On Saturday, October 5th, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm, True Grit Art Gallery will host an opening reception for 'Imperfections' —a solo exhibit of fine art assemblages by Middleboro artist L. E. (Lori) Ashley. The gallery invites the public to come meet with and support a talented hometown artist. Attendees will view many original works, enjoy complimentary adult refreshments, and socialize with other local art enthusiasts. This event is free and open to the public. L.E.Ashley (Lori) is a Middleboro,MA artist who combines oil painting with assemblage art, housing her paintings in carefully chosen architectural elements made from reclaimed antique wood and rusty hardware. “I’m the type who at a yardsale or antique fair will bypass the furniture and collectibles and head straight for the dirty old cardboard box in the back, the one filled with rusty nails and mismatched wood bits from Grandpa's garage”, she says. “I find the imperfect infinitely more interesting than the perfect. My work reflects this. So does my life", she laughs. ”I’ve chosen to embrace this instead of berating myself for faulty measurements and lack of perfection. If I ding a piece of wood while hammering in a nail, the imperfection stays and becomes a part of the character of the piece. If something has a crack or a chip, all the better. I'm looking for that homemade appearance, That look from a time past when people used what they had and elements didn't always match. Our ancestors always seemed to find a way to create what they needed, and often quite beautifully.” “As a way of life, my position is always to move away from materialism and waste, the buying of new and perfect, the casting a way of the old and imperfect. The recycling aspect appeals to me. I love to deconstruct something that's broken and reuse it to make something new. Also greatly satisfying,is the dual meditative, whole- body focus in painting my images, then choosing and constructing the assemblage elements where everything falls together like puzzle pieces in the end.” ‘Imperfections’ is on view from its opening night through October 26th.True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St in Middleboro, MA. Regular gallery hours are Tues 11-4, Wed thru Fri 10-5, and Sat 10-3. 'Imperfections' posts online beginning Tues, Oct 8 !
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Join us Saturday, September 14th, from 6-8pm as we host an opening reception for ‘Poetic Visions’— an exhibition of visual art inspired by local poetry. Enjoy complementary adult refreshments while socializing with other local art and poetry enthusiasts. The event is free and open to the public.
Throughout the month of July 2024, True Grit Art Gallery put out a Call For Poetry to local poets from southern New England. They were asked to submit up to 3 poems with vibrant imagery and strong metaphors for an upcoming planned art exhibition. The idea was the gallery would select five poems from this pool of poetry submissions that visual artists could respond to by producing one artwork each. The catch was that the gallery would assign each participating artist a poem to work with by a purely random, lottery process. This was done to ensure an equitable artworks to poem distribution for the planned exhibit. Over 40 local poets submitted and over 40 local artists accepted the challenge. The completed artworks will be exhibited at the gallery along with the enlarged, printed poems when ‘Poetic Visions’ premieres on its opening night. The poets whose work was chosen have been invited to perform live readings of their poems as well. ‘Poetic Visions’ will run from its opening night through September 28th.True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St in Middleboro, MA. Regular gallery hours are Tues 11-4, Wed thru Fri 10-5, and Sat 10-3 On Saturday, August 3rd, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm, True Grit Art Gallery will host an opening reception for 'By The Sea' —a solo exhibit of oil paintings by South Middleboro artist Lindsey MacMurdo. The gallery invites the public to come to meet with and support a talented hometown artist. Attendees will view many original works, enjoy complimentary adult refreshments, and socialize with other local art enthusiasts. This event is free and open to the public.
