Rabbits & Humanimal

I am so very pleased to present our second Satellite Exhibition in the main lobby of the Portsmouth Museum of Art in conjunction with their new show:

'Humanimal' presents a range of works representing both humans and animals... and the "in-between". Artists explore the many different relationships that humans have with animals in the world and within the human psyche.

"What makes a human human? How much of the animal remains in the human mind and body? The show includes artists' portraits of our animal selves as well as
animals taking on human-like personas, fantasy depictions of human-animal
combinations, explores the relationship between humans and animals, touches the
question of the future of animal species and references the presentation of
human-animal metaphors in literature and poetry. Images, sculpture and video
works range in content from mythic re-interpretation to sharp-eyed views on
contemporary life."

We have selected seven paintings by Fleur Palau, from her ongoing series "Rabbit World"...

"The Rabbit series is a whimsical, yet sometimes moody reflection of the human psyche set in the natural world.

The full meaning of these paintings is of course open to speculation and does not concern me, though I recognize the symbolism and irony that is the vehicle in which to reveal some useful message about ourselves.

I would hope that in these rabbbit portraits we may recognize the better attributes of our own nature, that of love, friendship, loyalty, and that the renewed recognition of this will at once empower and inspire." - Fleur Palau

In addition, this exhibit includes a sneak preview of two of the paintings to be published in a new children's book by author Bruce McMillan ...

All of the works from this show are also available to view + purchase in our online shop!

*Join us at the PMA for the public reception, Thursday, July 29th, 5:30 - 7:30pm in conjunction with the new show ... Enjoy a 'Beast Boy' at the bar accompanied by appetizers, courtesy of the Black Trumpet. And look, but don't pet, the live humanimals!

Painting of the week...

"Always on a Roll" by Denise Duong, mixed media on canvas, 36 x 36 inches

this painting was part of the satellite exhibition at the Portsmouth Museum of Art and now it is back in the gallery! learn more

... inspired by my new bicycle (thanks George!) and also because we LOVE it!

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race." ~H.G. Wells

Painting of the week...

... inspired by the weekly forecast and also because we LOVE it!

"It Rained Today" by Linda Cordner, wax + oil on panel, 10 x 10 inches

and it just so happens to be available in our online shop!

"Into each life some rain must fall."- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

...remains of the day

This past friday we celebrated the opening of "Remains of the Day" a solo exhibition of new works by the lovely Robin Luciano Beaty. We had a beautiful evening and the gallery was packed with friends, family and encaustic enthusiasts:)

Robin is an award winning painter out of Newbury, Massachusetts. (2009 International Encaustic Painting Conference Award for Best in Show in the exhibition curated by Nicholas Capasso, chief curator of the Decordova Museum; winner of the "Spotlight on the Arts Award" for 'Outstanding Abstract Artist of 2009'). Robin concentrates primarily on the ancient wax based medium of Encaustic paint, a molten beeswax mixed with resin and dry pigments, which she incorporates mixed media, vintage materials, textiles and found objects.

Robin's newest work is significantly large in scale, mainly 3ft to 4ft square , a huge expansion in comparison to her previous series "Above and Beyond, made up of over 200 individual 6" x 6" paintings. This particular series differs in the fact that scale commands you to be physically encompassed in the atmospheric emotion translated so seductively in wax.

Confluence #9, encaustic, oil, aluminum and glass on braced birch, 48 x 48

Each painting in this series contains within it an obvious and ethereal seascape at first glance. Upon a second look, an extended sense of light bursts through bossy cumuli or slight shards of sunrise cut through a rebellious horizon. They remain ambiguous, yet curiously nostalgic, pushing the viewer to revisit images from their own recollections. Painted intuitively, and not from reference, these pieces translate an individual perspective of space, evoking an ebb and flow, the constant conjoining and separation of ocean and land, calm yet anxious, peaceful yet frightening, reserved yet dominant; interchanges so indicative to life they are discernibly "tidal".

Divergence #2, encaustic, oil and aluminum on braced birch, 36 x 36

Confluence #11, encaustic, oil, copper and yarn on braced birch, 36 x 36

Confluence #7, encaustic, oil, aluminum, glass, fabric and bark on braced
birch panel, 48 x 48

This convergence of opposites is unconventionally translated by the juxtaposition of Robin's chosen medium: thick ethereal wax on cold sheet metal, soft childhood yarns meandering through shards of broken glass, thick copper remnants layered with delicate antique lace.

Above and Beyond #320, encaustic and mixed-media on braced birch, 6 x 6

Though the sculptural elements of wax and organic lines, themes and contemporary concepts pervade this work, so does the artists own intimacy with them. Incorporating family heirloom crochet, bark fallen from the trees around her studio, pieces of her handmade sari wedding dress, nails found in the basement of her father’s workshop, vintage love letters salvaged from a relatives attic, this work elicits a deep sense of the past and future all while keeping them benignly impersonal.

Although familiar as "landscape" or "seascape", this work is confounded by becoming more of a memory than a representation, incorporating the salvaged elements of emotion and object or fundamentally, that which "Remains of the Day." This show runs thru August 2nd!

Opening this friday, July 2nd...

"Art is a guarantee of sanity"

I just heard that Louise Bourgeois passed away yesterday, what an incredible woman. She lived an incredible life of 98 years and I am so thankful that I got to see her retrospective in London (blogged here).

I love this description from Stella Vine "She said there was a juxtaposition of sinister, controlling elements and full-on macho materials with a warm, nurturing and cocoon-like feminine side that appears within Bourgeois' art."

