The Synergy of Opposition
If not for a snowstorm, the chance to merge a local artist with a regional talent in a one day event may not have become reality at the Fitchburg Art Museum (FAM).
That’s what happened on March 12th, as Shelley Reed’s exhibition, A Curious Nature, officially opened after its postponement, pairing with Lionel Reinford’s solo-debut as an artist. Reinford is a respected educator in the Fitchburg school system, serving mostly as a Spanish teacher.
The two artists, from opposite sides of the technical spectrum, created a certain noticeable energy that caught the attention of the Director at FAM, Nick Cappasso.
“They are such different painters,” he said. “Shelley is a highly-trained painter with a [Masters of Fine Arts] and her work is of art history so all the sources were highly-trained painters hundreds of years ago. Lionel on the other hand was basically self-taught. He said he had a few art lessons and developed his own style so its two different ways of approaching and making images,”
Even though the techniques differed, the personality displayed through Reed and Reinford’s artworks were equally vibrant. For Reed, a Boston-based painter with a stern classical approach, it presented itself through the life-like features depicted in the animals she uses. In Reinford’s art, a passionate reflection of the journeys in his lifetime stating, “My paintings are like my children."
The most striking difference between the two is the contrast in colors. For Reed, just two colors are used - titanium white and ivory black - to create large artwork derived from the 17th & 18th Century. In Reinford’s gallery he showed a radiant splash of colors featuring a nostalgic depiction of the places he has been throughout his journeys across the World.
Although some other disparities are present amongst the painters, the cohesion of their contrasting qualities served as the instant takeaway for audiences. But it was not something that was done purposefully by the museum according to Interim Curator Lisa Crossman.
“Having the contrast wasn’t the main concern, but I think it has a really nice effect. Lionel is one we had been thinking about doing for a while and it was a good time with the gray scale show being held at the same time,” she said.
On the ground floor, Reinford’s exhibition called Mr. Reinford’s World provided the spectator with a personal tour to many places including Leominster’s City Hall, Mount Rushmore, landscapes in Russia, and his birthplace of Honduras. Aside from the burst of color, Reinford’s self-adapted folk style is emblematic of comic book art, with humorous quirks thrown onto the canvas – if you notice them.
With just a short walk up the stairs, the spectator is greeted by a Tiger, pieced together from separate panels, and painted with such detail you would think it came from the closest zoo. Throughout the space, large black & white paintings of other animals and botanical displays covered the walls with pools of observers gathering to make meaning of the colorless narratives.
“What we try to do here is make sure all the shows are different so if you don’t like one thing you may like something else. It’s intentionally programmed to provide variety and vitality. We try to make things work in synergy,” said Cappasso following the dual-opening.
Besides giving visitors several choices, bringing in artists from different areas of the state draws a crowd outside of just the Fitchburg/Leominster area to serve as a vital tourist attraction in the city.
“I love mixing the communities. Lionel is a local-figure and knows a lot of people in Fitchburg, Leominster, and Worcester so people from those cities came for him. Shelley Reed is a very important painter in Boston so we had a lot of the artist community from there come out as well. Everybody together in the museum is great,” Cappasso said.
If you have yet to feel the synergy of these two exhibitions on display at the Fitchburg Art Musuem, there’s still time to check it out. Both will be on available to see until June 4th and Fitchburg State University students are allowed free admission with their one card.
