MULTIPLICITY Carrie Childs Antonini
individual work and
Scout Austin
collaborative projects
Lisa Barthelson
by member artists at
Brenda Cirioni
Fountain Street Fine Art
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 Jeanne Williamson
by Denise Driscoll 1
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MULTIPLICITY November 13 – December 14, 2014
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 Jeanne Williamson by Denise Driscoll
Fountain Street Fine Art 3
Setting the simple goal of creating artwork together that would be different from what any of us could do alone turns out to be pretty complicated‌ Stacey Piwinski
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CONTENTS 4
SOME THOUGHTS ON COLLABORATION
6 THE PROJECTS 6 24 Hours 8 Synchronic 10 Serial 16 Cut Fold Tear 18 Armature Fountain Street Fine Art 59 Fountain Street Framingham, MA 01702 fountainstreetfineart.com Published on the occasion of the exhibition: MULTIPLICITY an exhibition of individual work and collaborative projects by Core and Associate Artists at Fountain Street Fine Art. Curated by Denise Driscoll and Carrie Childs Antonini Fountain Street Fine Art November 13 – December 14, 2014 Design: Denise Driscoll © 2014 Denise Driscoll, the authors and the artists. All rights reserved. ISBN 978-1-234-56789-1
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THE ARTISTS 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
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Pat Paxson Roy Perkinson Stacey Piwinski Tracy Spadafora Mary Spencer Kellie Weeks Jeanne Williamson
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SOME THOUGHTS GALLERY AS COLLABORATION
The collaborative process is inspiring, challenging, frustrating and always worthwhile. Tracy Spadafora
Have I been collaborating at the expense of myself ? Stacey Piwinski
The seed for the idea of a collaborative type of art gallery was planted in Cherie’s mind many years ago. Without realizing it, our work as artists and organizers prepared the ground for this seed to grow and expand. When the universe conspired to bring us together, back in 2007, our combined experience, like-minded philosophy, and desire to support and empower artists led to the creation of Fountain Street Fine Art. It has been a wholly collaborative experience from the beginning. Our vision was to make original fine art accessible, approachable and affordable to anyone and everyone, while engaging artists in the process of marketing their work to the public outside the studio setting. From month to month, the act of running and growing this gallery is an ongoing collaborative performance piece with ever-moving parts and changing players. In growing this enterprise, so many individuals have played a part in moving the project forward. Current and past artist members provide the work for our well-reviewed exhibitions. Our interns take on a wide range of responsibilities and several are now working in Boston and New York galleries. Finally, our visitors engage with the art, asking questions and offering comments that challenge us and feed our souls, and make purchases that encourage and support us. We invite you to join us in person and online to look at and comment on the work being shown. Be a part of our journey, each voice adds color to the conversation. Cheryl Clinton and Marie Craig
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ON COLLABORATION ALONE VS. TOGETHER When you sing with a group of people, you learn how to subsume yourself into a group consciousness....That’s one of the great feelings–to stop being me for a little while and to become us. That way lies empathy the great social virtue. –Brian Eno
Visual art can be one of the more solitary art forms. It seems conducive to the singular voice and an individual’s intuitive process. There are exceptions of course, where work is produced by multiple people and more than one voice is reflected in the outcome. However, I think it’s safe to say that most visual artists today spend the bulk of their time alone in a studio crafting work, sharpening ideas and searching for what truly wants to be expressed, then putting the work out to be quietly viewed. But in this relative quiet, the artist is also humming along in a vibrant human conversation. Visual artists carry the torch of our history as form-builders and mark-makers. The petroglyphs, monoliths, vessels, body embellishments, texts, objects, architecture, painted scenes and abstractions, the printing press, photography and into the digital realm–these are voices of a seeing, feeling, growing species. The artist’s ultimate task is to continue retelling and reframing this story of our shared human identity. So, are we alone, or are we together? One does not always have a clear sense. We are both alone and together. Innate fear of isolation keeps us reaching across chasms to build connection, while the comfort of communion gives us courage to go alone hunting for new territory. Collaboration gives the artist a chance to step out of what can be a consuming singular focus and dance the edges between ourselves and others. MULTIPLICITY is an exhibition in which 19 artists explore the nuances of individualism and connectedness by sharing solo work along with team-built work. Through cumulative painting, group drawing and sculpture, selfdocumentation with cell-phone photography, and with snapshot prompts sent to each other via satellite, our goal has been to playfully access more of ourselves, while revitalizing our connection to the larger conversation.
