Art Pops in Open Studios Display

November 11, 2024
• Off Great Plain Avenue, a room full of art brightened an already sunny Saturday.

Every spring, dozens of local artists share their paintings, photography, jewelry and handcrafts across town for Needham Open Studios. It’s a celebration of their creativity and an opportunity to bring those creations out to the public.

The spring, however, is still a ways away, but residents in search of inspiration or holiday gift ideas found just that at the First Parish Church on Saturday, where sixteen Needham artists set up for an Open Studios Pop-up.

The one-day exhibition is considered “a precursor” to their bigger two-day spring event, Open Studios board member Naomi Wilsey said. Instead of a typical art sale or gala, attendees can speak with the artists themselves and learn about the process and intention behind their work.

Wilsey, a watercolorist, spoke with people as they walked through the set-up Saturday. She estimated about 75 people had come through in just the first hour.

Wilsey practices sumi-e, a Japanese painting technique that tends to portray subjects from nature, such as flowers, animals or landscapes on simple backgrounds. She also does watercolor and painting en plein air — one of her favorite outdoor painting spaces is the Charles River Peninsula.

“For myself, I use art as an escape,” Wilsey said. “I’m using a different part of my mind, and I really love sharing my art with other people. It doesn’t help me if I just have it in my studio. I love to be able to go out and share it with people.”

Local scenic spots in and around Needham were captured through Daniel Callahan’s oil and acrylic paintings. A bike path and stream from the Needham Town Forest and a depiction of Wellesley College in summer hung on wire. Squeezed tubes of yellow and red paints sat behind a new landscape piece displayed on an easel.

Reflections on the Charles River, Boston architecture and New England’s natural elements have been captured both through the brush and the camera lens. But when Corrine Rhode brings her digital camera along for a trip, she’s not always sure she’ll be inspired to shoot — it’s half intentionality and half spontaneity.

Local landscapes, beaches and buoys are of particular interest to Rhode. Her photographs are printed on magnets, paper and textured glass. A photo of fall foliage through a balcony lattice takes on new life as a glass tray.

Gail Sillman sees art as therapeutic, though it didn’t exactly start that way. She and her friends signed up for art courses in an effort to find a new hobby, but 20 years later, Sillman is the only one still doing art.

Sillman’s vast collection of ceramics — from plates to mugs to vases and more — covered a table by the pop-up entrance. She works with both mud and porcelain, though she seems to have a preference.

“Something like this is really meditating for me, because it’s porcelain,” Sillman said, holding up a bowl she made. “Porcelain is less groggy, there’s less particles in it, and so it almost feels like cream cheese… It’s a good therapy for me.”

Berline Lee Chao found contentment working with her hands from an early age. The Needham resident practiced origami, folding pieces of paper into intricate shapes and animals, following instructions until they were ingrained in her memory.

In the search for more inspiration, Chao found a book by origamist Tomoko Fuse, who created foldable, standalone paper boxes. Chao fell in love, and the more intricate the design, the better.

“I like these ones because there’s more folds involved to make this box,” Chao said, pointing to a small box with a flower incorporated on top. “I don’t have to look through the book anymore. I just know. It’s much easier. A lot of them, I basically know by heart now.”

As the holiday season begins to pick up, Chao and other artists prepare for a busy next couple months. And after a stressful fall season, Wilsey also sees the pop-up as a chance to take a break from the world and keep things positive.

Previous pop-ups were set up outside Town Hall, at the library and the First Baptist Church, but across the last few years, people always seek them out, Rhode said.

“I’m actually pleasantly surprised,” said Rhode, who’s the treasurer of Needham Open Studios. “It’s a little off the beaten path.”

And while many attendees learn about the creation of the art on display, Sillman said it’s also a chance for her and other creatives to connect with the greater artist community.

“It’s great to share with fellow artists, because we’re all in it together for one reason or other, trying to manifest our creativity in many different ways,” Sillman said. “It’s always nice to understand their processes.”