more closely, whether we are talking about a piece of art or whether we’re talking about the woman who lives across the street who’s offensive.” Modern art is beyond the understanding of the ordinary citizen, and this play opens the door a crack as to what it is all about, how it works and doesn’t work. The show makes it all fun and drives Maude’s trailer expertly to the end to find out if she goes from rags to riches.

Location: 453 St-Francois Xavier
corner: Notre-Dame
Tel: 514-288-3161
Dates: Jan 31-Feb 26, 2017
Prices $28- $51
www.centaurtheatre.com
Metro: Place d’Armes