SALEM — Art lovers got a treat on Derby Street over the holiday weekend.
The Salem Arts Association hosted a gallery exhibition where they unveiled three new exhibits, all involving the work of local artists.
Paul Nathan is one such artist, and was featured in the gallery reception on Friday; Salem Arts Association hosts a rotating collection of his work in the gallery.
The building in which the gallery is located actually used to be Nathan’s old law office, and is still owned by him. Salem Arts and Nathan came to an agreement providing that the association maintain a section dedicated to Nathan’s latest works among their rotating and permanent collections.
Having people at the gallery is something that Nathan very much enjoys and something that he described as an emotionally rewarding experience.
Nathan has a unique process when it comes to creating his art. His artistic process begins with acrylic paintings which are then photographed and then composed as a collage.
It’s quick for appreciators of Nathan’s art to realize that there is something special about his pieces. President of Salem Arts, Heather Meri Stewart, said it’s hard not to smile when looking at one of Nathan’s creations.
“They’re whimsical, they’re fun, they’re incredibly well done. He’s got a unique style of working where he’s kind of really created his own medium,” she said. “You always see that coming out in (his) work, and he does something that is whimsical and fun. So he’s talking about experiences that are really relatable to people; you don’t usually find that with work, especially of the artistic level of his work.”
The other two exhibitions also have local ties beyond the artists. “Tides of Life” is inspired by an exhibition currently being shown at the Peabody Essex Museum, “In American Waters.” The artwork is inspired by the sea’s beauty, violence and transformative power.
This is the 15th year that Salem Arts has partnered with the PEM for an exhibit. Salem Artists are brought into the museum and can find inspiration from other exhibits.
There is also a “North Shore” exhibition inspired by the landscape, cities and people of Massachusetts’ North Shore. Stewart said that the exhibit was a great complementary addition alongside “Tides of Life” — due to their shared maritime themes — but this exhibit had more of a local touch.
For former president and current board member James Bostick, Salem Arts is more than a gallery; it’s a place where people can come together.
“We refer to ourselves as a community gallery and we mean that in both directions,” he said. “It’s to build a community of artists so that they can collaborate and meet each other and to create a conduit to our local community and our visitors so that they have a way to see the amazing things that our community is creating.”
