New “empty space” gallery opens in Farmington

FARMINGTON – A new arrangement operating off of Front Street may offer new opportunities for a landlord, tenants and residents of Franklin County.

Janet Washburn, an artist with 37 years of teaching experience, was recently approached by the owner of Up Front & Pleasant Gourmet, Nina Gianquinto, who had a proposition for her. Gianquinto had been trying for some time to rent an attached storefront, located at 155 Front Street, without success.

“Empty spaces drive me crazy,” Gianquinto said, surrounded by large jars of coffee beans and imported cheeses. “When I’d leave in the evening, I could almost feel it at my back. There’s just not a lot of money right now for anyone to take space.”

Gianquinto’s proposition was for Washburn to operate a gallery out of 155 Front Street, rent free. Instead, a portion of the proceeds from sales would go to Gianquinto to defray the cost of maintenance and utilities. This, she reasoned, would give the artist space to display her artwork while filling up vacant windows.

Washburn had been displaying her work down in Camden, at a gallery owned and operated by a niece and her husband. After that gallery closed, Washburn was looking for another spot to show off her artwork, watercolors and some oils.

“Nina offered us this space,” Washburn said, gesturing to the cozy studio, walls lined with paintings and pottery. “How can you say no to that?”

Washburn went to her circle of friends and family, all artists, and a wide assortment of artwork began appearing at 155 Front Street.

Among the most striking pieces, upon first entering the store, are the sculptures of Richard Johnson. A mainstay of Rockland’s Lobster Festival, Johnson uses clay and metal to create startled dragons, grim wizards and laughing children, along with more-traditional “blueberry” pottery.

Su Johnson, