Friday, November 20, 2009

Ted Arnold- Objects of Desire


McGowan Fine Art announces the opening of “Objects of Desire" featuring the paintings of Ted Arnold. The show will run from December 1-January 2, with an artist’s reception on December 4 from 5 to 7 PM.

Ted Arnold is a Dartmouth educated painter from Maine by way of California. The West Coast landscape still informs his still lifes and mise en scénes with strong light and vibrant colors, but his subject matter of china, teacups and other prosaic kitchen utensils are the stuff of more universal appeal. He also harnesses these bright colors to portray festive family gatherings and street scenes.

Arnold’s studio has shelves full of teacups, platter, urns, and richly decorated fabrics that he uses as models for the densely painted canvases. “I don’t think of my teacup paintings as simply stillifes” says Arnold, “but as conversations.” Each painting requires a careful balance of colors and shapes with a composition formed from his collection of china and fabric. Some cups- because of their unusual color or seductive shape- star in many of the paintings. Patterns of china emerge to create families- similar yet distinct like a reunion of cousins and siblings. Elegant bleeding blue china stars throughout the show as a counterpoint to the homely orange daisy teacup or green Fiesta ware plate. “The cups and pots and creamers are from many lands and of many persuasions like people in our cities,” says the artist.

Arnold also looks for the relationships- or conversations- between people. In “Billy’s Dinner” he has taken a very thin slice of home life- a family dinner. This painting is almost twelve feet long and broken into three sections. The length of the painting allows the story to unfold in time as you walk the length of it- a narrative in real time. People and the detritus of a meal are scattered across the surface. There are dark figures receding into the background, wine glasses and plates glint from the glowing candles. A hand holds up a glass to toast the figure across the room. Each person and table setting is truly having a conversation of color and form.


The reception takes place the evening of Midnight Merriment in Concord. The Main Street will be closed to traffic from Pleasant to Centre. Caroling and hay rides will be taking place on Main Street to celebrate the start of the Holiday Season. For more information visit mainstreetconcord.com.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Bridal Registry- At an Art Gallery?

Are you about to be married and dread the process of taking yourself and your future spouse to a giant chain department store to register for china and crystal? Have you waited to find the perfect mate- and in the meantime filled your home with all of the essential furnishings? Or do you aspire to have an art collection of your own now that you are settling down?

In the past I have been asked if we do bridal registries at McGowan Fine Art- and the answer is a resounding yes! It is a great way to start or add to your collection, and the process is easy.

If you are familiar with the gallery, just come in and I will create a list of artwork that you like. I can help you to choose a variety to give people a broad selection of price ranges. I will create a webpage with your selections on it which can be sent as a link to people making registry requests.


If you are not familiar with the gallery I would recommend making an appointment so that we can give you a complete tour of the gallery and our extensive collection of art. We can then create a list or webpage of the items you would like.

If people have purchased a piece of artwork that is not appropriate, we make it easy to return if done in a reasonable amount of time Another option is for people to purchase gift certificates which can then be be used to purchase a piece of art.