ARTmonday: Lee Essex Doyle Chimera at Childs Gallery

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:

Lee Essex Doyle Travel Paintings Santorini Sky

Lee Essex Doyle Travel Paintings Hockneys View

Lee Essex Doyle Travel Paintings Mykonos Memories

Lee Essex Doyle Travel Paintings Bethesda By The Sea

Lee Essex Doyle Travel Paintings Illumination

Lee Essex Doyle Travel Paintings Echoes of India

Lee Essex Doyle Travel Paintings Cloistered Sea

Lee Essex Doyle Travel Paintings Cerulean Star

Lee Essex Doyle Travel Paintings Minaret Memories

Lee Essex Doyle Travel Paintings Mediterranean Night

Chimera by Lee Essex Doyle at Childs Gallery, 169 Newbury Street, Boston through August 30, 2019.

ARTmonday: Art + Cocktails Truro (Paintings, Collage, Mixed Media)

Last weekend I held a pop-up art gallery event on the Cape. My husband hung 96 works of art on our very bare white walls. It was so much work, but it looked fantastic, and ultimately everyone had fun. We even sold some pieces.

We hung oil paintings, acrylic on board, ink and pastels on rice paper, collage, acrylic on canvas, encaustic, and others. Styles included graphic abstracts, abstracted landscapes, portraits, marine-inspired abstracts, and more. We also had a lot of photography, which I will post next Monday.

Here is a sampling of work we displayed from 18 different artists. You can check out some installation photos on my StyleCarrot and StyleCarrotCurates Instagram accounts, as well as some artist’s feeds; we used #artandcocktailstruro. If you’re interested in learning more about or purchasing any of these pieces, email me at [email protected]

Kristi Kohut Striped Rice Paper Painting

Kristi Kohut, Chromatic Harmony #12
Acrylic, ink and pastels on Mulberry rice paper, 11.5×16.5 inches, $840

Abstract Painting By Maine Artist Jenny Prinn

Jenny Prinn, Sun on the Shore
Acrylic on canvas, 24×24 inches, $1,100

Abstract Landscape By Boston Artist Carolyn T Burns

Carolyn T. Burns, Can We Get a Puppy? 
Acrylic on canvas on panel, 10×8 inches, $400

Kishore Kumar Abstract Forest Contemporary Indian Art

Kishore Kumar, Exuberance 1
Acrylic on canvas, 12×12 inches, $250

Venetian Lantern Paintings By Boston Artist Lee Essex Doyle

Lee Essex DoylePrada I Palazzo Papadopoli Turquoise, Venice
Mixed media, 12×12 inches, $2,000

Portland Maine Artist Amanda Hawkins Abstract Landscape Painting

Amanda Hawkins, Untitled 2015
Acrylic on canvas, 14×14 inches, $375

Striped Abstract Painting Taffy By Boston Artist Maureen Holub

Maureen Holub, Taffy
Acrylic and mixed media, 24×18 inches, $850

Collage By Portland Maine Artist Darek Bittner

Darek Bittner, Leaky Boots
Collage, 10×8 inches, $400

Marine Inspired Mixed Media Artwork By Providence Artist Jenny Brown

Jenny Brown, Sea Fairy
Pen, ink, & collage material on card paper, 11×8.5, $275

Abstract Art Affordable Art Jaime Derringer

Jaime Derringer#140821-1
Acrylic, marker, and pencil on paper, 12×9 inches, $350

Landscape Painting By Cape Cod Artist Judyth Katz

Judyth KatzCottonwood, Abiquiu Inn
Acrylic on Arches paper, 30×22 inches, $3,500

Marine Inspired Abstract Painting By NYC Artist Sarah Lutz

Sarah Lutz, Rapture
Oil, resin, spray paint and paper on linen, 48×36 inches, $7,500

Marine Inspired Abstract Painting By Patricia Spergler

Patricia Spergel, Enthralled
Oil on canvas, 20×20 inches, $1,500

Abstract On Wood Panel By Boston Artist Hilary Tait Norod

Hilary Tait NorodOn the Horizon
Oil and mixed media on panel, 40×30 inches, $2,000

Small Portrait on Wood By Boston Artist Stephanie Todhunter

Stephanie Todhunter, Pamela
Photo transfer, metal leaf, oil marker, 6×4 inches, $40 (sold)

Abstract Painting By SF Artist Ellen Levine Dodd

Ellen Levine Dodd, Within Grasp
Mixed media on canvas, 60×48, $4,800

Small Abstract Painting By Portland Maine Artist MP Landis

MP Landis, 16.20
Mixed media on canvas, 10×10 inches, $700

Abstract Encaustic By Boston Artist Linda Cordnor

Linda Cordner, Ocean Morning
Encaustic on board, 12×12 inches, $600

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ARTmonday: Montserrat College of Art Artrageous!30 Auction

If you’ve been reading ARTmonday regularly you know I am a devotee of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston art sale.  I have yet to attend the MassArt Auction, but with my new burgeoning curatorial career I am very excited to go to this year’s art auction on April 9, 2016.

