JB Berkow is a world-renowned artist who has owned and operated many businesses. In 1976, at age twenty-six, she founded one of the most successful cooperative galleries in the country, Touchstone Gallery in Washington, D.C., which is still going strong today. She began Frenchman’s Art Gallery and Studios in Juno Beach, Florida, in 1994, and 2004, she opened a retail store, RosettaStone Fine Art Gallery, located in a 3,200 square foot warehouse, which she ran until she founded a 15,000 square foot nonprofit dedicated to the fabrication of three-dimensional fine art called the Benzaiten Center for Creative Arts.
Writing, however, is a very serious hobby to JB. She began writing when she became the Founder of Touchstone Gallery. One of the many hats that she wore was the head of PR for the organization. As part of this job, she produced a separate article on each of the 35 artists who were members of the cooperative. This taught her about the five Ws: Who, What, Where, When, and Why of the story. It also taught her how to develop a hook for each of these individual artist members, or something super interesting that would compel the reader to keep reading about them.
Her first book was a book of poetry titled "Shades of Love" that she allowed a Georgia publishing house to produce. The experience was not a positive one. Firstly, the illustrations and physical look of the book was not up to JB's stringent standards, and secondly, they did nothing to promote it. Thus, with her subsequent books, she opted to self-publish. The two titles below can be found used on Amazon. However, if you want new copies of these titles, just contact Ms. Berkow. She plans on republishing "Shades of Love" with all new illustrations and additional poetry in the near future...stay tuned!
"Painted Poetry" a Monograph and Poetry Book
This is the first monograph on artist JB Berkow. Her work has been recognized by critics and collectors as being one of the best exampls of romantic realism being done today. JB,s paintings and sculptures have been exhibited in many galleries, museums, and universities around the world, including the permanent collection of the Vatican Museum of Contemporary Art. Considering how realistic her paintings appear, it may surprise the viewer to learn that JB tends to think of her work as a ‘Stringing Together of Abstractions. As she explains, “My greatest joy comes when, after carefully assembling every one of these small abstract elements, they come together as an image of overall beauty prompting the viewer to want to escape in their completed puzzle of realistic illusion.” Because the artist is also a published author, this lavish volume doubles as an enjoyable poetry book. JB has created distinctive poems to accompany the image of each painting represented herein, a body of work completed between 1992 and 2005. These verses vary in style and color to suit each painting and convey the artist’s sensual feelings as well as her political and philosophical ideas connected to each subject. It also contains an extensive illustrated biographical section written by the Editor in Chief of ‘Art World News’ magazine, Ms. Sarah Seamark.
This is a beautiful hard cover, table-top book. It can be bought used from Amazon.com or new from JB for $58, which includes shipping.
What They Didn't Teach You In Art School
A How-To Book for Artists Who Want to Take Their Career to the Next Level
Besides repping other artists, her own artwork has been shown in museums and universities throughout this country. She is an unusual artist in that she has spent most of her professional life not only promoting her own work but also promoting the work of other talented, emerging and mid-career artists.
Coming at art from both sides, showing it, and being repped herself has given JB a unique perspective to know the business of art upside down and sideways. On top of that, the many years she ran cooperative and membership galleries has given her an in-depth view into the artist’s psyche and some of the pitfalls that impede them from getting ahead. Thus, she decided to write a book to help emerging artists take their career to the next level titled “What They Didn’t Teach You In Art School.”
This is a paper back book. It can be bought used from Amazon.com or new from JB for $35, which includes shipping. Supply is limited.