WHY COLLABORATE? As an artist, I fiercely protect the solitude of my studio. At the same time, I am also compelled to create collaborative opportunities between artists. While clearly understanding the value of what an artist gives when they agree to set aside time to work with others, I ask for this time with great confidence in the benefits to all who participate. While we often receive praise for the products of our labor, once the work is done, the physical, mental, and spiritual processes can be largely invisible. Working with others shifts the focus, at least at first, from product to process. How do we share ideas with the group for consideration and discussion? How do we typically find solutions? What tools, media, and skills are used? How many lightning-fast decisions do we make without awareness, over and over in the course of working? How do we bring this decision-making process out in the open where it can be shared? We often take our particular working style for granted and assume that there is nothing out-of-the-ordinary going on. We are reminded that, no matter how much we love our work, that work can often be lonely, arduous, and discouraging. We remember that, though we typically work alone, we are actually working in parallel with many others. We understand that we can continue to teach and learn from each other as part of a rich and active learning community. Working together, we naturally learn to trust each other as our relationships deepen through a shared goal. A gift I often receive when working with others is perspective on my own process and a growing sense of wonder in the value of this intentional, purposeful play we call art. I hope that all participants in MULTIPLICITY realize similar benefits, and especially, that each discovers a deepening respect for their own particular brilliance. Denise Driscoll
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24 HOURS
On a set day, artists agree to take a spontaneous cell phone photo every hour on the hour for 24 hours. Artists Carrie Childs Antonini Scout Austin Lisa Barthelson Brenda Cirioni Marie Craig Roy Perkinson Tracy Spadafora Jeanne Williamson
At the time I found the [24 Hour] process and time spent frustrating and distracting, a bit hard to keep track of as I tried to focus on getting other work done. Lisa Barthelson
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I take more than 24 pictures a day but being required made me stop and look around. It changed the way I see what’s out there. Marie Craig
Above Installation view Left Hourly photos from a single artist, Carrie Antonini Childs
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SYNCHRONIC
Artists work simultaneously on large-scale mixed media drawings learning to communicate, experiment and develop a shared process in just a few hours.
It was very challenging to get out of my familiar studio routine ....With other people around to set the guidelines, and interact with, the whole dynamic changed. I learned a lot about other working methods and enjoyed the conversations afterwards. Mary Spencer
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Artists Scout Austin Cheryl Clinton Marie Craig Denise Driscoll Joel Moskowitz Tracy Spadafora Kellie Weeks
Opposite left: Cheryl Clinton, Marie Craig, and Denise Driscoll right: Scout Austin and Kellie Weeks
I have enjoyed the process of watching the projects develop, and participating where I have been able to. I find my self wishing I had more time to devote to each part of the project, and more time to work in person with the group. It’s been an interesting challenge, and is teaching about how I work. Cheryl Clinton
Above Cheryl Clinton, Marie Craig, Denise Driscoll, Joel Moskowitz and Tracy Spadafora
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SERIAL
Artists pass twenty-five 8 x 8 inch panels back and forth between themselves, altering and adding along the way.
Artists Lisa Barthelson Brenda Cirioni Cheryl Clinton Marie Craig Denise Driscoll Sara Fine-Wilson Bob Grignaffini Kay Hartung Nan Hass Feldman Joel Moskowitz Working collaboratively forces me Pat Paxson to let go of some of my control and Roy Perkinson work off of the influences of Stacey Piwinski the other people involved. Tracy Spadafora Jeanne Williamson Stacey Piwinski
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SERIAL I found it interesting to see other artists’ approaches to working with materials. Kay Hartung
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SERIAL I didn’t think I was going to enjoy working collaboratively, but I did, and I also learned some new techniques and tried using some new tools too. Jeanne Williamson
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I saw that there were some common threads connecting our work. Kay Hartung
I am a terrible collaborator– once I start, I take over. Nan Hass Feldman 25
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CUT FOLD TEAR
Artists cut, fold, and tear paper for assembly into an ephemeral installation of shadow and light. Artists Kay Hartung Carrie Childs Antonini Cheryl Clinton Denise Driscoll
Installation in progress (left) and Detail of installation view (above)
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I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know members of the gallery better. Kay Hartung
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ARMATURE
Artists use simple materials to create a complex form, working directly in the gallery the week before the exhibit. Artists Sara Fine-Wilson Carrie Childs Antonini Denise Driscoll
In my whole career as an artist the best moments are when I am dialoguing and working intensely with other artists. It’s when I know art is a natural and essential part of humanity. I feel the isolation and misunderstanding that we are prone to just drop away as we work things out and create together Carrie Childs Antonini. 20
Installation views
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TELEPHONE
One artist receives a cell phone photo via messaging and sends a responsive photo along to the next person on the list. The last sender loops back to the first and the conversation continues. Each artist sees only the photo they receive and one they send along.
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Artists Brenda Cirioni Carrie Childs Antonini Cheryl Clinton Denise Driscoll Tracy Spadafora Lisa Barthelson Kay Hartung Joel Moskowitz Marie Craig Scout Austin
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Collaborating can be messy, slow, and awkward, especially when a project begins. That magic moment when work begins to flow from the group is impossible to predict...and keeps me coming back for more. Denise Driscoll
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Overlapping different perspectives and ideas can lead to an exciting process of creation and unexpected outcomes. Stacey Piwinski 35
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I love the ‘telephone’ project. I get really excited when I get the text message with the photo I’m meant to respond to. I mull it around in my mind for a while, and then go on the hunt for something that resonates. When I find it, there’s this little ‘aha!’ moment, I can’t wait to pass it on... Marie Craig
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and the conversation continues...
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Carrie Childs Antonini GUEST CURATOR
With a background in architecture and dance as well as visual art, Carrie considers any medium she is working in to be a space where an active visual-spatial event takes place. In painting her gestures appear flat in acknowledgment of the surface, and remain inside the edges– not anchored to the object of the frame, but floating and transitory like forms on stage. In her sculptural installations objects are minimal so as to pronounce the space that objects and viewer are occupying together. For Carrie, the platform for expression has as much curiosity and importance as what can be said within it. In her work Carrie plays with systems of order, making either few or many repeated marks, with the intent to show ordering as a human animal behavior. Her paintings and installations are about lingering in a space where cerebral diversions play with the wonders of sight and sense of place. Carrie Childs Antonini has an MFA from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA, and a BA from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. Her work is included in the corporate collection of Bank of America and in private collections.
Above Green Bodies Blue Cloud gouache on panel, 8 x 8 in. Yellow Marks watercolor on paper, 5.5 x 8.5 in. Right Blue Stripes oil on canvas, 66 x 48 in.
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Scout Austin CORE MEMBER
My work is inspired by constant inner exploration and informed by world events. I use many different art mediums, including encaustic, photography, bookmaking, printmaking, and assemblage, to give visual representation to global concepts such as suffering and loss. It is through the revelation and acknowledgement of such emotions I believe we can better recognize and appreciate love, joy, and life itself. Utilizing a variety of techniques, such as the combining of lush, bright color with its opposite rich, black darkness, I seek to encourage that second look which draws the viewer deeper into the artwork. In a world where information is fed to us at rapidly increasing rates, I hope to slow the viewer down and provide the opportunity for compassionate contemplation by mixing the beautiful with the disconcerting. Since beeswax is one of the main ingredients in encaustic medium and encaustic paint, I became curious as to how the bees made beeswax. Reading up on honey bees, I found out that the global honey bee population is perilously endangered by many significant threats. After learning about these many threats to the honey bees I decided to create a body of work dealing with all things honey bee. The plight of the honey bee fits snugly into my artistic exploration, offering the brightness of flowers, the renewal signified by pollination, and the sweetness of honey, as contrasted with the darkness of Colony Collapse Disorder and the viruses and parasites that are threatening the bees’ existence. scoutaustinfinearts.com 30
Left View From Within encaustic with collage, 12 x 12 in. Above The Garden: Honeybee Retablo 1 encaustic with collage, 12 x 24 in. Prayer for the Bees: Honeybee Retablo 2 encaustic with collage, 12 x 24 in.
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Lisa Barthelson ASSOCIATE MEMBER
The family debris series communicates my perspective on motherhood, childhood, feminism, consumerism and my life, through the choice of materials and how I use them. Everyday objects or our ‘family debris’, selected for their visual properties and significance, are re-arranged and composed to create a narrative that provokes questions about who we are and how we live. The permanent and ephemeral objects acquired: cast off and finally preserved as art materials and visual elements, tell the story of our family of five through the choices we’ve made. The creative challenge is fueled by part imagination, part anguish, part humor and equal parts guilt. Did we buy into the contemporary folklore that we need all this stuff to be ever young, happy, fulfilled, a good parent, American? The family debris series is in essence pleasurable penance for a family using and discarding ‘too much’. All the ‘stuff ’ we wanted, but did not need, did we enjoy it? In the end: waste not, want not: reconsider, re-imagine and re-use it all. Lisa Barthelson works in multiple mediums from her studio in Worcester MA. Barthelson earned a BS in Environmental Design/Horticulture from the University of Connecticut and an MLA, Masters in Landscape Architecture, from the University of Massachusetts. She is an active member of the Worcester-based Blackstone Print Studio cooperative. Barthelson has created original large scale commission works utilizing institutional ‘debris’ for Kronos Inc and Worcester State University. Her work has been exhibited throughout New England and in NY. lisabarthelson.com 32
Left messy house nest, family debris series 6 x 12.5 in. spend & save, family debris series twenty five 6 x 6 in. panels: 36 x 36 in. installed as group Above take over – over take, family debris series 36 x 36 x 19 in.
