PLEASE NOTE: walk ins are welcome for the gallery, on your own or small groups of up to three people. Please wear a mask.

Drawings by Amherst artist Scott Tulay.

Through his drawings, Scott Tulay investigates the ambiguity of space. Whether inspired by built form or natural context, his art is constructed of an armature of light. Light, or what looks like atmosphere or fog, is engaged in either defining space or dematerializing the landscape or architectural elements depicted. This treatment of light, combined with an unclear relationship of the viewer’s place in relation to the ground plane, creates a spatial disconnect with an ambiguity of depth and motion.

About Scott Tulay:
In the last six years, Scott has exhibited in museums and galleries here and abroad, including locally at the Springfield Museum of Art and the Brattleboro Museum of Art; Boston, San Francisco, London, and Berlin. Upcoming shows are scheduled for San Francisco and Leipzig, Germany. His drawings are in private and public collections, and have been written about in numerous publications including American Art Collector, Artscope Magazine, Design New England, CUBE Berlin, and Bauwelt Magazine. He holds degrees in art history and architecture, and currently works as an architect at Juster Pope Frazier in Northampton. scotttulay.com

Banner image: detail from Fractal, ink, charcoal, graphite; 30×40”, 2020

PLEASE NOTE: walk ins are welcome for the gallery, on your own or small groups of up to three people.

Paintings by Hadley artist Rodney Madison. Rodney’s dynamic and colorful paintings are in the gallery until August 27th. He’s a prolific painter and passionate about his work, and paints every day. Come see the work of this talented self-taught artist!

About Rodney Madison:
Rodney is a self-taught artist originally from Chicago, now based in Hadley. He began painting in his 50s and has become recognized as a powerful and prolific painter. Relying on his alchemy of art, he has become an artist with few boundaries and a wildly active imagination. He has opened new windows of creativity and continues to share his vision with the universe. instagram.com/rodneymadisonstudio

Banner images: Juice of Chitterlings and Roots, both 36×48: and acrylic on canvas,

New work by Laurieanne Wysocki, July 7th to August 1st.

Artists use abstraction to push beyond the recognizable world and ornamentation to decorate it. Laurieanne’s recent work explores the relationship between the two concepts in vibrantly colored and highly textured paintings. Identifiable forms and motifs are blended with spontaneous gestural work bringing the two pursuits into a delightful harmony.

Of her work, Laurieanne says: “The eye will automatically seek out familiar forms so I begin by imprinting combinations of patterns into plaster with wood blocks and highlighting details with contrasting colors. I add in interlacing flowers, trailing vines, and spiraling geometric shapes to make the composition rhythmical rather than random. Then I intentionally disrupt the subtle functions of the forms by the addition of more texture or by the removal of some of the plaster with a hand sander. It’s a very process-driven, transformative style. The challenge is to not go too far in one direction and destroy what may have taken months to build up. It’s a fine line and not without risk but if the painting begins to look too predictable I remove what I call the obviousness of it. I’m inspired by the frescoes of antiquity and interested in what remains – the parts that have stood the test of time, whether hidden by nature or intentionally covered up, and are revealed centuries later. The destruction and persistence of the piece is my take on an ancient process.”

About Laurieanne Wysocki:
Laurieanne is a painter and mixed media artist. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts she studied at the Arts Student League in New York City and had her first solo show in 1990. She has traveled the world, both independently and for the last 20 years as a tour director for Road Scholar educational programs and to date has visited more than 80 countries. Her cultural impressions are often reflected in her colorful and intricate paintings.

Laurieanne’s exhibit of paintings and metal assemblage works, “Pentimento”, was shown in the gallery in 2016.

Banner image: detail of Marrakesh, mixed media on canvas, 24 x 48″

Mixed Media Collage by Amherst artist Nan Salky, March 5th to 28th. Extended to May 2nd

Nan finds inspiration and materials for her art in her wanderings through antique stores brimming with vintage ephemera. She is drawn to certain faces and expressions, finding humor and playfulness in the process of transformation. In her studio, formal portraits are collaged and embellished with exotic birds, flowers and impossible combinations of detail. This process helps revive and recast the images into a more personal and fanciful vision. Her pieces are completed with repurposed antique frames that help hold their place in the past.

Opening Reception: Thursday, March 5th, 5-8pm, during Amherst Arts Night Plus

About Nan Salky:
Nan grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. She received her BA in Writing and Illustrating Children’s Books from The University of Colorado, Boulder, and an MA in Counseling Psychology from Antioch New England. She has worked for more than thirty years as a psychotherapist, and has reared two daughters. She lives in Amherst with her husband, Tom Murphy, who supports and assists in her artistic endeavors. Her art work has been exhibited locally since 2010. 

Nan’s exhibit of assemblage works, “I Heard the Shadows Calling”, was shown in the gallery in 2014.

