In the News!

The Riverside is in the news! The Westerly Sun has honored us with an article that ran on Sunday, June 22 in the Living section. The article, written by Marshall Williams, was published in anticipation of July's Open Studio which is coming up on the 2nd. Fran, Ian, Barbara and Millie were all on hand to meet with the photographer, Joshua Lebovitz, who was nice enough to take some beautiful photos of the studio/gallery and of the artists. Stop by on July 2nd and meet the artists yourself. Our featured artist will be Fran Knapp. See you there!

New Life for the McCormick

I was at dinner with some friends last night at the Griswold Inn in Essex and had the pleasure of catching up with a dear friend, Rachel. Rachel's family has a history in Westerly and she grew up exploring the McCormick Department Store. Come to find out, the space that the Gallery now occupies used to be the lingerie department of the store. Many residents of the Pawcatuck/Westerly area grew up shopping at the McCormick which closed its doors in 1992. Now the building houses a maternity shop, a coffee shop, several professional offices and 2 working artist studios. Although you may not be able to buy your daughter's first bra or your son's communion suit at the McCormick, you can certainly continue to enjoy many other pleasures and make some new memories. See you July 2nd at the next Stroll.

Other work you might see at "The Riverside"

Here are a few images taken from this month's showing at The Riverside Artists Studio & Gallery. The work shown here is by Fran Knapp - landscape painter, Marie Laudini - portrait artist, Barbara Plummer - fiber artist/mixed-media, and Millie Donovan - experimental painter/mixed-media. We will be rotating the work so that a different artist is featured every month. This month we have images by Ian Newbury. Welcome Ian!

Strollin' Through...

We were all in attendance last night at the monthly Westerly Art Stroll. The new location looked fabulous and we have Ian Newbury as a featured artist for the month. He has just moved into the space and is more than a welcome addition to the group. His precise use of watercolor and choice of local scenes as his subject matter really strike a cord with both the casual admirer and the serious art aficionado. At first glance, Ian's work draws the viewer in because the paintings are usually of recognizable places: beaches people have been to, places they have driven by, moments that they have internalized when passing through the area. Once drawn in you begin to realize the quality of his craftmanship. The fine brush work and delicate layers of watercolor are signature. His newest pieces are emboldened by expansive skyscapes and a dramatic use of light and dark which in my opinion is a complicated thing to do when working with the elusive quality of watercolors. He seems to be pushing the medium by trying to loosen his brush work and at times working just as well in miniature as he does in larger formats. I have overheard Ian saying that he wants to "loosen up", that he wants to be the kind of artist that slaps on paint with a 4" brush. I say that Ian is able to accomplish this same kind of expression by controlling his medium and working within the constraints the paints and brushes have defined for him. Please stop by The Riverside to see Ian's workspace. You will also see work by Barbara Plummer, Fran Knapp, Marie Laudini and Millie Donovan.