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Brenda Cirioni CORE MEMBER
Growing up on a dead end dirt road surrounded by woods I experienced solitude along with a deep connection with the natural world. My paintings explore the tension between nature and the elements, destruction and regeneration, exuberance and impermanence. My art speaks about power, grace and transformation in a world of uncertainty. I am a New Englander and can’t throw anything away. I believe in reuse and recycling. And so, a few years ago I transitioned from being a painter to a mixed media painter. As I start my painting process, torn strips of painted paper, fabric and other scraps cover my worktables. While I paint the background composition, I draw, splatter and drip with ink and paint; then I enlarge on the composition with my various oddments. My method of layering and juxtaposing disparate materials draws attention to the multiplicities and mysteries of nature and life. Brenda Cirioni is a graduate of the Museum School of Fine Art Boston and also their 5th Year Program. She has exhibited in Boston and Metro West galleries, Attleboro Arts Museum, Danforth Museum, deCordova Museum, Fitchburg Museum and the Berkshire Museum. She is also represented by Gallery North Star in Vermont. Cirioni’s painting Dickinson’s Hope hangs in the office of Governor Deval Patrick. Corporate collectors include Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Fidelity Investments and Carroon and Black Insurance Co. in Boston, as well as other institutions and private collections across the country. brendacirioni.com
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Left Barn Series: Spring Thaw mixed media painting, 12 x 12 in. Barn Series: Yellow Edge mixed media painting, 20 x 20 in. Above Barn Series: Chill mixed media painting, 40 x 30 in.
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Cheryl Clinton CO-DIRECTOR & CORE MEMBER
Within my current work is a developing story about memory, reflection and the passage of time. This story is still unfolding, the full meaning is part mystery, part time capsule, a bit autobiography with a dash of Grimm’s fairytale around the edges. Cheryl Clinton’s paintings capture the moods, colors, and patterns of the landscape. She earned a BFA in Painting from the Massachusetts College of Art, and completed her MFA in Visual Design from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Cheryl has shown her images of water and plant life in solo exhibits at the Danforth Museum of Art in Framingham and the Tower Hill Botanical Garden in Boylston, Massachusetts. Recent exhibits include a two-person show entitled The Balance Between: James Wilson Rayen and Cheryl Clinton and a solo show Intuitive Navigation both at Fountain Street Fine Art in Framingham. Her paintings are included in the corporate collection of Meditech and in numerous private collections throughout the United States and abroad. The artist is an active promoter of the arts in the Metrowest Boston area, as the creator of Fountain Street Studios in Framingham, now the largest collective of working artists west of Boston. She also taught painting and drawing for 12 years at the Danforth Museum School. In 2010, Cheryl partnered with photographer Marie Craig, to open Fountain Street Fine Art Gallery. FSFA is a membership-based fine art gallery housed on the ground floor of the Bancroft Building in Framingham. cclinton.com 36
Mystery Light 1 acrylic on panel, 24 x 15.75 in. Woodland Water Reflections 6 acrylic on Panel, 24 x 14 in.
Woodland Water Flood II acrylic on canvas, 48 x 30 in.
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Marie Craig CO-DIRECTOR & CORE MEMBER
Why do I take pictures of busted windows and creepy abandoned places and objects? Because of the vigor and life these things once had. Because somebody spent hours every day for years looking out that window, sitting in that chair. Because time is unstoppable, memory is fleeting, and life goes on. But I am here, now. My camera records evidence of the juncture between the past and the present. My intent is to call to mind an awareness of the transience of life and our place in the world. Marie Craig has worked as a photographer since before she owned a camera. Undergraduate education in Art and Biology and a Master’s degree in Neurobiology from Clark University led to work as a medical photographer and illustrator for over a decade. After leaving the academic environment, Marie focused her creative energies on freelance projects in medical photography, illustration, and graphic design, as well as in operating a small general photography business. In 2011, she cofounded Fountain Street Fine Art, a contemporary art gallery in Framingham, MA. As its co-director, she produces, promotes, and curates exhibits which change monthly. Marie photographs places and things that have a hidden, forgotten beauty within them. Her work has received a number of awards, and has been shown in galleries and museums throughout the Boston area, where she lives with her husband, many children and menagerie. mariecraigphoto.com 38
Left Reflection (Medfield State Hospital) archival photograph on aluminum, 24 x 16 in Remembrance (Beijing) archival photograph on aluminum, 16 x 24 in. Above Remainder (New South Wales) archival photograph on aluminum, 24 x 24 in.
