ART: ANNE BEINECKE
THE ARTISTS
Juried by Michelle May & Payal Thiffault
keep scrolling for a continuous view of all artists or by clicking on the artist image
view full images by clicking image boxes. recommended viewing on a computer screen
Jonathan Palmer
Anne Beinecke
Rose Mamakos
Tim Gannon
Scott Boilard
Bronle Crosby
Simone Scholes
Anita Loomis
Anna Fubini
David Mason
Clare Asch
Fernando Fula
Kathryn Shagas
Nancy Wright
Randy Akers
Vanessa Thompson
Julie Beck
Rosemary LeBeau
Katie Dye
Michelle May
GALLERY
— keep scrolling for a seamless gallery experience —
1st Place Juror’s Pick
Anne Beinecke | Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Nocturne
14x20” acrylic, pencil on watercolor paper, $1900
Hypnagogia
14x20” acrylic, pencil on watercolor paper, $1900
Night Garden
14x20” acrylic, pencil on watercolor paper, $1900
Anne Beinecke’s billowing pulses of color and fierce mark making flow from an automatic process and are developed through a marriage of spontaneity, deliberation and imagination. Her work is inspired by dreams and the natural world.
Anne Beinecke studied painting and photography at CUNY Hunter College and Massachusetts College of Art and Design where she received her BFA, and attended graduate school at the University of Chicago. Her paintings have been exhibited widely in the Boston area and beyond. Beinecke was awarded the 2020 Cambridge Art Association Member of the Year Award and the 2017 Emerging Artist Award. Her work is held in private collections in the US and abroad. Anne is also an animal and environmental activist. She currently lives and works in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband and cat. Her painting studio is in neighboring Somerville.
We think Anne Beinecke is a remarkable artist known for her bold and imaginative pieces that often blend vibrant colors and textures. Her work captures a sense of movement and depth, creating a dynamic experience for viewers. Her pieces, inspired by nature and abstract forms, make her style alive, organic and thought-provoking every time we catch them in an exhibition. We have seen her art gaining significant recognition for her ability to evoke an emotional reaction with her viewers and inspire contemplation with her sense of light and color contrasts. Just look at Night Garden and you are lost in an atmospheric wonderland.
Jonathan Palmer | Fort Bragg, California, USA
Hindsight
60x48", oil on canvas, $6000
Keeping It On The DL
60x48", oil on canvas, $6000
Pareidolia
30"x24", oil on canvas, $4000
Jonathan received his MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2013. He has exhibited his work throughout the United States and internationally including venues such as Wellesley College in Boston, David Krut Projects in New York City, Site: Brooklyn, Linus Gallery in Los Angeles, The Center for Contemporary Art in Baton Rouge and Kyoto Seika University in Japan.
The creative process is a struggle. A futile attempt to capture and outshine the reality I face. It is a constant push and pull through a profound transformative process with uncertain results. My work is personal and runs parallel to the ups and downs of making it through each day. I suppose the artistic experience is transcendent although shallow in its attempt to answer or solve the enigmatic pursuit of meaning. My art is self-reflective and develops through memory, love, loss, anxiety and a willingness to be present yet consistently searching.
Jonathan’s work immediately grabs your attention. The layering and shadows bring interest to the rest of the composition and make you almost question what is happening in the paintings. A hand that becomes a ribbon of smoke, entangled in nasturtium leaves, or a neon spiral in a rose bush and the back of a canvas, where a gardener tends their garden. Jonathan taught us a new word, “pareidolia: the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern. The scientific explanation for some people is pareidolia, or the human ability to see shapes or make pictures out of randomness.” [Merriam-Webster]
We would liken that to seeing elephants in the clouds.
Rose Mamakos | Kingston, Massachusetts, USA
Incoming
24x30”, acrylic, $725
Warning
24x36", acrylic, multiple layers, $950
I am a self-taught artist living on the south coast of Massachusetts. My creativity began as a child in many different mediums as a coping tool. As I got older my creativity was a way to quiet the anxiety. I am a firm believer that being creative in which ever medium you choose is an incredible therapeutic tool for all ages.
I create with fluid acrylic paint and never use a paint brush. I manipulate the paint using various methods, blow dryer, palette knives, string but my favorite tool to use is a catalyst wedge. Using fluid paint is working with the laws of physics and motion. Gravity, chemistry and density all play equally pivotal roles making each piece unique in their own way.
