Category: Exhibits

When we started hanging the work for Jan Croteau’s show Food for Thought, people immediately began coming in and commenting on the festive looking fruits and vegetables. We also got excited about the titles and playful essays that went with Jan’s work. As we moved the artwork around in different placements on the wall, we even started laughing at our accidental jokes. “What if we sandwich the apples?” “I feel those two are going to sell as a pair.”

I think everyone who attended the show can agree; Jan’s work reflects a strong sense of playfulness, honestly, and gratitude for nature. Jan writes about her passion for gardening, art and life with her inspiring essays that accompany each piece. As an artist and writer, Jan sends off each painting with a gift of a story. This is what makes her work so unique and personal. You can immediately find words to connect to the artwork, even if you are not a regular gallery-goer.

I had a lot of fun reading some of these stories as I created tags for Jan’s work. One of my favorites was about her annual birthday request for artichokes for dinner! (I have an almost identical story myself!) Jan brings humor into her work through these short essays and sometimes even the title itself! A painting of grapes is laughingly called, “Not Even Enough to Make a Scant Teaspoon of Jelly”.

The Ripe Time by Jan Helling Croteau

Jan also surprises her viewers (and readers) with some thought-provoking messages that you wouldn’t expect to find accompanying bright and lively still life paintings. The pear painting we used for our postcards comes with an essay where Jan quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson: “There are only ten minutes in the life of a pear when it’s perfect to eat.” Not only is this a painting that makes you pause to breathe in the dynamic colors and textures of the visual image, but also a piece that makes you stop to think about appreciating life itself and the precious quiet moments that Jan highlights in her writing.

From the first impact of these glowing paintings on the wall, to reading the poetic and inspiring stories that Jan has skillfully crafted, Food For Thought is a show you do not want to miss! Her work will be on display until October 22 during normal gallery hours. (Monday-Saturday 9:30-5)

Peter Ferber’s August show this year brought the usual crowds and excitement, with people lining up on the street starting at 5:45am. This exhibit features Peter’s classic watercolors as well as rich oils and an acrylic, an ink drawing, and intensely detailed paper cutout with a watercolor accent. Many pieces were sold in the first few minutes, but there are still several gems available for purchase.

One of the pieces Peter created for this show began many years ago when he photographed the interior of a boat shed in the 70s. I remember when Peter first brought this painting in, and was delighted to title it “Relegated to the Future”.

Relegated to the Future

Another piece Peter gathered abundant research for is “The Steamboat Swallow”. This ink drawing is the second in a series of black and white illustrations that began with an interpretation of the old Mount Washington steamboat. The Swallow also evokes the feeling of a past, with lots of elegant line work creating the graceful silhouette of the ship. There are also small and large prints available of this original ink drawing.

The Steamboat Swallow

One of my favorite pieces in the show is a little acrylic painting that is a rare view for Peter to capture–Lake Wentworth. “Golden Point” is a rich sunset scene that shows the serene quality of the lake just before dusk.

Peter’s show continues through August 20, so be sure you stop in a catch a glimpse of these stunning originals before they leave the gallery. Several pieces will be made into prints, but many more will not be reproduced. This is a rare opportunity to view a portfolio of work that reflects the beauty of the Lakes Region.

Golden Point – Wentworth

Berries in Blue

By Barbara Gibbs

This is my 38th year with The Art Place.  I have had been having artists  display their work on our walls since 1992 when I moved into my present location at 9 North Main Street, Wolfeboro.  Helene Pierce, a Wolfeboro resident and watercolor artist, has been showing her work here since then.  We had a one person show with her about 15 years ago, and this year I felt that it was time for her to have another exhibit of her current work.  When I say current work, that might not seem like anything unusual, but in this case for an artist who has been actively painting for well over 60 years, one can imagine that she has a considerable amount of paintings.  She has sold and  exhibited throughout the years, yet her stock is still great.  You see, Helene is a very prolific painter,  due mostly to her passion and enthusiasm to paint.  She works in her beautiful home overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee, as well as gathering weekly with friends to paint in Rockport, Massachusetts.  So let me “paint” you a better picture of  the artist Helene Pierce who’s work is on exhibit here at The Art Place through July 30th:

Born in Brooklyn, NY in 1930, Helene Pierce  knew from the very first time she could hold a crayon that art was what she wanted to do.  In school, she continued to shine with her art.  Knowing that it was difficult to make a living in the field of art, she chose a different career path. However, she did take a number of workshops and studied  art on her own, all the time improving her skills.  A family kept her very busy, but painting was always a part of her life.  She painted every chance she could get.  She studied with Betty Lou Schlemm, who is a member of the American Watercolor Society and a published artist.  Helene also took classes at UNH with Sigmand Abeles, a well-known artist and professor, who’s work is very much revered.

