Glued Down: Collage Paintings by Jules Jones

Jan 10, 2023

January 18th – February 25th

 

About Jules Jones
Jules Jones is a queer disabled artist living and working in Franklin County. Jones’ “collage paintings” are maximalist mixed media works that reflect their process of repurposing old artworks into collaging material. Print media such as monotypes, screen prints, and lithographs meet scraps of newspaper, works on paper, or childhood drawings; all become affixed to a surface, to be further painted and drawn on, in a nearly endless feedback loop of layering- until a precise visual balance is achieved. Jones’s prior paintings on canvas or paper become cannibalized, cut into whimsical butterflies and flowers, or universal motifs such as body outlines and faces. Each painting becomes a multi-colored quilt, where figures dance and patterns emerge. This furious recycling of self-made materials results in mosaic-like paintings with an imaginative, otherworldly quality.
Opening reception Thursday, February 2nd from 5 to 7 PM

PLEASE NOTE: walk-ins are welcome for the gallery. 

Malaika Ross: Summer to Fall

Dec 8, 2022

Shop Malaika Ross Prints

About Malaika Ross

Malaika Ross is a graduate of Hampshire College. She completed her B.A. in soil microbiology and her Div III thesis was titled “The Impact of Solar Arrays on Soil Microbial Activity”.  She studied Painting and Drawing at the Rhode Island School of Design, San Francisco Art Institute and the Marchutz School of Fine Arts. She completed intensive coursework in sustainable faming, ecological restoration and Hawaiian ethnobotany at the University of Hawai’i, Hilo.

She grew up on the very small island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands and spent the vast majority of her childhood playing outdoors with soil, walking among tall grasses, feeding goats and learning about the healing qualities of plants from all the women in her family.⁠

Her grandmother was a small-scale farmer with an extensive kitchen garden packed full with every plant her grandmother would need as an ingredient in her cooking or herbal tinctures. Malaika learned from her that honoring the land was an essential part of life.

Art, soil and forest are what connect Malaika to her life force/purpose every single day. She is on a creative journey where she is taking her love of soil, forest and ecosystems and integrating it into her art, which is woven into her identity as a black woman on this planet.

From the Artist:

I’m a Caribbean American artist living in Western Massachusetts. I integrate the shapes and patterns developed in my microbial drawings of soil microbes into contemporary botanical paintings of native and introduced flora. The act of observing and documenting nature through painting and drawing as a black woman, is a form of liberation, environmental stewardship and anti-oppression work.

Some of my work places a black figure prominently in a natural setting, even as an element of nature, to remind the viewer that nature belongs to everyone and our BIPOC ancestors and communities continue to be connected to and defend the land in a way that protects natural resources for everyone.

October 6th – November 3rd

Opening reception Thursday, October 6th from 5 to 8 PM

PLEASE NOTE: walk-ins are welcome for the gallery. 

11th Annual Small Works Show

Sep 29, 2022

December 1, 2022 – January 12, 2022

Come celebrate the 11th Annual Small Works Show at the Opening Reception & Pie Party Thursday, December 1st from 5-8 pm.
Featuring works by local artists — all 6×6″, 5×7″ and 8×10″ and all in fabulous frames! From paintings to photographs, illustrations to assemblages, and more, the show features works in various mediums—all cash-and-carry for easy holiday shopping.

There will be pie, sangria, and hot chocolate! All are welcome and please invite your friends and family.

Information for Artists

 

Keep an eye on our facebook page and instagram for show photos and featured small work photos.

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John Krifka: Mostly Flowers

Sep 29, 2022

November 5th – November 23rd

 

The exhibition opens November 5th, and can be viewed Monday – Friday 10-6 pm, Thursday 10-8 pm, and Saturday 10-4 pm until November 23rd

Opening Reception: Thursday, November 10th from 5 to 7 PM

About John Krifka
John Krifka has been painting for over 40 years. He had lived and painted in NYC for 25 years, before moving permanently to the Pioneer Valley in the early 2000s. His work is either graphically colorful or intimately serene, large or small, depending upon neighboring observation or studio confines. Most subjects have centered around still life, cityscapes, or landscapes.

PLEASE NOTE: walk-ins are welcome for the gallery. 

11th Annual Small Works Show – Info for Artists

Sep 24, 2022

December 1, 2022 – January 12, 2023

This year we’re doing it again: we providing a 6×6″, 5×7″ and 8×10″ birch panel to create your masterpiece on!  This is the BIGGEST Small Works has ever gone! 6×6 and 5×7″ entries are $32 a piece and 8×10″ entries are $45. The entry fee includes one panel, a frame, and glass. A variety of custom frames will be available for you to choose from when you drop off your entry (All panels and frames are first-come, first-serve).

