As we left the two solo shows just opened at Boston Sculptors Gallery, my wife Madeleine exclaimed with an eloquent and breathy sigh: “Whew! What imagination! How are you going to review that?” Indeed, it is strenuous, albeit delightfully so, to hitch your own imagination to the flights of two sculptors who share a studio and a life in nearby Maynard, Massachusetts. The trick is to husband your strength. Take advantage of pauses, sit, look out the window. Say to your over-heating imagination: “It’s only wood, after all.” Then, plunge in, once again. Andy Moerlein’s wood is both found and transformed. Since Moerlein was present at the gallery, as he expects to be every Saturday, he mimed for me a trip through local woods, a metaphorical axe over his shoulder, on the lookout for wood with the kind of sinuous life-path he favors. Not just any wood, but wood that bulges and curves with … [Read more...] about DONNA DODSON’S AMAZONS AMONG US & ANDY MOERLEIN’S WOOD STONE POEM AT BOSTON SCULPTORS GALLERY
Visual Arts
17 PRINTMAKERS, PAINTERS & SCULPTORS ARE (UN)CONFINED AT FORT POINT ARTS COMMUNITY GALLERY
At first I was haunted by a distinct feeling of confinement as I entered the just installed exhibition “(un)confined: The Artists of Shepherd & Maudsleigh Studio” at the Fort Point Arts Community (FPAC) Gallery at 300 Summer Street in the Fort Point District. And then I realized that just going indoors and down the stairs to an interior courtyard opening onto a modestly sized gallery meant leaving the expansive skyline and sloshing green seas, the industrial era bridges and the brick and stone buildings all gilded with the spring sunshine of Boston’s waterfront. Grumbling, I entered the artificial lighting, the four walls, of this promised revelation and realized how unfair had been my initial impression. It was an old acquaintance, Liz Shepherd, doing her time at the gallery desk whose art and person always enlightens and enlivens me. Shepherd and her co-partner, Rebekah … [Read more...] about 17 PRINTMAKERS, PAINTERS & SCULPTORS ARE (UN)CONFINED AT FORT POINT ARTS COMMUNITY GALLERY
DUALITY OF WOMXN CELEBRATED IN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN ARTISTS: MASSACHUSETTS CHAPTER ONLINE EXHIBITION
In “Womxn,” an exhibit by the National Association of Women Artists: Massachusetts Chapter, is filled with what it means to be a womxn in this day and age. Confusion or a sense of self pulls through within the paintings. The abstract paintings are like the abstractness of gender. The artwork explores being “masculine and feminine at the same time”, as said in the blurb for the exhibit, just like some people do. The exhibit is a chance for people to examine how others feel about themselves, such as a “Swirl of Confusion,” a painting done by Donna Caselden. I was involved with masculine and feminine colors, or what is thought to be associated with the words. In “The Daisy Field” by Candace Whittemore Lovely, there are shades of pinks, oranges and purples to feminize the average meadow and the lady in the painting adds to that femininity. “Womxn” encapsulates what it feels like to … [Read more...] about DUALITY OF WOMXN CELEBRATED IN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN ARTISTS: MASSACHUSETTS CHAPTER ONLINE EXHIBITION
REVITALIZED AT THE STOVEFACTORY ART GALLERY
The colors pop off the wall and hit you right in the face — in a good way. The shades of spring and whatever your heart desires fit right in at the Artists’ Group of Charlestown’s 2021 Spring Art Exhibition, “Revitalized,” StoveFactory Gallery; and with all the windows open, the warm spring night filled the room. Before I walked into the exhibit, I had the pleasure of talking to one of the artists, Deidre Tao, about the show. She was excited for me to enjoy the art and told me to take my time as there was so much to see. She was not wrong. What I saw were landscapes, abstract paintings, cyanotypes, and even textiles. I was able to experience what gave new life to other people. Whether it was “Vineyard Cove” by Tao, a pastel sky over a beach scene, or botanical prints on silk by Pat McSweeney. “October” by McSweeney was novel to me and the way the artists captured the color … [Read more...] about REVITALIZED AT THE STOVEFACTORY ART GALLERY
URBANO PROJECT CELEBRATES THE WARMTH OF WE HEAL’S ART WORKSHOPS
A click of a Zoom link and a question of whether the video would stay on and I was in to view the online closing celebration for the “We Heal” exhibition and book release coordinated by sculptor Nora Valdez in collaboration with patients from the Cancer and Sickle Cell Support Programs at the Boston Medical Center and Dana Farber Cancer Institute and youth from the Urbano Project. The project was an encouraging and inspiring workshop that allowed those going through hardships to experience the creativity they have. As everyone rolled in for the March 19 event, I sat and waited for the presentation of what would be beautiful art from people who do not consider them artists. It started with a warm welcome to show how much of a community had been built through this exhibition. The exhibition mimicked the feeling of healing and the work resembled places that feel good to those who … [Read more...] about URBANO PROJECT CELEBRATES THE WARMTH OF WE HEAL’S ART WORKSHOPS
THE BUSINESS OF ART: NFT’S ON THE MARK?
On March 11, 2021, a 10 second video clip by video artist Beeble, whose real name is Mike Winkelmann, was sold by Miami-based art collector Pablo Rodriquez-Fraile for $69,346,250 in Ethereum Digital currency. He had bought it in October 2020 for $67,000 making quite a nice profit less than a year later. No one to date has bought NFT’s (non-fungible tokens) for their aesthetic value, although Beeble’s work is quite beautiful. “Everydays: The First 5000 Days,” a collage of 5000 images produced over 33 years by Beeble, is a unique string of code called a non-fungible token (NFT). Unique to the buyer/owner, it cannot be reproduced or sent to anyone else. Consequently, the artwork can only be viewed by the purchaser, on their computer, or projected on their wall. It carries on the tradition of the Renaissance fresco, only viewable in the Medici or Sforza palace or church, and transferable for … [Read more...] about THE BUSINESS OF ART: NFT’S ON THE MARK?