I am proud to say that my notorious design that incorporates fluid paint with a catalyst wedge has inspired many others. I demonstrated the technique on my YouTube and Facebook channel which now has over 500,000 views.
Rose Mamakos is a dedicated artist that began showing with Juniper Rag a couple years ago. We enjoy showing her work because of its vibrancy. She is also such a catalyst for other would-be artists. We are particularly drawn to her constant experimentation and the energy her paintings exude. In her abstract paint, the relationships of color and contrast bring depth. In Incoming and Warning we see that Rose is taking more chances with layers and mark-making. When you view her paintings in real life, you get lost in the webbing and intricacies of the maze of colors. At every live exhibition people respond to her work becoming captivated. Recently, Rose earned a solo exhibition at Mechanics Hall and we are very grateful for her support of Juniper Rag.
Light Thru The Darkness
12x24”, acrylic with a resin finish, $400
Tim Gannon | Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, USA
Bill
48x36”, acrylic on canvas, $2000
Flowers Don’t Cut It
66x48”, acrylic on canvas, $3000
The Condemned
66x48”, acrylic on canvas, $3000
I paint over what is known in an attempt to create a new version of the world. Taking the familiar and forcing the viewer to reconnect or decide what it means. Attempting to get the viewer to engage with the image. Then to decide for themselves what’s important and if they like it. Art is about seeing, feeling and then possibly understanding not be being told.
Tim Gannon paints lively abstraction over figurative work. These three surely conjure Rodin’s Gates of Hell or Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du mal. Decadance and destruction, flowers and erotism are juxtaposed leaving us wanting to decipher and ask questions that we may not want the answers to. Their large scale are equally as impactful. We have seen them pull viewers across a room upon entry for closer inspection.
Scott Boilard | Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
Contemplation
17x13”, acrylic on canvas, $400
Outside
17x13”, acrylic on canvas, NFS
Scott Boilard is a painter of physical entities, both familiar and unearthly. Born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, Scott has been making art almost his entire life. Starting mostly drawing with graphite and pen and ink, he was inspired by a love of fantasy and science fiction movies, television shows, and graphic novels. After high school, Scott’s desire to learn to paint led him to the Art Institute of Boston, where he majored in illustration and minored in fine arts with a focus on painting. During his time there, he immersed himself in the study of art history, the various movements, their regional and cultural origins, as well as their historical contexts. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and receiving the Senior Award for his major, Scott sought work as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer but felt a greater need for a more personal form of self-expression. His desire for freedom and control in his work led him to turn his focus away from the commercial and more towards fine art. While still occasionally engaging in commercial work, most of his paintings are inspired by his own visions and interests. His art, as well as his illustration and mural painting, show a love of traditional rendering mixed with the spontaneity of modern composition and color. His surrealist and naturalist pieces are a part of many private collections and continue to gain interest and commissions from new and existing patrons. Over the past 25 years, he has exhibited in many group and solo shows in Massachusetts, New York, and Russia. Most recently, he exhibited paintings as part of the Off the Beaten Path group show at Mary Cosgrove Dolphin Gallery at Worcester State University and is currently preparing for various festivals and a solo exhibit in Worcester in 2025.
Darkness and the night; whether within urban, suburban, rustic, or pure wilderness settings, carry many connotations and are a time of deep emotion and, historically, where suspicions and fears flourish. In my alone time during these hours, I take stock of my day and my life, and in these hours I can look forward to, or dread, my future or reflect on the preceding hours, days, or even years. In my art, darkness and typically, for me, the fears of the unknowns of living take shape, metophorically, in my subject matter. The inhabitants of my works exist as symbols of my own emotions; they are not usually specific representations but rather spectres of shifting moods and reactions to the experiences of life, negatively or positively. In the examples of darkness and night, images emerge from the void the way the inexactitude of memory or the unreliability of a negative state of mind can color your perception of past experiences and can take the form of monsters. Darkness hides while light reveals, and I have always been fascinated by how light takes the masks off these denizens of night when abundant, but when not, leaves you to fill it in with your own, at best, imagination or, at worst, anxieties. I have a love of symbolic art, especially the alligorical paintings of the 18th and 19th centuries. The modern world, more and more, is a revelatory light that can soothe our fears, but often, and harrowingly, at the expense of our myths, legends, and faiths. The night can instill fear but can positively reunite us with our primitive selves that once existed in a state of wonder, filling the void with what we, psychologically, carry with us. In my art, I often address, or even conquer, my fears and exorcise my negative emotions. I live within the process of creating them, exploring the darkness and making sense of my perceptions.
