After graduating from Whittier College in the 1960s, Guy Webster decided to join the army reserves for a six-month stint rather than go to Viet Nam. For the first three months he purchased, shipped and decorated Christmas trees. For the second half he taught photography, even though he had never even held a camera before that moment.
“I had never taken a photograph in my life,” remembered Mr. Webster. It wasn’t until his last month in the reserves that he shot his first roll of film. That was all it took to get him hooked.
Some of the earliest encaustic wax painters were probably the Greeks, who used the technique to fill in cracks in the hulls of their ships and to decorate their walls with murals.
Today, artists such as Debra M. Gaines still practice the art of encaustic painting, a process whereby beeswax is melted and pigment is introduced into the mixture. Ms. Gaines will be conducting an encaustic painting demonstration at the Louisa Gould Gallery, 54 Main street, Vineyard Haven on Monday, August 13, at 6 p.m.
One clever way to clean up a beach is to collect trash and turn it into art. That’s what artist and art teacher Wendy Shalen did, using found floating debris from beaches on the Vineyard, Long Island and Florida as subject matter for her handmade paper seascapes. The series is called Washed Ashore, and was recently exhibited at the Pound Ridge Library in New York.
The images show the closeness of nature and material culture. Garbage can be collected on some beaches as easily as drift wood.
Rose Abrahamson has a history of saying this is her last art show. Who can blame her? After all, she is 90 years old. But thankfully, thus far, she has not made good on her promise.
It was fitting, maybe inevitable, that Yoko Ono and John Lennon met in an art gallery at a showing of her work in London. Now, more than 40 years later, Ms. Ono has established a tradition of exhibiting Mr. Lennon’s art around the United States to celebrate her late husband’s passion for peace and love, which she says with a matter-of-factness that restores those words to their late-1960s meaning, before they became glib catchphrases for many people.
On Saturday, August 11, this month’s Arts District Stroll in Oak Bluffs takes place. The stroll is from 4 to 7 p.m. and is an opportunity to check out all of the galleries along Dukes County avenue as they roll out the welcome mat, not to mention snacks and drinks.
The Alison Shaw Gallery is hanging a show full of brand-new work as well as celebrating The Chappy Ferry Book by author Tom Dunlop with photographs by Alison Shaw.
Works from Viet Nam, Chantal Legare’s mixed media exhibition on paper and wood, opens tomorrow, Dec. 1. at the West Tisbury library and will continue through Dec. 31.
Sail Martha’s Vineyard’s Maritime Art Show is receiving an enthusiastic response from the community. The open house reception this past Sunday night welcomed more than 60 guests to the Sail MV building on Main street in Vineyard Haven, where gifts and work produced by 21 artists are on display.
More than 14 pieces have been sold, raising funds for Sail MV to continue its sailing and rowing programs on the Island. The show will run through Dec. 22.
