Last weekend was the Jamaica Plain Open
Studios. An annual event organized by the Jamaica Plain Arts Council, dozens of
local artists gathered to show, discuss, and sell their work. When I started as an intern at 13FOREST a few
weeks ago, I was aware that the gallery is part of a larger art scene and on
Sunday I got to see firsthand what that entails. As we planned our visit to Open Studios, we
had two objectives: to catch up with artists already showing at the gallery and
potentially, to find new artists for 13FOREST.
The first was fairly straightforward. Caroline Golden was showing at the Brewery. Her stall, with its antiqued wooden
shelves perfectly complimented her vintage bakelite earrings and sterling
silver charm necklaces. We also saw Stephanie Mason, whose fish prints stood out as something disarmingly unique. Utilizing a traditional technique employed by
Japanese fishermen called gyotaku, Stephanie prints the ‘specimens’ that
she keeps in her freezer. That is to
say, she actually takes the fish, applies watercolor to its scales and presses
it to paper. In her basement studio,
printmaker Ellen Shattuck Pierce showed us some new ideas she was
developing, including some interesting takes on wallpaper. Other artists discussed their latest work
with us and made plans to bring some new work to 13FOREST.
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| Time and Space Multiplied, sterling silver and bakelite necklace, Caroline Golden |
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| Octopus, gyotaku fish rubbing and watercolor on paper, Stephanie Mason |
The second aim, to find new artists, was more
complicated. Every gallery maintains a particular aesthetic. It was interesting
to evaluate art from a more objective point of view. Regardless of my own
tastes in art, I had to take a step back and think about how certain works
might appeal to the gallery’s customers. We found a few artists who we all
thought would be great additions and I am personally looking forward to seeing
their arrivals at 13FOREST.
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| The Bourgeoisie Gone Awry #2, collaged linoleum print, Ellen Shattuck Pierce |
Among these new finds is Vincent Frano,
a young illustrator whose works are teeming with references to Old World
fairytales. Perfect timing for autumn,
as his first works at 13FOREST will be on display for Capitol Square’s second
annual Day of the Dead Fiesta along with the works of Marc Cote, Steve Mardo and Joe Keinberger on November 2.
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| From the Forest, ink on paper, Vincent Frano |
