WOODSTAR CAFE 2011

Scenes of Northampton || Giclee Prints by Chris Gentes

Woodstar Cafe, Northampton || August 15-October 2, 2011

For this exhibition I selected 12 images from my Scenes of Northampton  series and made large Giclee Prints of them. I tailored this show specifically for the Woodstar – my favorite cafe in town!

Please E-mail me if you are interested in acquiring giclee prints from this series. All of these images are available.
11×14 inches on Polypro – $30.00
11×14 inches on Archival Rag – $45.00
These are unframed – 11×14 is a standard size frame.
For larger sizes please drop me an email!
chrisgentes@yahoo.com

Here are the images I selected for the show at Woodstar Cafe:

 Upper Main

I like the stretch of shops and restaurants along upper Main Street. Just when you think that you’ve seen everything that downtown has to offer, there is the promise of something new just around the bend. This is he part of town where some of my favorite shops are — The Old Bookstore, Sid Vantage, and of course, Woodstar Cafe!

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 Main Street

I am really happy with how this painting turned out. To me it captures the spirit of Northampton. While the shops and people may come and go, the distinctive buildings silently watch over all that has passed and all that is yet to come. I used watercolor, highlighter, sharpie, shiny pen, china marker, and white-out on this one.

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 Faces

This is the third painting in the ‘triptych’ of Main Street within the Scenes of Northampton series. Northampton is an art city. Some would argue that there is room for even more creative spirit throughout the streets, but no one can argue with that creativity abounds. I always enjoy looking at the displays in the Faces window. I’d like to do a window display there, but it whoever does them now does a great job as it is.

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Packard’s

Anyone who has done their wash at Masonic Street Laundry has probably waited out a few rinse cycles next door at Packard’s. There are a lot of great bars in town, but Packard’s is right up there at the top of the list. I like how the bulletin board (an old school ‘Craigs-list’) inside the laundry turned out.

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 Calvin

Back in 1997 this is how the Calvin looked. It was affectionately known as the ‘Alvin. For a while there were $1 movies shown there, and then there was fear that it would be torn down. Fortunately it was rescued. Without this place Northampton wouldn’t be as cool a place to live in. Hopefully with the high speed train coming to town in a few years there will be an increased cultural exchange with NYC.

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 Woodstar

I did this painting specially for this exhibit. All the other paintings were done 14 years ago (before the Woodstar was in town). I wanted to try and capture the spirit of the other paintings in the series, but incorporate some of my current artistic leanings. I did four studies of it. It is such a fascinating building. I tried to paint this as a modern day equivalent to how the 19th century Parisians painted their cafes. (I limited myself to only a few glasses of Pernod in the process.)

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 King Street

I am fascinated with how the brain can take vague images and fill in the details. I don’t understand how it works, but I love when it happens in my art. I think my ultimate goal is to create photo-realist paintings that are completely abstract up close. I’d like the things in the periphery to be out of focus, but still look like they are detailed. This one really looks great as a giclee print-stop by the cafe to see it if you haven’t already!

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 Iron Horse

I like to think of that guy in the doorway as a tenor-man showing up for his gig. He’s late and everyone is already inside waiting for him. That poster on the window with the saxophones is for his gig. I like how the minimal squiggles and reflection of the building on the left look. I don’t know what I was thinking when I was doing that, but somehow it worked out.

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 Strong Ave

I included this one in the show because that building on the corner of Strong Ave fascinates me. I would like to live there and have a hot tub on the roof. I would take a dunk while watching the fireworks on New Year’s! This one is kind of cartoonish, but back when I painted it Northampton was a real ‘carton’ town. The Words and Pictures Museum was right on Main Street, and every month the best comic book/graphic novel artists in the country would be exhibiting in town. I like how the ninja turtle gargoyles are still on that building.

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 Academy

This is what the marquee of the Academy of Music looked sometime in ’97. Chasing Amy was a really popular movie then. I finally saw it the other day. I am not the biggest fan of the new LED sign on the Academy, but at least I know every event that is going on. And now there definitely are some interesting possibilities for a ‘night-time’ painting of the marquee–I’m thinking in the rain (with reflections). It would be a challenge.

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 St John

This was my view walking home when I lived over on Butler Place. St. John’s Cantius is such an interesting church. It really defines the neighborhood. I think this painting sums up that neighborhood. I liked living there. It was cool being able to walk downtown in a few minutes and have a few drinks and see a show without having to drive home afterward (or walk to Saturday market for your produce).

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 Alleyway

I think Northampton would be boring without all the alleyways. There are so many secret shortcuts and passageways that it really makes living here fun. You can still discover a new one even after years of living here. The other day I found a real narrow alleyway that doesn’t have an exit. It is in that parking lot behind Upper Main.

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Here are some more paintings from my “Scenes of Northampton series. There are the ones that aren’t on display at the Woodstar.

Digital Prints (11×14 inches) $20.00 – E-mail me if you would like to make a purchase
chrisgentes@yahoo.com

The Camera Shops

The Baystate

Child’s Billboard

Market Street

Edward’s Church

The Del Raye

Thornes

Fly by Night

Parking Lot

Parking Garage

Comic Book Museum

Kathy’s Diner

Lower Main Street

Tourist Info Booth

First Title

The Open Studio

Lulu’s

First Churches

Globe Bookshop

Spoleto

Fire and Water

Fire Alarm Box

Smith College Gates

Nonotuck Bank Sign

Police Station

Jakes

Lizotte’s

Aisle Five in CVS

Hot Harry’s

Harold’s Garage

The Airport

News Boxes

Pahana Gallery

Bus Stop

Fitzwilly’s

Pop’s