After a year of corresponding with art consultant Beth Kantrowitz, I met her in Provincetown when she did a pop-up gallery the summer before last. I was instantly attracted to her enthusiasm, not to mention her taste in art. She and Kathleen O’Hara of Watertown, Massachusetts gallery Drive-by Projects recently introduced the Drive-by Store where you can by works from emerging and mid-career artists online. Here are some of the offerings which you can also see @drive_by_projects.
Rebecca Doughty
Jon Cowan
Amy Ross
Danica Phelps
James Kennedy
Helena Wurzel
Shannon Rankin
Crystalle LaCouture
Michelle Grabner
Jenny Brown
Drive-by Projects, 81 Spring Street, Watertown, Massachusetts, 617-835-8255, by appointment.
I first saw Sarah Meyers Brent’s flower paintings about five years ago at an open studios. I was immediately drawn to her large pieces depicting moody florals dripping down the canvas. Her bio says she is attracted to the wilt and decay of dried flowers. I recently read an Instagram post by one of my favorite Boston area floral designers who urged her followers to embrace flowers at every stage. Sarah obviously does. I love that.
I was lucky enough to work with her when we featured a dripping flower painting at the Webster & Company showroom. Some of her work is spare, with a background peeking through, while other paintings are so textured and layered they’re truly three-dimensional. Sarah also does cool fiber sculptures that included upcycled kids clothing; these seem to grow out of the wall.
Sarah Meyers Brent is represented by Kate Kostopoulos at Chase Young Gallery in the SoWa Arts District in Boston. Her solo show “Curious Cultivations” runs through October 31, 2020. You can see it in real life or online. You can also tune into her Zoom talk this Thursday evening.
Zoom Live Artist Talk with Sarah Meyers Brent Thursday October 8th – 6:00pm – 6:30pm https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79775104719?pwd=RDVDbzFlRjFQdUhra09xWlFaNWF5QT09
Dripping Plant VI Acrylic on Canvas • 50 x 40 inches
Falling Flowers Acrylic on Canvas • 48.5 x 66 inches
Birdsong Sculpture Found Objects & Mixed Media • 48h x 30w x 30d inches
Floral Dance II Acrylic on Paper • 11 x 15 inches
Put a Bird On It Acrylic & Graphite on Paper • 11 x 14 inches
Stay At Home Rainbow Acrylic on Board • 10 x 8 inches
Flower Vase Acrylic & Mixed Media on Board • 11.25 x 9 inches
Floral Explosion Acrylic & Charcoal on Canvas • 30 x 40 inches
Ice Cream Scoop Acrylic & Charcoal on Canvas • 48.5 x 66 inches
Edgewater Gallery, which has outposts in Middlebury, Vermont and Stowe, Vermont, as well as Bozeman, Montana, has opened at the Boston Design Center. Hilary Norod, who is an abstract artist herself and a dream to work with, heads the Boston location. Offerings include a selection of abstracts, still lifes, landscapes, and portraits that are accessible and still feel very fresh.
Before continuing onto a sampling of works by ten artists represented by Edgewater Gallery, I’d like to invite you to a pop-up event by Edgewater Gallery hosted by a friend of mine at her home near Davis Square, Somerville, MA, this coming Saturday, September 14, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Please email me (stylecarrot [at] gmail [dot] com) or Hilary (hilary [at] edgewatergallery-vt [dot] com) if you’d like to attend. Hope to see you there!
My very dear friend, artist Lee Essex Doyle is exhibiting her newest work at Childs Gallery in Boston in a solo show called Chimera. Lee is many things—mother, friend, artist, and traveler. Her wanderlust defines her style and her work.
Lee excels at capturing the essence of a place in her delicately and boldly colored and detailed works, which depict architectural impressions of her journeys, from India to Greece to Italy to Havana.
Here is a sampling from the beautiful show:
Chimera by Lee Essex Doyle at Childs Gallery, 169 Newbury Street, Boston through August 30, 2019.
Boston area interior designer Meredith Rodday, who you may know from her blog View From My Heels, transformed this formal living room into a light and airy space. I wrote about it here, in a recent issue of Boston Globe Magazine. I’ve included more about Rodday’s design and sources below. Photo by Jessica Delaney.
Jessica Delaney Photography
“I’m not known for formal rooms,” Rodday told me. As such her signature style of light colors with a coastal touch, was just what the homeowners were looking for.
They started by painting the room Benjamin Moore “Navajo White” to tie it together with the home’s family room. Using the warm, creamy white as a base, Rodday added soft white upholstered and warm wood pieces, a dark grounding coffee table, and pretty artwork for a pop of color.
All the fireplaces in the home had awful green marble, which Rodday replaced with classic Cararra marble. The blue/grey veining is reflecting in the gray striations of the Restoration Hardware Nahla rug , which adds a touch of interest but keeps things neutral.
The Lee Industries sofa is upholstered in Serena & Lily washed linen in sand. The McGee & Co. Blaine armchairs have a wood frames with a driftwood finish that adds a bit of earthiness. The baluster profile and finish tie into the Arteriors Everett table. Its oxidized iron-clad surface and base connects with the dark color of the large cocktail table, custom covered in navy Phillip Jeffries Juicy Jute grasscloth.
“The room is very large,” Rodday says, “We needed an anchor on the fireplace, which is off-center, and this worked well.” The Visual Comfort Morris chandelier with polished nickel finish further establishes the center of the seating area, without blocking the artwork.
The colorful artwork cements the focal point for the seating area and is the jumping off point for the accessories which bring color into the room. The piece is “Sapling Grove” by Peter Batchelder, an oil on canvas from Powers Gallery in Acton, Mass.
The indigo leafy vine pattern of the Belgian linen drapery, Novella by Massachusetts textile designer Ellisha Alexina, stands up to the painting without overwhelming it.
Rodday used the fabric for a throw pillow too. Other throw pillows include, from left to right, Susan Connor New York in Madu, Zak + Fox in Postage, Peter Dunham in Kashmir, and a cognac leather McGee & Co. pillow. The brushstroke lamp is by Jana Bek.