Nocturnal
9.5x5.5”, acrylic on wood, NFS
Bronle Crosby | San Diego, California, USA
On Moonlight Bay
25.5x37.5”, oil on canvas, $3650
Sequin Nova
30x40”, oil on canvas, NFS
Out of Darkness
10 x 8”, oil on canvas, NFS
Bronle Crosby is a painter of natural world realism. Her artistic goal is to invoke calm and contemplation via serene paintings of close-up corners of the big picture of life, in rich subtle colors and painterly detail. Her portraits capture the personality and essence of her subject with the same level of sensitivity and craft as all her works, regardless of subject matter.
Crosby’s work is included in public collections, including The City of Coronado, Whitman College, and Rancho Valencia Resort. Her paintings are also held in private collections worldwide. In addition to the artist’s solo and gallery shows, Crosby’s work has been included in several museum exhibitions throughout California.
I paint transitions in nature, breathing room for both eyes and mind to rest. My work focuses on subtle shifts in time, the spaces in-between: the last drops of rain as the storm passes over; the dawn dew on the web; the egg shell after the bird has flown. I hope my paintings invoke memories of such tiny, miraculous details – the light, the scents, the sounds that encapsulate those singular, quiet moments.
Each of Bronle’s pieces are very different, with the alluring darkness and light captured in deep blues to powder and gossamer. The horizon line, the ridge of the koi backs and the glistening of a spiders web, remind us that glimpses of light should be savored.
Simone Scholes | Mansfield, Massachusetts, USA
Moonlight Shadow
30x24”, oil and silver leaf on cradled board, $1,875
Night Owl
24x24”, oil and silver leaf on cradled board, $1,500
My art over the years has been mainly focused and inspired by women, fashion, and textiles. I’ve always been Fascinated with people and what’s beneath the surface against how they want to present themselves to the world. I strive to capture a mindful moment or a twinkle that leaves you wondering – allowing the viewer to ponder recognition.
I’ve spent time over the last few years developing a looser more painterly style and work on a process that gives me the details I crave, in the under drawing and prep, but allows me to paint in a bolder, much more free style. I paint with Oil on wooden board, I enjoy the smoothness of the surface and use enough linseed oil to help the paint flow in precise bold brushstrokes, focusing on color and shapes.
The moon impacts life on Earth in many ways, including time, light, and tides. It’s also essential for migration and navigation for many animals, especially birds, and is thought to have a profound effect on human psyche. As we head from day to night, we embrace the change to our nighttime persona’s giving permission, as the evening allows, to express more flamboyantly. The journey then leading us to the stillness before dawn, a time for inner peace and self-reflection. The moon representing light in the dark and the silver leaf self-reflection.
Simone Scholes paintings are show stoppers. Her abstract strokes of color build, cross and layer from highlights to lowlights, making the perfect figures more interesting as you approach them. We especially love the red hot shadows of this pair against the cool grays and blues. Simone’s work is always a stand-out and we love to present her new work. She is an artist-to-watch, growing in popularity and evolving with new techniques and compositions. Hot tip—buy her work now if you like it, because she sells fast.
Anita Loomis | Kittery, Maine, USA
Ghosts of Paradise
40x48”, mixed media on canvas, $3,200
Paradise Lost
40x48”, mixed media on canvas, $3,200
I create paintings that often explore the ways we relate to the natural world. I was developing paintings with a night theme for my Tomorrowland series, when Juniper Rag announced their exhibit, Night. In keeping with my focus on climate change, I researched the ideas contained in Thomas Milton’s poetic work, Paradise Lost, which speaks to the loss of innocence in the Garden of Eden, temptation, knowledge and free will. This literary work, in more recent times is also seen as relevant to climate change in terms of its addressing man vs. nature or man asserting dominion over nature and then destroying nature in spite of knowing that our actions harm the place we call home. For these paintings I also considered the work of Rachel Carson. In her book, Silent Spring, she wrote about our poisoning of the earth and how it contributes to the extinction of species and to climate change. The ghosts I visually refer to are extinct plant and animal life. With regard to both of these references, I also thought about prospect of human existence being in its twilight or night period.
