Alluring Images Hair Studio

Photo by Meghan Newberry Terry Smyth and the staff of Alluring Images By Marcella Peyre-Ferry Contributing Writer

When choosing a hair salon, Alluring Images Hair Studio has everything you expect from a full-service salon and the experience and customer service to produce the best results. On top of that, you can count on a friendly and relaxed atmosphere that will make your visit a wonderful experience. Owner-operator Terry Smyth began her association with the world of beauty more than thirty years ago as a receptionist at a popular Oxford salon— Shear Creations. “I loved it,” Smyth said. “I started helping them at the salon and started to think, ‘I want to do this.’” An outgoing and friendly person, Smyth loves her career, particularly when it comes to meeting new people and doing something new. “It’s constantly changing. We’re always learning new things,” she said. Alluring Images has been in its present location at 29 N. Third St. in Oxford since October. Just outside the busy downtown area, the friendly front porch welcomes clients to the wellappointed salon. “I love being in town,” said Smyth, who is a lifelong Oxford resident. At the salon there is an emphasis on providing access to quality products at an affordable price. After your visit, you can purchase some of the same highlevel brands so you can continue to use them in your home hair care routine. Products used in the salon include Dermologica for all skin types, Framesi, a high-quality European color and Olaplex treatment for damaged hair. Alluring Images serves clients of all ages from children to adults and seniors. They provide all aspects of hair care as well as facials, manicures,

pedicures, waxing, lash extensions, color correction, blow-outs and scalp massage. The salon can also help bridal parties prepare for that special day. Smyth is supported by her staff with their own special skills. She and the stylists and technicians all regularly attend further education and training sessions to stay up to date on the latest products and techniques. Smyth worked with Ralph Greer at Shear Creations, and now they are together again at Alluring Images. Greer brings a lighthearted atmosphere to the shop where he works in all facets of hair care, but especially loves to do color. He is also the shop’s specialist in tape in extensions. Crystal Stevens grew up in the beauty industry. She does all aspects of hair care and styling as well as manicures and pedicures. She is the shop’s specialist in acrylic and gel nails. Mandy Eckardt has been a stylist for over 30 years. In addition to her extensive experience in all aspects of hair as well as traditional manicures and pedicures. Teresa Carrigan is the shop receptionist, ready to help out wherever needed to support the styling staff. Liz Paxson is the newest addition to the Salon, joining the staff in March. “For as long as I can remember I’ve had a passion for hair. I specialize in color and cuts,” she said. “I strive to make every guest feel special and beautiful when sitting in my chair.” Esthetician Jess Eldreth just started at Alluring Images Salon this year, bringing a range of services that is not found elsewhere in Oxford. She specializes in facials and skin care, using Dermologica products. She also does waxing and scalp massage including blowouts. “We all work together well, supporting each other so that over the years we have grown into a family. It may sound cliché but we are a team and we truly enjoy each other’s company. We like to make our clients feel as though they are a part of that as well,” Smyth said. “I feel so fortunate and blessed to be able to work in the town that I love with the people I love.” Alluring Images Hair Studio offers flexible hours and a variety of seasonal promotions. Clients are welcome by appointment and walk-in Tuesday through Saturday. Visit the website at alluringimageshairstudio.com or for more information and the hours of your preferred stylist call 610-932-9308.

The Outdoor Galler

OxAA and local artist Dave Eldreth are turning blank walls into Gallery space

By John Chambless Correspondent

For Dave Eldreth, the empty store windows and open walls of Oxford’s downtown are enticing opportunities “to make this town truly unique.” Eldreth, the former head of Eldreth Pottery, left the business and took a new path a few years ago, but it hasn’t led to retirement. “It was long enough ago for me to get my bearings,” Eldreth said of his notso-retired retirement. “But I can’t just do nothing. I built myself a studio, and I paint almost every day.” A lifelong artist, Eldreth is also helping to boost the regional art scene as a member of the board of the Oxford Arts Alliance. His current project began about a year ago with an idea. “I was at a local business and they had billboard ads that were adhesive, on a block wall,” he said. “I thought, ‘That would be so cool if it was fine art.’” So he began getting samples, researching ways to create mural-size artworks that could be affixed to a wall but not require the permanent commitment of a mural that’s painted on a surface. “Most of the walls downtown are old brick, so the adhesive method wouldn’t work,” he said. What followed was a year of trial and error, contacting framing companies to find a lightweight, durable framework that would support artwork reproduced on canvas. Last year, he came up with a combination that worked. The metal frames are attached to the building with masonry screws. The artwork is printed on plastic-coated canvas and stretched onto the frame, creating a firm, gallery-quality piece of art that can be switched out repeatedly.

