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

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget]
[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget]

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. 

[siteorigin_widget class=”WP_Widget_Media_Video”][/siteorigin_widget]

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.

Maggie Hodges : Close to Home

Mar 22, 2022

March 31st – April 28th

Opening Reception Thursday, April 7th from 5 PM to 8 PM

 

Artists Statement:

“Close to Home” is an exhibit of paintings capturing my feelings and impressions of the beauty in nature here in New England. There is such a lovely glow of the early morning light on a mountain, the sparkle on the river or sunlight shining through the trees.

When not painting I love being outdoors; hiking, kayaking, skiing, mountain climbing, and gardening. My paintings reflect my deep connection to nature through color, light, and atmospheric perspective. I choose to paint in oils because it offers richness through applying the paint in different textures and thicknesses which adds depth and interest.

About 

Maggie Hodges lives in Amherst, MA, and is a Plein Air artist. Her passion for the arts began as a young child in Philadelphia where was exposed to the arts by her mother who was a sculptor. In high school, Maggie studied drawing, printmaking, and calligraphy with Illustrator Barry Moser. She received her BFA degree with a concentration in Graphic Design from Syracuse University. She became a designer for Hasbro and Spalding Sports and then after having children, she designed and sold children’s clothing.

More recently she developed a passion for painting. She has taken numerous workshops and classes to help develop her knowledge and style. She travels to Plein Air events and is a member of the Amherst Plein Air Society. View prints by Maggie Hodges.

 

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

Sharon Loehr-Lapan : Common Thread

Feb 23, 2022

March 3rd – March 28th

Artists Statement:

Painting in different mediums of watercolor,  acrylic, and oil encourages new avenues of exploration. With a flat surface and a little paint, I combine the wonder and discovery of childhood with experiences I’ve gained over time.

By initially exploring abstract forms the paint determines the image’s composition and formal relationships.  I become the observer of my own painting and then expand upon what the paint has already provided. Using this method I get to enjoy the image as a viewer and author. As the artist, I actively enhance the journey the paint has taken me on. Then as I get closer to completing the painting, I delve into the technical aspects of more realistic elements. It is my turn to balance out the composition and influence the viewer’s experience.

The common thread of this exhibit is the interplay of the paint’s and the artist’s contribution. I get to be both the observer and the creator of each painting.

 

About Sharon Loehr Lapan:

Sharon has degrees in fine art and special education. She has lived and taught across the country in western Massachusetts, Delaware, Utah, and Missouri. Now back in Massachusetts, Sharon is a resident artist at the Sawmill River Arts Gallery. She enjoys working in the mediums of oil, acrylic, and watercolor.

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

Mairead Clifford Dambruch : Songs of the Sacred Harp

Jan 4, 2022

January 14th – February 28th

Artists Statement:

My work takes the form of a visual allegory which pulls from the endearments of craftsmanship and reaches to the ethers of spirit and folklore. Regarding the freedom of a fixed moment and the constrictions of eternity, the work ebbs and flows between the familiar and the foreign.

I cultivate inspiration from historical and personal narratives that are visually coded in handmade objects. I consider my process an act of remembrance through amplifying histories documented through textile, craft, and accessible means of expression. My work conveys human experience without a corporeal body, believing that the depicted body invites subjection from the viewer. In capitalism, the body carries burdens of identity, of objects, and of labor. My work encourages a release from our own lived experience, and into the subconscious mind; where we are free to associate with multiple overlapping narratives and tales – free of linear time and analytical thought. I document the maker and show their hand and mine. While the hand is often purposefully concealed and forgotten, I choose to meditate on the process, the material, the context and the story; asynchronously remembered and felt across barriers of language, body, time, and space.

 

About Mairead Clifford Dambruch:

Mairead Clifford Dambruch is a painter and a weaver. She is a failed multitasker and an amateur rug collector. She walks fast and paints slow. Painting, for her, is an extension of the self; a living document that absorbs a spectrum of energy and sentiment from the maker. She is a teacher of art to all ages. Her work is informed by research in the fields of cultural textiles, anthropology, folktale, and the sustainable and ethical practices of herbalism and farming. She believes in building upon the roots of other’s learned labor. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2020 at the School of Art of Carnegie Mellon University.

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