To lay the foundations of the paintings, I used cuttings from local plants as a form of mask to apply white spray enamel on a toned ground, which left ghostly, life-size impressions, similar to the effect of cyanotype prints. The negative or x-ray effect in the foreground was preserved as much as possible while I laid in loose brushwork using vivid oils. Toned-black shapes and shadows were laid in using hand-cut stencils. Along with the ghostly white impressions, I included other symbols relative to the theme as the works developed. The lively, almost electric colors are a positive force, alluding to the regenerative healing forces that are busy at night, while we humans are asleep.
Anita (Haddad) Loomis (b.1964, Wiesbaden, Germany) creates paintings that explore facets of human dialogue and people’s relationships with each other and the world around them. Through paint, humor, and a deep curiosity about human imperfection, she investigates what it means to navigate communication with people who see the world through different cultural lenses. She paints to shine a light on the common threads that connect our human experiences and to spotlight the social value of empathy.
Loomis grew up in Massachusetts. She earned her BA in Studio Art from Framingham State University in MA, an MA with a concentration in Arts Management, and her GCPA from the University of Central Florida, FL. She worked in the field or architectural stained glass for many years, but has focused on her own painting practice since moving back to New England around 2004. Anita looks to exhibit at museums and international venues. Her work has been exhibited at Miller White Gallery, South Dennis, MA, Fountain Street Gallery, Boston, MA, and various exhibitions in New England, Pennsylvania, China, and Japan. Her work is collected privately. Anita lives and works from her home in Kittery, Maine.
Anna Fubini | Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Chronic
48"x67", charcoal on paper, cotton yarn, wire, $4,000
The Woman of Winterreise #1
8x10", inkjet on paper $200.00
Anna Fubini is an emerging fiber and mixed media artist born and raised in Brookline, Massachusetts. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in studio art and gender studies from Skidmore College in 2015, followed by a Master of Science in Arts Administration from Boston University in 2023; Anna's work has been showcased in galleries across New England, including the New Art Center in Massachusetts and the Harlow Gallery in Maine, as well as internationally at the Maeda Hiromi Art Gallery in Kyoto, Japan, and the Gerrit Rietveld Académie in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Her first Solo Show, “Unraveled Realities, opened in July 2023 and showcased work that Disrupts narratives relating to canonical art and challenges, through deconstruction, the idea of a fixed nature of being and asserts the inherent dualities of all things. Anna is the lead artist in an ongoing collaboration with A PRIORI, a Boston-based musical ensemble, creating installation art inspired by musical scores to elevate live performances. In addition to her studio practice, Anna is a dedicated arts administrator and community arts educator. She has taught at organizations such as the Museum of Fine Arts, the New Arts Center, and the Boston Boys and Girls Clubs. She currently works for Artist For Humanity as the Client Services project manager for the 3D and painting studios. Anna currently lives and works in Cambridge.
I am an experimental fiber and mixed media artist creating works of sculptural installation. At the core of my work is the idea of duality and deconstruction in both processes and themes. I find inspiration by experimenting with my approach and gravitating toward materials with uncontrollable natures. I seek them out because I want to learn to work with them rather than fight against them and find the forms held within; I use methods such as twisting wire and yarn, hand dyeing with natural dyes, and other experimental processes to sculpt fibers and fabrics into branching forms. I use abstraction to embody the often overwhelming and complex natures of thoughts and emotions and show the messiness, darkness, and humor inherent in them. By combining elements of expressionism, abstraction, and surrealism, I aim to express the internal thorough representations of the external, find the beauty in the ugly, and distort the mundane to bring out its inherent strangeness. I ground these more abstract and conceptual elements with reminders of physicality and humanity to represent the connection between the physical and mental. My goal is to invite the viewer into a place of discomfort that encourages reflection on their physicality and the emotional processes of their conscious mind.
The Women of Winterreise project is a photography series created in collaboration with photographer Naomi He and model Danielle Quin. It builds on my earlier work with the A Priori duo (singer Bahar Soyoz and pianist David Thomas Mather), where I created the mixed media piece Chronic as scenery for their performance of Winterreise.
The Women of Winterreise series explores the male gaze and the romanticization of one-sided infatuation in Schubert’s Winterreise, offering an alternative narrative. It reimagines the story of a man agonizing over lost love by featuring Danielle Quin, a queer model, as both the object of unrequited love and the embodiment of winter itself. Rather than villainizing or romanticizing this character, she is presented as an unapologetic, self-assured force of nature.