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Denise Driscoll CURATOR & ASSOCIATE MEMBER
In my dreams, there are paths as well traveled as my daily commute and spaces as familiar as my living room though their location cannot be mapped with fixed coordinates. In the “Topography of Dreams” series, I use playful diagrams to explore the ephemerality and sturdiness of memory alongside the sudden swooping connections that stitch experience, story, imagination and dream together. I begin with puddles of paint pressed between two panels to create mirror images textured with the tension of separation. These islands overlap, collide and sail apart in a mutable dance with delicate tendrils and webs of connection. Bright colors on the back of each panel reflect a subliminal aura around each painting. Denise Driscoll has an MFA in Visual Arts from Lesley University College of Art and Design (2007) and a dual BA in Cultural Anthropology and Psychology from the University of South Carolina (1982). Denise uses painting, drawing, sculpture and printing to create individual and collaborative projects that have been shown in colleges, galleries and community centers throughout New England. She is a founding member of the artist collaborative, Swarm Intelligence and is always looking for new ways to work with other artists. Driscoll teaches, organizes special projects, and mentors MFA candidates at Lesley University College of Art and Design. She also teaches in the Community Arts Program of Lesley’s Graduate School of Education. denisedriscoll.com
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Left Exchanging Densities and Destinies mixed media on panel, 8 x 8 in. Dizzy with Insomnia mixed media on panel, 8 x 8 in. Above Quarks, Charms and Scents mixed media on panel, 8 x 8 in.
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Nan Hass Feldman CORE MEMBER
I am a painter and mixed-media artist. I have been a full-time artist and art instructor for a little over 40 years. I teach in three art museums in Massachusetts, run an Artists Loft on a Cruise Ship, and teach International Painting Workshops. My work is mostly based on Interior Spaces and Landscapes. These works, regardless of medium, whether oil or acrylic paintings, mixed-media works, shaped relief paintings, or encaustics are colorful, playful, full of intricate design and pattern, bits of fantasy, complex, and joyful. For me, art really is about enhancing and interpreting reality to create a more optimistic and joyous world. nanhassfeldman.com
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Left Dream Studio by the Sea II oil on panel, 18 x 24 in. View Through Window in San Miguel II oil on panel, 8 x 8 in. Above Stone Urns by the Lily Pond oil on panel, 20 x 16 in.
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Sara Fine-Wilson ASSOCIATE MEMBER
My current body of work explores the idea and process of breaking things down and rebuilding them. It is a way for me to create history in visual form. Evidence of where things may have been connected through smudges, smears and stains indicate the passing of time. Material like wax, plaster, epoxy and construction adhesive are raw, oozy, chalky and refer to what lies under the surface of constructed forms. Part of my process of making this work was to crack, drop, and deconstruct various elements and use the resulting detritus as raw material which I then reassemble. I build off a core combining materials in a visual and directional flow. In this work I am interested in sculpturally mapping time and creating a sense of reach. Sara Fine-Wilson is an artist and teacher who works primarily in sculpture and also in photography and painting. She attended The Maryland Institute College of Art and earned a BFA with a Major in Ceramics. She went on to the Massachusetts College of Art and earned a Master of Science in Art Education with a studio focus in clay. She then spent a year as a resident artist at The Worcester Center for Crafts. She completed her MFA in Ceramics at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. Her work has been shown at The Concord Art Association, Fitchburg Art Museum, Danforth Museum of Art, Gallery 540 at Urban Outfitters World Headquarters. She is an associate member of the Fountain Street Fine Art Gallery in Framingham, MA where her work is represented regularly. She currently teaches Ceramics and Painting. She continues to work in her studio in Millbury, Massachusetts where she lives with her husband Bruce and her dog Arlo. sarafinewilson.com 44
Left Coming Up For Air plaster, clay, glass, metal, plastic and silicone 12 x 12 x 6 in. Forward Fold clay, 14 x 12 x 8 in. Above Stack clay, 14 x14 x 8 in.
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Bob Grignaffini ASSOCIATE MEMBER
I approach paintings with three desires. These desires are respected simultaneously. First, is to enjoy creating, to have fun throughout the struggles and challenges of communicating my ideas. Second, is to use the image I wish to paint as an excuse to celebrate the form and color that I see in the images, almost forgetting my recognition of what the subject is. Third, putting my attention back to the subject I wish to portray, I share how the image rests in memory. As I alter, distort and edit the image through my filter, I arrive at how I believe the image is remembered deep in my soul. Everybody takes a different story from a person or place. However, I can only honestly share my experience. 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. Art presents the task of creating one’s own language. I hope the paintings read as if my brush was clenched in my fist with ideas coming faster than my command of my language will allow me to communicate. Though a struggle may occur, I want the paintings to express that they were fun to create. Bob Grignaffini, an oil painter, also runs a successful landscape design business in his hometown of Wellesley. He has shown his work throughout the Boston area, most recently at Amazing Things in Framingham and the Frame Shop and Gallery in Natick, and Fountain Street Fine Art. He has recently relocated his home to Shelburne Falls, MA, where he also maintains a studio.
