New! Waxy Works

I am so excited for some of the new work that has come in as of late! Three Graces welcomes Robin Luciano Beaty, her work is a delicious blend of organic texture, mod form and expressive design.

"The medium of encaustic; a molten beeswax paint mixed with resin and dry pigments, allows me to escape the confines of everyday artist's techniques and provides me with more exploratory means of expression. Its qualities are sublime and unpredictable, additive and subtractive, translucent and sculptural, which has strongly influenced my departure from realism to abstraction. This ancient technique has become my method of navigating the obscure terrain of imagination and memory."

You can view more of Robin's work here and here.

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Liz Tran has sent some more of her highly anticipated dress paintings. (Liz originally exhibited her paintings at Three Graces this past February in the Teeny Tiny Art Show II.)

You can see more of the paintings Liz sent here and here.

he makes me happy when skies are gray

Yeah! George just finished hanging the new sign I painted a few weeks ago. George has helped me on so many projects here at the gallery and I am so grateful for his friendship and skills. In addition to being a fine friend, he is a fine furniture designer + maker, check out his modern, clean and simple designs at www.georgebeland.com (I designed his website too!) and his furniture is also available here in the gallery.

BIRDS!

Suspense and shock beyond anything you have seen or imagined!






Rather, charm and whimsy - Birds have taken over Three Graces! Our feathered friends are perched throughout in the form of acrylic, clay, soft-sculpture and wax...

"Options Abound" by Robin Luciano Beaty (encaustic and mixed-media)


details of handbags by Becky OH!

Soft Sculpture by Abby Glassenberg........"Birds on a Red Line" by Tiffany Torre (oil on wool)

"Blue Vermont Dusk" by Rachel Paxton (acrylic on canvas)

"Curious Bird" by Stephanie Young (terracotta)

Bird tile and free standing Birds by Leah Murphy

"Dream of Flying" by Johanna Finnegan-Topitzer (scultural book)

sculptural bird pendant by Erin Moran (clay/sterling silver)

shiao-ping wang: new paintings

Last night was the opening reception for a beautiful exhibiton of new paintings by Shiao-Ping Wang and sculpture by M. Turner. The gallery was pleasantly packed with friends, family, artists and art enthusiasts alike. It was also pleasure to see many of my old, errhhh, former professors from UNH!

The show will be up thru June 9th, in the meantime, you can also take a look at the works from the show HERE.

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Shiao-Ping was born in Taiwan and immigrated to the United States in 1981. She studied both Western art and Chinese art in New York and earned a MFA degree from Queens College, City University of New York. She works both abstractly and from observation in various painting media. Her work has been exhibited throughout the US and China. She has taught painting and drawing in various colleges including the University of New Hampshire. In 2007 Shiao-Ping won a Fellowship at Vermont Studio Center.

"I am most interested in growth and change when I make art. I find patterns fascinating: when a few shapes accumulate in large numbers the appearance and energy of the image becomes wholly different.More often than not the gathering (or “swarming”) of shapes develops intuitively without planned organizations on my part. However, nature often emerges in my work through the movements and textures I see in the environment around me. The layers of paint and material I use generate the physical change in the process that is very interesting to observe, just like the change of seasons.I see a color either “float” or “sink” on the flat surface of the canvas, always moving and changing in many directions. For this reason I use acrylic paint and a vinyl paint, called Flashe, to obtain both glossy (acrylic) and matte (Flashe) surfaces for a vision that is constantly changing."

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Melissa earned a MFA degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art in MI and has taught at Mass Art and most recently Sanctuary Arts in Eliot, ME.

"In making art, as in any language, we strive to find a way to understand our environment and to connect through our experience. Interpretation becomes the focus of an idea. Through inquiry, series of conflicts arise and choices are made that dictate formal result. But resolution is difficult when endless other options lie as unused raw material. I do not set out to produce a particular piece. With the accumulation of coils, I draw these shapes in three dimensions. It is from within the ongoing process of examination and drawing that the art object truly emerges. It is the rare and exquisite result of an intense interaction with one’s deepest interests."

Money doesn't grow on trees?

Last night I installed a window display at G.Wilikers for the Buy Local program. The theme of the display is "Plant your money locally and watch it grow." I had a lot of fun creating a kid friendly environment and props, including a giant 4 foot flower with leaves made out of dollar bills (faux dollar bills from the toy store, of course!). It took the physical strength of Jody (the owner of G.Wilikers) and her daughter Zoe to stuff the portly teady into the Buy Local t-shirt - perhaps I should have gotten him a bigger size! The display will be up for the entire month of May in an effort to further educate our community about the Buy Local program and the importance of spending their money at local independent businesses as it strengthens the local economy and sense of community and reduces harsh impact on the environment. Check it out!

