Thank You!

Happy New Year!

Art by Sean Michanczyk

With the new year coming tomorrow we're looking forward to seeing all the fantastic art shows, film screenings, 

and events coming up in the region in 2018!

And we're closing this blog!
We'd like to give a huge thanks to everyone who has followed the blog and supported Paris In Plantsville since 2010!
And also - from all the artists that were part of the gallery - 
Thank you to Sean Michanczyk for starting the gallery back in 2010! and to Jon Bristol and the team at Elmwood Productions for do all they have since 2010 to keep the gallery going!
But don't worry -  

Our Facebook page will still be alive and well though!  

It's been almost two years since the physical gallery in Plantsville closed and we have decided to keep the focus on social media via our Facebook page!

The blog will remain here, as a great way to look back at our history!

Please keep up to date with us HERE

And have a great 2018!

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas 

and Happy Holidays!

Art: Norman Rockwell

Do Good Things...

As the weather get colder, and the nights get longer, and as this holiday season begins please remember those less fortunate than we are.

Please donate to your local food banks, shelters, and more.

Thank you!

MAC Small Works Fundraiser - 11/16

More Info HERE

Clinton Deckert at SoCCA

All those who are within the region, mark your calendar for

October 15th - “Reception Party!” 1-3 pm

"Clinton Deckert at SoCCA!"

A Fine Art exhibition of paintings and assemblages where intuitive abstract thoughts and surreal imagery collide.

Southington Community Cultural Arts

93 Main Street

Southington, CT 06489

southingtonarts@gmail.com 

860-276-1581 / Contact Mary DeCroce, Executive Director

Show Runs October 2nd - 31st, 2017

October 7th - “Meet the Artist” 1-3 pm, coinciding with The Arts & Crafts show during The Southington Apple Harvest Festival.

October 15th - “Reception Party!” 1-3 pm, Featuring Pat & Dean pouring Home-brew, and also guitarist wizard, 

Steve Rutledge setting the mood with lofty tunes.

Gallery Hours

Tuesday-Thursday

11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Friday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Saturday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Closed Sunday and Monday

Free Admission

https://www.southingtonarts.org

"Mending Art" Opening 10/2 in Hartford

More Info HERE

Primordial Stew

Primordial Stew 

A Short Film About Clinton Deckert

For more on Clinton please check out his Facebook page HERE!

"REAL. W3ird." - THANK YOU!

"REAL. W3ird." is now just a memory... 

We had a wonderful time!

Thank you to the staff at Southington Community Cultural Arts for hosting the show.

We're missing a couple artists here, but this is definitely one REAL WEIRD group!

Keep checking in here at the Paris In Plantsville Blog, and on our Facebook page, as we'll keep you up to date on the artists that continue PiPs legacy!

There was a party.

We were lucky enough to have invited each other,

We were the misfits,

The broken,

The burnt out.

And then we were inspired.

The walls...

The air...

We inspired each other, and it became contagious.

And it was a sickness you hope to never recover from...

Some of us still carry that beautiful sickness.

And it still feels good.

"Find my way back home"

"REAL. W3ird." Opening Reception is TONIGHT!

We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Click here for all the details!

Please join the past, preset, and future friends of the retired Paris And Plantsville Gallery and Studio (2010-2016) at Southington Community Cultural Arts center on August 12 from 5:00 PM to 7:PM for the Opening Reception on “REAL W3IRD – A Paris In Plantsville Reunion”
The line-up of artists for this show is amazing, featuring artists that have featured in just about every major gallery in the Tri-State area. We’re proud and excited to get the group back together for the exhibition… They work created, some real, some weird, all unique.
And here they are – The Real, The Weird, The Unique –
Clinton Deckert, 
Paul Baylock, 
Craig Fredrick, 
Christine Ivers, 
Cathy Michanczyk,
Sean Michanczyk, 
Eric Stegmaier, 
Steve Rand,
Jackie Etling,
Greg Shea,
Florin Ion Firimita,
Brie McDonald,
Michele Tragakiss,
Stephen Southerland,
Wanda Buda,
Johanne Beerbaum,
Mary Decroce,
Andre Rochester,
Rae Robinson,
Christian Ayala
Dale Anne Whalen
and Jon Bristol

Join your friends and fellow artists and collectors on August 12th for the opening reception, we’re looking forward to seeing you.
The show runs from August 5th through August 26th , during normal gallery hours.

"REAL. W3ird." Artist Spotlight - Rae Robinson

Join us for the opening of "REAL. W3ird." August 12th at Southington Community Cultural Arts!  More Info HERE

"1910 Immigrants To Ellis Island, NY"

Rae Robinson

Opening Reception! Tomorrow!

Join us for the opening of "REAL. W3ird." on August 12 at Southington Community Cultural Arts!  - More Info HERE

"REAL. W3ird" Artist Spotlight - Jon Bristol

Join us August 12 for the opening of "REAL. W3ird" at Southington Community Cultural Arts!

More Info HERE

"The Risley Brothers"

Jon Bristol

Jon is the Founder and Creative Director at Elmwood Productions.  Jon started Elmwood to entertain himself, and he was lucky enough to not only surround himself with amazing people with the same passion but to also manage to turn Elmwood into something bigger.  On the rare chance he's not working on a project he's relaxing with his wife, Brie, and their two cats.

Since 2002 Elmwood has been a driving force in underground and independent film in New England.  As a puppet builder Jon has brought influences from past puppet masters, animation classics, and his own real life into the concepts and designs of the characters.  He has also taught workshops, and does commissions for others. 

 In 2015 Elmwood Productions released their second full length feature film, directed by Jon, entitled "HEAD" to critical acclaim, winning awards in film festival all over the globe.  

The film had it's world premiere right at Paris In Plantsville. 

Earlier in this year Elmwood Productions released their most recent film series "The Risley Brothers" featuring an all new puppet cast built by Jon.  And the show will be screening as part of "REAL. W3ird" on August 19th - all the details are HERE for the screening!

Jon also is a cartoonist, and does oddball art assemblages.  

Mainly to entertain himself.

His motto - "Pants Optional"

"REAL. W3ird." Artist Spotlight - Dale Anne Whalen

Join us for the opening of "REAL. W3ird." on August 12 at Southington Community Cultural Arts!  - More Info HERE

"Arles Cloister"
Dale Anne Whalen

Born in New Britain,CT. Dale Anne resides in New Britain, CT. She studied at Post College, Waterbury, CT. where she received her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education. While attending high school at Mary Immaculate Academy, in New Britain, CT. Dale Anne studied photography under her Art Teacher Sr. Mary Magdeline.

During Dale Anne’s high school years she developed a passion for photography. Dale Anne felt she would like to pursue a career in it, but her love of teaching young children in church school influenced her to become a preschool teacher. While working in a child care setting she was required to document and observe a child’s developmental stages and many other aspects pertaining to the environment of the child care center by the use of photography. Through such observation Dale Anne’s passion for photography emerged once again.

Dale Anne has exhibited at the Paris in Plantsville Gallery, Plantsville,CT. Art League of New Britain, New Britain, CT. and The Hospital Special Care’s Joy of Art exhibit New Britain, CT.

Dale Anne’s true passion in life has been to take each moment into observation and not only document it through a camera lens, but by the lens of our eye that touches our inner most soul.

"Looking Up Fifth Ave, NY"

"REAL. W3ird." Artist Spotlight - Greg Shea

Join us for the opening of "REAL. W3ird." on August 12 at Southington Community Cultural Arts!  - More Info HERE

"Fierce"

Greg Shea

Greg Shea is an award winning artist and craftsman with diverse creative interests including drawing and painting, portraiture, illustration, photography, relief printmaking, sculpture, calligraphy and illuminating, woodworking and custom furniture building, antique frame restoration, book making, carving, jewelry making and silversmithing, and many others. Early in life, he studied engineering, robotics, and drafting before deciding to pursue a career in art. He earned a BFA degree in Illustration from Syracuse University ('94), with minor studies in Metalsmithing and Medieval Studies.