Louise Bourgeois said "An artist can show things that other people are terrified of expressing." She was bravely honest, smart and quite sassy. Repose en paix.

Opening June 4th ...

I am excited as today is the drop off for our next show! Three Graces is delighted to present "Kaetlyn Wilcox: The Woodland Chronicles".

In her upcoming show “The Woodland Chronicles,” Kaetlyn Wilcox presents a whimsical group of 44 mixed media paintings that range widely in scale, from monumental dreamscapes on paper, to tiny, one-inch portraits rendered painstakingly onto wooden eggs.

In all of her images, Wilcox seeks to create mysterious, open-ended narratives that explore imagined relationships between human and natural worlds. People encounter tangled forests of tree-size beanstalks growing up out of finely wrought birdcages...

Enormous animals burrow under tree-lined New England streets.

Women transform into wild birds...

and bird-headed people appear, matter-of-factly, dressed in their Sunday best.


Kaetlyn combines elements of gouache, watercolor and graphite works on paper to explore themes of innocence, disillusionment, identity, desire and repression. Her subject matter derives from fairy tales, myths, children’s stories, historical writings, nature publications, field guides and found domestic photography.

She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Wellesley College in 2001 with honors in Studio Art and went on to study painting and drawing at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Tufts University, where she earned her MFA in 2004. In addition to teaching, Kaetlyn is currently branching out into the world of book illustration.

Join us for the opening reception this Friday, June 4th, from 5-8pm. It's Art 'Round Town (portsmouth's first friday gallery walk) and also the kick off for "Shop Portsmouth Friday Nights" (Local businesses are joining together to stay open late every Friday night through October and warmly greet Portsmouth visitors with our unique shops). We will also have some live music -- Cole and the Make Out Scene will be here!

At the Edge ...

The Portsmouth Museum of Art (they recently dropped "Fine") held its grande opening in June of 2009. In the past year, significant changes have been made. Former curator, Ruthie Treadwell who helped launch the museum is out, and artist Katherine Doyle is in. The new mission and vision statements define the museum as an institution of education. This clarification will end an earlier practice of selling art. Their current goal is to enrich the local cultural landscape by developing partnerships, creating collaborative opportunities among artist and art organizations an by presenting a complete art experience that includes literature and poetry, performance art, film and other technologies and to initiate an on-going public dialogue around art.

This past Thursday evening marked the official opening of their current exhibition, "At the Edge: Subversive Ideas and New Forms".

This show explores intent and expression created with a range of materials and techniques. Each artist sets their sights on an 'edge' with his or her own visual language. They challenge viewers preconceived notions about familiar objects and art forms. Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz take the expected kitch of snowglobes and transform them into vulnerable little worlds. The tables are turned with Tony Oursler's sculpture as digital images of eyes peer out from an amoeba-like splat. Tseng Kwong Chi's 1983 photograph of choreographer Bill T. Jones, painted by Keith Haring, celebrates art and movement with the body as living canvas. Ray Caesar digitally creates incredibly detailed and strangely haunting worlds in beautifully rendered images that are both delightful and disturbing. 'My Mother's Legacy' is a series of bowls presenting a poem that commemorates Boston artist Sarah Hutt's mother's life. Commentary on current political and social events is presented with a wry sense of humor as Daniel McDonald's band of bobble-head mummies struggles with 'Restricted Access to Medical Care'. A sampling of Judy Chicago's iconic plates, a print by Jeff Koons and a story quilt by Faith Ringgold are among the gems in this show that you won't want to miss.

I was thrilled by the opportunity to curate a small exhibition in the main lobby space in conjunction with the new show! Three Graces is very pleased and proud to present works by Denise Duong, Amy Gross, Nicole Maloof and Kelly Vivanco.


Here are a few photos of the show (starting in the main lobby) ...

... and to the main exhibition ...

More pictures from "At the Edge" can be seen on our flickr.

All of the works in the main lobby are indeed for sale! You can view all of the works by Kelly Vivanco, Denise Duong, Amy Gross and Nicole Maloof here in our online shop!

The Portsmouth Museum of Art is located at One Harbour Place (in between the Seacoast Repertory Theatre and Prescott Park). "At the Edge" and our Satellite Exhibition run thru July 11th.

Olive Tree Web Studio

I am excited to announce the launch of my website for my websites: "Olive Tree Web Studio".

I am a formally trained oil painter and a self-taught web maker -- you may wonder how this relates to Three Graces!? Well, my first site was for the gallery, and it has gracefully evolved from an embarrassment to a source of creativity and confidence.

... and of course, I couldn't resist the shameless opportunity for a plug!

Behind the Curtain!

We had a lovely night for the opening reception of the new show, "Behind the Curtain" featuring recent works by Chloë Feldman Emison, thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us!

I just posted a few pictures to our flickr, taken by Trisha and David. Above is Chloë, reluctant at having her photo taken at the end of the night...and below, Shiao-Ping Wang performing "Behind the Curtain"!

For those of you who didn't make it out, the show runs thru May 31st -- its a compelling body of work, featuring over 40 pieces!

And I am pleased to report that I am finally finished formatting all of the images, so all of the works from this show are also available thru our online shop!

the stage is set...

progress

To cover the brick or not to cover the brick...that was the question. And though I love it for its natural beauty, the color and busy pattern is not an ideal backdrop for paintings. So, the answer -- COVER THE BRICK! (at least some of it)

Three trips to the hardware store and we're finally making progress!

Still much to do...