Lindsey MacMurdo is a fine art photographer and oil painter from Middleboro, Massachusetts. Her artistic journey is deeply rooted in her profound connection with the sea, which serves as a constant inspiration. Her creative process involves exploring picturesque beach towns, where she seeks to capture the unique beauty and charm that these towns have to offer. Her fascination with the interplay of light and shadow is a recurring theme in her work. Lindsey is captivated by how these elements can transform ordinary objects into extraordinary subjects, imbuing them with a sense of life and vitality. She finds immense beauty in the delicate balance between light and dark, a dynamic that evokes a sense of wonder and inspiration within her. She always keeps a camera nearby, ready to seize those fleeting, magical moments that might otherwise go unnoticed. Whether it’s the gentle curve of a wave, the texture of a weathered boardwalk, or the fleeting glint of sunlight on the water, Lindsey’s keen eye ensures that she is always ready to capture the beauty around her. She hopes that her paintings instill the same sense of joy and wonder in others, as they do in her. ‘By The Sea’ is on view from its opening night through August 24th. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St in Middleboro, MA. Regular gallery hours are Tues 11-4, Wed thru Fri 10-5, and Sat 10-3. On Saturday, July 6th, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm, True Grit Art Gallery will host an opening reception for 'Being In Nature' —a solo exhibit of artworks in oils and pastels by Marstons Mills artist Anne Hitch. The gallery invites the public to attend this event and meet with another talented local artist. Attendees will view many original works, enjoy complimentary adult refreshments, and socialize with other local art enthusiasts. This event is free and open to the public. “Through my work as an art therapist, I bear witness to the healing power of art’, says Anne, ”I experience the same gratification with my own painting as it calms and regulates emotions. My subject matter and inspiration comes from nature. I am interested in creating realistic portrayals of nature and my surroundings. Working with oils, or pastels, I strive to capture the beauty, color, and light of my subjects. My appreciation for the inherent beauty of nature and the small, overlooked moments inspires my work. I try to portray a tranquility to the atmosphere I create with my work that's befitting of the pastoralism I'm most drawn to. My paintings are a captured moment in time, and a study of the essence of the person, place, or object I am depicting.” ‘Being In Nature’ is on view from its opening night through July 27th.True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St in Middleboro, MA. Regular gallery hours are Tues 11-4, Wed thru Fri 10-5, and Sat 10-3. This show will post online beginning Tuesday, July 9th! Join us Saturday, June 8th, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm, as we host an opening reception for 'Colorscapes' —a solo exhibit of alcohol ink paintings by North Attleboro, MA artist Mary Wojciechowski. The gallery invites the public to attend and meet this great local artist. Attendees will view many original works, enjoy complimentary adult refreshments, and socialize with other local art enthusiasts. This event is free and open to the public.
“Working with alcohol inks has become a natural progression from my earlier painting,” says Mary. “For more than thirty years, I have been a watercolorist, painting primarily in a representational style. My introduction to Yupo as an alternative to traditional watercolor paper propelled me to paint with watercolors more expressively and intuitively. The more recent discovery of alcohol ink on Yupo has greatly expanded upon that. Alcohol ink is a highly pigmented and quick drying medium applied by pouring or brushing on a non-porous surface. The vibrant colors of this ink intermingle creating unique textural effects, most often leading to unexpected results. I have found the quick and constant problem solving throughout the process to be exciting in a way that no other medium has previously and that this explorative approach has carried over significantly to my other painting endeavors.” ‘Colorscapes’’ is on view from its opening night through June 29. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St in Middleboro, MA. Regular gallery hours are Tues 11-4, Wed thru Fri 10-5, and Sat 10-3. Join us Saturday, May 11, from 6 to 8 PM as we host an opening reception for 'Erasing History' —a solo exhibit of mixed media artworks by Warren,RI artist John Irwin. Enjoy complimentary adult refreshments, meet and chat with the artist, and socialize with other local art enthusiasts. Free and open to the public. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St. in Middleboro,MA. These new paintings were created during and after the chaos of the Covid era. In the last few years an atmosphere of paranoia, mistrust and anxiety has taken hold of humanity and left many of us confused and overwhelmed. Political and social upheaval, here and throughout the world, have seared their way into our collective consciences. Disillusionment with government and media institutions is something we have all felt in one way or another. There are also two major wars raging at the moment. As an artist, and a human being, I can not help but be influenced by these current events and by what I see and hear on social media, television and talk shows. The pictures exhibited here are a reflection of— and sometimes a reaction to— what I have seen and heard. The paintings themselves are a combination of multiple types of mixed media. Oil and acrylic paint are sometimes mixed with plaster and sawdust and with clippings from magazines embedded into the surface along with scraps of discarded drawings and painted cardboard. Crayon, magic marker and pencil are used to make small, graffiti-like passages. Occasionally I would glue or staple twigs, wildflowers and other three dimensional objects onto the surface of the painting. The result, which admittedly can be slightly overwhelming, is a body of work that is disorienting, dense and emotionally charged. I would describe these pictures as a kind of stream of consciousness view of our world with a little humor thrown in. As I was working on them I sometimes would get into a creative zone where I temporarily lost track of time. It was difficult to decide when enough was enough.— J.I. Join us Saturday, April 13, from 6 to 8 PM as we host an opening reception for 'Traversing Water & Land'– a solo exhibit of paintings by Lunenburg, MA artist Jill Pottle. Enjoy complementary adult refreshments, chat with the artist, and socialize with local art enthusiasts. Free and open to the public. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St. in Middleboro,MA.
