I'm Wicked Local!
Brookline Post-Pan (We Hope): Two Cape galleries to exhibit Amy Solomon's art
Susie Davidson / brookline@wickedlocal.com
"I'm looking forward to, at long last, leaving my cave and enjoying the ocean breeze," said Amy Solomon, who operates Art with Amy at 45 Harvard St. in Brookline Village.
"Plus," she added, "I get to enjoy real art, live and in person!"
Sounds like a great deal, especially right about now, as we are shedding wings and leaving cocoons. Solomon's paintings will be featured in two Cape Cod art shows this summer, the first in Provincetown, the second in Wellfleet. So if you're looking for an excuse to head Capeward, here's a couple.
Solomon's new series of ink/mixed media scrolls, "Earth Beat," will be at Art Market Provincetown (AMP) at 432 Commercial St., from June 25-July 21. The show will be curated by the gallery's director and curator Deb Nadolney.
"She's a master, and her shows never disappoint," Solomon said.
These works were made with heavily layered ink and paint on paper during the lockdown year. "I had many hours of isolation, counting time, walking in nature and thinking about and missing people," Solomon reflected.
She also found herself thinking about Hokusai, the Japanese printmaker from the 1700s. She wondered how he painted wind and air. "So impossible! The simplicity of his line carrying so much weight," she thought.
Solomon also formed a new ritual of walking the river near her home. "It was with a mixture of joy and fear," she said. "Time was slower, and this was a long year. But I enjoyed the new solitude, and watching as the seasons changed," she added.
"It was walking in cold snow and slushy rain, and finally, a spring with leaves returning and new hope," she said. "Definitely, a strange and wonderful year of art making!" But she found the repetitive and quiet days suited her. "These paintings are a marking of that time," she said.
Solomon will share the art show with Susan Bernstein, Phyllis Ewen, Philip Gerstein and Judith Trepp.
The Wellfleet exhibit, at Off Main Gallery, 75 Commercial St., runs July 23-Aug 12, with the opening on July 24 from 6-8 p.m. Solomon will be showing with artists Susie Nielsen and Kay Gordon.
This show will be curated by gallery director Robert Shreefter. "He is both an artist and an arts/literacy educator," Solomon said. "He served as the director and curator of the Marran Gallery and the Atrium Gallery at Lesley University, and has consistently brought together interesting combinations of artists to create intimate and welcoming exhibits."
She explained that this is the kickoff season for Off Main's brand new light-filled space, situated by a salt marsh in beautiful Wellfleet.
Sounds lovely, for sure. But if you can't get to the Cape, you don't need to travel far to check out Solomon's indie art center in the Village, where she has held classes and workshops for almost 20 years.
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Solomon, who has a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, lives in Brookline Village as well. She's worked with K-12 children around the neighborhood; at her workshops, they learn to make real art with their hands. "There are no computers or iPhones to be found," Solomon said.
Her work has been shown at Wayfarers Brooklyn, and at Chandler Gallery in Cambridge. Along with colleague Lisa Link, she received a grant from Jewish Collaborative Arts and produced a traveling, interactive exhibit "Words Matter - The Tree of Life." Her work is held in collections in the U.S., Greece and Switzerland.
For more information, contact artwithamystudio@gmail.com or info@artmarketprovincetown.com (646-298-9258) or offmaingallery.com (508-514-1326).
Brookline Post-Pan (We Hope) spotlights noteworthy town residents who continue to make the most of their housebound, and increasingly real world time. Send suggestions to Susiedavidsonjournalist@gmail.com.
