Ginny and Joe Lascara
Black Dog Gallery was opened by brother and sister Ginny and Joe Lascara in Virginia Beach and Yorktown, Virginia. For over 30 years they established Black Dog Gallery as a preeminent fabricator of historical and contemporary floorcloths, and colonial period framing. Combining Ginnys experience as associate curator of prints and maps at Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and Joes engineering skills, they perfected ways to make floorcloths more durable for a modern environment. They worked to keep a rare craft from early America alive. Over the course of 30 years they gained respect from museums to private collectors. In 2024, they decided it was time to retire from day to day operations. They asked a long time artist and collaborator, Randy Hess, if he would be interested in continuing the floor cloth tradition as they remained on as consultants. And so, Black Dog Floorcloths continues to keep the tradition of floorcloth design and fabrication moving forward. And with great respect to its founders and the art, we are humbled to be a part of this tradition of American decorative arts.
Randy Hess
I am an artist and frame designer living in Suffolk, Va. I grew up fascinated with art and design. From comic books to the antique furniture I would see collected by my grandparents. I was curious how all of those things were made. As a kid, I learned that with time and dedication, I could make those things too. I went to art school at Virginia Commonwealth University and graduated with a degree in Communication Arts and Design. My early art career was as a freelance illustrator for advertising agencies and magazines. I found that kind of work lacking in promoting my growth as an artist. I used my woodworking skills that I learned from my grandfather and began working at a frame shop while I plugged away at my personal work. Exploring and researching various techniques and art histories I didn’t learn at VCU. My paintings were collected by a number of private and corporate collections. I showed with ADA Gallery in Richmond, VA and was in various exhibitions including one at the Lincoln Center in NY. Outside of my painting career, I was restoring antique frames, including a number of frames at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, VA. Eventually, I created my own custom frame line, Springfield Frames. Named after my grandparents, John and Estelle Springfield. My frames were in dozens of frame shops around the country. During that time, for 16 years, I worked for and collaborated with Black Dog Gallery. I have a deep respect for Ginny and Joes work ethic and their determination. And now I have the privilege of continuing what they began over 30 years ago.