Chronic is a mixed media installation that uses dismemberment and exaggerated scale to physically represent the debilitating nature of emotional pain.
David Mason | Truckee, California, USA
Street Light
24x18", color pencil, ink, black metallic leaf, and graphite on Bristol paper, $3200
I have a thing for realism and minimalism. With my background in photography I see things within a frame. By learning to focus on what’s primary in a scene and just develop that imagery it doesn’t need a bigger context or classic scene. This lets the viewer imagine their own context and story. That’s what can make a piece personal to each viewer. I learn as I go, improving my technique and how I use color. Experimenting more with texture and classic looks. Always trying to achieve new levels of harmony and finesse. Since I’m self taught I’ve figured out a mixture of medias that I use to achieve my drawings. Through mixing and layering color pencil I have found a painterly style to make my affects happen.
Night Light
14x17", color pencil, ink, black metallic leaf, and graphite on Bristol paper, $2400
Clare Asch | Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA
Indigo Light
34x48”, watercolor, $1800
Clear Water Diamond
24x24”, acrylic on canvas, $1800
Clear Water Diamond 2
12x12”, Watercolor, $600
In her paintings, Clare Asch explores the interaction of chance and predetermined structures. Natural phenomena like gravity and the flow of water fascinate her. She also has a long-standing interest in mark making. This dialogue of chance, gesture and structure is the foundational basis of her art.
Clare Asch was born in Cegled, Hungary. She came to the US with her parents at age eight. When she first arrived in the US, she spoke no English. The isolation of being in an unfamiliar environment and lacking the language skills made her turn inward and focus on art. One of her teachers noticed and Clare was given a scholarship to take classes at the Brooklyn Museum. She found the emphasis on creativity and freedom in these art classes magical. Needless to say, she continued with art, attending the High School of Music and Art then Cooper Union. Ms. Asch later received an MFA from Lesley University.
Clare Asch is a member of Galatea Fine Art in Boston. She was recently commissioned by the deCordova Museum Corporate Program for an installation of artworks at the Riverfront Office Park in Cambridge, MA. Clare’s paintings can be found at the Boston Public Library, the Essex County Courthouse, the Marriott, Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Fernando Fula | Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
The Haunting Pensive of Atlas
32x40”, acrylic on linen, $2525
In my piece The Haunting Pensive of Atlas, I delve into the intricate relationship between darkness and light, mirroring the thematic essence of the "NIGHT" art show. My inspiration comes from a life shaped by financial instability, a shadow that loomed over my childhood. Watching my parents navigate the complexities of survival instilled in me an overwhelming fear of uncertainty, where money dictated the contours of tomorrow.
As I transitioned into adulthood, I became obsessed with creating a life free from this constant stressor. Today, I stand in a place of newfound financial stability, yet this achievement has left me in a contemplative void—a gap where the relentless chase once resided. This moment of reflection is captured in my artwork, where I explore the tension between gratitude for my current circumstances and a profound sense of emptiness in not fully embracing my artistic calling.
In The Haunting Pensive of Atlas, I embody the duality of night: the darkness that represents fear and uncertainty with the light of self-awareness and acceptance. My artistic expression serves as a testament to my belief that art is a lifeline, a force that has saved me from despair and continues to illuminate my path. In the stillness of night, I find solace and inspiration, allowing my soul to connect with the timeless power of creation.
Despite facing rejection from prestigious Boston art schools due to a lack of formal credentials, my journey as a contemporary artist is one of resilience and self-discovery. I found acceptance at a technical art school, marking the beginning of my evolution as a self-taught artist driven by an unwavering passion for creative expression.
I ventured into diverse artistic communities, collaborating with fellow artists and curators while refining my craft. My experiences in exclusive venues—from private clubs to government buildings—immersed me in a vibrant artistic ecosystem that fostered growth and connection. Through this journey, my contemporary art style emerged, characterized by bold colors, abstract forms, and themes that challenge conventional perceptions.
My artworks reflect a unique perspective shaped by perseverance and introspection, embodying the symphony of contrasts that define our existence—much like the interplay of darkness and light. As I embrace this season of reflection, I invite viewers to engage with my work not just as spectators but as participants in an ongoing dialogue about fear, stability, and the transformative power of art.
