So many of my best Concord finds lately have been arts-related. It’s true, my interests and work naturally inhabit that sphere, but it’s also true that there’s some talented people running around this city.
A recent welcome surprise was the Holiday Open Studio at T. Devaney Fine Arts and the Tricia Anderson Soule Studio. Tom and Tricia, the artists, inhabit studios across the hall from one another on the second floor at 3 Pleasant St. Many of you have probably noticed Tom’s studios and not even realized it. The huge windows can’t be missed if you look up at the southern corners of the intersection of North Main and Pleasant streets. The sculptures visible through those windows offer a taste, but not a whole experience of what’s inside.
Inside, I discovered, a holiday open studio full of warmth, art and great people. Tom Devaney works in a variety of media, both two- and three-dimensional. Wire 2D sculptures showcase the meticulousness of his vision and his exaggerated, sculptural figures are boldly executed, just a bit beyond the reasonable boundaries of form. Some of them are a little uncomfortable to look at. But I like that. Flat works explode with images and ideas about modern living.
Tricia Anderson Soule is a visual artist (and former gallery owner) who bravely embarked upon a journey with a new medium a couple of years ago. Working under the instruction and inspiration of Teresa Taylor (of Salty Dog Pottery fame) she now folds clay into appealing organic forms.
Live jazz in the lounge between the two studios pulled the evening together. Equally important to my enjoyment were the warm, approachable attendees. I wasn’t the only one feeling it. People lingered for the evening, to enjoy the art, the music and the company.
Admission was free. Enjoying downtown doesn’t have to be expensive. I parked on the street within half a block of the studios, though it was equally close to the parking garage.
To contact the artists and visit the studios, you can contact Tom Devaney through his website, tdevaney.com or email Tricia at tasoule@hotmail.com.
Another one to catch: the Kathleen Dustin Exhibit at Millbrook Gallery, through Christmas Eve.
Her polymer clay handbags, jewelry and sculpture will blow your mind. It’s shocking to see such organic forms, mimicking the natural world so explicitly, in a medium that is totally inorganic. Check out her work at kathleendustin.com and find out more about Millbrook (hours, information and upcoming exhibits) at themillbrookgallery.com.
If you are a creative inpidual (define that as broadly as you like) in New Hampshire, take the opportunity to complete the survey currently being circulated by the Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Creative Concord committee (full disclosure: I’m a committee member).
The survey is geared toward gathering information about your creative and living needs, with the goal of using some of that information to create resources in Concord, for creative inpiduals. Visit this website to take the survey, before Dec. 20 at creativeconcordnhsurvey.org.
