flea market finds + Amy Gross!

Bob and I got up extra early this morning so that we could drive to Rowley, MA to check out the Todd Farm Flea Market...


It was much larger than either of us had expected, but we managed to cover the entire thing in about two hours -- taking our time and looking closely at first then quickly scanning by the end. There were some wonderful things and lots of, well, crap (literally, there was a guy pedalling plastic poo!)

We made two small purchases - the first was a lovely little della robbia, we have one that I made Bob for his birthday two years ago, but I love these things, and I need all the luck I can get in the kitchen! I also purchased some doilies...



I have big plans for the doilies...I recently came across this photograph in Amy Gross's flickr photostream:

She covered the cat scratches on her sofa with flea market doilies, Solomon (her cat) soon lost interest in the sofa as scratching post. Personally, I'm going to need many more doilies, however, it's a start...

Amy is a brilliant artist and textile designer. She is participating in the upcoming Teeny Tiny Art Show #5 in September! In fact, I just posted an interview with Amy to our Teeny Tiny Art Blog. You can read about Amy and some of the other participating artists HERE!

Teeny Tiny Art Blog!

The Teeny Tiny Art Show #5 is coming in September!! Forbidden Fruit leading us into temptation...

AND I've created a special blog dedicated to this special show.


In the coming weeks I will be posting about participating artists - interviews, pictures, random things...more than you would ever need to know!! Read all about 'em here.

i heart wide-angle lenses

Robin came in and took some shots of the gallery with her fancy wide-angle lense, they came out great! The space looks huge...


And here's Robin with the work!

Robin Luciano Beaty: Above and Beyond...

We have the most beautiful show in the gallery right now! "Above and Beyond" is an exhibition of encaustic paintings by Robin Luciano Beaty.

Robin works in the ancient medium of encaustic: a molten beeswax paint mixed with resin and dry pigments. She describes in her statement how the medium allows her to escape the confines of everyday artist's techniques and provides her with more exploratory means of expression. “Its qualities are sublime and unpredictable, additive and subtractive, translucent and sculptural, which strongly influences the direction of the painting.”

“My process is driven by the visceral journey of discovering something reminiscent rather than recording a specific space. The act of scraping, tearing, building up and burning down the layers of wax from the surface of the painting to reveal distinct compositions and texture is metaphor for digging into memory, and allows me to navigate that internal journey. It is the intention of my work that the viewer see the personally familiar in the most foreign, exploring the deeper roots of beauty with a new set of eyes; those above and beyond the surface or that which goes unnoticed.” ~Robin Beaty, 2009

Robin Luciano Beaty is an award winning painter out of Newbury, Ma. Her work has been featured in multiple solo exhibitions. Represented in many private and corporate collections internationally, her work can also be found in galleries around New england and numerous group and juried shows. Most recently Robin was awarded the Award for Excellence in Mixed Media at the NAA's 12th annual Regional juried show as well as the prestigious International Encaustic Painting "Conference Award" for Best in Show in the exhibition juried by Nicholas Capasso, chief curator of the Decordova Museum.
Robin's highly collected work has been described as "a compelling intersection between painting, sculpture and installation" and "beautifully conceptual, satisfying mind and spirit simultaneously".

"Above and Beyond" is up thru August 3rd - don't miss it!! If you are too far to make the journey, you can see all of the works here and here in our online shop! Enjoy.

Sara du Long + Market Square Day

Also in June...Sara du Long was here in the gallery for a Trunk Show featuring lots of new pieces. She was working away all winter to create some amazing new designs...It was great for folks to have the opportunity to meet Sara in person, and hear her talk about her process and inspiration!


Though Sara is not here everyday to share her secrets, her fabulous jewelry designs are a permanent fixture. Check out some of the new work in our online shop!

**We will be having a Trunk Show with Erin Moran in August - details coming soon!

Also in June, Portsmouth celebrated Market Square Day! Three Graces participated with a booth - thanks to the amazingly talented and generous Erin Moran for her help! It was a fun and successful day...

June was busy...Nicole Maloof!!

Dear blog, i am so sorry to have neglected you for so long! I looked at my calendar the other day and was shocked to see that june had come and gone and july is upon us...I'll write about current goings on in a following post, however, I feel the need to share with everyone the happenings of this past june...

Three Graces featured "Love Letters to Kafka", an exhibition of recent works on paper by Nicole Maloof. The exhibition was extremely well received, it challenged many viewers and made others giddy with excitement!

“Drawings for the current show were made in the spirit of Kafka's literary works. The imagery touches upon a nightmarish and fantastical world where coherency and meaning is not seemingly present. Strange creatures interact in a stage-like world, though insufficient information is available to piece a full story together. My starting point begins with the questioning of social constructs that exist around us. Man-made concepts of power, punishment, the existence of the Other, etc run through the work. Machine guns, ramen, schoolgirls, and executioners coexist. Strange relationships are forged, creating humorous but unnerving images that the viewer is left to decipher. These implied narratives are aimed at inducing an investigation of their meaning, a process reflective of our own search for meaning in the absurd and potentially godless world that we reside in.” ~Nicole Maloof, 2009

The above painting is called "The Courts Were Too Powerful for Dracula and Frankenstein". Nicole is juxtaposing historic evils (in the form of executioner and clan member) with fictional evils (Dracula, Frankenstein and blue vampiric blob)...the latter are saddened and can't bare to look...

Nicole Maloof was born in 1983 in Seoul, South Korea. She received her BFA with a concentration in Painting and her BA with a concentration in Chemistry from Boston University in 2006. She currently resides in Boston, MA. In July, Nicole will be travelling to South Korea on a teaching Fulbright. For the next year, she will be teaching English, investigating Korea's contemporary arts, and continuing to make art as well. An account of the trip will be posted on her blog (http://nicolesyearofkimchi.blogspot.com).

"Love Letters to Kafka" came down this past Monday. Many works from the show sold, however the remaining works will be available thru Three Graces. Check out our online shop for more details. Enjoy!