For over twenty years, Greg has worked at the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, CT, where he is the Senior Museum Preparator. This has allowed him to utilize many of his skills and talents, and has constantly fueled his interests in the arts, art history and natural history, fabrication, conservation and restoration, and collecting. As Senior Preparator, he has been responsible for the safe handling and attractive display of countless objects, from priceless paintings, sculptures, works on paper and rare books, and other artifacts ranging from Catherine the Great's crown jewels, to Charles Darwin's collection of pigeon skulls. He is also responsible for most of the mount making and case fabrication related to exhibitions as well. In addition, Greg has taught classes and workshops at the museum and elsewhere on landscape watercolor painting in the English style for adults, drawing perspective for children, and relief printmaking. He has also given art lessons privately for several years.

Greg's artwork has been accepted into numerous juried exhibitions, and has won several awards, including the R.I.S.D. President's Book Award, the 2014 Purchase Prize and the Lucille Davis Grimm Prize from The New Haven Paint and Clay Club, of which he is an active member.  His work has been exhibited widely at museums and galleries throughout the U.S. including The Society of Illustrators New York, The Delaware Art Museum, The Norman Rockwell Museum, The Museum of Western Art, The Baseball Hall of Fame Museum, The Yale Center for British Art, Erector Square Gallery, the Art League of New Britain, and many others. In 2016, Greg's work was accepted into the Art Renewal Center's 12th Annual Salon, " The most prestigious realist art competition in the Americas and perhaps the world ".

Greg is currently serving as President on the board of directors for The New Haven Paint and Clay Club, and is also on the board of the Art League of New Britain.

"Cadmium And Steel"

"REAL. W3ird." Film Screening - The Risley Brothers

In addition to the opening reception on August 12 for "REAL. W3ird" please join us for a screening of the Elmwood Productions film "The Risley Brothers" -More Info HERE

"The Risley Brothers" is a comedic story of Wes and Quig, who have just re-opened their father's defunct bar. They are doing their best to keep the place respectable in spite of the local looneys, crazy ex-girlfriends, a visit from the Devil, and even their own bad habits! 

The film is rated PG-13 for some mildly colorful language, cartoon-ish violence, and more stuff we love to laugh about, all involving puppets!

"REAL. W3ird." Artist Spotlight - Florin Ion Firimita

Join us for the opening of "REAL. W3ird." on August 12 at Southington Community Cultural Arts!  - More Info HERE

"The Offering"

 Florin Ion Firimita

I am a visual artist, educator, and writer. My interest in image making could be traced back to my father’s amateur photo lab in Bucharest, Romania, where I was entrusted with mixing chemicals, developing film, and printing black-and-white images at the age of six.  A passion for drawing and painting started around the same time under the influence of my mother.

While holding jobs such as welder, grave digger, janitor, window decorator, and security guard -  drawing, painting, and photography kept me sane. In 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Romanian Revolution, I escaped to the United States.  

My photography, mixed media work and my writing have been featured in hundreds of galleries and art magazines in Argentina, Portugal, France, England, and the U.S. In April 2017, a selection of my photographs was on display at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris.

“The Art of Leaving,” a documentary film about my art, was released in 2003. Based on almost 3,000 pages of journal entries, the film took three years to make and was the official selection of seven international film festival such as Santa Fe, Durango, New York, Chicago, and also Montreal’s 23^rd Festival International du Film Sur L’Art. “Reliquary,” a novel based on my experiences, is scheduled for publication.

Between 1990 and 2017 I participated in over 300 exhibits. My artwork could be found in many collections in Europe, Australia, and the United States. In 2010, 2012 and 2013, at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Scholastic awarded me three national gold medals for art teaching and mentoring.

Today I divide my time between rural Connecticut and Europe. My photographic work is represented by the GADCOLLECTION Gallery in Paris, France.

