Save the Date (or Save Two! Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 19 & 20) for “Fitchburg Open Studios”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 15, 2019

Contact: Tamar Russell Brown, Gallery Sitka — 978.425.6290

Save the Date (or Save Two! Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 19 & 20) for “Fitchburg Open Studios”

Kathryn Swantee and Sharon Thompson picking up their signs.

FITCHBURG, Mass. — Most everybody’s been to an art exhibition at one time or another. But how many art lovers have had the chance to see the very place where the art is created? Or even to witness the process of creation itself? That’s what the “art tour” set for the greater Fitchburg area this weekend is all about.

“Fitchburg Open Studios” is a sort of voyage of discovery that allows aficionados to see the work of many different artists in different locations. The event was organized by four stalwarts of the Fitchburg art scene: Gallery Sitka owner Tamar Russell Brown, pastel painter Lisa Regopoulos, and Boulder Art Gallery owners Peter and Ann Capodaglia. (Ann is herself an artist as well as a businessperson introducing other artists to the residents of the Fitchburg area.) More than 30 artists responded to a call for artwork to be shown over the big weekend at many different sites, including the Fitchburg Art Museum and the various studios of participating artists.

Art enthusiasts will probably need a full tank of gas and the patience to navigate those tricky, winding Central Mass roadways. Bicycles and stout walking shoes might also do the trick, but in any case the weekend gives participants the freedom to make their own schedules and proceed at their own pace. The epicenter of the activities will be Fitchburg, of course, but the surrounding communities of Leominster, Gardner, Westminster and Ashburnham will also be the sites of studios where artists will be exhibiting.

Ann and Peter Capodaglia made a dream come true in 2008 when they opened the Boulder Art Gallery at 960 Main Street, in the shadow of the Rollstone Boulder, one of Fitchburg’s proudest landmarks and the inspiration for the name of the gallery. (Go to theboulderartgallery.com to investigate further.)

Ms. Russell Brown, who has been collecting art since she was 15, will be introducing the public to the work of a number of artists at The Fay Club in Fitchburg all weekend long. Most of Boulder’s art is representational, Tamar says, with beautiful landscapes predominating. The Sitka artists tend to focus more on abstract works that provide exciting interactions of pure color and texture. (Go to gallerysitka.com to learn more.)

Lisa Regopoulos paints pastels and considers herself an impressionistic artist. She paints en plein air (in the great outdoors), and has several new works to offer the public. (See lisaregopoulos.com for more information.) Her “Go with the Flow” is especially dynamic, with its view of the white water cascading over the rocks and down the hillside toward the viewer. Even more startling is the view of the shady, darker side of the hill through which the water is flowing, cut off at the top of the picture, where the sun is lighting up the spectacular fall foliage and where the painter spies small but powerful patches of a serene blue sky. The vibrant colors come alive to us and give us a strong, authentic feeling of being there in that forest on a sparklingly clear autumn afternoon. Also recently completed is a view of the fog-shrouded Golden Gate Bridge from Chrissy Park in California, as well as a moment capturing a tight little group of horses that we might imagine to be wild as they lope across a boggy meadow (“Nightly Journey”). Ms. Regopoulos has recently entered the Master Circle with the International Association of Pastel Societies. She teaches workshops in pastel all over New England and not long ago led a workshop in the Umbria region of northern Italy.

“The Conversation” by Randy LeSage

The other artists participating include Gail Bloom, Leanne Boudreau Tremblay, Douglas Caves Sr., Jessica Clarke, Nancy French, Georgia Griffin, Debra Hughes Luoma, Jen Hemenway, Jim Hett, Yvonne Hemingway, Jennifer Jones, C.M. Judge, Doreen M. LaScola, Randy LeSage, Mark Lore, Bob Maloney, Lori MacDonald, Priscilla Mavrikis Walker, MaryAnn Mullett, Scott Niemi, Lisa Nugent, Helen Obermeyer Simmons, Jason Parris Fitz-Gerald, Linda Phelps, Bernadette Quirk, Sally Sargent, Kathryn Swantee, Sharon Thompson and Laurie Triba.

This event will take place Saturday, Oct. 19, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 20, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., in Fitchburg and in the other participating communities. Ms. Russell Brown has created a special map to guide art lovers to all the participating studios and galleries. Go to fitchburgopenstudios.com for the map and more information about the big weekend.

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