This month we had a fabulous group of participants visit Laura's Center for the Arts from the Marshfield Boys & Girls Club.  During the week of the gallery opening we met twice, once at the B&G Club and once at LCA.  During both visits we talked about some of the staples found in most landscapes like foreground, background, middle ground and horizon.  While at LCA we spend some time looking at all of the artwork on display and talking about things we noticed.

Luke LeWand
Roadtrip, 2013
acrylic on panel 

Luke LeWand's "Roadtrip," was one that caught some of our participants eyes.  The fact that there are cars in it was an immediate pull for some, and for another student it was it's more abstract right half that pulled her back to the piece.  Luke has several diptychs which consist of one panel based more in reality and the second panel focused more on mark making and color.  It was in "Roadtrip," that one of the ArtsReach participants made the discovery of the matching color palettes between the two halves of the piece.  It wasn't something that I had thought to point out to the group, so I was really excited when that discovery was made because she was exactly right.  Luke creates the first, more realistic piece, and then with the remaining paint he has mixed, he makes some loose movements which contrast nicely when put next to the tighter original painting.

Luke LeWand
Thanks For the Energy, 2013
acrylic on panel

After spending so much time looking and talking about art we decided to get outside and make some art of our own.  We made a quick pit stop at the stage and danced around a bit before heading out to the LCA lawn with some drawing boards and oil pastels.  The art is a little hard to see here because of the glare but these participants made some amazing things out on that gorgeous afternoon.

I think this picture might make it into the Marshfield Mariner! I'll post the link to our facebook page (link at the top) once I see it.

real time pose

ride back to Boys & Girls Club

Ty and Amy Lemerande, the hearts behind Knighthorse Theatre Company, are some of the most talented theatre artists I have had the privilege to meet. They are passionate professionals, intensely committed to their craft and their community. They're also a great story...

Ty was born and raised in San Jose, CA and served as an active duty officer for the US Navy, but he also has his MFA in Theatre and can perform a one-man sword fight which is unlike anything else I have seen in theatre. He is still a commander in the Naval Reserve and recently served for seven months in Operation Enduring Freedom in Kabul, Afghanistan. And yes, he even performed Shakespeare while in Afghanistan. This guy is just too much.

Amy, the love of Ty's life (he recently called her a "babe" in a conversation with me!), is local to MA, born in Dorchester and raised in Marshfield. She has spent time teaching theatre to handicapped and terminally ill children at Mass Hospital School in Canton and also has her MFA in Theatre. She and Ty met while touring with Shenandoah Shakespeare and she is a beautiful mom to their two young kids, Declan and Bridget. Ty is known to say that Amy is "the brains" of their duo. All I know is that she is a talented performer and a warm, kind soul.

We are thrilled to once again have Knighthorse Theatre Company taking the stage at Laura's Center for the Arts. For the next three weeks- opening tonight!- Ty will be performing a one-man production of MACBETH. Ty's acting is not to be missed. You will be floored by his adaption of Shakespeare's work and then simultaneously stunned by his ability to sustain such enthusiastic energy that you forget there is only one person performing in front of you. Seriously, don't miss this.

See you in the audience!

Zheyu Zhou
Meditation I, 2012
Oil on Canvas
45"x73"

Our monthly gallery opening is tomorrow night from 6-8PM. These events have become practically ritual in our space- every four weeks or so the walls are cleared and bare, a little worse for wear from paint peeled by labels, and then like magic the space is full of new life. The work changes the tone of the entire building, each artist imbuing the center with their own perspective of the world. For a month [that always slips too silkily by] we are surrounded by their artistic process and color, and then again missing it but looking forward to the new incoming colors and surprises. 

All that to say: GALLERY OPENING! TOMORROW NIGHT! 6-8PM! Its going to be, yet again, a great one. Artists Zheyu Zhou, Luke LeWand and Vanessa Varjian are all MassArt alums and their work is utterly unique and captivating. There will also be a performance by Hingham Civic Music Theatre's production of Spamalot at 7PM. See you there.

For more insight into the work, check out our curator's blog for entertaining and detailed insight this little lady isn't capable of: elizabethmgilmore.com