More on the web: www.florinfirimita.com

"Presence"

"REAL. W3ird." Artist Spotlight - S.w. Rand

Join us for the opening of "REAL. W3ird." on August 12 at Southington Community Cultural Arts!  - More Info HERE



"Queen Annes"

S.w. Rand

Graduating from The Hartford Art School in 2008 with a BFA in New

Media, S.w. has been a working artist and freelancer ever since. He has
exhibited in esteemed galleries such as AXIOM Gallery (Boston,MA) and

Oceanside Art Gallery (Oceanside,CA) among many others. Currently S.w. is
running a media production and design company (Euphio Films) while creating

new multimedia works on the side. S.w. has been featured in arts journals


and magazines throughout the country; most noteably receiving the cover


of Abstraks magazine and Hartford Courant Itowns.






 "Slay My Bells"



"Tony"

.

"REAL. W3ird" Artist Spotlight - Wanda Buda

Join us for the opening of "REAL. W3ird." on August 12 at Southington Community Cultural Arts!  - More Info HERE



"In Clover"

Wanda Buda



I've had an interest in art painting most of my life.  After I

retired I was glad to have had the time to experiment and take lessons from various

art teachers, the last of whom was Sean Michanczyk at Paris of Plantsville Gallery. 

There I found that you can only learn so much by yourself.  

The pictures here are a result of art classes at Sean's gallery.

  I've enjoyed various media, but my

preference is painting landscapes in oil. 

"
Pink Rose"

"REAL. W3ird." Artist Spotlight - Johanne M. Beerbaum

Join us for the opening of "REAL. W3ird." on August 12 at Southington Community Cultural Arts!  - More Info HERE

Johanne M. Beerbaum

Primarily self-taught with key workshops by artists including Claudia Post-Freitas, Robert Zappolarti, Paul Leveille, Will McCarthy and David Dunlop, and Frank Covino.  Johanne has been drawing and painting all of her life.  Striving to improve her craft, she’s been working in Pastel, Colored Pencil, Oils and Oil paint Sticks.  Many art reference books have come into play to round out and improve technique.  Many classically trained artists in groups she has joined have been gracious enough to be helpful in nurturing the quest for improvement.

Within the past 5 years there have been 2 first place awards from SACA, several first place awards from the Berlin Fair and a Best in Show for Art at the fair, a second and third place award from the Bethlehem Fair for pastel and oil, and several first, second and third place awards from the Cheshire Grange for photography, oil and pastel.

For the most part original photos are used for portraits and landscapes to get the feel of the subject’s personality.   Some commissions have been done posthumously of loved ones and pets.   She has also done colored portraits from old black and white or sepia photos.   Over the years many commissions have been done of children, adults and beloved pets.

jothim@sbcglobal.net

"REAL. W3ird" Artist Spotlight - Michele Tragakiss

Join us for the opening of "REAL. W3ird." on August 12 at Southington Community Cultural Arts!  - More Info HERE

"The Left"

Michele Tragakiss

Michele received her BFA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and studied graphic design for an additional year at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. After working many years in graphic design she decided to stay home and raise her two boys. 2013 marked a return to her roots as a fine artist. Her most recent series of paintings attempt to bridge the gap between the dream world and reality.

“Pulling from an otherworldly place and using multiple layers of paint and glaze, I hope to bring forth a personal story—a visual stream of (sub) consciousness. Most often my paintings begin with only a color scheme in mind. At the start of my work I spread paint in an exhilarating period of complete freedom, energy and expression. Moving paint around the canvas, I’m guided only by my gut and instincts - one color guides another, one shape dictates the next. After this initial development the real work begins—the work of tearing down and rebuilding. There is always struggle  before the resolution but it is in the act of painting that a narrative emerges and perhaps even some meaning from this mysterious place”.

