The Alberettis at CWAC By Kirstin Nord Bob and Mary Lou Alberetti have trawled for materials and ideas for their art in trips to nearly 30 countries throughout the past 20 years. Encountering the same scenes and vistas, galleries and museums, their individual creativity leads them to work in characteristic ways. Bob most likely will sketch or do preparatory watercolors, while Mary Lou will pull out her camera and zero in on a particular culture’s architectural fragments that speak to her. Bob Alberetti, a professor emeritus at Western Connecticut State University, is an abstract artist who works primarily in oil, collage, mixed media, watercolor and encaustic while Mary Lou Alberetti, a professor emerita of ceramics at Southern Connecticut State University, has worked for much of her life as a ceramist and a sculptor. Both have been increasingly involved with collage in recent years … [Read more...] about Two Views II

Opening the Door to the Unexpected By Taryn Plumb Imagine you’re relaxing in your cozy, mid-century modern home. You’ve got a book, a drink, a comfy chaise lounge. And then you look out your living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows. Where there might normally be a manicured lawn, kids at play or beatific waving neighbors — this is the unblemished post-war 1950s, after all — instead, here is the bottom of the ocean with driftwood, sea ferns nudged by the current, and fish swimming listlessly. And then suddenly — Damsels in distress! Adventure! Danger! Right outside your windows, two voluptuous, bikini-clad women in peril suddenly appear (one entangled in the undulating arms of a menacing octopus) and three heroic men wielding spears and knives are to the rescue. To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Click here to find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here. … [Read more...] about Boughton’s American Home

Playing By His Own Rules By Taryn Plumb Robert Saunders has never found amusement in other people’s games. As a kid, for example, he would sit down to Chinese checkers with his grandmother, and although he recalls “hating it,” he would keep playing, just following his own private imaginary strategy. Similarly, in lieu of baseball – the traditional pastime of many boys – he concocted a way to run the bases, score and strike out simply by rolling four dice. That flouting of conformity and adherence to his own rules translates into his large body of abstract artwork, composed of installations and drawings that the Gardiner, Maine artist refers to as “visual poetry.” His pieces are composites of intersecting clean lines, crisp shapes, stray numbers and letters, as well as assemblages of various found items. The effect – once the eyes adjust to the mélange – is a unique sort of … [Read more...] about Robert Saunders

A Sojourn Beyond the Guidebooks By Kristin Nord Natural beauty. Art and athletic activities of all kinds. For some, it’s a 26-town playland; for others, it’s a state of mind. Weekend visitors have flocked to Litchfield County for more than a century now, drawn to farms and secluded country homes sprinkled about the wooded hills. With its easy access to Manhattan, the region has long been a magnet for artists and writers. In recent years, a great deal of money from Wall Street and the fashion and entertainment industries has been added to the mix. Someone in the know can easily spot a number of hideaways through security gates. They belong to the movers and shakers. But for the rest of us, the county is a place that has benefitted greatly from the largesse of a number of wealthy benefactors, whether it’s the constellation of conservation areas and glorious hiking trails, the art … [Read more...] about Litchfield County, Connecticut

A Gallery Crawl By Laura Shabott On August 27, 1916, the Boston Globe declared that there existed “the biggest arts colony in the world at Provincetown.” Now that’s a lot of pressure for a small place only three miles long. Have we lived up to this legacy? There is a collection of 3,000+ works at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) representing 100 years of art made by the people who think of Land’s End as their muse and inspiration. Are we still the biggest arts colony in the world? Hard to say. Most certainly, Provincetown is one of the most formidable centers of creativity in the United States. Many permanent resident artists open a gallery with their partner. And why not? The Fine Arts Work Center (FAWC) brings in brilliant artists and writers for its renowned winter residency and summer courses. There are exquisite educational programs and year-round … [Read more...] about Provincetown’s Art Colony

Southeast Vermont Celebrates Art & Craft By Arlene Distler Daylilies, roses, hollyhocks and delphiniums are in bloom — it’s deep summer in the hills of southern Vermont, colors bursting in the July sunlight, a perfect time to celebrate the beauty of fine art and crafts produced in this southeast region of the state. Congregating in the towns of Williamsville and Newfane, some of the most accomplished artists and artisans in New England create their work here. This year’s Rock River Open Studio Tour allows access to the working studios of 14 painters, photographers, potters, woodworkers, fabric artists and collagists: Rob Cartelli, Kim Hartman Colligan, Robert Cramp, Dan DeWalt, Richard Foye, Rich Gillis, Caryn King, Leonard Ragouzeos, Georgie Runkle, Roger Sandes, Deidre Scherer, Matt Tell, Christine Triebert and Mary Welsh. Studios are adjacent to, or in, homes, so this tends to … [Read more...] about Rock River Open Studios