{"id":223987,"date":"2017-01-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-27T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/couple-aims-to-revive-la-mesas-artistic-heritage\/"},"modified":"2017-01-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-01-27T08:00:00","slug":"couple-aims-to-revive-la-mesas-artistic-heritage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/couple-aims-to-revive-la-mesas-artistic-heritage\/","title":{"rendered":"Couple aims to revive La Mesa\u2019s artistic heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Por Kit-Bacon Gressitt<\/p>\n

Things are happening in La Mesa Village. Stroll the boulevard, and you can people-watch in the renovated storefront windows, grab breakfast or a nice dinner, share a beer or a craft-caffeine fix with a friend.<\/p>\n

And now, since Nov. 1, you can enjoy the works of local artists, have some fine-art framing done \u2014 even take a painting class while sipping wine \u2014 at Nainsook Framing + Art.<\/p>\n

Nainsook is one of the newest additions to a trend that \u2014 if all goes as the owners hope \u2014 will transform La Mesa Boulevard into a wining, dining and arts destination, similar to San Diego\u2019s popular commercial districts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love the small village feel of it,\u201d said co-owner Roz Oserin. She and her husband Dan opened Nainsook with a lot of planning and enthusiasm. \u201cIt\u2019s a very central location,\u201d she continued, \u201ceasy on and off the freeways. It has the charm of the old craftsman homes and the walkability, which makes it a good location.\u201d<\/p>\n

After owning a La Mesa salon and spa for 18 years, the Oserins were ready for a new challenge, and one fell into their laps. Roz had been painting for about nine years, and her framer was ready to retire. They did some research and learned that the median age in La Mesa was decreasing while income was rising \u2014 encouraging data for a business owner.<\/p>\n

\"Couple<\/a>
Roz and Dan Oserin opened Nainsook Framing + Art in early November of last year in the La Mesa Village. (Photos by Sandy Small Photography)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhat it says,\u201d Roz Oserin explained, \u201cis that La Mesa is re-gentrifying, it\u2019s becoming the next South Park or North Park.\u201d<\/p>\n

While some La Mesans might prefer the community fade into relative obscurity, art as a focal point is a proven draw and it is not a new pursuit for La Mesa.<\/p>\n

\"Couple<\/a>
Local artist Mary Russo made these \u201cNesting Boxes\u201d found at Nainsook.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jim Newland, president of the La Mesa Historical Society, recounted some of the past efforts to highlight La Mesa\u2019s arts community, as far back as the late 1800s.<\/p>\n

\"Couple<\/a>
Nainsook Framing + Art aims to revitalize La Mesa’s artistic heritage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cJames Tank Porter, who was a sculptor, his parents came here in the early part of the 1890s. He was really well known as a sculptor \u2014 and he was a planning commissioner. And the Grossmont area, when it was started in the early 19-teens, it was going to be an artist colony,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey went after musicians and artists and authors. It didn\u2019t become what they planned, but there have always been artists here. The Foothills Art Association, which came out of the La Mesa Women\u2019s Club, goes back to 1942. We\u2019ve had a longstanding theater group. \u2026 The arts have always been important to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sense of importance will be vital to the Oserins\u2019 venture, and they are using their accumulated experience and knowledge of the community to make Nainsook successful.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I have ridden through the test of time,\u201d Roz Oserin said, \u201cand I have a good feel for business here. Marketing is everything \u2014 and customer service. We want to be the go-to spot for artists and anyone who\u2019s looking to enhance and protect their art. We want to take in special projects and educate everyone about how important the conservation of art is \u2014 and that we can provide that service.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Couple<\/a>
Art classes, complete with wine tasting, are held regularly at Nainsook.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dan Oserin works with another framer, Liz Chapman, to create custom framing for both artists and arts patrons.<\/p>\n

According to Roz Oserin, Nainsook\u2019s framing \u201cwill be moderately-priced, exceptional framing with design ideas in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

They have someone on board with a background in interior design, who will consult in the home or in the office on art purchasing and display.<\/p>\n

In addition to art sales, framing and design, the Oserins are eager to introduce the community to fun arts opportunities, while supporting local artists. They conduct monthly Wine + Paint classes for adult beginners; they plan to offer \u201cadvanced education\u201d for artists; and they\u2019ve even created a custom class for a family visiting the area from Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my vision to have an art gallery so we could showcase local artist\u2019s work and teach art classes \u2014 introductory classes \u2014 and it\u2019s been successful already. We\u2019re excited.\u201d\"Couple<\/a><\/p>\n

La Mesa might never be considered an artist colony, but the Village is certainly developing a new aesthetic that will draw consumers to its sidewalks.<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re wondering about the name, Nainsook is adapted from the Sanskrit for \u201ceye pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Kit-Bacon Gressitt writes commentary and essays for Excuse Me, I\u2019m Writing, is a founding editor of WritersResist.com<\/a>, and has been published by Missing Slate, Ms. Magazine blog and Trivia: Voices of Feminism, among others. She formerly wrote for the North County Times. She also hosts Fallbrook Library\u2019s monthly Writers Read authors series and open mic, and can be reached at kbgressitt@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Por Kit-Bacon Gressitt<\/p>","protected":false},"author":844,"featured_media":223988,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11548","_seopress_titles_title":"Couple aims to revive La Mesa\u2019s artistic heritage","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,11547,11548,11551,11550],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-223987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-features","category-la-mesa-courier","category-news","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/844"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223987\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}