Exhibition History

BWAC Wide Open 8 National Art Show - Brooklyn, NY  2017

Saatchi Art - “Inspired by Cy Twombly” collection 2017

Hartford ArtSpace Gallery - 20th Anniversary Exhibition - Hartford, CT. 2017

SoCCA Juried art competition - Southington, CT. - 2017

Light Space &Time Online Gallery - Abstracts competition - Special Recognition and Special Merit award -  2017

Light Space & Time Online Gallery - City Scape's Competition - Special Merit Award and Special Recognition Award - 2017

Niji Magazine.com - Featured artist of the week - 2016

Paris in Plantsville "FIN-End of an Era" group exhibit - Plantsville, Ct. - 2016

Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery - Abstracts Collection Special Merit Award - 2016

Paris in Plantsville - 6th Annual Juried Exhibit - Plantsville, CT. - 2016

ABEX 2015 Hartford ArtSpace Gallery Hartford, CT. - 2015

Artist of the Day - Saatchi Art 2015

8th Annual Berkshire Salon - North Adams, MA. - 2015

OCAC Gallery Art Showcase - Oxford, CT. - 2015

Paris in Plantsville 5th Annual Juried Exhibition - Plantsville, CT. Juror's Award - 2015

MAC650 Gallery - 2D Winter Juried Exhibit - Middletown, CT. - 2014

Paris in Plantsville, “Life and Death” Visual Interpretation of the Human Experience, Plantsville, CT. - 2014

Saatchi Art - “New this Week" Nov. - 2014

Short list - Moxy Milan Blank Canvas competition sponsored by Talent House - Milan, Italy - 2014

Castle Fitzjohns 12×12 – New York, New York - 20142

MAC650 Gallery, Juried exhibit - Middletown, CT. - 2014

Oxford Arts and Cultural Center Juried exhibit – Oxford, CT. Best in Show - 2014

Paris In Plantsville Juried exhibit – Plantsville, CT. – Honorable Mention - 2014

David Hunt Gallery - Falls Village, CT. - 2013

Publications:

Studio Visit Magazine - Summer 2016 edition

Niji Magazine.com - Featured artist of the week - 2016

LisaSalerno.com Art Blog - Featured artist of the week - 2016

ProteusMag online art blog, “Artist of the Day” 2015

Solo exhibitions:

The Art Gallery at Shutter Speed - Middlebury, CT. July 2016

Oxford Art's and Cultural Center - Oxford, CT.

Cachion Gallery/Southbury Public Library - Southbury, CT. - 2016

Gallery 13 - Danbury, CT. - 1994

Three Person Shows:

Laurie Klein Gallery, Brookfield, CT. - 1994

Laurie Klein Gallery, Brookfield, CT. - 1993

"The Right"

website: www.micheletragakiss.com

twitter: twitter.com/matraggi

https://www.instagram.com/matraggi/?hl=en

matraggi@earthlink.com

"REAL.W3ird." Artist Spotlight - Jacquelyn Etling

Join us for the opening of "REAL. W3ird." on August 12 at Southington Community Cultural Arts!  - More Info HERE

"Window Silhouette"  

  Jacquelyn Etling 

     "Awakening"

Jacquelyn Etling is an award winning photographer and art historian. She has traveled extensively in both Europe and the United States, photographing the natural and man -made worlds. She works primarily in the infrared photographic medium. This process picks up the infrared end of the light spectrum that plants give off, which is unseen by the human eye. Jacquelyn hopes that through using this process, that her photographs uncover the beauty and magic of the world , just beyond the visual spectrum.            

Jacquelyn is a member of the Pleiades Gallery in NY, NY. She currently is the volunteer coordinator of the Fire House Gallery a subsidiary of the Milford Arts Council in Ct. She is also a member of numerous arts organizations including the Ct Women Artists and the Cambridge Art Association in MA. Her work has been seen in a number of gallery and museum exhibitions around America. Some of the venues include the Salmagundi Club, NY, Wade Wilson Gallery, Houston TX, The Queens Museum, NY, the Mystic Art Museum, Ct , the Slater Art Museum, Norwich Ct, and the New Britain Museum Of American Art. 