Tanya Zaryski

I just received a package containting an amazing assortment of hand painted hand blown works by glass goddess Tanya Zaryski! I first fell in love with Tanya's work while vacationing in Woodstock, VT this past winter.


Here's a snipit from her artist statement:

"I have always considered myself an image-maker, and a decorator of surfaces. Attracted to the highly colored and densely populated surfaces of folk art images, textile designs, and ancient enamelled glass ware, I have striven to create the same "look" but in the context of my own experiences. Rows of town houses replace traditional abstract borders, and familiar faces stand in for figures of mythology."

In many of the pieces, Tanya has added remnants of spoken/written words (the "Speak" series). "Some faces utter words, distorted by molten glass overlaid in the comic-like speech bubbles, others speak in images. Bits of conversation, nonsense words and poems are painted deep within the glass."

Tanya began her art training at the University of Toronto, studying art history, painting, drawing and sculpture, before discovering glass blowing at Sheridan College. She completed three years working as an artist-in-residence at the Harbourfront Glass Studio in Toronto. She currently lives with her partner Mark Lewis, and their young son on a farm in the Beaver Valley near Georgian Bay (Canada). After 18 months of renovating, they have completed work on their century barn, creating a functioning hot glass studio and gallery space (Beaver Valley Glassworks).

More of the works that are now available at Three Graces can be seen here.

Shiao-Ping Wang: New Paintings

The postcards just arrived for the next show! "Shiao-Ping Wang: New Paintings" opens next Friday, May 9th! A sneak preview of some of the new works can be seen here.

New Hampshire Folk Festival & Jazzmouth

My love for this little city by the sea grew stronger this weekend with the celebration of the New Hampshire Folk Festival and Jazzmouth!

I am a proud member of the "Buy Local" program here in Portsmouth. The Seacoast Buy Local campaign highlights the connection between shopping at locally owned, independent businesses and retaining our community's distinctive character. Cuzin' Richard invited us to have a table at the Folk Festival. Bob and I represented; we had many interesting conversations with people regarding the importance of buying local as it is better for our community, our economy and the environment.

The Folk Fest was held at the South Church on State Street and featured three great perfomers: Antje Duvekot, Cormac McCarthy and the Jake Armerding Band.

After the concert we headed over to the Press Room to catch the tail end of an amazing performance by Jazz great Sheila Jordan with the Harvey Diamond Trio.

through the looking glass

Wow, I can't believe an entire month has gone by since my last post! I've been a busy busy bee...I took an inspiring trip to Boston a few weeks ago where I spent most of my time admiring various window displays, I came home with lots of ideas and got right to work!

Happy Easter!

Warm and Woolen

Last night we celebrated the opening of "Warm Woolen Paintings", recent works by Tiffany Torre. The exhibition features four-legged critters, birds on a red line and a few landscapes - all painted on wool.

Tiffany was present and privy to answer questions about the work and especially her process.


"Warm Woolen Paintings" will be on display thru April 7th. Do drop in for some warm wooly wonder and if you can't, all of the paintings from the show can also be viewed here.

In like a lion...

It is now March!? February has come and gone, taking with it much of my energy - the Teeny Tiny Art Show II has been great and all consuming! One week of the show remains so if you haven't yet been in to see the overwhelming wonder, do drop in. Here are some photos of the installation:

more photos can be viewed here.

Roses are Red...

As Valentine's Day nears, Three Graces is feeling the love! In addition to the abundance of teeny tiny art now available, the gallery is full of hand-made one of a kind items sure to seduce or affirm your affection...

Shown above: fabulous one-of-a-kind handbags by Becky OH! and jewelry designs by Sara du Long.

Shown above: Heart pendant and matching earrings by Erin Moran (also available in pink and fuscia)

Alvin Ailey at the Wang

Exhausted by the recent barrage of tiny art in all it's small-scale splendor, Bob extended a thoughtful invitation to a relaxing night out of town. The destination was kept top-secret, the only clues given: that we would sit and watch something in Beantown!?

To my surprise he had made arrangements for us to see the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the Wang Center.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater grew from the now fabled performance in March 1958, at the 92nd Street Young Men's Hebrew Association in New York. Led by Alvin Ailey and a group of young African-American modern dancers, that performance changed forever the perception of American dance. Today, led by Artistic Director, Judith Jamison, AAADT has gone on to perform for an estimated 21 million people in 48 states and in 71 countries on six continents, including two historic residencies in South Africa. The company has earned a reputation as one of the most acclaimed international ambassadors of American culture, promoting the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance.

Performances included 'Firebird' (choreographed in 1970), 'The Groove to Nobody's Business' (choreographed in 2007), 'Unfold' (choreographed in 2005) and 'Revelations' (choreographed in 1960 by Alvin Ailey himself).

*photos couresty of www.alvinailey.org