Submission requirements:

  • Limit 3 entries per person.
  • Frame and/or glass not required (but please stay within 6×6, 5×7 or 8×10 panel size).
  • Work must be for sale. There is a $375 price cap for all small works. Gallery commission is 30% of sale price.
  • 3D/assemblage work is allowed – it must be attached to the panel and able to hang on the wall (and stay within the three panel sizes).
  • Plastic and clip frames will not be accepted.
  • Wet pieces are not accepted – please make sure painted pieces are dry.
  • A limited quantity of shadowbox frames will be available (first come, first serve) but there will be a $5 fee for fitting.
  • Please make sure work on paper is cropped to 6×6″, 5×7″ or 8×10″ – we are happy to crop for you for a $5 fee. No exceptions!
  • Panels & submission forms are available at the shop.

The show will be hung salon-style and is cash-and-carry which means that as art sells, it leaves the gallery and new work is hung in its place. While this allows us to accept many pieces, the show is still curated based on uniqueness and presentation. Due to limited wall space, even if work is accepted it may not make it into the first hanging of the show.

Panels Available: October 1st – until they run out!
Submissions Accepted & Frames Available: October 10 – November 23
Finalists Notified: by November 30
Unsold works pick-up dates: January 17th- 28th

Exhibit Dates: December 1, 2022- January 12, 2023
Holiday Pie Party: Thursday, December 1st, 5-8pm

Can’t get to the shop during business hours? Enter online! Just pick Small Entry or Large Entry

 

Dates & Deadlines

Panels Available:
October 1st – until we run out.
6×6″, 5×7″ and 8×10″ panels available

Submissions Drop Off
& Frames Available:
October 10st – November 23rd

Finalists Notified:
On or before November 30th

Exhibit Dates:
December 1 – January 12, 2023

Opening & Pie Party:
December 1, 5-8 pm

Unsold Work Pick-Up Dates:
January 17 – 28

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Jamie Malcolm-Brown : Trees of the Valley

Aug 25, 2022

September 1st – October 1st

 

Jamie Malcolm Brown is an aerial and landscape photographer based in New England. He is passionate about teaching others about drones, creative editing, and all things related to photography. This series is a unique look at the trees in our area.
From the Artist:
The Pioneer Valley and surrounding hill towns showcase some of New England’s most beautiful trees and forests. This collection of images by photographer Jamie Malcolm-Brown highlights some of the trees we visit and appreciate as we explore the valley. Jamie explores the valley throughout the year, searching for different perspectives, weather events, and timely moments to create unique images of the trees we value and love.
Come to the Talk: Exploring the trees of the Pioneer Valley and the future of photography
September 17th 4:30 to 6:00 PM
Come listen to Jamie Malcolm Brown talk about his experience capturing these images, as well as the current changes in landscape photography. Find out how Jamie can capture incredibly dynamic images.

PLEASE NOTE: walk-ins are welcome for the gallery. 

Dog Daze of Summer Sale!

Jun 25, 2022

July 30th – August 13th

 

Hope and Feathers is having a Dog Daze of Summer Sale!

Local artists are bringing seconds, studies, and slightly imperfect pieces for our big Dog Daze of Summer Sale! From Saturday, July 30th to Saturday, August 13th find incredible deals on local art. Participating artists are listed below!

Centered Vessel Pottery

Hallie Comet Jewelry

Three Posies Jewelry

Original oil paintings by  Wayne Friedrich

Petal and Wing Jewelry

Rhodes Pottery

Slow North Candle Company

Women of the Cloud Forest Pottery & Jewelry

Maggie Hodges Fine Art

Mattie Rose Templeton matted prints

Hope and Feathers Frames

& more!

 

Greta Gundersen : Afterimage II

Jun 18, 2022

July 6th – Extended to August 30th

 

Greta Gundersen was a prolific Belchertown-based artist who passed away in 2017. This exhibit is a selection of graphite drawings from her large body of work.

We are happy and grateful to once again host a series of Greta’s drawings in our gallery.

About Greta’s work: The drawings have identifiable single subjects — bats, birds, bulbs of garlic — but they exist in a hazy liminal space like they’re emerging from dream-like visions. She captured the essence of her subjects and gave us delicate images that feel like dream visions preserved before they fade upon waking.  These pieces draw us in, they speak to the non-verbal part of us, the places we can’t describe clearly but we know to exist. These are transitional images that exist between what is and what might be.

Peter has again graciously made these works available so they can be seen and appreciated – to get her work out of storage and back out into the world. For this reason, they are offered for sale at less than half their appraised value. We will be donating 15% of all sales to The Performing Arts Project: performanceproject.org

About Greta Gundersen (1952-2017):

A native New Yorker of Norwegian descent, Greta Gundersen lived in New York City, California, Spain, and South America. From 1981-1990, she was the director of BACA Downtown, a nonprofit visual and performing arts center in Brooklyn, where she curated more than 80 exhibitions and nine years of theatrical programming, which earned her an OBIE “for keeping experimental theater alive and well in New York City.” In 1990 she became the Artistic Director of The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council at the World Trade Center. There she worked with visual and performing artists to create public installations, events and festivals throughout the Financial District. For over 10 years she served as a panelist and consultant with The Rockefeller Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc., The Jerome Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, The New York State Council on the Arts, The Jim Henson Foundation, among others, reviewing work by artists and organizations from around the country. She left New York City for western MA in 1995, to paint full time. Her work was featured in numerous exhibitions in the US and abroad. Learn more about Greta at: gretagundersen.com

 

PLEASE NOTE: walk-ins are welcome for the gallery. 

