Grignaffini Rhythms: Music, Strokes & Steel

  A Family of artists- Bob, Lou, Louie & AJ Grignaffini- show their work together in 

Grignaffini Rhythms: Music, Strokes & Steel

September 4 – 28, 2014

Reception September 6, 5 – 7 PM

Dance of the Three Sisters, oil on canvas, By Bob Grignaffini

”Grignaffini Rhythms: Music, Strokes And Steel”, an exhibit of oil paintings by Bob Grignaffini accompanied by the metal sculpture of his cousins Louie, AJ and Lou Grignaffini, is a playful celebration of music in motion.

Guitar Man, by Louie Grignaffini

The four family members are part of a large multi-generational, multi-talented Wellesley, MA clan.  Bob Grignaffini’s paintings celebrate form and color. “I share how an image rests in my memory”, he states.” What inspires me to share this experience is that it provides the opportunity to be honest. When someone is honest in whatever he or she is doing, it is beautiful.” Bob’s work has been shown in various galleries throughout the MetroWest area over the past two decades. Along with engaging in his passion for painting, Bob is involved in natural building and in running his permaculture based landscape design and construction company Grignaffini Earthscape, in Wellesley and Shelburne Falls, MA. 

Scrap Crab, by AJ Grignaffini

Movement is the one thing that made sense to Wellesley High School senior A.J Grignaffini. He believes that life is mostly about motion. Whether physical or visual – physical in the fact that piece actually moves, and visual in the fact that the piece has no stopping point – it all flows together. It is also about movement in the way that some of his pieces come alive. In life, movement is the one thing that can connect all living things, so A.J. feels it is important to express this in his art.

Lou Grignaffini's Sunflower, beside
Bob Grignaffini's Dancing Trees

Since before he could walk, Lou Grignaffini of Wellesley was fascinated by rust and decaying metal. From the orange-like tinge his bike gets when left out in the rain to the dirty black color of steel after it had been held over an open flame. “What’s so intriguing about this decay”, Lou explains, “is that each piece tells a story, every scratch and patina. All of the rust tells a story.” Lou’s father taught him how to weld at a very young age. By the time he was in Wellesley Middle School, Lou was creating work for a juried art show and selling to the highest bidder. This came as a pleasant surprise and continues to help fuel his desire to create more work inspired by patination found in metal. 

The boys' persuaded Lou, their dad, to join them in exhibiting his large-scale metal sculpture alongside theirs.