The Greene Art Gallery - Rebecca Samuels #5!

The Greene Art Gallery

** Let me start out by saying I am aware that the Greene Art Gallery is not a museum—or a gallery (at least like the Yale Art Gallery), but I did very much enjoy it, and I do consider it a museum experience! Hopefully you (Professor Nevins) will allow it! Especially since I love the more recent art—you cannot get any more recent than artists who are still alive! **

The Greene Art Gallery is located just off the Guilford Green. This was an advantage for me because it was only about twenty minutes from my house. When we first arrived I became confused. There was a building on the side of the road that said “Greene Art Gallery,” but it was not the gallery, it was a realtor’s office. Not only did it say it was the Gallery, but it was painted the exact same color as the real gallery. I usually make sure to look at museum/gallery’s website before my visit. I knew what the gallery was supposed to look like, and even though the realtors’ office said “Greene Art Gallery,” I knew that the real gallery was nearby.

My father led me to the back where we found the real Gallery. The Greene Art Gallery was founded in 1977 by Richard B. Greene. The gallery originally closed in 2005 and was reopened in October of 2007 by Richard Greene’s widow, Kathryn Halloran Green. Fortunately, I had the privilege of meeting Kathryn on my visit to the Greene Art Gallery. This gallery has held over two hundred openings for artists’ work and hosts the work of regional artists. When my father and I entered the Gallery, we were approached by Kathryn. She gave us a little directory of all the paintings and sculptures, the artists, and how much it would cost if we wanted to buy it. Also what I noticed upon entering this gallery was the prices of the artworks. My father told me one of the paintings (he wasn’t sure if it was the most expensive) cost $8,500 and the least expensive cost around $100. (The beginning of this paragraph was paraphrased from The Greene Art Gallery Website)

As we walked in, there was a man painting on a canvas, hanging up on the wall. He was complaining about how it wasn’t finished and that he was up all night doing it. I have never seen someone sit in a gallery and paint their very own picture, especially while the canvas hangs on the gallery’s wall. The realism in some of the paintings were extraordinary. The two paintings of the boats caught my eye as we walked in the first room. They were named “Foggy Morning Camden” and “Catboat Mystic Afternoon.” These two pictures were painted by Brec Morgan in acrylic paint.

Jody Bishel’s, “Tools of The Trade,” was another one of my favorite paintings. Bishel was able to capture the lighting and every little detail shown on an old fashioned crayon box. When I go to galleries and museums I remember what my previous art teachers have told me: the background should not be plain white, you need shadows when light is present, and of course—proportion. When I was looking at the “Tools of The Trade,” I noticed most of those points. As I looked at the background of the tin casing, I saw that at the top left hand corner it started white and it fell to the bottom right, it turned into more of a grey color. Bishel made sure to include all the little shadows and little shines casted on the casing. And even though the crayons seemed larger than life, the tin case was equally larger than life. (541).

One of the rooms in the Green Art Gallery had red walls. It reminded me of the walls in one of the rooms at the Wadsworth Atheneum. It also made me wonder if the reddish color helps for the paintings to stand out more with the lighting. In this room one of the paintings was John Falato’s “West River by Yale Bowl.” This painting looked like an actual photograph—it looked so real. In the beginning of my visit, you could notice that Brec Morgan’s boats were paint, but Falato’s painting looked even more real. The painting strokes were thinner from the ripples in the water, the little ducks, all the way to the branches and the brush. I could only imagine how long the painting had taken him.

This gallery definitely put less stress on me. With the soothing music overhead, it gave me a chance to relax and experience every single painting and sculpture. Although this gallery was not crowded, it still put off a successful vibe to all visitors. I would also like to point out the frames on the paintings in this gallery. They looked exactly like the frames in the other museums I have visited. If anyone off the street came into this gallery and was not greeted, I believe they would for sure think that it was a mini-museum. I also noticed that more artists used watercolor along with the other mediums of oil, acrylic, mixed media, and pastel.

Since the gallery was fairly small, the doors were left open which made it seem that much more hospitable. The outdoor sculpture garden was also an amazing idea. It almost seemed like a welcoming introduction to all the paintings inside. Even though I thought it was a great idea, I could not help but wonder why people would want to showcase their sculptures outdoors. One of the sculptures was all rusty which led to me questioning the display. I wondered why people would want to put their time and effort into something that was just going to get destroyed anyway.

After Kathryn’s husband died, she closed the museum for a few years only to have it reopened later on. Once she reopened, she was surprised with how many people came to show their support and love for art. After to my journey to the gallery and realizing the Greene Art Gallery actually sold their art (as opposed to the Yale Art Gallery), I thought it was going to be harder for me to write my paper. In reality, I left the Greene Art Gallery with a positive mood and may actually go back one day to see all the new art posted. (813). I think it is wonderful that Kathryn Halloran Green gives artists the chance to display their works—especially because there doesn’t seem to be that many galleries in Connecticut. I would undoubtedly recommend this gallery to everyone willing to go see.

Please go view my pictures, this gallery one of my favorites.. here

or go to www.photobucket.com/mytriptothegreeneartgallery