Jill Pottle is an artist from Worcester County who exhibits her paintings and drawings both locally and nationally. She graduated from Syracuse University with a BFA and received her MFA from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School. She is a lifelong accomplished artist and has been teaching art for 39 years. My paintings have been described as "expressionist realism". I primarily work from life and reinterpret the subject into a personal response to convey my story. I get lost in the moment, searching for that perfect brush stroke or that delicious color combination or that mark that leads to the vivid illusion of reality. In all things, I see the world as a mirror and have an insatiable curiosity and passion. I create landscapes "en plein air“ and studio paintings either oils or acrylics. Working outside on location keeps a renewed vision of observation, everything is constantly changing. I try to capture moments in the time, when in front of nature. The landscape reminds me to be spontaneous when I return to the studio. —Jill Pottle Traversing Water & Land will be up from its opening night through May 4. Regular gallery hours are Tuesdays 11 to 4, Wednesday through Friday 10 to 5, and Saturdays 10 to 3. Join us for our annual small works show, beginning with an opening reception on Saturday, December 9, from 6 to 8 PM. Enjoy complementary adult refreshments, meet and chat with local artists, free and open to the public! Small Wonders 2023 features smaller artworks in painting and photography priced for this holiday season. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St. in Middleborough, MA.
Image: 'Love Language' © Emmanuel Lusardi, Carver, MA. Artists from all over southern New England have flocked to Middleboro during the month of October to participate in the Nemasket Plein Air Festival 2023— an outdoor painting event sponsored by True Grit Art Gallery. Artists were invited to come to Middleboro to paint en plein air during the entire month of October and to display their artworks at the downtown art gallery’s accompanying exhibition throughout November. The first Nemasket Plein Air Exhibition will kick off with an opening reception at the gallery on Saturday, Nov 4th, from 6-8pm and run through November 25th. The gallery invites the public to attend the opening reception and see the beauty of our town expressed in art. En plein air is a French term which, in simple terms, means “painting out of doors, in the open air.” Plein air painting was innovated by the French Impressionist painters when paints became easily obtainable in portable tubes in the 19th century. Plein air festivals have become popular events within the art community in recent decades. Included among the suggested painting locations and subject matter for the Nemasket Plein Air Festival were cranberry bogs and harvesting, Oliver Mill Park, scenic Thompson St in North Middleboro, and South Main St around the town’s historic Town Hall. Thirty artists have registered for the event and each has been guaranteed three slots in the accompanying exhibition. Cash prizes and ribbons will be awarded at the opening reception for first, second, and third place as well as two honorable mentions. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St in Middleboro. Regular hours are Tuesdays 11-4, Wednesday through Friday 10-5, and Saturdays 10-3. Go to show page!
