From their barns to your mantel
Local artists open home studios to buyers
By Amy van Aarem, Globe Correspondent | November 11, 2007
The Boston art world has been experiencing a renaissance of late. What with the new Institute of Contemporary Art thrusting out over the harbor, and expansion plans for the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner well underway, there is no shortage of places to view spectacular art. However, opportunities for purchasing art may lie closer to home. The South of Boston art scene has never been bigger, and does not require a trip into the city.
National and international artists have migrated to the South Shore. They often open their studios to the public, offering chances to peek into their creative spaces, inspirations, process, and lives.
Perhaps Gauguin and van Gogh, upon setting up their studio in Arles for those two months in the late fall of 1888, had something in common with these artists: living and working together can create a buzz. French culture has always encouraged interaction with artists, and these artists are creating a similarly inviting atmosphere.
Nancy Colella, of Norwell, has been painting for 15 years. A fine arts major who studied in Greece and Mexico and lived and worked on the Vineyard, Colella spent years in the hospitality industry before gradually drifting back to her first love: oil painting.
“It was always there; the art thing never went away,” said Colella, who never goes anywhere without her art supplies, frequently pulling her Volvo wagon to the side of the road, setting up her easel and catching the sunset in a marsh.
Colella converted an old barn on her property into a workspace, naming it Salty Dog Studios after the family’s yellow lab, Salty. She enjoys meeting people in the comforts of her studio. Among the easels and oils there is a kitchenette, comfy chairs, exposed beams, and views of the old horse paddock.
“Who better to sell their own art than the artist themselves,” says Colella, who shows at galleries in Chatham, Hull, Boston, and beyond.
In the art world, especially for new artists, getting gallery representation can be hard and, says Colella, “matching the artist with the right gallery can sometimes be challenging.” When artists submit pieces to galleries, often they don’t have a say in how their work is displayed; with studio sales and open studios, the artists have more control of the presentation and pricing.
Average consumers who purchase art through a gallery or an intermediary, or through a fair sponsored by a particular venue, will pay an additional commission that they may not be aware of. The benefit of buying art direct is that the consumer will probably get a considerable discount.
JoAnne Chittick, of Cohasset, has been painting watercolors for 25 years. A few steps from her main house is a tidy red building, overlooking an expanse of garden and distant marsh, that was recently updated to include heat, something necessary for painting in New England.
“I had a little wood stove and I’d be out here painting and then realize that I’d be freezing,” said Chittick, whose revamped garden shed includes multiple windows salvaged from a surplus store in New Hampshire, a bright, cheery couch, and wall space covered with her watercolors.
People like to know how things work, and seeing art in production can be fascinating. In Hyannis, behind a narrow hallway of plexiglass windows at the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory, you can watch a potato transform into a chip; at Colella’s studio you can glimpse the pair of red Crocs near the door, and notice a painting of the same pair on the easel she is working on. Although you may not get to gorge yourself on free chips at the end of the tour, Colella might offer you an aperitif, and the story of one of her paintings.
Many of the artists like to know who is purchasing their art. “Paintings are like little children,” said Chittick. “They are all very special to me. I like to know who’s interested in them and what their reactions are to the piece.”
When Page Railsback and her husband moved to Hingham three years ago, they purchased Marc Brown’s (of the “Arthur” children’s book fame) property on North Street.
“His offices were in the house where we live now; out back was an empty shell of a building that we transformed into a studio,” said Railsback, whose studio is surrounded by windows and different levels that open up to private terraces, enveloped in lush gardens.
Railsback, who works primarily in acrylics, says she tries to paint every day, except for Saturdays. “That’s when my son teaches guitar up here.”
She hosts three official open studio days in conjunction with town events that bring foot traffic in. “But if I’m up here painting, and the studio is not a pig pen, I’ll hang my sign up,” says Railsback, who encourages people to stop in on those days or call to make an appointment.
Chittick hosts a couple of studio sales each year. “People just come in and buy pieces off the wall, unframed. It’s a lot of fun,” says Chittick of the casual atmosphere.
In addition to open studios, Colella and Railsback offer classes, where they take their students to paint outside, weather permitting, or they’ll paint alongside their students in the studio.
All of the artists say they are happy to make arrangements to meet with the curious. “I get about a call a month, someone wanting to drop by and look at some work,” said Chittick.
“I think most of the general public doesn’t know that it is OK to contact the artists. . . . Most of us love it,” said Colella.
Gary Nisbet, owner of Dot Gallery, on North Street in Hingham, is always encouraging people to stop by. After all, it was Nisbet who happened upon Railsback’s studio two years ago. After dinner one evening, his family noticed the paper lanterns lining her walkway and were curious to check out Marc Brown’s house.
“It was Christmas in the square and Gary introduced himself. . . . He said he was an artist who recently moved to town,” Railsback said.
That was the night they launched the idea of an Arts Walk, which celebrated its second year on Oct. 21 and featured 13 local artists.
Amy van Aarem can be reached at amyvanaarem@hotmail.com.
Tags: Art, Boston Artists, En Plein painting on the south shore, South Shore Artists