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Left The Local Commotions oil, 36 x 48 in. Old Woods of Nova Scotia oil, 20 x 30 in. Above Dance of the Three Sisters oil, 48 x 48 in.
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Kay Hartung ASSOCIATE MEMBER
My current body of work is related to my fascination with the microscopic world. I have been looking at electron microscope photographs and am inspired by the abstract organic shapes and intense color of this hidden world. I imagine the energy and interactions that go on in the body and the mind to produce action and thought. I am exploring the connections between science and art; conscious of the profound effects that these minute biological forms have on the universe. Kay Hartung is a mixed media artist who has a studio at ArtSpace Maynard and lives in Acton. She has a BFA from Philadelphia College of Art and an MFA from Syracuse University. She was on the faculty of Bradford College in the Creative Arts Division from 1979-1999. She maintained a studio at Vernon Street Studio in Somerville for 10 years before moving to Acton in 1992. Her work has been exhibited nationally and is in many private and corporate collections. She has created specially commissioned work for both public and residential spaces. kayhartung.com
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Left Cellular Connections 2 encaustic and mixed media, 20 x 20 in. Cells Surfacing 10 encaustic and mixed media, 8 x 8 in. Above Cellular Connections 1 encaustic & mixed media, 20 x 20 in.
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Joel Moskowitz ASSOCIATE MEMBER
I ask myself–– an American Jew with a basic knowledge of and comfort with Hebrew–– what is my emotional connection to Arabic? I admit ignorance about the Arabic language, and unfamiliarity with Arab culture. I, a Jew of Eastern European heritage, consider Arabic the language of Islam; and Hebrew, the language of Judaism. Yet, Jews from Arab lands speak Arabic. I have a friend, a Jew from Egypt, who has an old Jewish prayer book from Egypt, with pages in both Hebrew and Arabic. Judaism and Islam, Abrahamic religions, have much in common. The Middle Ages was a golden age of Jewish culture in Muslim Spain. We both have our ancient oral and written codes of law. Most interesting to me, we both have proscriptions against graven images. We don’t have a heritage of figurative art, but uphold words, immerse ourselves in our texts, the beauty of language. Arabic and Hebrew, Semitic languages: their history is interwoven. Nowadays, as the differences between Jews and Muslims are emphasized and taken for granted, I hope for a better understanding between us. I am inspired by the efforts of some people to find a common ground, and to make something beautiful together, for example, Daniel Barenboim’s Divan Orchestra, a Seville-based group of young Arab and Israeli musicians. I paint one Hebrew letter with its corresponding Arabic letter, in peaceful coexistence on the page, envisioning a future when Arab and Jew will once again live peacefully side by side. joelmoskowitzfineart.com
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Left Aleph / Alif acrylic on paper, 29 x 23 in. Dalet / Daal acrylic and collage on paper, 29 x 23 in. Above Zayin / Zaay acrylic on paper, 29 x 23 in.
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Pat Paxson ASSOCIATE MEMBER
Pat Paxson creates images that fuse contemporary experimentation with spontaneity, layering, and abstraction. They build on her long term interest in people, their moods, personal space, dreams, memories and interpersonal relationships. Her process of making work is at the heart of its meaning: there is a strong connection between the spontaneity and layering of dreams and memories, and the spontaneity and layering of her work. This interest, combined with a deep interest in improvisation, leads to development of pictorial ways to indicate personal and interpersonal energies in terms of energies of lines, marks and colors. The work is also informed by her interest in meditation, music (playing the cello), and psychology. Pat and her family lived and worked in London for years, until moving back to the US in 2008. While living In London she was awarded an M.A. in Drawing in Fine Art Practice at the Wimbledon School of Art, and a Ph.D. in the Visual Arts from Goldsmiths College, University of London. She has published a book based on her Ph.D. thesis titled Art and Intuition. This is a study of interactions between perception and unconscious mental processes that illuminates the relationship between art and intuition. The third edition of this book is now available. patpaxson.artspan.com
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Left Dreamscape 1 acrylic on canvas, 24 x 18 in. Dreamscape 2 acrylic on canvas, 18 x 24 in. Above Broken Connections – Girl with Bonnet acrylic on canvas, 24 x 30 in.
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Roy Perkinson CORE MEMBER
I am drawn to scenes that have an underlying sense of geometry and combination of colors that I judge to contain the possibility of delicious harmonies. I try to refine and distill these elements using the special properties and personalities of the medium itself, whether oil, pastel or watercolor. In making a painting I want to allow the medium to have its own voice, but I try to imbue the medium with the moods, memories, and visual delights I found in that original instant of perception. Some of my work is created on location, but occasionally I revisit certain ideas in the studio, where I may develop a new painting, often in a medium different from a prior version. I love working in oil, with its great range of textural and coloristic possibilities. I enjoy pastel because of its efficiency and directness when working on location, but I also relish the challenge of working in watercolor. I grew up in Texas so it is not surprising that many of my pictures try to convey a sense of open spaces and often include attention to the sky, with its various moods and atmospherics. perkinsonpaintings.com
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Left Midday Sun, South Shore of Island oil on canvas, 20 x 20 in. Tidal Flats at Sunset pastel on panel, 12 x 24 in. Above Rock Face, Lake Powell watercolor, 18 x 24 in.
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Stacey Piwinski EMERGING ARTIST FELLOW 2014
Twisting, wrapping, weaving, cutting, painting, as my hands process the materials, meanings reveal themselves to me. Responding to the world around me, I deliberately choose a laborious process. I paint like a weaver and weave like a painter. My work is about material, process, and most recently, about time and the involvement of others. My mixed media portraits use discarded objects that are given to me 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. I am interested in the stories that are woven into the cloth: the past and present messages that these cloths can share. 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 Piwinski was born in Lawrence, MA in 1976. She received her BFA in painting in 1999, her MFA in studio teaching in 2000 from Boston University and most recently 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. staceypiwinski.com 56
Above Bill’s Daughter handwoven t-shirts and yarn, 10 x 10 in. Bill’s Son handwoven t-shirts and yarn, 10 x 10 in. Right Bill 28 handwoven t-shirts and yarn, 78 x 45 in.
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Tracy Spadafora ASSOCIATE MEMBER
I am an artist that lives and works in Westborough, MA. My work has been shown throughout the US and is included in the collections of Harvard University, the Danforth Museum, and Bank of America, as well as in numerous publications. I have been teaching studio art classes for youth and adults at colleges, museums, and art centers for the past 18 years. I have worked with themes exploring the relationship of man and nature for the past 15 years. My current bodies of work, the DNA series, and Evolve series, speak to issues of environmental concern, such as global warming and genetic food modification. In the DNA series I use DNA sequences as a base layer to provide both visual patterning and symbolic reference. The images layered on top of the code offer an open narrative. The paintings and constructions are built on visual and symbolic associations, and the obscuring, deconstructing, and preserving of images in wax helps me to address a complex and shifting relationship between man, his biological roots, and the shaping of our natural environment. The Evolve series departs from the more cognitive aspects of my work and employs the organic and playful nature of wax to render dramatic, mysterious, and meditative landscapes. When put together, these landscapes reflect a sequence of change, and with this change, a feeling that can range from haunting to hopeful. With the intuitive vision presented in these paintings I seek to express the grandeur and fragility of the natural world. tracyspadafora.com
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Left Collection (Part 1) encaustic and mixed media on 30 wooden discs, each disc 3 in. in diameter, entire piece approx. 21 x 18 in. Evolve (Part 1) encaustic on gessoed wood panels, each panel 6 x 6 in., grouped together approx. 22 x 22 in. Above Vestige (Part 5) mixed media on wood boxes 15 x 24 x 3 in.
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Mary Spencer ASSOCIATE MEMBER
Mary Spencer received her BS from Nazareth College of Rochester, New York and her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. She taught at Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. She was a proofer and then journeyman dotetcher working with wet etch and dry photo masking techniques for Boston area printing companies. Spencer has received an ART Grant, a Natick Cultural Council Grant, and a Massachusetts Artists Fellowship in Drawing, the Blanche E. Coleman Award and Fellowships to Yaddo, The Millay Colony for the Arts and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Her work has been shown throughout New England, New York, the Mid-West, Cuba and South Africa. Her work is in the collections of the Boston Athenaeum, the Decordova Museum, and the Boston Public Library, corporate and private collections. maryspencer.com
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Left Math of a Real World charcoal on rag paper, 23 x 17.5 in. Jay Showing His Ink charcoal on rag paper, 30 x 22 in. Above Seth with Honey Bees charcoal on rag paper, 30 x 22 in.
