Planning Stage: selection process for our summer show

Hatch Street Studios is honored to announce that we have been invited to show our work in a group exhibition at Van Vessem Gallery in Tiverton, Rhode Island, this summer. As a first step toward the presentation, gallerist Marika Van Vessem visited our building today to select specific pieces to be included in the show. Accompanied and advised by her friend Miriam Clifford, Marika expressed appreciation for the wide variety of media and styles represented by the artists at Hatch Street.

The exhibit will run from July 8 to August 5, with an opening reception set for July 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. Please plan to join us for our opening, or stop by the gallery while the show is on display. For information on the gallery, visit VanVessemGallery.com.

Thank you, Marika, we appreciate your invitation and look forward to showing our work with you!

Marika (right) and Miriam look through a series of prints by Michael Hecht.

Marika takes a closer look at one of Pam Hoss's large-scale drawings.

Marika photographs a painting by Joe Moniz as documentation for the works she plans to include in the summer show.

Hatch Street goes to Brookline

Hatch Street artist Michelle Lapointe (Studio 407) will exhibit two of her beautiful stained glass pieces, "Galaxy Light Box" and "Intertwined," in an upcoming show at the Brookline Arts Center titled "Contemporary Craft."

There will be an opening reception on Friday, June 16 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The Brookline Arts Center is located at 86 Monmouth Street, Brookline, MA.

For more information, visit www.brooklineartscenter.com or call 617.566.5715.

New gallery, new show!

The perfect way to spend your Friday evening: visit a brand new gallery at Hatch Street!

Denn Santoro and Helen Granger have transformed Space 306a of the Hatch Street building into the S&G Project Gallery, and their first show opens with a reception this Friday, May 5 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Their inaugural exhibit will feature multi-media assemblage artist Holly Carruthers, whose work combines found objects in an effort to "make sense of a world full of stuff." 

The artist says her "vast collection of pilfered wood, glass, metal, ephemera and accoutrement are assembled, fused, overlapped, reorganized and juxtaposed" to create work that is "surreal, dream-like, lyrical, and otherworldly."

Holly's show, titled "Junkstaposition: Upcycling Found Objects to Art," will include 22 of her assemblages. The exhibition will remain on view until June 10. 

Beyond Friday's reception, the gallery will be open by event, appointment or chance; you may email Denn at Denn@SandGProjectGallery.com or call him at 774.279.2606.

Stop by to see this intriguing art, and meet the artist and the gallerists! A group of other Hatch Street artists will have their studios open as well, including Lori Bradley, who has recently relocated from a fourth floor space to a new studio on the second floor, # 211. Also, you can visit Michael and Joan Tracey in Studio 306 (abstract and Impressionist acrylic paintings and ink drawings) and Michelle Lapointe, the Glass Connector (stained glass and abstract paintings) in Studio 407.

For more information on Holly Carruthers' work and on the S&G Project Gallery, check out their website at http://sandgprojectgallery.com/projects/html. 

There is ample free parking at Hatch Street Studios, and the elevator will be staffed for easy and handicapped access. See you there!

Hatch Street women reach out to upcoming artists

Women from Hatch Street Studios showed their support for the next generation by participating in Saturday's Work, Women, and Art symposium at the New Bedford Art Museum/Artworks.

This event invites junior and senior high school students who identify as female to network with adult  women professionals in the arts and learn more about real life in an artistic career. (By rough count, there were 20 professionals and 40 students in attendance.)

The day began with a presentation by guest speaker Beth McLaughlin, senior curator at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, who talked about her involvement with the Pussyhat Project and the museum's upcoming exhibit on the craftivism movement. Guests then broke into small groups where panels of art professionals gave details on their career highlights and personal experiences. After more networking over a pizza lunch, students attended workshops on preparing portfolios and applying to art school.

A great time was had by all! Representatives from Hatch Street Studios included Kim Barry, Catherine Carter, Helen Granger, and Michelle Lapointe.

Printing with class

Hatch Street artist Pat Daughton recently gave a demonstration to Professor Adrian Tio's printmaking class at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. As part of her visit, Pat showed the students how to create monotypes using a lithographic press.

Here are scenes of her pulling a sample print and discussing her work with the students.

Pat works in studio 414 at Hatch Street; find out more about her work here.

New online shop offers animal images

Share your love for the critters of the world! Hatch Street artist Lori Bradley has started an online shop on Society6.com with products featuring fun animal-themed art! Click HERE to view her wares, picturing this friendly feline image on T-shirts, mugs, phone covers and more.

