Open Studio

The Indian Orchard Mills is a contemporary mixture of manufacturing space, warehousing, and artist studios. A few years ago, when my cousin Geri was running Recycle for Children next door, lots of artists dropped by to see her and to scrounge for materials to use in their work. She used to sell the same mat board supplied to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Gorgeous stuff....her price: 3 dollars. Sometimes free to me. Cordelia at that time needed lots of mats for her photographs, so we were always running over there. I met quite a few artists from the Mills just by hanging around Recycle, and I'd always go to their gallery openings.

At that time, most of the artists were in the back building. Now they've spread into the front building, where the books I catalog for Dan Wyman are warehoused. Last year my own cousin Marc took a studio two floors under Dan. I had dropped by a couple of times, but no one else in the family had seen his stuff. So in a show of family solidarity, Cousin Geri and I went over to the Open Studio today. We've seen so much of the artists in the back that this time we confined ourselves to the newer people.

Marc was a printmaker years ago, but has recently decided to teach himself to paint in oils. This past year has been a process of learning to handle the medium. Somehow he's managed to fill the walls with older prints and newer line drawings and oils. The old dog is learning some pretty decent tricks.