Futuristic drawings by Holyoke artist Christina Gusek, January 22nd – February 29th.

Christina’s work has been described as psychedelic cyberpunk. Her vibrant futuristic drawings are inspired by recent advancements in science and technology and imagine the possible consequences these developments may have on nature and humanity. She illustrates fantastical aspects of possible and unknown futures, evoking dialogues involving theories of humanity evolving beyond current physical and mental limitations toward an ultimate goal of immortality. Her work ultimately poses the question: what effects will future technologies have on humans and our planet?

The future is uncertain but her hope is that major global issues we face today — such as climate change, terminal illness, life expectancy, and war — will ultimately be remediated or fully resolved via emerging technologies so succeeding generations will prosper in a new and better world.

Opening Reception: Thursday, February 6th, 5-8pm, during Amherst Arts Night Plus

About Christina Gusek:
Christina has exhibited her work locally, nationally, and internationally for more than 16 years. She works primarily with pen, ink, and marker, sometimes combined with acrylics and colored pencil. She is a graduate of Springfield Technical Community College and Westwood College in Atlanta, and holds degrees in Graphic Design and Visual Communications/Art. She lives in Holyoke with her partner, artist Adam Mulcahy.

Want to get lucky on Valentines Day? Enter for a chance to win a framed futuristic 8×10 portrait by Christina of your most beloved person or pet (or yourself)! We will choose a name at random on Valentines Day! Come by the shop and fill out a free ticket until Feb 13th for a chance to win ❤️

We’ll choose a ticket at random on February 14th. Winner must submit a photo and the drawing will be competed within 4-6 weeks of receipt of the photo. We will choose the perfect frame to complement your portrait.

How old were you when you created your first artwork?
According to my mother, as soon as I could pick up a crayon. As a child, I was never really one for words, so I found comfort in expressing myself through pictures.

When did you know you wanted to be an artist?
Around 5 or 6 years old in kindergarten. I would spend all my time in the art & craft section of the classroom. I was always getting in trouble for not participating in any of the other activities. I was young, but I think it was then that I discovered that art was my passion.

What inspires you?
Long hikes in nature. I am also inspired by anything related to future technologies and science.

What is your creative process like? How do you work?
Most of the time I do not have any idea as to what I will be creating and the work just seems to happen naturally. I tend to work on pieces sporadically and never for lengths of time longer than 3 or 4 hours. I prefer to walk away from pieces to mull over ideas and go back to them when the time is right. It helps that my studio is in my home because I am a multitasker, and tend to work on art while doing something else at the same time. (Usually cooking since I love to cook too!)

Any advice to young or emerging artists?
Believe in yourself, stay positive, and never let anyone distract you from following your dreams.

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

Paintings by Northampton artist Laura Radwell, November 6th – 30th

Laura Radwell’s work is characterized by atmospheric and dream-like components of landscape that drift, overlap, and morph into one another. These new works are an exploration of a further point along that continuum involving tighter, more disciplined, and dynamic compositions — they emerge from a place she has not been before, a willingness to commit to more definition. Geometry, line, and shape that she sees as muscular and lyrical, reflect the natural landscape, but they often go beyond to evoke the sinuous forms and contours of the human body. She sees the work as a melding of gesture and body contained in landscape and landscape contained in the body.

Opening Reception: Thursday, November 7th, 5-8pm, during Amherst Arts Night Plus.

Please note: the shop is closed for Thanksgiving Nov 28th & 29th, so the exhibit has been extended to Saturday Nov 30th.

Artworks by Heath artist Frederick Burrington, October 3rd to November 2nd.

Frederick Burrington is a seventh-generation resident of Heath, a small rural town (pop. 706) in the Berkshire foothills at the VT border. He describes Heath as a place where land and sky meet, where future and past coexist in an uneasy truce, where nature transcends the human presence. The light and landscape here can haunt and beguile — it is an endless source of inspiration for him. It is also place with long agricultural traditions and a deep reverence for the land. He seeks to document and preserve the landscape, history and traditions in his art for future generations and those who have yet to discover this beautiful place. Frederick creates his highly-detailed realist artworks in a variety of traditional mediums: oils, egg tempera, pastel, watercolor, and ink. He explores different mediums as he continues to explore the land and sky.

Opening Reception: Thursday, October 3rd, 5-8pm, during Amherst Arts Night Plus

About Frederick Burrington:
Frederick has been fascinated by light and landscape since childhood. He has exhibited his work locally since 1984. He lives in Heath, with his wife Victoria, in the house his family has lived in for four generations.

Cover image: detail from “Stones“, pastel, 2019

Photography by Gregory W. Brown, September 5th – 28th

Landscape photography requires patience and a willingness to look and listen slowly. Imperfect Horizon is an unconventional collection of landscapes that highlight unusual perspectives and aspect ratios. Many include subtle or abstracted man-made elements, both in the images and in the techniques used to render the images. The images as a whole create a fragmented horizon-line — spanning time, place, and technique. The exhibit includes photographs shot with digital and film cameras.

