Field Trip

The weather was dismal on Thursday, as we drove to Boston for an often-postponed gallery crawl. Sad to say, because of work and other committments, we don't do this nearly enough. But it kind of felt like an all-you-can eat buffet of some of the best art there is to see in the region. As we're still pretty new at this business, we still feel like underclassmen sometimes, and expected to learn a lot just by observing how other galleries do things. The surprise, though, was just how important seeing the work of artist after artist after artist was in feeding our own creative energies. Over the past year, the left brain's been getting a workout,  as we planned and organized in the gallery, while the right brain's waited patiently for its turn. Seeing the work of others sparked an urgency to get to the studio, try out some ideas, and pay attention to that side of ourselves. The actual hard work of making art often happens in isolation, but  the process is fed and nurtured by a shared experience of the work of others.

No need to drive to Boston, though. There are a couple weekends left to see the work of the eight artists whose work is in the gallery for 'Beyond the Surface', our current encaustic show. Visitors have commented on how diverse yet cohesive the show is, and how strong the work of the individual artists is. Our (biased) opinion is that this is one of our best shows to date. Treat yourself to a look at this show, this weekend. And while you're in the neighborhood, the Danforth Museum's New England Photography Biennial is another must-see exhibit. Gallery visitors can get a free same-day pass to the Danforth Museum.