On Saturday, October 7th, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm, True Grit Art Gallery will host an opening reception for ‘Portals: The Edge of Time’ — a solo exhibition of new assemblages by Middleboro, MA artist Katina Spileos Hayward. Katina was born in Quincy. She received her BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Her work has been included in both group and solo exhibitions throughout the Boston area including the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Fuller Craft Museum, Boston Center for the Arts, and numerous area galleries. Extensive bodies of work include multi-media installations, artists’ books and mixed media collage as well as sculpture. Nature- based materials and found objects have a strong presence in her work.
Katina states, “Artists’ books and mixed media, have been the inspiration for my current body of work. It is a holistic series regarding loss and separation associated with grief. Ancient civilizations as well as the natural world and found objects are consistent components throughout my work. These sculptural pieces and prayer books explore ancient belief systems, mysteries of the afterlife and spiritual healing through prayer and meditation. Ancient Greek text and paper prayers symbolize the ‘messages from the beyond’. Hand- written paper prayers belong to the memory of my mother. This series is a personal documentation of process and understanding of the transport of the soul from the physical into the spiritual world.” The gallery invites the public to come and meet this great local artist, view her works, and enjoy complimentary adult refreshments while socializing with other local art enthusiasts. This event is free and open to the public. ‘Portals: The Edge of Time’ is up from its opening night through October 28th. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St in Middleboro, MA. Regular gallery hours are Tues 11-4, Wed thru Fri 10-5, and Sat 10-3. Join us Saturday, September 16, from 6- 8 PM as we host an opening reception for Marshfield, MA artist Dorothy Pentheny's new exhibit 'Land, Sea and Sky'. Enjoy complementary adult refreshments, meet the artist, and socialize with other local art enthusiasts. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St. in Middleborough, MA.
“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air” a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson is my inspiration to paint this curious and beautiful world. My paintings capture what we love about the land and sea around us. The cool deep woods, the vast ocean, and the open fields around New England are a refuge from the chaos of our lives. Being in nature brings us an escape, entertainment, and for some a source of income. The paintings in my show “Land, Sea and Sky” capture everyday moments that leave lasting impressions; lobsterman heading out to sea in the early morning, a curious calf in a patch of wildflowers, or a bank of orange clouds over the blue ocean. These are the moments worth remembering. When painting on location (en plein air) I notice the colors bouncing around my subject and see how nature creates a perfect color harmony. My larger studio paintings are informed by these smaller works.— D.P. An oil painter for almost 20 years, Dorothy Pentheny has been exhibiting her paintings and selling her art work locally and throughout the US. Pentheny is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where her photographs won recognition in the University Art Gallery. Her paintings have been juried into numerous art shows. She has recently been the featured gallery artist at South Shore Art Center in Cohasset. Her work was awarded “Best Oil Painting” in the Hull Lifesaving Museum show and received an Honorable Mention from the Plymouth Art Guild. She continues to augment her education with self-study and workshops. On Thursday, August 3rd, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm, True Grit Art Gallery will host an opening reception for ‘Channeling Self— Painting For Healing and Self Discovery’ — a solo exhibition of new paintings by Plymouth, MA artist Kaile Dutton. Kaile Dutton is an abstract expressionist working primarily in acrylics. She is a multi-passionate entrepreneur. From singing, performing, fine art and design, to her thriving healing business as a Master Multi-dimensional Energy Worker and Psychic Medium, she treats all her passions as life art. Unique aspects about Kaile’s work include paintings channeled with healing messages or transformative energies. All her work is an extension and expression of sentiments, emotions, and feelings based on her life journey and her own personal need to heal trauma. She is deeply influenced by nature's colors and patterns. In her own words, Kaile states, "I've always gravitated towards abstraction and how colors and techniques create emotional response allowing myself and viewer their own experience. How the paint feels and the meditative and hypnotic reaction I have while creating for the purposes of healing and pleasure. Much of my work represents my emotional and introspective journey of the self after major life shifts that challenged me to look deeply at who I am. To admit and face a deep and imperative need to heal my own pain. To learn to let go of the illusion of control and ego on the deepest level possible at this point in my life. This is echoed through pour techniques because you cannot control the outcome of the play of the paint and patterns that emerge once it chemically reacts from a liquid pour technique. It has since evolved into the study of my work in a more conscious manner to be present with the techniques I am combining. As a result, realizing how deeply influenced I am by nature patterns, colors, textures and emotional experiences of the soul while struggling to be human.” The gallery invites the public to come and meet this great local artist, view her works, and enjoy complimentary adult refreshments while socializing with other local art enthusiasts. This event is free and open to the public. ‘Channeling Self’ is up from its opening night through August 26th. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St in Middleboro, MA. Regular gallery hours are Tues 11-4, Wed thru Fri 10-5, and Sat 10-3 The show will post online beginning Monday, August 7!
