The Melrose Messenger

West Foster Artisan Collaborative Shows Off Inspiration and Experimentation at Annual Holiday Pop Up

This weekend, the West Foster Artisan Collaborative (WFAC) hosted their annual holiday pop up at 114 West Foster Street, where six of the group’s seven artisans showed a range of works to prospective buyers as well as those who just wanted to browse and enjoy the art.

The artisans of WFAC - Michelle Boulogne, Thom Ciulla, Deb Corbett, Lorrie DiCesare, Gail Hamm, Deb Haney, and Mary Hulse (who was not displaying works in this weekend's show) - are familiar faces in the Melrose art scene, and several of them currently have works on display at Follow Your Art or Paper and Clay as well. While these artisans work in a variety of media - including jewelry, mixed-media, photography, pottery, and assemblage - they share a common dedication to experimenting with different styles and techniques and exploring their own passions and interests through their art.

Thom Ciulla, who was displaying his work on the first floor of 114 West Foster due to the size of many of his pieces, served as the “ambassador” for the show, welcoming guests and setting a tone of whimsy, experimentation, and fun that carried over into the main part of the show in the lower-level gallery space.

Ciulla worked in photography for many years before shifting into assemblage, and he now displays works in both genres. His assemblage work comes from old items he finds that other people have discarded, “or people just leave stuff on my porch,” he said, “and all of them have stories.” He described how he might find a use for something right away, or put it away for months or years until the inspiration strikes him. “Everything is repurposed,” he explained. “I’m giving things a second chance in life.”

The results include a clock that serves as a homage to the Wizard of Oz, complete with flying monkeys on the sides and ruby slippers on the bottom; an old film projector with sculpted shoes based on shoes Ciulla once saw on a man in Rhode Island; a frame with a working hourglass incorporated; and another clock built on an old reel of film, with images of classic movies decoupaged on the interior.

Deb Corbett’s mixed-media collages are familiar sights at Melrose arts events, and Corbett did have some of these on display, along with some new pieces she began working on over the summer. These new pieces have backgrounds that still feature Corbett’s signature style of abstract mixed-media, but she began adding tree-like figures to some of her pieces, to make them slightly more representational. “People relate better to something they can understand,” Corbett explained. In one piece, she even used cut-out circles of paper to create the effect of snow falling on a forest landscape. “That was a little crazy, but it was fun,” she recalled. “It was a lot of hole-punching.”

Each of the pieces in Corbett’s new series is distinctive, but ties in with the others in terms of feeling. “It was fun to try to make each one different,” Corbett reflected, “and if you’re not having fun creating,” there’s no point, she concluded.

Deb Haney also displayed mixed-media works as well as jewelry and other decorations made from found objects. “I’m an upcycler,” she explained, “so I’m liable to use anything in my work. I look at stuff and say, ‘what can I do with this?’”

Haney uses a variety of techniques in her work, including momigami, a Japanese technique for kneading paper, in some of her mixed-media works. In her jewelry, Haney incorporates objects she has found on her travels, or uses wire crochet or knitting to create a delicate effect.

Haney also creates “spirit women,” which she describes as a “girlfriend gift,” or something intended to uplift women and encourage them through difficult times. Some of these are wire sculptures, while others are two-dimensional in a form that is reminiscent of a rosary. Each has a saying on it, and Haney noted that for some viewers, the words speak to them and can be a powerful support. “Either you get it or you don’t,” she reflected.

Gail Hamm and Lorrie DiCesare both had jewelry on display as well. Hamm’s jewelry is made with a range of materials: seaglass, semi-precious stones, and found items. Her metalworking skill is on display in a range of necklaces, rings, and earrings. DiCesare’s jewelry work is a combination of enamel and silver, and she had a range of encaustic paintings on display as well.

DiCesare may also be familiar to many Melrosians as the owner of The Hour Glass Gallery, which she ran for 22 years on Main Street. She carried over 50 local artists’ work in her shop, including many of the members of WFAC. “They became my best friends,” DiCesare said. The shop closed during the pandemic after briefly moving online.

DiCesare reflected that, while she was running the gift shop, it was impossible to focus on her own work. Now, she says, “at six in the morning, I roll out of bed and go straight into the studio, and I’m in there for hours.” She continued, “Everything you do, you’re learning constantly.” Whenever she masters a new technique, like working with gold leaf, she adds it to new things she does, which allows her to constantly improve on her work. “Art is endless,” she said, “there’s always more to learn.”

Michelle Boulogne does both photography and pottery, but pottery was the main medium she had on display this weekend. She creates unique designs on her pottery using a variety of techniques: drawing, brush painting, splatter-painting, and using transfers. She even used cookie cutters and a rolling pin to create a dramatic dot pattern on one piece.

Boulogne calls her pottery work “wabi-sabi,” after the Japanese concept of accepting imperfections in art. “Clay has memory,” Boulogne reflected, and sometimes pieces that have been corrected to be more symmetrical will return to their original form in the kiln. “I used to get frustrated when things weren’t perfect, but I’ve learned to embrace it,” she added, “Clay does what it wants to.”

“We inspire each other,” Haney said, reflecting on the camaraderie within the group. While WFAC has only existed in its current form for a few years, most of the members have known each other for much longer. They have done shows together at the Beebe Estate, displayed their work at the Melrose Art Festival, and shown their work in other Melrose institutions, including Follow Your Art, DiCesare’s former store, and Paper and Clay. “We’re all different,” Haney went on, “but we all love textures and colors, and we’re all constantly teaching ourselves new things.”

And while the artisans of WFAC do have their work on sale, Haney noted, “none of us ever wanted to ‘do the Etsy thing.’” It’s not about creating work that will sell, she explained; “it’s more about following our imaginations.”

To learn more about the artists of the West Foster Artisan Collaborative, follow the group’s social media as well as the artists’ individual pages:

• Michelle Boulogne
• Thom Ciulla
• Deb Corbett
• Lorrie DiCesare
• Gail Hamm
• Deb Haney

You can also find some of the members’ work for sale at the Follow Your Artisan sale through December 20th or at Paper and Clay.

Posted December 15th, 2024