The Cooley Gallery currently has its annual holiday exhibition All Paintings Great and Small on display through Jan. 11, 2014. The show features historic and contemporary works of art that are 12 inches in size or smaller.
For many in the area this annual exhibition, in its 27th year, has become an undisputed kick-off to the holiday season with a celebratory opening the Thursday before Thanksgiving.
More than 60 artists from around New England, with a concentration of works by artists in Connecticut, participate in this annual show. Many well-known artists return to The Cooley Gallery in addition to several newly discovered talents showing for the first time.
As in years past, All Paintings Great and Small offers a wide range of subjects and media carefully chosen by the staff at the gallery. Jeff Cooley notes, “Everyone gets involved in everything around here but especially with this exhibition: suggesting artists and choosing their favorites. Lorre Broom, our gallery manager, orchestrates the logistics and Nancy Pinney, our website guru, makes sure the images are perfect and gets it all posted in time for people to get a start on their holiday shopping.”
Among the great little historic and contemporary paintings, there will also be unique items in other media, such as fine jewelry by Linda Kindler Priest and Katharine Walker, sculptures by Michael McLaughlin and Dan Potter, and glasswork by Ludwig F. Ostfeld and Mundy Hepburn.
Three of the four galleries at 25 Lyme Street are hung “salon-style” with multiples from floor to ceiling, and a wealth of varied artwork. Prices range from the low hundreds giving collectors at all levels a chance to acquire some wonderful original works of art.
The exhibition in the back gallery features recent acquisitions, paintings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The show runs through January 11, 2014.
Founded in 1981 and located in the heart of historic Old Lyme, the Cooley Gallery specializes in fine American paintings from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, including the Hudson River School, American Impressionism, and select contemporary artists. Regular gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Cooley Gallery is located at 25 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT 06371.
Call (860) 434-8807 or visit www.cooleygallery.com for additional information.