On Saturday, July 8th, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm, True Grit Art Gallery will host an opening reception for ‘Viewing New England’ — a solo exhibit of new paintings by Taunton, MA artist Michael Evans. Michael Evans is an award-winning artist who’s work is nationally and internationally known. He has studied with Lisa Granata at the Attleboro Arts Museum, Colleen Vandeventer at her studio, Carla Carey at Hunakai Studio, School of Fine Arts and several workshops with prominent national artists .Michael has served on the Board of Trustees of the Attleboro Arts Museum For twelve years and chairs the museum’s annual fundraising auction.He is also a past member of the board and Treasurer of the Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod. Michael maintains a studio in Pawtucket and teaches a variety of art classes at Hunakai Studio, School of Fine Arts in Foxboro, MA. Regarding his upcoming exhibit, Michael states, “Nature has been an inspiration for me since my youth. Growing up on a farm in central New York afforded me the opportunity to explore the fields, pastures, streams, and forests of my childhood home. I Continue to be inspired by the environment around me. Whether it is the view along the roadside, the trails in state and national parks or conservation lands, I find scenes of beauty to paint. The subjects are those that pique my interest: a flowering tree in a field, waves crashing on rocks, reflections in water on a hike through a primal wood. Interpret these scenes and create a sense of place through color, composition,and texture with the hope the viewer will be transported into the scene. New England provides a myriad of opportunities to explore nature and our surroundings. My subjects are not always great vistas, but more an exploration of a place: up close and personal. The gallery invites the public to come and meet this great local artist, view her works, and enjoy complimentary adult refreshments while socializing with other local art enthusiasts. This event is free and open to the public. ‘Viewing New England’ is up from its opening night through July 29th. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St in Middleboro, MA. Regular gallery hours are Tues 11-4, Wed thru Fri 10-5, and Sat 10-3. Go to show page
"Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink in the wild air." — Ralph Waldo Emerson Join us Saturday, June 10, from 6 to 8 PM as we host an opening reception for Scituate, MA painter Kathleen Dunn. Enjoy complementary adult refreshments. Meet and greet with the artist. Socialize with other local art enthusiasts. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St. in Middleboro, MA.
