By Mark Reynolds
The Marlboro Arts Coalition [MaArCo] recently held an opening of their winter show at Frida’s Cafe & Bakery in Milton.
Joe Caserto is in his second year as a member of the coalition. He has been taking a printmaking class at the Woodstock School of Art and displayed a few prints at the show. One was a monotype print.
“You paint directly on a plate and then you print that plate, so there is no repeatable matrix, it’s a one and done,” he said.
Caserto had another piece that he made using lithography.
“You paint on the frontal piece with some sort of ink, whether it’s India Ink, a Sharpie or a graphite pencil, and then you treat the plate with a solution and wherever the drawing ink is accepts the printing and wherever the solution is on the plate where the drawing wasn’t repels the ink. You have to do it four or five times.”
Caserto had a piece with bees and dandelions called ‘Nature Misunderstood,’ to show the important role they both play in agricultural communities like Marlborough.
Tracy Hurley grew up in Marlborough, went to college in New Hampshire, and lived in Boston for 16 years. She returned to her hometown during the pandemic, in part, to help her parents.
Hurley paints watercolors and also uses acrylics and likes to create abstract pieces. She starts out with wet paper and then she drops ink on it, “and watch where the ink wants to go. Sometimes it moves by itself and sometimes I move it a little bit. I can also let it dry and then apply additional layers so it builds up the color.”
In one of her pieces she has circles that are, “negatively painted and I fill the background with whatever I want and I [also] use acrylics and ink on top,” Hurley said.
For another piece, entitled ‘The Planets,’ Hurley drew circles, “and I kept drawing circles behind them in layers.”
Hurley began painting about 10 years ago after reading an author for table-top role playing games, which led to bringing art back into her life and doing some freelance work.
A number of years ago Nancy Stonecypher opened her ‘Estate Treasures of Milton’ at 61 Main Street where she sells unique pieces of furniture and also provides refinishing, re-upholstering and restoration services. But Nancy is also an accomplished painter and joined the art group just a few weeks ago.
“It has been wonderful and I love my little town. Everybody is so nice,” she said. “I thought it would be good to become involved in the art community.”
Photographer Vivian Lanzarone said this is MaArCo’s second show at Frieda’s.
“I’ve got some new stuff and I’ve got my prints on pillows now,” she said. “MaArCo is such a fun group and everybody is so great.”
Lanzarone stressed that each artist is presenting very different pieces, “It’s all so unique; you have different mediums, some are photographers and some are painters.”
Resident Tim Lawton is appreciative of MaArCo and the number of artists who call Marlborough home.
“There is a lot more artwork here than they had the last time,” he observed. “I know Cori Appler is accomplished but her work is growing so well.”
Lawton said last year’s Open Studio Tour gave a glimpse into the way artists work.
“It was wonderful because I love seeing where the artists work from; we’re seeing where their studios are and what they’re experiencing in their environment,” he said.
Jerry Wein said MaArCo has had, “two years at the Milton Train Station, two years of the Open Studio Tours and this is our second annual Frieda’s shindig.” He said the Open Studio Tour will return the weekend of May 18-19.
Wein said the feedback from Marlborough residents on the Art Show has been very positive.
“I am so happy that we have four or five new artists here tonight. It’s great and the group is growing and it’s a really interesting mix of works and good energy.”
Sculptor Veronica Evanega, who is President of MaArCo, said the town has been very supportive of MaArCo.
“I think the show is really incredible and we’re trying to interface with a lot of these outside groups coming to Milton and expose them to our artists,” she said.