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 5th, 5-8pm, during Amherst Arts Night Plus

About Gregory W. Brown:
Gregory started taking photographs in his teens — shooting 35mm and developing and printing in his school’s darkroom. His interests shifted to music in the mid-’90s and he went on to become a composer and conductor (MM, DMA) with several CDs of his music currently available. The last several years have seen him return to photography as a balance to his musical pursuits. He shoots both digital and analog cameras in a variety of formats. Learn more about Gregory at: gregorywbrown.com

How old were you when you created your first artwork?
I was always making noise when I was a kid, so I think my first artwork would have been musical and very disorganized. I did a lot of photography in high school — developing the negatives and printing in the darkroom. That was really the first time I was creating anything that I would still stand by today and call ‘artwork.’

How has your style changed over the years?
I’m a terrible judge of my own style, so I really can’t say.

When did you know you wanted to be an artist?
I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.

Why did you choose your medium?
My sense of medium is extremely fluid, so I’m not sure I ever really choose. It’s more like the idea chooses the medium. I sometimes have ideas that I understand to be best rendered in a medium that I have no abilities in, so I just enjoy it in my head and then let it go, or try to share it with someone who has those skills.

What inspires you?
The big things grow out of very small moments or ideas. I get inspiration from a lot of different places, but it’s almost always the finite and narrow that lead me to the best results.

Where do you work?
Wherever I am.

What is your creative process like? How do you work?
I’m not much for keeping schedule. I’m constantly thinking about the projects I’m working on, but the hands-on work generally gets done whenever I feel moved to get at it — or based on a deadline.

What do you like about being an artist in the Pioneer Valley?
I love being surrounded by so many people who are similarly moved to create and share their creations. When I am working on landscapes the light is marvelous here. It’s no wonder that the area has been a home to landscape artists going back to the early 19th century and earlier.

What is your favorite piece that you’ve created?
I think the favorite thing of mine that I’ve created is a piece for choir called un/bodying/s, which is inspired by the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir. I had the joy of working with an amazing poet (Todd Hearon) and choir (The Crossing) to create something that speaks to the most human and intimate aspects of life as they relate to the elemental forces that shape our geography and economy. When Innova created the CD they used some Quabbin photos of mine (one of which is in the show) for the cover and liner art.

Paintings and drawings by Greta Gundersen, August 1st to 31st

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

Greta was primarily a painter of abstract landscapes. She described them as “[hovering] between abstraction and representation.” Her works have an ethereal quality. The drawings have identifiable single subjects — bats, birds, bulbs of garlic — but they exist in a hazy liminal space. She captured the essence of her subjects and gave us delicate images that feel like dream visions preserved before they fade upon waking. Her paintings extend this dreamlike quality. There is no immediately discernible location, and often a simple title gives little clue, such as “Landscape #45” or simply “Untitled“. But these pieces draw us in, they speak to the non-verbal part of us, the places we can’t describe clearly but we know exist. These are transitional images that exist between what is and what might be.

“I strive to create a picture plane that does not admit to being a painting, to blur the border in between the air surrounding the work and the work itself, to create a place of enigma that people can stand in front of and enter into in whatever way they choose. A successful landscape painting is one that seems familiar yet not readily identifiable — is it sky, land, water, or something else altogether?”

These works are being made available by her husband Peter Lobdell so they can be seen and appreciated – to get her work out of storage and back out into the world. For this reason they will be priced at less than half their appraised value. Near the end of her life, a gallerist and art critic wrote to Greta, “Some people leave children behind them, but you will leave paintings. And they’re good paintings, works that will be able to make their way in the world when you’re not here.”

Opening Reception: Thursday, August 1st, 5-8pm, during Amherst Arts Night Plus

Hear Greta Gundersen talk about her work in this wonderful video shared with us by Shoshona King.

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. 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. She had been an Artist-in-Residence at the Millay Colony for the Arts in New York, and at Altos de Chavon in the Dominican Republic, and apprenticed with painters Miguel Arguello in Spain and Francisco Ruiz in Colombia. Her work was featured in numerous exhibitions in galleries and museums in the US and abroad including: Gerald Peters Gallery, New York, NY; Thornwood Gallery, Dallas, TX; Gerald Peters Gallery, Dallas, TX; Amsterdam’s, New York, NY; TNT Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; and Fair Oaks Gallery, San Francisco, CA. Learn more about Greta at: gretagundersen.com

Banner images:
“The Nascent Shift – AM”, oil on canvas, 20×20″, 2015 (detail)
“The Nascent Shift – Twilight”, oil on canvas, 20×20″, 2015
“The Nascent Shift – Night”, oil on canvas, 20×20″, 2015 (detail)