Kathryn Shagas | Belfast, Maine, USA
Night Full of Murmerings
12x9"acrylic on yupo, NFS
Starlight
22x30", acrylic and drawing media on paper, NFS
I Heard The Night Birds Cry
22x30", acrylic and drawing media on paper, $2,100
The whole universe is humming. Actually, the whole universe is Mongolian throat singing. Every star, every planet, every continent, every building, every person is vibrating along to the slow cosmic beat. —Adam Frank, The Atlantic, 2023
I’m a confirmed night owl. I often stand at the water’s edge, watch the moon rise and come back hours later to hear the nightime sounds of wind and animals. The night rhythms are deeper and quieter, until a screech or howl interrupts the silence. Bits of light in my night paintings echo those rhythms.
I walk on Maine’s rocky shoreline and let the music of wind and water sharpen my senses. I feel part of a world humming with life. From the viewpoint of physics, everything exists within a sea of vibration that includes rocks, trees and objects that appear stationary. In the studio I draw from these walks and my early training in music, re-experiencing connectivity as I work intuitively and non-objectively with paint and drawing media, asking, “How does this make me feel?” I think of the work as stories hidden in nature’s rhythms.
Mixed media artist Kathryn Shagas works to give form to the flow of visible and unseen rhythmic energies in nature. Her mixed media work is exhibited nationally, most recently at Triangle Gallery/Rockland, Prince Street Gallery/NYC, Fountain Street Gallery/Boston, Juniper Rag/MA, Maine Art Gallery/Wiscasset and several Union of Maine Visual Artists venues.
Originally from Montreal, Shagas holds a BFA in design from Philadelphia College of Art/University of the Arts and has studied at the New York Studio School and Maryland Institute, College of Art. She grew up playing classical piano, worked as an offset printer, pacifist magazine editor and graphic designer. After a year of independent international bicycle travel that included China, Tibet, Bali and New Zealand, she built an award-winning graphic design firm. In 2022, Shagas closed the 33-year-old design firm to paint full-time. She lives and works in Belfast on the Gulf of Maine, which has warmed faster than 99% of the global ocean.
Nancy Wright | Westborough, Massachusetts, USA
Nirvana Sky Red Shed
13x19", metal print of photograph, $275
Nirvana Sky 2
13x19", metal print of photograph, $275
Nirvana Sky 3
13x19", metal print of photograph, $275
I am the one who is always looking up. On a clear night, I marvel at the stars and look for the Big Dipper. I politely force whoever is with me to stand by me and simply look up and appreciate the view.
When the sun descends and the day fades to black, all is not lost in darkness. The moon rises and the glow of the stars punctuates the heavens above. If perfect timing, Mother Nature waves her magic wand and the meteors of Perseus and aurora borealis weave a sheath of color along the horizon, quickly traveling to meet up with the stars.
On a recent trip to the White Mountains in New Hampshire, I perched myself on the balcony of our rental home from 11pm-1:30am. Up there, you’re closer to the sky. You can see so many more stars. This time, it was perfect timing.
Alone. Mountains. Trees. Moonlight. Shooting stars. Northern Lights. It was like watching a magic show. Put on just for me. It was a risk, but I challenged myself to shoot the sky with only my iPhone 15 Pro Max to try the long exposure setting… all handheld.
I might as well have been asleep because it felt like I was in a dream. Clouds would come and go, as the stars bathed in the sea of color. So many shooting stars were gleefully dancing across the sky without a care for the weight of the wishes cast upon them. I watched as darkness fell, yet it did not feel dark at all. Shadows did cover the trees like a blanket, though streams of moonlight acted as a spotlight, while the luminous colors mingled with the stars above. The dark of night had transformed into a gift of light.
3rd Place Juror’s Pick
Randy Akers | Savannah, Georgia, USA
Maralago
49x37”, mixed media on panel, NFS
Ferme La Nuit
49x37”, mixed media on panel, NFS
Randy Akers is a visual artist working on Skidaway Island, Georgia. He has shown at the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, University of New Mexico's Harwood Foundation, Brownsville Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Anchorage Art Museum, University of North Carolina, Valdosta University, Masur Museum of Art, SUNY Genesseo, Florida A&M University, Marietta / Cobb Museum of Art, LaGrange Art Museum, Ormond Art Museum, and Maryland Federation of Art among others. Art residencies include NG Art Creative Residency, Provence, France, 2024; Vashon Island Artist Residency, Washington, 2023; JOYA: arte + ecologica, Spain, 2022; Cill Rialaig, Ireland, 2021; Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, Wyoming 2019 and 2015; Foundation OBRAS, Evoramonte, Portugal, 2017. Akers' solo show, Road to Canaan, was included in the VIVA Florida 500. Work was selected by the Office of the Governor for The Art of Georgia, sponsored by the Georgia Council of the Arts. Work is now in the collection of the Commercial Bank and Trust in Memphis.
