Smooth transitions

When Marika Van Vessem turned her curator's eye to Hatch Street Studios, she faced a challenge from the very start. Selecting art from the workspaces of 40+ artists, widely diverse in style and materials, was daunting enough. But then she had to assemble all of her selections into a cohesive exhibition throughout the two uniquely shaped rooms of her Tiverton gallery.

One of the most impressive aspects of the resulting exhibit, titled "Light Off the Water," has been the flow from one work of art to another. Through astute placement of color, shape, material, texture, mood, and subject matter, Marika deftly directs the viewer around the space. 

Here's a tour of the exhibition, including many of the works on display, starting from the righthand wall just inside the entrance door and winding throughout the gallery. See for yourself how artfully these pieces have been arranged.

View 1, united by the use of primary colors and silver: Painting on board by Diana Arvanites on the far left, below that John Middleton's found wood assemblage, Michelle LaPointe's stained glass, Christine Boucher's metal rocking chair, Patrick Moore's portrait paintings, David Rocha's work above Diana Carns's abstract diptych, and Marita Torbick's metal sculpture.

View 2, left to right, Catherine Carter's acrylic paintings, Erik Durant's figure sculpture, Craig Coggeshall's oil painting, Scott Currier's lacquered wood table, and Diana Arvanites painting against the window pane.

View 3, a wall of portraits: three self-portraits by Michael Hecht, two canvases by Joseph Alexander (whose work is represented at Hatch Street by Richard Connor), a sculpted portrait by Erik Durant, and another portrait by Patrick Moore.

View 4, united by the artists' choice of black, sepia, and orange, with a precise touch: Pat Daughton's print, Tom Crotty's paintings, and Adrian Tio's woodcuts (including a display of his tools and carved blocks).

View 5, united by active abstract shapes and black/gray punctuated with primaries: two paintings by Jacob Ginga on either side of Christine Boucher's sculpture on a pedestal, along with Pam Hoss's large work on paper. 

View 6, landscape-related paintings including Kim Barry's large painting on left, and smaller works by Christine Bertram, Joseph Moniz, and Miriam Toule-Lopes.

View 7, the edge of Michael Pietragalla's table, below Joseph Moniz's figure painting, Martha Moffit's ceramic cups on pedestal, Elin Noble's small textile piece on the wall, Pat Kellogg's large-scale woodcut, Christine Boucher's assemblage sculpture, and Jane McNeil McKeag's weaving.

Brava to Marika for assembling this comprehensive representation of Hatch Street artists with such care and sensitivity.

There is still time to see the show in person; the final day is this Saturday, August 5. The Van Vessem Gallery is located at 63 Muse Way in Tiverton, and is open Thursday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 

Small wonders

There's a lot to love at our Hatch Street Studios exhibit at the Van Vessem Gallery, titled "Light Off the River"! Forty-one artists are showing multiple pieces in all mediums.

But tucked among the large, bold pieces are a group of tiny gems, smaller than 10 inches. These are some of the most exciting to behold, by virtue of their intimate scale. Here are a selection of the smallest works. We invite you to savor and enjoy!

Our show remains on display until August 5. You are welcome to stop by, see the impressive scope of the show, and chat with gallerist Marika Van Vessem, the show's curator. Located at 63 Muse Way in Tiverton, the gallery is open Thursday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Patrick Moore

Martha Moffit

Diana Arvanites

Elin Noble

Jacob Ginga

Michael Tracey

John Middleton

Wood for clay

Hatch Street wood artisan Michael Pietragalla, proprietor of Floating Stone Woodworks in Studio 406, has created this amazing cabinet for artist Hollis Engley to display 70 of his ceramic cups in the exhibit "Generations: The Art of Influence" at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod, located at 307 Old Main Street in South Yarmouth.

The public is invited to an opening reception for the show on Saturday evening from 5 to 7 p.m. The center is open Monday through Friday from 9 to 5, Saturday from 11 to 5, and Sunday from noon to 5.

Hollis Engley with his ceramic cups on display in Mike Pietragalla's cabinet, designed for an upcoming show on Cape Cod.

Saturday in the Park

Last Saturday, July 8, Hatch Street Studios participated in the Arts in the Park event in Marion, sponsored by the Marion Art Center. A group of Hatch Street artists set up tents and displayed their hand-made items for sale. We appreciate those folks who came by to say hello!

Thank you to Kim Barry, one of the participating artists, who took these photos.

The Hatch Street Studios tent at Arts in the Park, staffed by Pat Kellogg (seated, with a case of her jewelry), and Christine Boucher (standing behind Pat), who displayed her sculpture and collected names for our mailing list.

A full view of our tents at the event.

Celebrating Light Off the Water

Mother Nature brought us a perfect summer evening for the opening reception yesterday of "Light Off the River: Hatch Street Studio Artists at the Van Vessem Gallery" in Tiverton, RI. Thank you to all those who stopped by to say hello and view our work.

And thank you especially to Marika Van Vessem for inviting us to exhibit at her gallery and for doing such a beautiful job of curating the creations of 41 very diverse artists!

The show remains on view until August 5. The Van Vessem Gallery, located at 63 Muse Way (near the Tiverton public library), is open Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.

Artists and guests mingle and chat at last night's opening reception for "Light Off the River."

Another view of the event last night.

A look at the sunny patio entrance to the gallery, loaded with good food and conversation.

Reception this Saturday!

We Hatch Street Studios artists are excited! This coming Saturday is opening day and the opening reception for our group show at the beautiful Van Vessem Gallery in Tiverton, RI.

Gallerist Marika Van Vessem has been hard at work gathering and hanging pieces for this expansive display of work by artists with studios at 88 Hatch Street. There will be 41 of us exhibiting our creations, which will include furniture, sculpture, prints, photographs, textiles, paintings, and ceramics.

Our reception is Saturday, July 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Van Vessem Gallery is located at 63 Muse Way in Tiverton. We hope you will join us!

The show remains on view until August 5. The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

Want a sneak peek? Here are some selections (descriptive information provided when available):

Hall Table by Scott Currier, Fir and Red Lacquer, 19" x 32" x 84"

"Iridescence" by Joan Potkay, woodblock monotype, 21.5" x 24"

Table by Michael Pietragalla

"Sunrise Checkerboard" by Catherine Carter, acrylic and paper collage on canvas, 30 inches square

"Dora Marsden Arrested" by Tom Crotty

"Pillars" by Marita Torbick