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.  

Meet our New Emerging Artist Fellow

Fountain Street Fine Art announces its first

  Emerging Artist Fellow

Stacey Piwinski, 2014 FSFA Emerging Artist Fellow

Fountain Street Fine Art is pleased to announce its new Emerging Artist Fellowship. Funded by an anonymous donor, the program is designed to provide assistance and mentorship to a recent MFA graduate. “Our experience in starting this gallery was eye-opening, a real education into the nuts and bolts of navigating the business of art and building a sustainable art career”, said co-director Marie Craig. “We want to share what we’ve learned with artists who are just starting out, and to give them an exhibition opportunity that will help launch their careers.“ The one year program provides experience in the business side of the professional art world, and culminates in a one-person show.

Stacey Piwinski, Introductions 1

 Stacey Piwinski, Fountain Street Fine Art’s first Emerging Artist Fellow, received her BFA in painting in 1999, her MFA in studio teaching in 2000 from Boston University, and her MFA in visual arts from Lesley University in January 2014. Stacey participated in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Teaching Program in 2005 and was inspired by Japanese textiles, specifically Saori Weaving. As an arts educator in the Wellesley Public Schools, she has facilitated community weaving projects as a way of connecting individuals. Weaving as a metaphor for bringing people together is a thread that runs through all of her work. Most recently, her portrait series is a non-literary way of communicating an individual’s personal narrative.

Piwinski’s mixed media portraits use discarded objects that are collected by those depicted in the works. These items are shredded, cut, twisted and torn and are recontextualized into a handwoven fabric that represents the essence of that person. The items embedded within the fabric spark conversations that guide the painting process. Every choice is crucial and the work is a visual representation of the social exchange between the subject and the artist.

“Stacey’s body of work is very strong, has already attracted the notice of galleries in New York City”, remarked co-director Cheryl Clinton. “ She’s enthusiastic and a perfect fit for the gallery. We’re thrilled to have her working with us as our inaugural Emerging Artist Fellow.” Piwinski will exhibit her work at Fountain Street Fine Art in August 2015.