I am also thrilled to have been invited to the Montserrat College of Art Artrageous!30 Auction, which is this Saturday, April 2, 2016 in Gloucester. Montserrat College of Art is an accredited art school in Beverly, Mass., on the North Shore.

There are 16 pieces in the live auction, including work by my friends Lee Essex Doyle and Tess Atkinson (who is part of the Webster Art Project I curate). I saw many of these artworks a few weeks ago on exhibit at NAGA Gallery on Newbury Street and they’re quite wonderful. You can check out my @stylecarrotcurates Instagram for some installation shots. They’re tagged #artrageous30.

The silent auction includes over 120 artworks, including abstracts, landscapes, photography, collage, sculpture, etc. My absolute favorite piece is She thought it was love but it turns out to be adult onset ADD by Marcia Hermann, below. 

Throughout Artrageous!, Montserrat students and faculty will create artworks live while you watch. Questions are encouraged, and all works will be available to bid on as they are made. In addition, there are 200 raffle tickets on sale for $100 each. The winner gets to choose any item from the live or silent auction.

The pieces are all online, though to bid you either need to attend or contact Montserrat for a bidder proxy.All proceeds raised at Artrageous!30 help provide funding for financial aid for Montserrat students.

Here are my top 15 picks from the Montserrat College of Art Artrageous!30 Auction.

Abstract Landscape Painting By Amanda Hawkins

Bayview Lane, Amanda Hawkins
Acrylic and charcoal, 12”x24”, $500

Mixed Media Abstract Artwork By Conny Goelz-Schmitt

Moon Glazer, Conny Goelz-Schmitt
Mixed media, 26”x48”x2”, $800

Interior Photograph With Dog By Michelle Rearic

Pandora’s Box, Michelle Rearic
Digital photograph, 13”x9”, $300

Photograph Of Retro Train Station By Karen Hosking

Lynn, Train Station, Karen Hosking
Photography, 18”x24” $400

Pastoral Landscape Painting By Sally Lee

Essex Farm, Sally Lee
Oil on canvas, 32”x32”, $1,500

Venetian Lantern Painting By Lee Essex Doyle

Prada I Purple, Lee Essex Doyle
Acrylic on canvas, 15”x15”, $2,000

Folk Inspired Painting By Steve Negron

Frankie Abandoned Hope at Land’s End, Steve Négron
Acrylic on panel, 9”x9”, $400

Interior Painting Of Man and Woman By Marcia Hermann

She thought it was love but it turns out to be adult onset ADD, Marcia Hermann
Oil on panel, 22”x24”, $700

Abstract Landscape Painting By Barbara Moody

Treasure Hunt, Barbara Moody
Acrylic on canvas, 24”x24”, $900

African Savannah Safari Landscape Photo by Tess Atkinson

Giraffe and Zebra Walking In A Mirage 1, Amboseli, Tess Atkinson
Enhanced matte print (edition 2 of 18), 40”x40”, $2,000

Mixed Media Collage By Joe LoVasco

Small Shop, Joe LoVasco
Oil paint, found paper, color pencil, 12”x15”, $450

Abstract Geometric Collage By Katie Dougherty

Multiples, Katie Dougherty
Collage, 11”x14”, $350

Interior Painting With Woman and Cake By Leslie Graff

“She had her cake…”, Leslie Graff
Acrylic on canvas, 30”x40”, $2,500

Interior Painting By Taylor Clough

Interior with Chair, Taylor Clough
Acrylic paint, 36”x24”, $800

Abstract Wood Sculpture By Boston Artist Damien Hoar De Galvan

Untitled, Damien Hoar de Galvan
Wood, glue, and paint, 10”x5.5”x1.5”, $650

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ARTmonday: Artwork for TroyBoston Model Apt #1409

I love when I have the opportunity in my work to showcase local Boston artists and makers. For the last couple of months I’ve been working on a interior decor scheme for a model apartment at Troy Boston, a brand new, upscale, “green” rental building in SoWa. It’s a little outside my usual scope of projects and it’s been fun. You may have seen the initial post I did about it, when I was determining the color scheme for the apartment—Impressions: Creating a Color Palette of Charcoal + Dusty Rose. The final palette is indeed based on this post, with plenty of textural elements, including velvet, sheepskin, cork, plywood, and copper.

The best part has been curating the artwork. The art collection is the distinctive feature of the overall design and I hope people will view it as an exhibition rather than mere decoration. The pieces, which include paintings, photographs, sculpture, and mixed media pieces, are all done by New England-based female artists. Some of these Boston artists are  talented friends (Lee Essex Doyle, Tess Atkinson, Grace Hopkins),  others are young artists whose pieces I’ve purchased over the years at the SMFA Art Sale (Laura Beth Reese, Eugenie Lewalski Berg), others are artists I’ve become familiar with through blogging (Cig Harvey, Alicia Savage, Anastasia Cazabon, Anna Kasabian, Rachel Cossar, Winky Lewis, Jenny Prinn), and others are Boston artists who are new to me  (Heather McGrath, Linda Cordner).

