A special evening celebrating the second anniversary for Allie Coosh Lifestyle and Martsolf Lively Contemporary’s partnership will be May 9. A joint exhibition will feature the comic abstraction artwork of Ruben Nieto and the fashion designs of Paulette Martsolf. Short films by award winning artist and filmmaker Jim Lively will also be featured. Festivities start at 4:30 p.m. with a champagne shopping social. A reception and program follow from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 521 N. Interurban Street in Richardson.
The exhibition runs through June 15. It kicks off one of three annual exhibitions in the Richardson based studios. In addition to Nieto’s oil and canvas creations, his ‘comic abstraction’ inspired line of scarves will be displayed. Guests are invited to peruse and shop Nieto’s creations, explore the relocated Allie-Coosh boutique, and view the artwork and short film collection by Jim Lively.
Sale Proceeds Benefit WINGS
Proceeds from sales of the Allie-Coosh Lifestyle brand throughout the evening will benefit WINGS, whose mission it is to empower women, fight poverty and impact generations.
Fashion Designer Paulette Martsolf
Martsolf first made her mark on the design world with a line of pajamas at age 28. The Newfoundland native branded her designs ‘allie-coosh’ which translates to ‘off to bed’ in her Canadian province. The chic line of sleepwear evolved to hand-crafted everyday wear, special occasion wear and accessories throughout her 25 years in Snider Plaza. She relocated the company to Richardson in 2017.
Martsolf has been chosen to produce countless fashion shows nationwide including the 2013 Dallas Museum of Art’s Art in Bloom runway presentation featuring Chagall inspired designs. Additionally, her Aida enthused gowns were commissioned by and for the 2012 red carpet Dallas Opera Opening Night. Paulette has received many honors such as first place in Best Women’s Clothing and Best Jewelry in People Newspapers’ People’s Choice Awards and the Entrepreneur Award from Women that Soar, LLC.
Artist Ruben Nieto
The artist received his BFA from the Universidad de Guanajuato before the journey to Texas to achieve his MFA in Arts and Technology from The University of Texas at Dallas. Recently, Nieto was featured in New American Paintings, issue No. 114. He has shown in Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, Canada, Mexico and the U.S.
Nieto explains his ‘comic abstraction’ collection, saying, “I create a visual language rooted in childhood memories of watching cartoons on television and reading American Comic books. I digitally alter scanned images from multiple Comic Books, and those of cartoon characters. I appropriate them and transform them into my own imagery, influenced by Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. The resulting densely layered compositions serve as a platform where those memorable cartoon characters can be re-born.”
Jim Lively
Author, artist, film maker and retired attorney Jim Lively is the Curator at Martsolf Lively Contemporary, adjacent to Allie-Coosh Lifestyle. Lively has exhibited his artwork in several group and solo exhibitions across North America and in Europe. In addition, he was a resident artist with LuminArte Fine Art Gallery in Dallas. He was presented a Certificate of Excellence by the 2015 Palm Art Awards and his artwork and short films have been recognized and awarded in numerous juried competitions, publications and film festivals.
For more information please visit allie-coosh.com and martsolflivelycontemporary.com.