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Donna Roy : A Walk in the Reeds

May 18, 2022

June 2nd – July 2nd

 

Artists Statement:

During the pandemic years, I longed to find places of peace and serenity.  To escape from the solitude, constant anxiety, and sadness that was omnipresent.  With lockdowns in place, I turned to nature and found soul-saving beauty in places that were empty of humans but filled with life and nutrients.  The Marshes, Swamps, Fens, and Bogs of Massachusetts provided me with calm beauty, and peace.  

A Walk in the Reeds is the body of work that culminated from time spent in the beautiful wetlands where I sketched, photographed, and found inspiration.  Exploring textures, colors, and organic compositions, I used soft pastels on paper because of the tactile feel and energetic mark-making.  Exploring washes, textured grounds, and a color palette that was new to me, I endeavored to capture the beauty of common places in an uncommon way.

Feelings of hope, serenity, clarity, and inspiration are what I want the viewer to take with them from this body of work.  Seeing color that is barely there yet vivid and bright, and to have a new perspective and appreciation for these quiet places that are so important in our Massachusetts eco-system. 

About the Artist:

Donna Roy is a Western Massachusetts artist who began her love of painting while studying privately with a local oil painter when she was ten years old. During weekly studio sessions, she learned traditional foundations of composition, perspective, color theory, and design.  This foundation cemented her love for painting and her creative journey.

A graduate of UMASS with a BFA, Donna continued her exploration of art through several mediums, including glass fusing and enamel painting.  During the last ten years, she developed a line of post-consumer glass and copper garden sculptures.

Learning to thrive in a pandemic, Donna pushed her passion for color full circle and found her home with soft pastels.  Addicted to vibrant color and energetic marks, her paintings center on New England landscapes and local natural beauty.  Her award-winning paintings have been exhibited in local, national, and international juried shows.

These days, you will find Donna visiting local farms, rivers, and trails with her trusty camera in search of inspiration, painting Plein Air, or in her small home studio creating pastel paintings inspired by beautiful New England character.

 

PLEASE NOTE: walk-ins are welcome for the gallery. Masks are appreciated indoors.

Mary Kersell : In the Clouds

Apr 29, 2022

May 5th – May 30th

Opening Reception Thursday, May 5th from 5 PM to 8 PM

 

Artists Statement:

I paint contemporary oil landscapes that hover between observation and abstraction. Although the subject matter is obvious, I simplify shapes and explore paint application techniques to form a somewhat abstracted result. I am constantly amazed how little information is needed to understand and feel the complexities of nature. What appeals to me most is creating a sense of balance, harmony and calm. My method is to think about what I love about any given landscape and then decide how to portray that in paint. I consider the combination of composition, color, values and paint application that will help to reach the objective. Once all the thinking and initial planning is done, the fun and intuitive part begins. To start, I generally treat the surface with a mid-tone of color and complete a monochromatic underpainting. I then add and subtract color with abandon using a variety of tools including brushes, cheesecloth, squeegees, fingers, scrapers and palette knives. The final stage is to sit back and listen to the painting as it tells me what it needs.

About the Artist:

I have been painting for 22 years, starting as a novice with no formal art training. Until roughly five years ago I worked exclusively in watercolor, before expanding into oil painting. Over the years I have studied locally with Louise Currin, Lynn Peterfreund, Richard Yarde, Budge Hyde and Chris Labich. The recent upsurge of online courses has provided the fantastic opportunity to study with artists from around the country and world, including John MacDonald, Paul Foxton, Al Gury, Mark Russell, Christine Lafuente, Charles Muldowney, Shushana Rucker and Kassem Amoudi. The generosity of each of these mentors in sharing their knowledge, creativity and encouragement with students like me is remarkable. Through their instruction I have honed my approach to composition and painting, explored new subject matter, and experimented with different tools and techniques. I have presented in a variety of group shows around the Pioneer Valley, including at the Court House in Northampton, the Burnett Gallery, the Hosmer Gallery, and the Hope and Feathers Small Works Shows. One real joy of my art practice is the group of friends I have made. Working with and learning from other artists is a gift. I have been meeting weekly for over 15 years with four friends in the Main Street Painters. I also belong to the Amherst Plein Air Society and the Still Life Oil Painting Network onView the Show Online.

 

RSVP HERE

 

PLEASE NOTE: walk-ins are welcome for the gallery. Masks are appreciated indoors.