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Kellie Weeks ASSOCIATE MEMBER
One of the most fundamental components of my life is creativity. As I sift through the conundrums of the day to day tasks and engage with opportunity, pertinent information about my world is revealed to me through my work. Relationships, both past and present, are what fuel my art. My paintings are abstract in nature and communicate the many facets that comprise the web of social and familial structures. Ultimately they tell a story, and different stories may be read. Using both oil and encaustic as vehicles for achieving this spiritual illumination, objects are often seen yielding to one another and/or incomplete, interrupted, or overlapping. Color, a formidable key to my art, can also indicate bold intentions versus subdued reactions. All of these elements speak of relationships, journeys, and transformations. As I balance the tightrope between birth and death, I continually adjust my place in this world through my art. In an attempt to evoke a universal emotion, as I bestow this work to viewers, I hope that it can be the conduit needed for them to know and feel that they are alive. “For art to me is an anecdote of the spirit, and the only means of making concrete the purpose of its varied quickness and stillness.” – Mark Rothko
kellieweeksart.com
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Left Toppling encaustic, 24 x 24 in. Afterwards encaustic, 24 x 24 in. Above Suspended Belief encaustic, 30 x 30 in.
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Jeanne Williamson CORE MEMBER
Jeanne Williamson’s mixed media work incorporates the grids of orange construction fences. This work is a combination of acrylic photographs of construction fences in the snow, and monoprinted and painted fabric that is stitched to highlight different lines and patterns. Many construction sites use plastic orange fences as a barrier to keep people out of danger, by blocking off the site. The fences come in many shapes and sizes, and Jeanne has been collecting different kinds of fences for many years. On hot days they can get limp and sag, and on cold days they sometimes crack. Working in different series, Jeanne creates abstractions of the geometric patterns of building construction, building textures and repeats, with nature that grows around the construction, and/or to create the illusion of how one fence pattern is reacting with another pattern. jeannewilliamson.com
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Left 12 x 12 x 12 February 2014 mixed media on board, 12 x 12 in. Above Snow on Snow Fences #1 mixed media on board, 10 x 22 in. Snow on Snow Fences #3 mixed media on board, 10 x 22 in.
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Collaboration needs personal expression as well as common vision to really work. It’s a hard balance to reach sometimes. You don’t want to take over and blot out other voices, but you also don’t want to be a doormat and not contribute your valuable voice. It’s a great metaphor for democracy and coexistence in general. Carrie Childs Antonini
How ironic it is that even when feeling entirely alone in making art, joy and strength can come from the awareness that one is a part of a collaboration with makers of art throughout time – a stream of creative expression of human feelings and perceptions, a continuum extending from before the caves of Lascaux to the present. Roy Perkinson
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FOUNTAIN STREET FINE ART ABOUT THE GALLERY Fountain Street Fine Art is an artist-run 2,000 sf gallery housed on the ground floor of an historic industrial building in Framingham, Massachusetts. With multiple levels of membership, FSFA exhibits high caliber contemporary art by emerging and mid-career artists in its main gallery, and casts a wider net to the community in its gallery Annex. FSFA produces solo and group exhibitions, juried shows drawing artists from all over the US, collaborative projects and installations, as well as community events. OUR MISSION IS TO • Support artistic growth of member artists • Expand audience and collector base for our artists • Educate collectors and the general public about the benefits of an art-filled life
CO-DIRECTORS
ARTIST FRIENDS
Cheryl Clinton Marie Craig
Albert Adelman Sarah Alexander Jorie Anderson Carrie Childs Antonini Sachiko Beck Eugenie Lewalski Berg Julia R. Berkley Suzanne Booth Monty Brower Kathleen Bryce Fred Casselman Jeri Castimore Ellie Kerns Cheever Williams Bob Collini Carolyn Crane Lynne Damianos Pamela DeJong Deborah Drummond Susan Emmerson Jim Eng Martha Little Fuentes Amy Furman Anne Gilson Denise Girardin Liliana Cirstea Glenn Catherine Gruetzke-Blais
CORE MEMBERS Scout Austin Brenda Cirioni Cheryl Clinton Marie Craig Nan Hass Feldman Roy Perkinson Stacey Piwinski Jeanne Williamson ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Lisa Barthelson Denise Driscoll Sara Fine-Wilson Bob Grignaffini Kay Hartung Joel Moskowitz Pat Paxson Tracy Spadafora Mary Spencer Kellie Weeks
Kate Heyd Matthew Jemison John T. Keane Linda Klein Dottie Laughlin Gesa Lehnert Michelle Lougee Sonja Holzwarth Maneri Rob Meszaros Lelio Nicolas Monica Nino Robin Remick Anne Sargent Walker Janice Savery Carol Schweigert Fay Senner Margie Sisitsky Joan Sprachman Karin Stanley Sallie Strand Felicia Tuttle Cathy Weaver Taylor Amy Weader Catherine Weber Dana Wheeler
Fountain Street Fine Art 59 Fountain Street Framingham, MA 01702 Telephone: 508.879.4200 fountainstreetfineart.com birthingagallery.blogspot.com We’re also on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
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ISBN 978-1-312-63635-4
90000
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9 781312 636354