Once you're Talula, you're always Talula

Mystery Artist Talula Painting Ocean City Red
By Elisa LaLa

Rumors have been spreading around Ocean City about an artist named Talula whose work has been showing up on the walls of city cafes and art galleries but whose identity remains a secret.

No one can say for sure who this Talula is, said Maryanne Pappano, of Ocean City, also an artist. But it seems everyone has a guess.

Some think Talula is a bartender at Tomatoe's in Margate, a woman with fiery red hair and a knack for making a killer Bloody Mary, said Pappano.

Others believe Talula is a jewelry maker in her 20s, who has often been spotted combing the Ocean City beaches, searching for bits of glass that have been smoothed by the tumbles of the sea, she said.

Still others say Talula isn't female at all, but rather a middle-aged man from nearby Atlantic City, who spends his free time crafting installations out of found wood, maps and other oddly matched objects, Pappano said.

Whatever the rumor, one fact agreed upon by all is that Talula's art exuberates feelings of freedom, creativity and surrendering to one's dreams, she said.

Admittedly, Pappano is the creator behind Talula. But she alone is not Talula, she said. Anyone can take on the persona of Talula, or more formally, Talula Love Bottoms, an umbrella label created to provide local artists with a freedom of identity and a chance to join others in a community chain of creativity.

"They can have an outlet to be able to let go of their ego," she said. "Name is so important to an artist, but it can also be really scary."

On the Talula Love Bottoms blog, it reads, "Talula Love Bottoms is the artist that resides in all of us. She is reckless. She is passionately fearless. She is all of the things you are ... that society has convinced you - is not the the norm. Inside Talula ...we embrace our faults and flaws and spontaneity defines us."

In other words, by working under the name of Talula Love Bottoms, emerging artists won't have to worry about criticism and established artists can create something outside of their comfort zone, without tainting their image, she said. The name is for anyone to work underneath, of any skill level, any gender, age, etc.

"I wanted to be able to give artists opportunities outside of the structure of the corporate art world," Pappano said. "People have really lost site of what art is about."

Pappano says this because she worked as a manager of a fire arts gallery until about five years ago, when she left her career in what she calls a "leap of faith" to pursue her passion for creating "real art."

"The true worth and value of art had somehow become distorted and I wanted to create really good, reasonably affordable art," she said.

And she knew she wasn't alone in this belief, which is why she officially created the concept a year ago, kicking off with a Talula Red Valentine-themed exhibit last at Who's on First Cafe in Ocean City.

Last year's exhibit was titled, "Wood meets Glass and Falls in Love at a Local Coffee Shop," and featured the work of the many Talulas. Currently, Talula Love Bottoms is hosting its second annual Talula Red Valentine exhibit at the cafe, with this year's title being, "Talula Red. SINEW. FIBER. HEART."

The Talulas were told to create work or works for the exhibit based on the emotions evoked when they hear those three words. Seven Talulas are showing in the exhibit, which includes about sixty pieces of art. They are Christine Cleary, of Northfield; Laura Mayer, of Marmora; Kate Facendo, of Ocean City; Ryan Simmons, of Ocean City; Jennifer Bailey, of Ocean City, who owns Who's on First Cafe; Marci Oster, of Ocean City; and Pappano.

The exhibit will run through Feb. 18, and is open for public viewing anytime the cafe is open. On Feb. 10, the Talulas held an opening of their exhibit at the cafe, including a wie-range of art mediums such as charcoal, oils, installation art, photography and more, Pappano said.

"Once you're Talula, you're always Talula," Pappano said.

Under Talula Love Bottoms, Pappano creates altered art, which is art made from found objects such as wood, maps, dictionary pages, old books and more.

She said she sells some her work on Etsy website, under Talula Love Bottoms, etsy.com/

shop/TalulaLoveBottoms. Once, soon after she mailed a piece to a buyer, she received a Facebook message from a stranger smiling from the porch of a home in Atlantic City, while holding up what she had thought was her work.

At first she panicked, Pappano said, assuming she'd sent the piece to the wrong person. The buyer did not live in Atlantic City. But then, she realized someone had understood what Talula Love Bottoms represented and took the opportunity to join in.

"Some people take advantage of an opportunity and some don't," Pappano said.

Cleary, said the Tomatoe's bartender with the fiery red hair, who is also a charcoal artist, Talula Love Bottoms has allowed her to grow and let go.

"I think Maryanne's helped me to let go of the tightness of my painting and allowed me to express myself in a positive way," she said. "I always go back to what's comfortable and to what I know."

As Talula, she said she created an abstract piece completely out of her comfort zone and it was wonderful. She said she often been told by other that she is a great bartender, but although she takes pride in her job, she isn't proud of that title.

"In the grand scheme of things, who the heck cares of I make great drinks," Cleary said. "It's nice to be recognized for something you want to be known for, like an artist."

Contact Elisa Lala:

609-463-6713

ELala@pressofac.com

If you go

The exhibit is showing at Who's on First Cafe at 100 Asbury Ave, Ocean City. The number is 609-399-0764 and winter hours are listed online at whosonfirststreet.com/home.cfm.

Talula's website is at talulalovebottoms.blogspot.com/2011/02/but-i-cant-help-falling-in-love-with.html