I knew from the start that I wanted to include a statement artwork of a partially obscured woman; a moody fashion-y photograph of an elusive woman. I was able to get a few, though no oversize pieces due to the prohibitive cost of printing. Nevertheless I think the collection will hold together well. At the end of this post, you can see my current hanging scheme for the main wall, and for over the bed. I also plan to print a few of my own Instagram photos to pin or (washi) tape up.

Here I present to you the Troy Boston Model Apt #1409 art collection featuring over a dozen Boston area artists.  I hope you love it and will learn more about these talented women, all of whom have generously lent me their artwork.

alicia-savage-field

Alicia Savage
 self-portrait  •  Panopticon Gallery
Fort Point, Boston, MA

laura-beth-reese-snowy-nude

Laura Beth Reese  •  self-portrait from Nude series
Boston, MA

dig-harvey-the-goldfinch

Cig Harvey, MidCoast Maine
The Goldfinch  •  Robert Klein Gallery

anastasia-cazabon-bed

Anastasia Cazabon  •  From the Secret World series
Boston, MA

grace-hopkins-ca01

Grace Hopkins  •  CA01
Color photograph on canvas
Truro, Cape Cod, MA

grace-hopkins-nassau06

Grace Hopkins  •  Nassau06
Color photograph on canvas
Truro, Cape Cod, MA

grace-hopkins-lights-la45

Grace Hopkins  •  LA45
Color photograph on canvas
Truro, Cape Cod, MA

rachel-cossar-tights

Rachel Cossar  •  Tights
Instagram photograph backstage
Ballerina, Boston Ballet  •  Boston, MA

lee-essex-doyle-lantern

Lee Essex Doyle, Boston, MA
Prada I Orange  •  Childs Gallery  •   Watercolor and ink

winky-lewis-swimsuit

Winky Lewis, Portland, ME
Black and white photo of the artist’s daughter

eugenie-lewalsk-berg-six-couples

Eugenie Lewalski Berg  •   Six Couples
Cast concrete relief with graphite and oil pastel
Boston, MA

linda-cordner-bayside-sky

Linda Cordner  •  Bayside Sky  •  encaustic
Linda Cordner created this large encaustic for the apartment after seeing my color palette inspiration post.
SoWa, Boston, MA

tess-atkinson-vista-series

Tess Atkinson  •  Vista Series
Color photograph face-mounted on plexiglass
Boston, MA

iceland-heather-mcgrath

Heather McGrath  •  Sunset in Iceland
Color photograph printed on sheet metal
SoWa, Boston, MA

anna-kasabian-tide-pool

Anna Kasabian, North Shore, MA
Tide Pool III   •  stoneware
This many not be the exact piece that will hang. Anna Kasabian is lending me three pieces, which I will see when she drops them off next week.

jenny prinn

Jenny Prinn, Maine
Little Footsteps I  •  Oil on canvas
This is not the exact canvas I’ll be hanging. Jenny Prinn has graciously offered to paint an original work for the project.

•            •          • 

Main art wall
troy-art-1

•            •         • 

Art over the bed
troy-art-2

•            •          •

ARTmonday: 10 Watercolors of Venetian Interiors by Lee Essex Doyle

If you’ve been following my art posts for a while, you’ll have seen work by my very talented, very dear friend Lee Essex Doyle. Two years ago Boston’s Childs Gallery showcased “Dreams of Dawnridge,” watercolor paintings based on the glam Los Angeles home of artist and designer Tony Duquette. In 2009 I featured her “Postcards from India” series depicting impressions of Indian temples and palaces in Rajasthan, which she showed at Peter Marcelle Contemporary in New York. (I am lucky enough to own two from that series.)

Lee Essex Doyle’s newest show, “Illuminated Moments” opens at Childs Gallery on Newbury Street in Boston this Thursday, January 22nd, 2015 (previewed on Artsy). The works are inspired by Doyle’s recent travels to Venice and Havana. This latest series of watercolors reflect the vibrant light of the two cities. The palette is more pared down than in years past, but the compositions just as masterful and the lines and patterns as intriguing and pleasing as ever. The stairways, with its curlicue railings are invitations to explore and the lanterns and chandeliers are enchanting.

I can’t wait to see Lee and her beautiful paintings in person on Thursday, but until then we can gaze at these . . .

lee-essex-doyle-palazzo-cini

Study for Palazzo Cini, Venice, 2014

lee-essex-doyle-prada-II-yellow

Prada II Yellow, Venice, 2014

lee-essex-doyle-prada-II-giustina

Prada II Giustina, Venice, 2014

lee-essex-doyle-cini-panes-grey

Cini Panes Grey, Venice, 2014

lee-essex-doyle-palacio-de-la-condesa

Study for Palacio de la Condesa de Revilla De Camargo, Havana, 2014

lee-essex-doyle-palazzo-polignac

Door to Palazzo Polignac, Venice, 2014

lee-essex-doyle-palazzo-priuli

Study for Palazzo Priuli, Venice, 2014

lee-essex-doyle-scuola-grande-stair

Study for Scoula Grande Stair, Venice, 2014

lee-essex-doyle-palazzo-grimani

Courtyard, Palazzo Grimani, Venice, 2014

lee-essex-doyle-fondamenta-view

Study for View across Fondamenta Osmarin, Venice, 2014