UPDATED May 15, 2011....Flashback to 1993, Waterside Festival Marketplace. It's Harborfest, and photographer Tim Rudziensky is setting up photographs along a makeshift wall in between Taki's Gyro's and Waterside Burger Works.
The 39 year old house painter is looking for a new way of life. By the end of the weekend the walls were bare, and Rudziensky was making plans with Waterside management to set up inside a vacant store on the upper level. By the end of the next year, the operation would be have the third largest sales volume in the mall.
With more than 500 Virginia Theme Art Photographs on display, Rudziensky and his wife Maryanne, were outgrowing the Norfolk location. In 1998 they opened a second art gallery in Virginia Beach's trendy Hilltop area, and in 2005, a production facility near Lynnhaven Mall.
Today the business is the "go to source" for Virginia photographs. Several area photographer's work is now archived at the Virginia Beach studio, located on Seahawk Circle. There are about 150 Historic photographs of Virginia Beach and Norfolk, acquired from private and public collections by well known locals such as H. C. Mann and Carroll Walker. In addition, about a hundred thousand photographs by Millie Boyer, Jack Will and Gene Woolridge, Dave Wilson, Bruce Temte have been added to Rudziensky's own collection which he began in 1988.
The sheer volume of photographs archived at the Virginia Beach studio is staggering. Walls of shelving units filled with boxes, neatly dated and numbered. The front rooms contain framed photographs covering Virginia history as well as contemporary images that are Tim's personal work. Bins with freshly printed photographs sealed in clear plastic are stored in table level bins, indexed geographically for easy browsing. You could spend an hour or an afternoon, and never come close to seeing everything. A sort of Disneyland for photo enthusiasts or local historians.
Rudziensky shows his work at local art shows, and his newest company, East Coast Art Source, Inc. sponsors local art shows. This he sees as necessary because many of the big shows like Boardwalk and Neptune will not permit the sale of photos taken by others. The 6h Annual Chic's Beach Art Show is scheduled for June 25th 2011, and the Third East Beach Art Show was April 30 - May 1, 2011. Both were very successful.
If you don't want to wait for the next art show then visit the gallery or the company website. The studio and gallery is located at 847 Seahawk Circle Suite 101 Virginia Beach 23452. The website is http://www.virginiaimages.com/. Call ahead if you are visiting the studio - Tim is often out taking photos, but someone is usually there 10 to 5 pm Monday through Friday. Phone 757 425-3110
The sheer volume of photographs archived at the Virginia Beach studio is staggering. Walls of shelving units filled with boxes, neatly dated and numbered. The front rooms contain framed photographs covering Virginia history as well as contemporary images that are Tim's personal work. Bins with freshly printed photographs sealed in clear plastic are stored in table level bins, indexed geographically for easy browsing. You could spend an hour or an afternoon, and never come close to seeing everything. A sort of Disneyland for photo enthusiasts or local historians.
Rudziensky shows his work at local art shows, and his newest company, East Coast Art Source, Inc. sponsors local art shows. This he sees as necessary because many of the big shows like Boardwalk and Neptune will not permit the sale of photos taken by others. The 6h Annual Chic's Beach Art Show is scheduled for June 25th 2011, and the Third East Beach Art Show was April 30 - May 1, 2011. Both were very successful.
If you don't want to wait for the next art show then visit the gallery or the company website. The studio and gallery is located at 847 Seahawk Circle Suite 101 Virginia Beach 23452. The website is http://www.virginiaimages.com/. Call ahead if you are visiting the studio - Tim is often out taking photos, but someone is usually there 10 to 5 pm Monday through Friday. Phone 757 425-3110
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