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A gallery’s Growth

Glimpse in Concord readies new show

By Michael Witthaus
mwitthaus@hippopress.com

For its inaugural show in February 2024, Glimpse Gallery featured four artists hailing from the South, along with two New Hampshire painters and another from Vermont. Glimpse owner Meme Exum always intended for the space, tucked down an alley by the Capitol Building in Concord, to reflect her home region, but knew it would take time.

A little over a year later the seeds Exum and curator Christine Landry-Boullion planted to entice New England artists and buyers to Glimpse are coming to fruition.

“The trajectory’s been just straight up, positive, wonderful,” Exum said recently. “I now have a lot of folks submitting their work, and it’s giving me more flexibility with how I can create the shows.”

The choice provided by a deep well of talent allows for shows weighted between up-and-comers and established artists like Robin Whitney Fairclough, who anchored a successful show in October. It also allows for thematic balance, as with an upcoming exhibit of seven New England artists that includes the colorful abstracts of Rosie Wolf Williams alongside darker works by Talia Dinger. Williams’ paintings suggest prairie impressionism, such as the colorful movement in “Breaking Free” and “Lion and the Mouse,” an Aesop’s fable-inspired piece glowing with childlike energy.

Dinger’s mixed media works focus on monochromatic subjects and explore topics like alienation in “I’ll Miss You” and the frailty of hope in “Holding On To You,” which depicts a person hanging by a thread over a pool of lava or something equally threatening. Her three-dimensional pieces are particularly impressive, such as “Out of Time,” an eyeball-shaped, working clock spilling an acrylic tear, and the abstract chest X-ray, “Golden.”

Matthew McCain uses gray scale and shadow compellingly in “If You Go, I’ll Stay,” a foreboding work depicting either an interrogation or an illuminating moment. The main subject’s posture is ambiguous; the artist leaves interpretation up to the viewer.

“I love how people can see different things while looking at the same image, and I really try to exploit that in my artwork as much as possible,” McCain writes in his bio.

A few of McCain’s pieces are adorned with butterflies to convey nostalgia for a bygone time. Similarly whimsical are the line and circle drawings of Amy Moffett. Their simplicity is underscored by her creative process; each is begun with eyes closed, so Moffett can feel the shapes before seeing them. The works are colorful and affordable — all cost under $100.

Mark Ruddy has shown at the Glimpse Gallery before, but as with other shows, this exhibit will feature all new works.

“Every time it has to be completely different, because I don’t want people to see the same thing ever,” Exum said. “Every show has to be its own new art and the energy that it carries.”

A series of three Ruddy paintings is hung for the upcoming show. Two are of vintage pugilists, arranged around a close-up of the recently renamed Gulf of Mexico on a map. Each picture is covered with multicolored polka dots, a motif he’s used in other works to juxtapose a serious subject with something lighter.

Brenda Wilbert is both a mixed media and fine art digital artist. “A Moment of Bliss,” a treated photograph of a woman in a river drinking water from her hand, is an example of the latter. Her riotous collages employ a wide range of textures and colors, from metallic pen lines to painted fabric, watercolors and ink to stunning effect.

The works of Lakes Region artist Benjamin Archibald are a blend of realistic portraits of wildlife, such as the peacock in “Glory,” along with patterned portraits done for charity. For the latter, donors purchase one or more fingerprint spots on a piece like “Heliosa,” which welcomes patrons at Glimpse’s entryway.

“I love what he’s doing,” Exum said. “He’s taking his art to this level where he’s making it a communal process… .”

Glimpse Gallery April/May show opening reception

When: Saturday, April 12, 5-7 p.m.
Where: Glimpse Gallery, 4 Park St. (Patriot Building), Concord
RSVP: contact@theglimpsegallery.com

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.