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NORTH SALEM - The restaurant known as 121 has been around long enough to become a local landmark. Its menu is eclectic, moderately priced and well-prepared. And now it has a new dimension.
121's lower room, entered either through the bar or from a separate entrance on Dingle Ridge Road, has become a serious venue for fine art exhibits. The current show features the "photoART" work of Anastasia Tompkins, a Westchester resident who "picked up a camera 20 years ago and never put it down."
Tompkins explained, "Everything starts with a photograph. I either paint over it or keep it traditional. It depends on the image."
Ninety percent of her images involve New York or Paris, where she grew up. Like many serious photographers, she "held out on getting a digital until 2001. I became hardcore in 2004."
Though Tompkins has no official training in her special discipline, she does "come from a long line of artists."
The 26 pieces on show at 121 represent all aspects of her work. The piece over the fireplace, called Paris Through the Clock, is one of her biggest sellers. Her Statue of Liberty collage sells well also.
Her advice to beginners is, "though it sounds pedestrian, join a photography club. That way you learn to define your style. You get exposed to a lot of different things."
The Anastasia Tompkins photoART Exhibit will be on display until September 30. If you would like to meet the artist in person, there will be an reception on August 28, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
121 Restaurant is open every day for lunch and dinner. Starting July 26th, the restaurant will be celebrating LobsterFest Week.
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