In his previous career, Akers directed and designed international television commercials, movie titles, music videos, and print for Fortune 500 companies. He has been affiliated with Duck Soup (LA), Curious Pictures (NY), R/GA Digital Studios (NY), Broadcast Arts (NY), Yarra Films (Singapore), Kessler-Irish Films (Toronto), and AFI Films (Miami). Akers is a member of the Director's Guild of America, the Broadcast Design Association, and served as an advisor to the Delphi Conference exploring the convergence of art and technology. He has taught at the School of Visual Arts (NY), the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and Cazenovia College. He received his M.F.A. at SCAD; B.F.A, Chouinard Art Institute, California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). Additional academic work at Art Center College of Design, California State University Northridge, University of Oregon. Akers served on the board of Art Rise Savannah and Arts Georgia advisory council.
Akers is represented by Kennedy Contemporary Gallery, Newport Beach, CA, Mitchell Hill Gallery, Charleston, SC., Reinike Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
Behavior Cemetery
42x42”, mixed media on panel, NFS
Vanessa R. Thompson | Salem, Massachusetts, USA
Maiden to Crone
22x18”, silver gelatin print, $600
Searching
21.5x18”, silver gelatin print, $600
"Is that another Ghost"
This photographic series of multi-exposure self-portraits is an exploration of the haunted memories of eating disorders, sexual harassment, death and the shadows of family alcoholism, depression and anxiety all stirred back up by the hormonal whirlwind of aging.
There is no predetermined map to my photographs, just my camera, a pile of props, my body, and sheets of film ready for my thoughts to spill out on to light-stained, ground up bones. It is not until I am standing in my darkroom that I can begin translating the story the film has to tell me.
Vanessa R Thompson is a fine art analog photographer. She never listened when her mother she told her to stop playing with her food. She grew up in the suburbs of Connecticut on a steady diet of 1980s horror films and feminism, seasoned with a dash of disordered eating and splash of punk. Now working out of Salem, Massachusetts, she uses items of consumable comfort; food, ephemera, and toys, in her analog photographs that range from abstraction to the absurd.
Thompson received an MFA at the Lesley University of Boston, where she studied under Carrie Moyer and Julia Scher. Her work has been shown at Governs Island art fair in New York City, in bait/switch magazine. She is member of Salem Art Association and Cambridge Art Association. She uses a collection of vintage film cameras in her home studio populated by an army of creepy dolls, and cranky black cat.
Internal
21.5x18”, silver gelatin print, $600
2nd Place Juror’s Pick
Julie Beck | Boston, Massachusetts, USA
You Can Do Anything, Magic Skeleton
16x16”, oil on panel, $600
Ghost In The Machine
24x24”, oil on panel, $600
The Seeds We Sow
9x9”, oil on panel, $600
"Originally from Upstate New York, Julie Beck attended Roger Williams University in Rhode Island where she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics. After a 10 year career in graphic design/ video editing with continued self-taught artistic development, a move to Massachusetts introduced her to the Academy of Realist Art, Boston. Finding technical training in her 30s catapulted her work to a new level. This became the catalyst for a complete life overhaul. Since then, Julie has become an instructor as well as the Assistant Director of ARA Boston.
Julie creates work with a wide range of subjects including narrative still life paintings and the occasional animal/figurative works. Her interest lies in exploring and testing boundaries of reality, rules, and the interaction between the paint and viewer. Julie has won Best in Show/First Place awards in Allied Artists of America, the Wethersfield Academy Biennial, Guild of Boston Artists, Art Renewal Center Annual Salon, Richeson Still Life and Floral, Savvy Painter Competition and more. Julie’s work can be found in private collections throughout the US and internationally.
