Boston International Art Show 2012

Amanda and I headed down to Boston on Thursday, November 15 to set up our booth for the 16th Annual Boston International Fine Arts Show. McGowan Fine Art has not attended since 2004 so this was a big adventure for both of us.

It was a day of packing up two vehicles with art, pedestals, shrink wrap bins and all of the tools necessary to make transactions, unloading all the artwork, then arranging and hanging the artwork on the walls.  We had time for a late lunch and then back to the booth to put on our party clothes for the preview that evening.

Some of the fun of attending these events is the opportunity to talk with other galleries. We are able to indulge in a little shop talk and art world gossip, trade tips or just get a feel for the market in other parts of the country. Our booth neighbors were great.  From Russia With Art of Cambridge, Massachusetts shared photos of their pampered Westie. The women from Pride Gallery of Virginia had a beautiful display that Amanda has tucked away some ideas from.

It is also great to hear from the fair goers. Many approached us and said we had the best looking booth. It is gratifying to know that the artists we carry are well received by so many. People really responded to the new street scene Unloading by John Bonner. Vernalis by Gary Haven Smith was also a conversation starter. The portrait and still lifes by Stoney Jacobs,  kinetic sculptures by Bruce Campbell and bright abstracts of Catherine Bartlett Hirani were other favorites.

Saturday and Sunday were busy days at the fair with many people wandering through non-stop. We had a chance to play with the new ap that Amanda downloaded for her phone. Using Square we were able to run credit cards through her phone...with people using their finger as a stylus to sign on the screen. It was easy, fast and not nearly as complicated as calling in a transaction. My how things have changed since I last did an outside show!

As Sunday wound down many of the galleries started to pack away extraneous materials and get ready for the big move out. For all the time and care Amanda and I put into assembling the booth, we were able to disassemble it in less than 20 minutes. I think our efficiency was enhanced by our desire to get home after four 12-hour days. Unfortunately we were not the only ones to want to get home. We waited another hour for space to park in front of the building and  porters to help us schlep the art back out to our cars. You can see a photo of us lounging in front of our mountain of art. It gave us a little more time to chat with dealers. Some were starting drives back to Virginia or further that night. They are braver and hardier than I!

Thanks to all who visited and sustained us while we were there.

"Collage" show at the Sharon Arts Center

The Sharon Arts Center will collaborate with McGowan Fine Art in Concord to present “Collage,” an exhibition featuring the work of Ted Arnold, Catherine Bartlett-Hirani, Avy Claire, John LaPrade, Thomas Meyers, James Palmigiano, Lauren Pollaro, Paul Pollaro, and Jessie Pollock.

Sponsored by People's United Bank, "Collage" will be on display at the Sharon Arts Exhibition Gallery, 30 Grove Street, from November 4 through January 7, 2012. An opening reception will be held November 4 from 5 to 7 pm.

The exhibition is the first sponsored by Sharon Arts Center that focuses entirely on collage--works of art made from the assemblage of various materials. The technique has been employed by artists for hundreds of years, especially in the application of cut or torn papers and gold leaf to enhance a painted surface, but the term collage--from the French “coller,” to glue--first came into common use with the work of Picasso and Braque in the early 20th century.

Collage has evolved with contemporary artists as a way of bringing together disparate materials to create a wholly new object or image. The collaging or layering of elements can make use of the external meaning suggested by the components, including newspaper or magazine clippings, stamps, labels, or sheet music; or by allusion to the previous life of materials such as scraps of fabric, pieces of wood, leaves and other natural objects, or industrial remnants. Collaged works can vary from flat assemblies of colored or textured papers to works using three-dimensional materials that approach sculpture.

Each of the artists included in the Sharon Arts Center exhibition brings an individual vision and interpretation to this style of picture making. In the work of Paul Pollaro and Ted Arnold, color is the primary focus. Bright reds and vivid oranges bind the pieces together, but Pollaro’s focus is on abstract landscape-like forms while Arnold depicts people, wedding parties and tea cups. Thomas Meyers and Avy Claire have a more ethereal approach. Meyers’ delicate ink and casein washes lend subtle touches of color and line to his torn paper collages. Claire prints images onto mylar, which is sewn down and layered with excerpts from her personal journals.

Collage allows artists to explore qualities of depth and texture, as well as the layering of meaning through the cultural references inherent in some of the recognizable elements. The Sharon Arts Center and McGowan Fine Arts expect this exhibition to provide an in-depth look at the diversity possible in this exciting art form.

In conjunction with this exhibit there will be several events held in the Gallery:

Saturday, Nov. 12 and 16 from 10 am to noon: Kids Collage Mini-Workshop for ages 5+. Preregistration required. Call (603) 924-2787.

Saturday, Nov. 19 from 4-6 pm: Panel Discussion with Sarah Chaffee of McGowan Fine Art, Ted Arnold, and others.

Hours at the Gallery are Monday through Saturday 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday 11 am to 5 pm. For more information, call (603) 924-7676 and see http://www.sharonarts.org/.

The mission of Sharon Arts Center, a non-profit organization, is to engage the community in the artistic process, to support and serve artists and craftspeople, and to foster the relationship between artists and the community through education, exhibitions, and the promotion and sale of arts and crafts as well as through special programs and events.

Sharon Arts center offers a wide variety of art classes and programs in the school facility in Sharon, NH--a Fine Craft Gallery, a Juried Artist Member Gallery, and an Exhibition Gallery at Depot Square.

The Sharon Arts Fine Crafts Exhibition Gallery is accessed through Depot Square and 30 Grove St. in downtown Peterborough. The Craft Gallery is located in Depot Square in Downtown Peterborough. Store and Exhibition Gallery hours are: Monday - Saturday 10 am to 6 pm, Sunday 11 - 5 pm.

Sharon Arts is sponsored in part by: The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, The Susan A. & Donald P. Babson Charitable Foundation, The Bean Foundation, The Max & Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, The Grimshaw-Gudewicz Charitable Foundation, The Putnam Foundation, The Kingsbury Foundation, and art lovers like you!