ry Project

“I put a lot of time into this,” Eldreth said, but his process has been proven, with two large artworks installed downtown last fall, and plenty more to come. As far as he knows, the process is completely new. It’s the kind of idea that could enliven downtowns anywhere. The first artwork was one of his abstract paintings, now installed on the outer wall of the Arts Alliance. “It began as a painting that’s about 14 inches high,” he said, “and we enlarged it to 18 feet high. The detail is mind-boggling. There’s something like 3.5 million pixels in it.” To achieve the museum-quality reproductions, Eldreth works with local photographers Dain Simons and Priscilla Smith, who divide each artwork into sections and take ultra-high resolution digital images. They are then digitally combined and printed on a canvas sheet that is impervious to weather, wind and moisture. They’re capable of lasting some six years, Eldreth said, but the plan is to rotate the artwork more frequently. A second artwork, an abstract by Oxford artist Vicky Vinton, is mounted on the wall of the Makers Cottage overlooking the green next to the Edward Jones Investments building. At 12-feet-by-12-feet, it’s a brilliantly energetic piece that brings a new spirit to downtown. And the more he looks around, the more exhibition spaces Eldreth sees. The vertical wall spaces on either side of the tree used as Oxford’s Christmas tree would be ideal spots for holiday-themed art, Eldreth suggested. The few blank windows of vacant stores downtown could be filled with a gallery of artworks applied directly to the glass, and could be changed regularly or removed if a business moves in. The owners of the La Sicilia Pizza Pasta Grille have selected two artworks to be placed on their building, and the Napa Auto Parts store will soon host a collage of antique cars in its five windows. “There’s a limit,” Eldreth said of the booming gallery idea. “We can’t do too many. The secret is to maintain the gallery quality that I’m after.” There’s strong interest among store owners downtown. The former drug store next to the Arts Alliance building is undergoing renovation, but the huge wall overlooking the parking lot will soon be a prime exhibition space. Eldreth foresees installing another wall along the back of the lot, creating an L-shaped gallery for Continued on Page 30

Conceptual rendering of outdoor gallery space. Courtesy images

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multiple works. The benefit for the downtown is the sort of regional buzz that will draw visitors to see the Outdoor Gallery Project, and those visitors will stay to shop and dine, creating more business for everyone. The cost for creating and installing each mural is currently less than $2,000, aided by people donating their services. Sponsors can engrave the frame with the name of a person or business, and plaques are available to honor a family member or loved one. Additional donations – all tax-deductible – will be used to fund the installation of artworks on businesses that might not be able to afford to carry the entire cost. Once the framework is installed, the cost of producing and mounting a new artwork is only a few hundred dollars. “So far, everybody likes it,” Eldreth said, including many members of the Oxford Borough Council, which sees how the project can enliven the downtown and foster a spirit of creativity and unity. “I can’t believe how well received it has been.” Submissions from artists are being sought, and Eldreth emphasized that everyone is wanted. “I have some art teachers saving kids art to possibly be used,” Eldreth said. “I want to include all levels of art, all ages, all ethnicities. I want this to be a reflection of the creative spirit of the town.”

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Photo by Jim Coarse, Moonloop Photography

Conceptual rendering for art at LaSicilia. Courtesy photo

Submissions are judged by a five-member committee at the Arts Alliance, which select a few and then present them to the building’s owner for their approval. “The property owner has the final say, of course,” Eldreth said. “We don’t want to put up something that they wouldn’t like.” “My sincere desire is to make this town unique,” he said. “I don’t know of another town that’s doing this. Maybe someone somewhere is, but I’ve never seen it. I want to make Oxford a destination for high-quality artwork, and hopefully it will bring all the benefits that come with that.” The project has six sites in the works to be completed when spring weather arrives. “I think people are really beginning to take notice,” Eldreth said. “The town seems to be on the cusp of a turning point. I’ve seen newly painted buildings downtown, and people seem to be getting on the bandwagon. This town is going to be cool.” To sponsor an artwork, or for more information on the Outdoor Gallery Project, contact Dave Eldreth at daveeldreth@gmail.com. To submit artwork for consideration, contact Caitlin Daugherty, Art Director of the Oxford Arts Alliance, at art@oxfordart.org.

Artist Vicki Vinton in front of her work on the Makers Cottage Building in Downtown Oxford.