OUR RECENT SHOW...a little history

  "LITTLE ITALY" exhibit featured small artworks...all were memories or imaginings about Italy!

Our call-for-entries resulted in a really fun, and yet romantic 'trip' to the Old Country...included in the 46 artists and 100 works are oils, acrylics, watercolors, collages, photos, computer-generated images, encaustics, ink and pencil drawings, constructions in wire, tin, paper, glass, and ceramics...cartoons and classically romantic landscapes.

  Artists emerged from all the local and surrounding towns, and from Boston, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. 

Lexington collagist, Karen Watson, and Newburyport's Ann McCrea at the opening event.

  Sandra Venus of Wenham, who studied Architecture at RISD, displayed drawings of Etruscan and medieval Viterbo...a town somewhat north of Rome. Ann McCrea of Newburyport included several rich collages of images, papers, and gold, that celebrated the Etruscan, Venetian, and Umbrian essenses she treasures, and Hamilton resident, Diane Carnivale brought her native exuberance to her brilliant, explosive action-paintings of Tuscan landscapes.

Ann McCrea with her works.

  Boston artist, Lisa Angelini, known for her exquisite handpainted tiles, broadened her sphere to exhibit two elegant acrylic/collage pieces that honor 'il territorio' in unusual ways.

  Well-known Fine Artist, Greg Kitterly, has researched the actual formula for oil glazes used by Brunelleschi in the early Renaissance, to create amazing depths of color in his paintings of the Villa Adriana and the Volcano, Stromboli.  Fred Lynch of Winchester, who teaches a class in Viterbo every July, has included his sepia ink paintings of "non-views" around that ancient town...(as if there could BE any non-views!)

(from left) Painter Allan Brockenbrough, sculptor Jill Herrick-Lee, and director/curator Elissa Della-Piana, with guests.

  The Gallery also added some of Tomie dePaola's beautiful - and amusing - scenes from his famous "Strega Nona" books.

  One extremely whimsical piece that sold right away, was a Wire sculpture of a PIZZA, by Salem's Katie Stannard. An Italo-American Antipasto fantasy sculpture leaped directly from a cookbook...constructed in paper, by Pamela Braverman-Schmidt was a crowd-pleaser. And a popular exhibit that included works in Encaustic by Milisa Galazzi of Rhode Island entitled, "NONA" and "NONO", Donna Baldassari's oil Portrait of her beloved "NONNI", and Beverly artist, Alissa Watters' "CANNOLLO" imortalized on a plate.

Josephine Currie, photographer, and opening night attendees. (We estimated about 100 at the opening.)

Here are some of the Reviews that hit the local and electronic media...Wickedlocal News Media write-ups and reviews: KATRINA HART's pastel landscape, "Umbria", refers to the clear lake reflections of Italian cypresses that are a part of her Italian memories. Hart studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, and is one of the artists exhibiting at Gallery Della-Piana's 'Little Italy' show through July 18th.

Artist Allan Brockenbrough of Hamilton painted 285 nailheads in colorful acrylics to create the shimmering illusion of a sunset in Venice for a local art exhibit about Italy. Brockenbrough has exhibited more conventional works locally, but was inspired by the Gallery Della-Piana's theme,"Little Italy", to create this dimentional construction.  (see photo of Allan's "Sta Maria della Salute" in the righthand column...kind of a cross between Pointilism and Chuck Close...)

LITTLE ITALY EXHIBIT FEATURES SMALL ARTWORKS

Wenham artist Elissa Della-Piana hosts an art exhibit of her own works and 45 other New England artists' works that celebrate Italian themes, from romantic scenes to whimsical food sculptures. The "Little Italy" show,... features paintings, photos, sculptures, and collages from many Hamilton and Wenham artists.

Sandra Venus of Wenham, who studied Architecture, is exhibiting her delicate line drawings of ancient Etruscan structures of Viterbo, Italy. By contrast, South Hamilton's Diane Carnevale's exuberant and lush paintings of Tuscan landscapes are framed in dramatic Italianate carvings."...