What does it take to be a collector?

One word answer- LOVE (x3)

We know a guy- let’s call him Mike- He’s a collector. Big time. He’s not rich. He’s not fancy. Or Harvard educated (as far as we know). But he’s an art patron, he’s our hero.

We asked him; How does he decide to buy art?

”I’m very picky, he says." if I see something I really love, 

LOVE-LOVE-LOVE, 

I have to really love it, I buy it.” 

It’s as simple as that. He lives paycheck to paycheck, like a lot of us. He finds a way. He’s passionate about buying art the way those of us who make the art are passionate. 

He pays a little, every paycheck, till it’s his.

Good art is never boring. The painting that calls out to you the first time you set eyes on it will catch your eye every time you pass by it in your home or workplace;  it will continue to surprise and entrance as time passes.

 The Small Works Showcase, 

our annual exhibit of work that is small in size and price, (but not impact) is getting underway, from 

October 16th through January 11. Each piece is under 16 in. and under $500. 

A great opportunity to start, or grow, a collection of your own!

 Above: A few examples from the Small Work Showcase

by Sarah Alexander, Scout Austin, Brenda Cirioni and Dottie Laughlin.

Wellesley Family Showcases Art Together in Unique Exhibit

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.

August in the Gallery- busy creating new work!

Every year, when we close our doors for the month of August, it might seem that we're putting our feet up on a beach somewhere. But this summer, especially, nothing could be further from the truth!

THe gallery has been the scene of intense creativity and collaboration, as member artists work together to  prepare work for our annual members' show. 

Gallery artists bring a new twist to the concept of a Members Show by incorporating collaborative projects in photo, fiber, painting, drawing and sculpture alongside individual works. The project, curated by Denise Driscoll and Carrie Childs Antonini, got underway this month.

 Work in Progress- SYNCHRONIC DRAWINGS

 In this project, artists work in unison on large drawings in teams of two to five people. The challenge for each team is to communicate and experiment as materials and methods are tried, rejected, and selected while the drawing takes form.

Other projects currently in the works include

SERIAL PAINTINGS: Twenty-five 8×8 inch panels are each worked upon by multiple artists, one at a time, in their choice of mixed media.

SITE-SPECIFIC INSTALLATIONS: In 3D (working title) a site-specific sculpture will grow in the gallery using chicken wire, paper, fabric and glue. In Cut Fold Tear, artists may only cut, fold or tear quantities of paper for assembly into an ephemeral installation of paper and shadow.

CELL PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY: In 24 Hours, artists agree to take a spontaneous photo every hour on the hour from midnight to midnight. In Telephone, artists play a game of tag with messaged photos, creating a chain of linked images.

Take a look at more work-in-progress at: http://denisedriscoll.com/multiplicity/

The completed work, along with work by individual artists, will be unveiled during 

MULTIPLICITY, 2014 Members Show, NOVEMBER 13 – DECEMBER 14, 2014.

The Exhibit includes collaborations and individual work by Carrie Childs Antonini, Scout Austin, Lisa Barthelson, Brenda Cirioni, Cheryl Clinton, Marie Craig, Denise Driscoll, Sara Fine-Wilson, Bob Grignaffini, Kay Hartung, Nan Hass Feldman, Joel Moskowitz, Pat Paxson, Roy Perkinson, Stacey Piwinski, Tracy Spadafora, Mary Spencer, Kellie Weeks, and Jeanne Williamson.