Katie Dye | Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
It’s All In The Wrist
16x17x20", Cast Glass, Silver, String, Wood, NFS
It’s All In The Wrist [optional view]
It’s All In The Wrist [optional view]
Katie Dye earned her BFA with a concentration in sculpture from Massachusetts College of Art, where she focused on working with glass in its many forms. In her Worcester, Massachusetts studio, she continues to explore the unique visual properties of glass and combines them with her interest in texture and light using a variety of kiln casting techniques. The human body and all its abstractions is a frequent subject in her work which has been shown in the Fitchburg Art Museum and numerous galleries in New England.
Rosemary LeBeau | Auburn, Massachusetts, USA
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
25 x17x5”, assemblage, etched glass, $500 (sold)
There’s Magic in the Night
70x15x10”, repurposed grandfather clock, handmade books, miniature assemblage, $2500
Rosemary LeBeau’s work spans multiple genres and mediums. Her works are detailed, complex and heartfelt. She has been happily producing art for fifty years and displays it in her own gallery in Auburn, Massachusetts. Rosemary LeBeau is an assemblage artist known for her intricate and imaginative sculptures that repurpose found objects. With a background in both fine arts and environmental design, she draws inspiration from everyday materials, giving new life to discarded items by transforming them into cohesive and thought-provoking pieces. Rosemary’s work reflects her deep appreciation for the stories behind objects and her talent for curating materials in unexpected ways. Her sculptures often explore themes of memory, identity, and the passage of time, inviting viewers to see the beauty in the overlooked and forgotten. Through her assemblage art, she encourages sustainability and mindful consumption, creating works that resonate with both personal and universal narratives.
Assemblage art is a thoughtful and often lengthy process of collecting, curating, and carefully selecting objects to form a cohesive, compelling sculpture, of which Rosemary is a master. Creating assemblage requires not only an eye for the potential in found materials but also a deep understanding of how disparate elements can come together to tell a story or evoke emotion. Each of Rose’s works are painstakingly imagined, planned and put together. The intriguing part of this art lies in knowing which objects to combine, creating connections and visuals that transcend their original contexts, transforming the ordinary into something profound and meaningful, often with a psychological twist or dark humor.
Wit and humor is what contributes to eccentric nature of LeBeau’s work and play a vital role in offering her fresh, and sometimes unthinkable perspectives that make you chuckle or cringe. This unforgettable art encourages critical thinking, and engages audiences. By using cleverness and satire, Rose highlights pop culture, social issues, challenges norms, and provokes deeper reflection in a lighthearted way. Humor can also create a more accessible and relatable experience, breaking down barriers between the artwork and its audience, making art not only thought-provoking but also enjoyable and memorable.
LeBeau Eccentric, her home studio art gallery is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday 12-4pm in October and by appointment.
Baby Bonehead Library
22x522x5.5”, Transfer drawing, handmade books, assemblage, $950
Michelle May | Paxton, Massachusetts, USA
Under the Waxing Moon
24 x 24”, mixed media on canvas, $650
Golden Hour
18x18”, mixed media on canvas, $425
Gitano
52x52”, mixed media on Belgian linen, NFS
Michelle May is a contemporary expressionist painter, making work that draws from nature, history and place. She is also an independent curator and arts advocate and the co-founder of Juniper Rag and Atelier ID Global as well as the founder of Cirque du Noir, celebrating the culture of Worcester, Massachusetts.
Currently, she is working on paintings that draw from organic forms in nature. As a curious person, history and the research of everything she encounters becomes part of her process. The environment is very impactful in her work continuously, with focused importance on the preservation of blue spaces, organic textures and the historical layers of decay. Michelle hopes that viewing her work reminds you of time by the ocean or in nature and prompts a call-to-action to preserve these precious spaces.
My process provides a way to sort through chaos in life and an ADD brain that is never quiet. Painting allows me to lose myself and decide what resonates. It empowers me as much as it is meditative and comforting.
Layers, colors, marks and sometimes hidden symbols are alive in the images. With my exploration, mistakes get made, courses change, and I have to be aware as the story unfolds to catch the clues and nuances of what reveals itself. It’s a peaceful practice of distillation and choosing what is essential, potent and meaningful, and letting go of the rest. My work goes between abstract and representational.
Massachusetts is home, but traveling and learning about the world is important to me. I have exhibited my artwork locally since 2008, but much of my focus is on arts advocacy rather than my own practice, balancing art-making and providing professional development support to artists and creative organizations.
