Patterns/Textures Exhibition

It's hard to contain my excitement about our upcoming Patterns/Textures show featuring Maija Fiebig and Sofia Barao. I found Maija through her best friend and my acquaintance, Jenee Halstead, an amazing Boston-based folk musician. Maija did the artwork for Jenee's new CD "A River Grace." Maija's quite successful in her hometown of Seattle where she shows regularly with G. Gibson Gallery. You can watch a wonderful little video about Maija here. Her work, with its vibrant patterns, is a perfect compliment to Sofia's romantic collage paintings. Sofia lives in a little town outside of Paris, France. She utilizes old photos, letters, music sheets, and other found papers for her textured paintings which she says are an attempt to "keep a trace; of time and of people, to work with the memories, to reinvent a story, to rebuild a past, maybe my own." Join us for the opening reception this Friday Sept 5th from 6-8:30 p.m. Also, hear a free concert by Jenee in the gallery backyard Friday Sept 19th 6-8 p.m. Reservations required. For more info call (401) 245-7174 or email us at yesgalleryandstudio@gmail.com.

Block Island "Trunk" Show pics

Though there was no actual trunk, other than the ones on the trees, the Block Island show was a hit. The work was hung on a rusty garden fence next to an aging barn within sight of the sun-dappled ocean. There was even a sheep and some chickens wandering about. Rustic, casual, friendly. That's what we call "Island Style." Thanks to my friends Amy and Rick who provided the perfect locale, to Jill at Every Day's a Picnic catering for the beautiful food, and to all the island peeps who came and bought work by our amazing YES Artists. For more pictures of the show click here!

Social Networkers, Here We Come!

We're pleased to announce that YES Gallery + Studio is officially entrenched in the cyber networking world. We now have both a MySpace page AND a Facebook page! So please click on the links and become our friend!

Doug Desjardins

Wildly carefree. Incredibly inventive. Ridiculously resourceful. That's how I'd describe Doug Desjardins' artwork - and his spirit. Utilizing found objects as basic as a scrap of wood and as strange as a found canvas smeared with joint compound, Doug creates worlds where shaman sit in trees, llamas reside in love hotels, and mermaids are joined at the hip...literally. Though Doug's style is often compared to the raw, pure vision of outsider and folk art, he is indeed trained, receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Plymouth State College in the 1990's. Since then Doug has shown at many galleries around the region. He's also worked with what he calls the "greatest artists on earth" (a.k.a. children) to create murals from New York City to Vancouver. When asked to talk about his work Doug simply offered this pearl of wisdom, "The greatest mystery is how to keep the mystery of life alive in your heart." 'Nuff said. For more information about Doug's artwork please contact YES Gallery + Studio at (401) 245-7174 or email us at yesgalleryandstudio@gmail.com.

Megyn Craine - postcard art!

I am blessed to have wonderfully creative people in my life. My ol' college pal, Megyn Craine is one of the most carefree and lively artists I know. We first met freshman year in an art theory class after she stood up and loudly dismantled a chair with a hammer in the middle of class, shocking everyone. Unbeknownst to us, the professor had slipped her a note and asked her to do it. We were in the middle of a lesson about conceptual/performance art. What better way to "hammer" it home? Megyn's always had a love of the post office and correspondence. After she transferred to San Francisco Art Institute in junior year she sent all of us various and sundry items. A large rock (with no wrapping) was mailed to one of our dearest professors, Chris Horton. It took six months and a lot of stamps, but it eventually got there. These days Megyn's art consists mostly of baked goods, as she owns a delicious bakery in Jersey (with another stellar college artist-friend.) Nonetheless, Megyn was thrilled when I asked her to be YES Gallery's resident postcard artist. Pictured above is my own personalized postcard art a la Megyn that I received when the gallery opened. But you too can have your very own custom postcard! For just $35, you get to pull a card from this "fancy" tin, answer the questions on it, and within three weeks - voila! - personalized postcards arrive at your door! OR, how 'bout sending one to a friend for a special occasion? Postal Possibilites abound! For more info about Megyn Craine contact YES Gallery + Studio at (401) 245-7174 or email us at yesgalleryandstudio@gmail.com.

What are you doing Thursday night?

Come on now. Don't you have to come see this guy perform? I mean, look at how much fun he's having. And it's infectious. So come to the gallery Thursday July 24th from 6 - 8 p.m. to see Steve "Lightnin" Lighty play some sea shanties and original tunes. There's even complimentary beer and lemonade. Not to mention the event is free, though reservations are required. For more info call us (401) 245-7174.

Lovesick/Seasick Photos

I just updated our Flickr page with some images of the latest exhibition. Some of them are dark, unfortunately. Trust me when I say the artwork is GORGEOUS and photos don't do them justice. You've simply got to come in and see them! The show runs through August 3rd so come on down. Actually, it's slowly getting picked apart as things sell so come sooner rather than later!

GALLERY PRACTICES: Being a Good Doobie

As I new business I haven't had much extra time, money or energy to spare, but I've tried to put a few things in place that align to my moral and spiritual compass. First, all exhibitions at YES have a charitable tie-in. We give 5% of our sales proceeds to non-profits. In just a few short months we've been able to contribute money to the Audubon Society of RI Educational Center, The Manton Avenue Project, and now Save the Bay. I heard Suze Orman say that if the first check you write every month is a donation you'll feel abundant. So far so good. The other thing we try to do as much as possible is to use recycled and re-used packaging when shipping or transporting work. We keep our lights off if no one's in the gallery and we use non-toxic cleaning products. The other cool thing I just discovered is the World Community Grid. When the gallery computer is idle it becomes part of the largest public computing grid to benefit humanity. I can't explain further, since I'm technologically illiterate but you can read about it here. If you are a business, or have any suggestions for "being a good doobie" please let us know!

July Events!

Here's what up this month....



OPENING RECEPTION:
Friday July 11th from 6-8:30 is the opening reception for Lovesick/Seasick. Nibbles, wine and some surly sea-faring types. 5% of proceeds to Save the Bay.

MUSIC UNDER THE PERGOLA:
Thursday July 24 from 6-8:00 p.m. is live music by Block Island fugitive Steve "LightNin" Lighty, one of Rhode Island's best kept musical secrets. Come toast Steve with a cold beer and sing along to some sea shanties. (Space is limited and reservations are required.)

For more information call the gallery at (401) 245-7174.

Lovesick/Seasick Exhibit - SNEAK PEEK!

The Lovesick/Seasick show is around the corner and I'm excited. Growing up on the ocean and having very questionable sea legs, I know first hand the feeling of being seasick. As any human being does, I also know lovesick. When planning this show it occurred to me there was a large overlap in the Venn diagram between these two feelings. As usual, the artists have perfectly captured the uncapturable, and there's something for everyone There's Doug Desjardin's paintings of lovesick owls, banditos, and pirates painted in his signature raw style on found objects. There's Robert Malinowski's drawings of lovesick business men and women. David Gonville's ocean encaustics are informed by his love of surfing and intimate relationship with the sea. Jessica George's thickly layered paintings of the rocky coastline look simply edible. Andy Suriano's work has a story to tell with surly fishermen, bored mermaids and sailors that do crosswords. There's also gorgeous new Cynthia Guild work and much more. For more information contact YES Gallery + Studio at yesgalleryandstudio@gmail.com or call (401) 245-7174.