Funky abstraction in Warwick exhibit

Hatch Street Studios artist Michelle Lapointe's unique stained-glass piece "Funky Boxes" is on display at the Warwick Center for the Arts in Warwick, RI. The show, titled "Exploring Abstracts" is on view from April 5 to May 26. The gallery's hours are Wednesday from 10 AM to 4 PM; Thursday from 1 to 6 PM, Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM, and Saturday from noon to 3 PM. Check out the show!

Michelle's showroom and work space are located in Studio 407 at Hatch Street Studios. To view more of her work, visit her website at glassconnector.com, or contact her at 508.951.7416 or lapointeunlimited@yahoo.com.

"Funky Boxes" by Michelle Lapointe

Solo show celebrates the "Ornamental"

Hatch Street artist Catherine Carter will present a solo show titled "Ornamental," at the School of Fashion Design, 136 Newbury Street, Boston. The exhibit runs from April 10 to May 10, with a reception open to the public on Friday, April 28, from 5:30 to 7 PM.

The reception is scheduled as part of ArtWeek Boston, and will include a talk by the artist, who is an alumna of the school. She will explain how her early career in the fashion industry led to her current profession as an artist, and how fabric and clothing remain a direct influence on her abstract acrylic paintings.

The show will include works from her "Filigree" series, most of which are being exhibited for the first time. The shapes in this series are inspired by expansive, looping forms such as fiber weaves, calligraphic marks, and natural shapes like roots and vines.

The School of Fashion Design is open Monday and Friday 9 AM to 4 PM, Tuesday to Thursday from 9 AM to 9 PM, and Saturdays from 9 AM to 3 PM. More information is available at CatherineCarterPainting.com.

"Filigree Square 10," acrylic on canvas, 20" square, 2015

"Filigree Square 7," acrylic on canvas, 20" square, 2015

"Filigree 6," acrylic on canvas, 40" H x 30" W, 2015

Keep up to date on Hatch Street Studios

Did you know? You can find out more about Hatch Street Studios - our events, our artists, our building - by following us on Twitter and Instagram.

We're on Twitter at @HatchStStudios and on Instagram at @HatchStreetStudios ... stop by and see what's new!

Pam Hoss exhibits in "Figuratively Speaking"

Hatch Street artist Pamela Hoss, who works in Studio 409, will be featured in an exhibit at the Grimshaw-Gudewicz Gallery at Bristol Community College, titled "Figuratively Speaking."

The show runs from March 9 to April 7, with an opening reception scheduled for Thursday, March 9, from 6 to 8 PM.

Below are examples of Pam's paintings/collages on paper. She says of her artistic process:

"Drawing and painting the figure have been my main studio engagement for 35 years. I have often used myself as a vehicle for expression. At times the self-portraits have become intimate investigations, while at other times I have created multi-figured narratives. For the past two years, I have pursued plein air painting, which has given my studio narratives an environment. Incorporating old photos into the studio paintings has helped me recall earlier times. Being mindful of age, gender and loss, my current work is helping to capture the essence of the past through a collage of memories and dreams."

The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM and Saturdays from 1 to 4 PM. Admission is free. For more information, call 508.678.2811, ext. 2631 or visit BristolCC.edu/gallery.

Fur and feathers

Hatch Street artist Lori Bradley's solo exhibition titled "Searchers and Strugglers" is about to open at Gallery X's Frederick Douglass Gallery in New Bedford.

The show can be viewed starting tonight from 5 to 8 p.m., when the venue opens its "Green" exhibit in the Main Gallery.

This exhibition will feature new works from Lori's allegorical bird painting series, including the one pictured below.

As part of this week's AHA! Night, to be held Thursday, March 9, Lori will be signing copies of her new animal rescue memoir "Dogs Are Better Than People" in the gallery from 5 to 8 p.m. [I just read the book and I can't recommend it highly enough!] The artist will also be offering her bird and dog prints and posters for purchase during the AHA! event.

If you're a dog lover or a bird watcher, don't miss this opportunity to see how a talented artist with a warm heart reveals them in words and paint strokes.

For more information, you may contact the artist directly at loribradley@comcast.net.

All features great and small

Hatch Street artist Jacob Ginga, a.k.a. Maker Jake, who works in Studio 406, has been focusing on portraits in the new year, with dramatic shifts in scale. His abstract faces in acrylic on wood panels feature strong colors embellished with touches of black and white. But the artist always reserves little peeks of the original wood grain surface to contrast with the brightly painted geometric shapes.

