🔎 In this self-portrait, Julie Beck plays with illusion, painterly expression, and the inner conflict of being one’s own worst enemy. To distinguish the trompe l’oeil tear from the rest of the painting, she conducted studies, analyzed expressive artists, and carefully composed the scene to heighten the tension between paint and perception. The upper right corner looks as if the painting has been sliced from its frame—a deliberate nod to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist on its 35th anniversary. The title, often linked to crime scenes, hints at deception: while the figure draws the viewer’s eye elsewhere, a blade waits in the shadows. Behind her, paintings from her personal collection include works by friends, students, and admired artists. Among them, barely visible in shadow, is The Concert, one of the stolen Gardner masterpieces. A skull painting, cast within her own shadow, serves as a subtle yet haunting memento mori. . . Julie Beck, "Move Along, Nothing to See Here", Oil, 36 x 24 . . #juriedshow #bostonartists #artgallery #art #boston #newburystreet #newengland #newenglandartist #artexhibit #americanart #americanartist #bostonartgallery #newburystboston #bostonevents #artopening #bostonevents #thingstodoboston #eventsboston #artboston #artevents (fb)

🌹 “Kelleher in Bloom” by Thomas Mann was painted at Boston’s Kelleher Rose Garden at the peak of the rose blooming season. Vibrant flowers blossom off the panel, their lush petals engulfing the scene. Thomas shared that as he worked, he found himself remembering his late Grandmother, who adored flowers. In her final days, he began his first study for this painting, knowing the subject was one she would appreciate. Thinking of her became the resolve Thomas needed to go through with this large piece that hangs in The Guild today. . . Thomas Mann, “Kelleher in Bloom”, Acrylic, 16 x 20 . . #theguildofbostonartists #roses #theguild #boston #newburystreet #acrylicpainting #acedemicrealism #stillife #impressionsm #artgallery #fineart #thingstodoinewburyst #nonprofit #newengland #acyrlics #newenglandart #rosegarden #kelleherrosegarden #bostoninbloom #newenglandsummer #summerflorals #flowers (fb)