Presenting landscape as a transcendent experience, painter Kathleen Dunn exhibits oil on canvas paintings that express the spirit of a moment through color and form. Dunn enjoys working plein aire in many instances to rediscover and find inspiration in the shoreline landscape, traveling off the beaten path in search of new views and moments in the landscape. Looking to the natural world to express the spirit of place, color is the prominent force in her paintings, defining the elements of landscape in a minimalist style. She responds to the landscape as subject by transforming the moment into a vision that goes beyond the subject, to the essence of forms and color which she compares to a transcendence of the experience into paint. A resident of Scituate, MA with longstanding ties to the Outer Cape, Dunn is a graduate of the University of Mass. at Boston with additional study at the Mass. College of Art and Truro Center for the Arts. A recipient of grants from the Mass. Cultural Council, her paintings have been exhibited widely including the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, Post Office Gallery in North Truro, Arlington Center for the Arts, Marion Art Center, the Salt Pond Visitor Center of the Cape Cod National Seashore, and Plymouth Center for the Arts. Dunn continues to participate in artist retreats in the historic dune shacks in Provincetown to paint and contemplate nature. Recently retired from the Boston Public Library Archival Center working with Special Collections, she enjoys devoting her full time to painting, especially plein- aire with the Eastham and Hull painters. On Saturday, May 13th, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm, True Grit Art Gallery will host an opening reception for ‘Solace: Recent Views’— a solo exhibit of new watercolor paintings by South Dartmouth artist Peggy Call-Conley. Peggy earned her BFA in Art Education in 1972 from Southeastern Massachusetts University. During her childhood living in Boston she was exposed to the arts. A family move to rural Middleboro gave her solace and adventures in nature. When she arrived on the South Coast for college she lived in New Bedford and the villages along the coastline. She made her home in South Dartmouth and taught art in private and public schools for 35 years. Peggy’s artist statement reflects her process. “I paint what intrigues and surrounds me. My eye is drawn to a shadow’s shape, contrasting light or subtle color changes. The personal challenge is to convey a sense of place. While painting on location, I aim to capture compatibility with nature, including the energy which exists momentarily: stillness, tension, motion, strength, tranquility, serenity.The importance of nature is two fold for me and my work. It is my inspiration and my sanctuary. In the midst of the beauty and mystery of fields, woods, marshes and coastline, my senses are awakened. In the open air I observe the present conditions and design a composition that draws me into the scene. Focused on the activity of painting and all that entails, I am transported to a timeless place, leaving behind ordinary or stressful thoughts of the day, resulting in a relaxed state.These recent views represent the solace I feel while painting my interpretations of a scene.” The gallery invites the public to come and meet this great local artist, view her works, and enjoy complimentary adult refreshments while socializing with other local art enthusiasts. This event is free and open to the public. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St in Middleboro, MA. Regular gallery hours are Tues 11-4, Wed thru Fri 10-5, and Sat 10-3. This show will post online beginning Tues, May 16
Join us Saturday, April 15 from 6 to 8 PM as we host an opening reception for 'Oceans' – a solo exhibit of works from Plymouth, MA artist Casey Figueroa. Enjoy complementary adult refreshments, meet the artist, and socialize with other local art enthusiasts. Free and open to the public. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St. in Middleboro, MA. Exploring themes of light, depths, and atmosphere, “Oceans” is a series of paintings that seeks to evoke a sense of the mystery, wonder, and vastness of the ocean. Embracing the ambiguity of the sometimes cold and murky, sometimes crystalline and embracing waters of the northeast, these paintings speak to various elements of the ocean and its surrounding environment. Shafts of light pierce through deep blues; clouds march across dark skies, shot through with hopeful oranges and iridescent colors, creating works that shift over time and change with the light. A series of works that honors the importance of the ocean to this place, these paintings provide a reminder of the ever-changing seascape, full of emotion. Watch the video teaser below!Go to show page Join us Saturday, December 10 as we host an opening reception for our annual small works show for the holidays! ‘Small Wonders 22’ will be up from its opening night through Jan 7, 2023. The show features over 90 smaller works of fine art and photography from over 30 local artists which have been priced for the holiday season. Enjoy complementary, adult, refreshments, free and open to the public. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St. in Middleborough, MA.