Here are some of his small works, which fit in the palm of your hand:

And here is his largest piece yet (and the newest of the series), titled "Starboy,"50" H x 26" W:

Artworks are available for purchase through the artist; for more information, message @makerjakestudio or visit https://www.facebook.com/makerjakestudio.

Woodworker's new gallery affiliation

Michael Pietragalla, whose Floating Stone Woodworks is located in Studio 406 at Hatch Street Studios, is now affiliated with Artisans Way: Fine Art and Contemporary Craft Gallery in Concord, MA. The gallery is located at 18 Walden Street and is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Check out his work when you're in the Metrowest Boston area!

Here is a table of Michael's that the gallery is now offering, made of sycamore and lacewood.

Hatch Street printmaker's works on display

Hatch Street artist Adrian Tio is currently showing a series of prints at Gallery 65 in an exhibit titled "Lasting Impressions." Alongside his work are prints by Marc St. Pierre, a fellow professor of printmaking at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Located at 65 William Street in New Bedford, the gallery's hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The show is up until February 25. For more information, call 508.994.1595 or visit the gallery's Facebook page.

Hatch Street on view: Michelle LaPointe

Two photographs by Hatch Street artist Michelle LaPointe (The Glass Connector, Studio 407) are currently on view at a juried photography exhibit titled "Rock and Rust" at Conanicut Island Art Association in Jamestown, Rhode Island. Check out the show!

Latest work: Kim Barry

One of the ongoing purposes of this blog is to keep you informed of what our artists are up to. True, we offer public events and exhibits on certain dates throughout the year, but the creative process is going on inside our studios every day. The blog gives you a chance to take a peek all year long, even when we're not formally "open" or on display!

Here is a brand new painting by artist Kim Barry, whose space is located in Studio 410. It is titled "Quahog," and is oil on canvas, 18" square.

Stay tuned for ongoing spotlights on our artists!

Lasse Antonsen presents "Tatterdemalion"

Hatch Street Studios member Lasse Antonsen is currently showing his work in a show titled "Tatterdemalion" at the Van Vessem Gallery in Tiverton, Rhode Island. I was fortunate to have a chance to view the show last week and take the images posed below.

Lasse defines "tatterdemalion" as "a ragged person dressed in old clothes; a ragged or disreputable appearance." The gallery offers the following statement about the show: 

In Tatterdemalion, Lasse Antonsen presents small paper collages from the 2015 series, “Daily Gazette.” The collages are made of uneven, often colorful, geometrical forms, placed rhythmically on pages from a late 19th century New England scrapbook - a scrapbook which had already been densely glued with short stories, news articles, and poems. Also on view are large-scale paper and cloth collages from the 2016, “Budapest,” series. These collages are created out of brown paper bags and black cloth, and incorporate textile fragments from the Oriole Mill in Asheville, North Carolina. The collages are abstract, but appear to reference scarred walls with moving, organic forms. Early in 2016, Antonsen created two artist’s books series. The first, “Monat,” presents selections of “objects” on the pages of a German ledger from 1939-1940. The pages in the books call to mind catalog pages, or museum drawers with specimens. The second book series, “In Defense of the Accidental (for Odo Marquard),” consists of books created from brown paper bags, Japanese newspaper fragments, and other random, sometimes soiled, paper pieces. The series references the beauty of empty space inhabited by small visual clues. Also on view will be the 2014 sculpture, “Lunar Lands,” a transformed antique Japanese Bunraku doll.The sculpture is accompanied by a wall text made out of quotes.

The artist books laid on these tables are made from vintage papers collaged with fabric strips,
paper scraps, and found objects.

Wall view: decorative papers adorn old manuscript pages.

Large fabric collages on paper alternate with winged wire sculptures.

Details (above and below) of Lasse's large collaged works.

The exhibit runs until February 26. Gallerist Marika Van Vessem said she is planning an artist talk; I will add details here when they are available.

Twilight Zone

A few days ago, the travel website Expedia.com included New Bedford on its list of the 20 best places in the nation to watch the sun set ... and our very own Hatch Street Studios is just about the best spot in the city for one of those stunning views.

Check out these photos from the building windows by Hatch Street artist Michael Pietragalla, whose Floating Stone Woodworks studio is located on the fourth floor. The sky doesn't get any more beautiful than this!