"REAL. W3ird." Artist Spotlight - Craig Frederick

Join us for the opening of "REAL. W3ird." on August 12 at Southington Community Cultural Arts!  - More Info HERE

"Wand 1 and 2"

Craig Frederick

­Craig Matthew Frederick, Sculptor

Biography

Craig has been studying, making and teaching sculpture since 1981.  Born and raised in New Britain, Connecticut, Craig was influenced by the New England countryside changing with the seasons and filled with rolling hills, valleys cut by rivers and streams, outcroppings of colored stone, and towering deciduous and conifer trees.  In contrast, his small urban town was a typical rust belt community suffering from years of boom and bust.  A factory town in its glory days, it found itself home to people of many different cultures who brought their skilled labor to the industries.  After the factories left, the town and its people fell into a depression the effects of which impacted Craig’s life, views and work.  His concerns and philosophy are global, and he believes art is for all people.  His sculptures are informed by these influences and by poetry, existential thought, psychiatry, mythology, perception, physics and the human figure.  In a review of Craig’s sculpture, “Sparrow,” Steve Starger of The Art Guide writes in the January 2007 issue of the Northwest edition, “The piece is simultaneously complex and simple, strong and vulnerable, a visual haiku that releases the poetry immanent in natural objects.”

Craig holds a B.A. from Skidmore College where he studied with sculptor, John Cunningham and an M.F.A. from The University of Pennsylvania where he studied with sculptors, Robert Engman and Maurice Lowe.  Craig’s works are in private, corporate, and public collections in numerous states and countries.  His pieces range in size from maquettes to monumental structures, and have been exhibited in fine galleries in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Texas and New York.  Along the way, Craig has worked in three arts foundries where he continued to hone his skills in methods of casting and metal hammering and fabrication.

In addition to his own artwork, Craig has been teaching art since the mid 1980’s in various educational institutions across the USA including The University of Pennsylvania (Figure Sculpture), Galveston College (Metalsmithing/Jewelry) and Central CT State University where he has been teaching art since 2004.  Courses taught by Craig at CCSU include Three-Dimensional Design, Sculpture, Digital Photography, Drawing and Video/New Media Arts.  Craig has also held Sculpture classes and lectures for groups and individuals in his private studio and gallery periodically since 1994.

Craig considers the revitalization of New Britain, Ct and the development of a vibrant arts community in his hometown as an essential part of his Life Work devoting significant time of volunteer and design consultation work for over 20 years. Craig is one of the original four founders of The Greater New Britain Arts Alliance, served as the GNBAA’s first elected President, and championed the development, construction and mission of The New Britain Artists Cooperative. Lastly, during this same time of his life, Craig has served as producer, juror and/or curator for many and various art shows and institutions in Ct and NY.

"REAL. W3ird." Artist Spotlight - Cathy Michanczyk

Join us for the opening of "REAL. W3ird." on August 12 at Southington Community Cultural Arts!  - More Info HERE

 "On the Bridge at Panthorn"

Cathy Michanczyk

Cathy Michanczyk, a native of Southington, has studied oil painting with local artists--the late Bruce Raven from Gallery 53 in Meriden and Sean Michanczyk, former owner of Paris in Plantsville.  She has also taken graphic design and illustration at Tunxis Community College where she primarily did renderings in pencil and pen/ink.  Cathy’s landscapes and seascapes are rendered in acrylics and oils and usually reference places visited within the New England area.  She tries to capture those “at a glance” moments through the camera lens and then uses them to create her own interpretation onto canvas.

Cathy’s interest in art dates back to early childhood.  She was always active with drawing, designing, sewing, crafting, and painting.  Some noteworthy   accomplishments include

illustrations for a school nurse emergency manual for the Department of Pediatrics at UCONN, drawings for a poetry book written by her brother Michael, and a coloring book for her sister’s dance studio.

For more than 30 years, Cathy’s paintings have been displayed in various town libraries, hospitals, nursing care facilities, banks, restaurants, gift stores, and art galleries.  Currently, she volunteers at the SoCCA Gift Store where she sells handmade items. 

"Artist of the Month” Exhibits held at:

·         Farmington Library “The Great Outdoors” – July-August, 2016

·         The Spear Gallery at The Stanley-Whitman Museum in May, 2016 and September, 2012

·         Southington Public Library in May, 2014

·         Paris In Plantsville in July, 2014

·         SACA at The Orchards in July, 2012

 

"Spring on the Trails"