IMAGE: Blue Spruce in Winter © Judy Volkmann This show will be posted online beginning Tuesday, December 13 On Saturday, October 1st, from 6-8pm, True Grit Art Gallery will host an opening reception for ‘It's A Local Thing’— a solo exhibit of artworks created by Middleboro artist L.E. (Lori) Ashley. This event is free and open to the public. Complimentary adult refreshments will be served. L.E. Ashley (Lori) grew up in Middleborough, MA, drawing and writing stories since she was a toddler. In the early 1980s, she traded linework for oil paint when she studied under Leland B. Smith in his studio on the third floor of Middleborough's historic Pierce Building. When going through an inspirational "dry-spell", she'd sit at one of the floor-to-ceiling windows and watch summer storms roll in, or study art books —especially the Hudson River School painters. Later, she graduated with a degree in Illustration from UMass Dartmouth. Her work concentrates on landscapes, abandoned properties, and animal portraits. Passionate about history since exploring her grandfather's Acushnet, MA homestead as a child looking for treasure, Lori found a deep affinity for old wooden objects, rusty metal, and antique paper, which she gradually incorporated into her art. Today she crafts "vintage" assemblages, using her oil paintings as a focal point. Most are in miniature, designed to lure the passer-by in for a private glimpse of nostalgia or hometown feel. She draws upon a tactile love for the antique elements in her work and from carefully chosen, painted views to get the observer to smile and say "Yes. I have been here once before, in a simpler time." “The pieces I have chosen for this showing are the culmination of a year's work concentrating on local scenes that have touched my heart.” says Lori. “It's been a very long year of changes and difficulties, love and sadness. I watched as my little, happy-go-lucky dog Ollie struggled with congestive heart failure, and finally took his last breath. Often I would paint through tears and deep introspection on the presence and absence of loved ones, searching for meaning, and a sense of grounding. In the process of completing these works, I found a glimpse of that grounding, that balance, coming to the conclusion that what matters most in life is with who and what you closely surround yourself—the people, animals, landscapes, and memories you hold very close to your soul. The small things, the familiar. The ‘Local Things’. “ ‘It's A Local Thing’ runs from its opening night through October 29th. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St in Middleboro, MA. Regular gallery hours are Tues 11-4, Wed thru Fri 10-5, and Sat 10-3. Go to Show Page Join us Saturday, September 10, from 6 to 8 PM as we host an opening reception for Lakeville,MA artist Randy Swann’s ‘Booking Passage’. Enjoy complimentary adult refreshments, meet the artist, free and open to the public. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St. in Middleboro, MA.
This collection of work is representative of a 25 year trip. In 1999, I opened Intramural Studio to provide a dedicated space for thoughtful exploration, not so thoughtful wandering and an embarking point for whatever artistic journey I imagined for myself. Like most journeys, it never turned out as expected, often yielded results that stymied and, in the end, kicked off a never-ending tour of delight that shows no sign of completion. These are the postcards from that ongoing sojourn. — Randy Swann Go To Show Page Join us Saturday, July 23, from 6 to 8 pm, as we host an opening reception for 'American Sublime', featuring recent work by gallery co-owner and resident artist Peter J Damon. Enjoy complementary adult refreshments, meet and chat with the artist, and socialize with other local art enthusiasts. Free and open to the public. True Grit Art Gallery is located at 38 Center St. in Middleborough, Massachusetts. This show will be posted online, here at our website, beginning Tuesday, July 26th. Artist's Statement: In aesthetics, there is a concept known as the Sublime. A sublime experience purports to induce an exalted, euphoric state in its subject, brought about at first by a visceral, and then a reflective response to sensory input. The experience can lead the subject to feel as though they were part of a greater-whole and in touch with a mystery beyond the everyday phenomenal world of experience. I suspect that many artists and admirers of art have had at least some level of this experience at one time or another.
Painting, for me, is like a meditative exercise. When I’m inspired to paint something, it is not only the objects, ideas, or scenes themselves that draw my attention. Equally, or perhaps even more relevant, is the particular arrangement of lines, colors, shapes and values that can elicit an experience of sublimity within. In these moments I sense there is an infinite array of aesthetic order— a unity of harmony and discord— to be observed in the world. It is this capacity that humans have to grasp this sense of order and infinity that is super-sensible— that is beyond the capacity of any other creature on earth. It points to something that transcends empirical observation. It is indicative of an ultimate reality— something eternal, something metaphysical. It is the pursuit of this eternal essence that gives so much meaning and purpose to my life as an artist. We live in a world of ceaseless change. Time destroys everything we can ever come to know. What holds it all up? What lies behind the veil? My idea of an American Sublime involves the freedom to explore these questions in an increasingly secular and technological age— to forge one's own spiritual path in life. It involves striving to capture, in paint, the timeless values of individual liberty, work, humility, authenticity, duty, family, sacrifice, culture and tradition in everyday places and objects.— P.J.D |
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