Well, this is a twist! How many comic book artists have you encountered in your life? When I heard of this exhibition, I thought it’d be fascinating to explore — because it’s so different from what we usually cover. Brandon Cable is a New Englander who hails from Connecticut and has drawn and executed art all his life. Even when he was quite small, the standard gift he received was paper, markers and lots of encouragement. He eventually found his way north to Manchester, New Hampshire, where he earned his BFA from the Institute of Art and Design at New England College — in yes, Comic Arts! Who knew? Professionally, he is employed as a graphic artist. When he was in school, his college’s art collective, the Society of the Unified Artists, or SOUA for short, came up with an idea for creating rat superheroes as their mascot. “SOUA” sounds like sewer with a Boston accent, and Cable ran … [Read more...] about THE SUPERHERO WE NEED: BRANDON CABLE’S RAT KNIGHT COMIC ART IN ROCHESTER

Perhaps, you wonder, what could be a unifying theme for an expansive show of pastels by 60 artists who hail from 14 states, Canada and China? I certainly did. The answer is simple. There is none, beyond superior art and a desire to educate the public about the lesser-known medium of pastels. But that’s enough. This show was organized by the Pastel Society of Maine’s Exhibition Committee. Its host venue, the Brick Store Museum, is in the seaside town of Kennebunk’s historic district. Dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the region’s rich cultural and artistic heritage for over 80 years, the museum is in a charming brick- front building on a tree-lined street. Distributed throughout four rooms, the exhibition delights the eye and feeds the soul. In addition to the works mounted on the walls, a video plays on a monitor — intent on educating those who aren’t familiar with pastels. If … [Read more...] about RECONSIDERING PASTELS: INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE AT MAINE’S BRICK STORE MUSEUM

Part sci-fi, part figures from “primitive” mythology, part cartoon, always humorous, slightly macabre, surreal, and offbeat, Deb Mell’s mixed media paintings and sculptures are wildly unique totemic chimeras. Like walking into a lodge where a ritual will begin, or a theater where you will watch a post-apocalyptic exorcism. There is something so alive, joyful, inventive and mysterious about her work, that you want to adopt it like a new pet, make it part of your family, study and make inquiry into her pieces for weeks and years. It’s on display at Provincetown’s Berta Walker Gallery through November 12. Growing up in a small Illinois town near Cahokia where the Mound Builders lived, their stories and those of her grandparents handed down from her matrilineal great-grandmother who was unregistered Cherokee, one of those Mell said, who fled to the hills — infiltrated her consciousness. … [Read more...] about “A NEW ARTISTIC REALITY”: DEB MELL’S FANTASY FIGURATIVE ART AT BERTA WALKER

It’s unexpected to visit Fitchburg, about 50 miles from Boston, with a very large Spanish-speaking population, and within its art museum, experiencing a seven-artist exhibition that explores and presents varied views of Africa. Fitchburg Art Museum’s (FAM) partnership with artist collective Where Are All The Black People At (WAATBPA) has opened “Dialogues, Diasporas, and Detours Through Africa,” featuring the work of seven artists, curated by multi-disciplinary artist Dell Marie Hamilton with FAM curator Lauren Szumita. These artists in residence mark FAM’s inaugural Black Artist Residency. Through deep engagement with African art in the museum’s permanent collection, they created new bodies of work inspired by centuries of long-standing discourse between Africa and the United States. Artists each chose an African artwork from the collection as a starting point and through varied … [Read more...] about AN OPEN DIALOGUE AT FAM: WHERE ARE ALL THE BLACK PEOPLE AT’S POWERFUL RESIDENCY