By Lele Galer, Columnist, The Times
After last weekend’s whirlwind art adventure on The Chester County Studio Tour, this week offers some calmer, interesting, compelling discussions about creating and selling art here in Chester County. After looking at so much art all weekend, now is a great week to reflect on it all. Share in captivating art discussions Wednesday and Thursday, and enjoy a delicious mixture of wine and art at two local wineries over the weekend.
This Wednesday, May 24 from 6-8pm the Oxford Arts Alliance invites the public to an art discussion with featured gallery artists Helen Mason and Jill Beech – two of the most interesting sculptural artists in our area. Both artists are well-known and have shown in museums and important juried art shows and galleries along the east coast.
Helen Mason works with black tire rubber to create fascinating organic constructions full of undulating ripples of rubber ribbons, shredded rubber and rubberized strings. Her work is a mixture of spontaneity and careful construction, both in her wall pieces as well as her standing sculpture and jewelry.
Jill Beech’s work, in contrast to Helen’s, is all mostly white sculptural forms. Jill’s large punctured vessels of white porcelain resemble earthly corals – absolutely mesmerizing pieces that require hundreds of hours of work, and are both cool and sensual at the same time. Her new series of encaustic and cloth bound “refugees” hang alongside one another at the entry wall to the Oxford Arts Alliance’s show. Bound, muted, side by side, this series is both compelling and disturbing as they reflect Jill’s response to the refugee crisis throughout our world at this time. The idea of these bound refugees is very strong, and I admire the fact that Jill makes each one very individual, slightly different sizes and mass, with slightly different materials, as she honors each as individuals, not just collectively.
Both of these incredible artists will share their unique histories and points of view with the public this Wednesday night, with accompanied food and refreshments, at the Oxford Arts Alliance at 38 South Third Street in Oxford.
This Thursday, oil painter David Oleski will have an artist discussion at his newest gallery show, Church Street Gallery in West Chester, from 7-9pm. David is a very well known artist in this area, as well as in art shows throughout the country. He is most famous for his large canvas, cool palette still life portraits of fruit.
For the Church Street Gallery show David created new original works that include some more colorful fruit and vegetables, set against a buttery background of methodically dappled brushwork. David Oleski has many collectors, and you can understand why when you see his work face to face. The colors are soothing and the fruits are clean and fresh, creating an overall impression of coolness and light. They make you want to have a room filled with them! Meet the artist this Thursday hear him discuss his work, methodology and creative inspiration in what is sure to be a packed room full of interested artists and art collectors.
Also this Thursday, May 25 from 6:30-9pm, is an important opening launch party event for “My Masterpiece” who invites the public to their very first art show and reception at The Saturday Club, 117 West Wayne Avenue in Wayne.
My Masterpiece is two women entrepreneurs who have started an art promotion business, as agents for artists, connecting the artists with art buyers in the real estate and business world. My Masterpiece is a terrific idea for a business!
Many artists are brilliant at making art, but few are equally good at selling and promoting their work. Most galleries act as agents for their artists, but there are many many artists and very few galleries, so having an agent relationship is a wonderful gift for an artist who can now spend their time on what they do best, instead of what they do the worst.
Vatsala Syed and Gloria Dichter are the two brave women who have started My Masterpiece. Their aim is to connect artists with clients looking to commission a piece of original artwork or purchase a piece of existing work from their selected artists. Currently, My Masterpiece is representing 7 artists, who will be showing their art at the Thursday evening reception, and they will build their artist list to be limited to twenty. If you are an artist who would like to hear more about this, or a art lover who needs to commission a particular piece, you should check out this My Masterpiece Art Show and reception this Thursday.
At Wilson Vineyard Gallery at Wayvine Winery and Vineyard at 4374 Forge Road in Nottingham, you can enjoy a fun art show of nine women artists “Trashy Women” who have created delightful art from trash. Also, this Wednesday, May 24 from 6-8pm you are invited to sip wine while learning to use watercolors. The beautiful vineyard and delicious wine should be a great inspiration to you even if you have never painted before.
Robin Flynn and Vidya Shyamsundar at Galer Estate Winery.
At Galer Estate Winery, at 700 Folly Hill Road in Kennett Square, glass artist Robin Flynn will have a pop up art show and sale of her artwork on Saturday, and artist Vidya Shyamsundar will be showing her gorgeous patterned paintings on Sunday, both shows are from 2-6pm.
Come and enjoy the colorful, original artworks by these two unique artists, while sipping award winning wine, listening to live music, and then staying to glimpse some of the Longwood fireworks from the winery deck.