Helene and her husband moved to Amherst, NH first, then in 1991, they moved to Wolfeboro, NH.  Helene  travels to Rockport, Massachusetts, where she paints every Tuesday with a group of artists including her long-time teacher friend Betty Lou Schlemm.  The group has been getting together in Rockport since the 1970’s!  They paint outdoors in the summer.

Helene has exhibited nationally and internationally, as well as widely throughout New England.  She is the recipient of numerous national and regional awards.  Helene’s professional memberships have included the New England Watercolor Society; The Copley Society of Boston, MA; The New Hampshire Art Association;  Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, NY, NY; Academic Artists Associations, Springfield, MA; The American Artists Professional League, NY, NY; North Shore Art Association, Gloucester, MA; Sharon Arts Center, Peterborough, NH; The Bermuda Society of Arts, Hamilton, Bermuda.  Her work has been represented by The Art Place for over 15 years.

In the art world, she is known as a painters’ painter—an admiration  by other artists  of her ability to master the medium.  Her medium of choice is watercolor, which she paints with fluidity and movement often choosing lush colors.   Helene’s aesthetically pleasing still lifes show her ability to create volume and form,  as well as depicting light and shadow.  Equally appealing are her landscapes, placing the viewer in a pleasant setting or creating a moment  in time where time might indeed stand still.  Helene has an impressive body of work that span decades of painting.  I am pleased to be surrounded by so much of her work here at The Art Place.  Her exhibit continues through July 30th, and is featured during Wolfeboro’s Art Walk on Saturday, July 30th from 5 to 8. We will continue to show her work even after the current exhibit is down.  After all,  she will continue painting, and there’s a lot more of her art to show!

The Hudson River was not the only subject matter for the Hudson River School of Art. Many of these artists, including Thomas Cole, traveled to the White Mountains of New Hampshire to paint more northern landscapes.

The earliest artists were drawn to the White Mountains because of their irrefutable “sublime” quality. (Read more about this in our blog post: The Hudson River School of Art.) A devastating mudslide in 1826, called The Willey Tragedy, brought attention to the powerful nature and wild environment that was integral to the White Mountains. This feature was very attractive to romantic landscape painters, so they began to swarm to the north east.

Artists Sketching in the White Mountains by Winslow Homer

Benjamin Chapney was one of these traveling artists. He fell in love with the White Mountains and made his home in North Conway so that he could continue painting scenes of this American wilderness. He opened his studio up to tourists and other artists, and this brought even more painters to the north. In Benjamin Chapney’s autobiography, he wrote, “The meadows and the banks of the Saco were dotted all about with white umbrellas in great numbers.” (Sixty Years’ Memory of Art and Artists) White umbrellas were a staple for plein air painters, and the draw of artists to artists fueled this region’s growing popularity. North Conway is arguably one of America’s first artist colonies.

Just as the style of the Hudson River School died off over time, so did the popularity for painting northern New Hampshire. Eric and Lauren bring this work back into fashion not only with their painting style and subject matter, but with their lifestyle as well. This couple moved out of New York and created a home in Jackson, New Hampshire, to be near the source of their inspiration. Their connection to history is shown by their participation in The Jackson Five, a show hosted by The Jackson Historical Society, which will exhibit work of five artists who have lived in Jackson throughout history.

Autumn Sublime by Lauren Sansaricq

Eric and Lauren’s show at The Art Place represents work that is beautifully representative of the White Mountain Art of the 19th century. Their paintings capture an untamed wilderness that still exists. They also strive to capture the same themes of the sublime, this time focusing on the fleeting status of our current natural world.

Eric and Lauren’s show will continue through June 10, although we also represent their work throughout the year. Visit their artist pages: Erik Koeppel and Lauren Sansaricq.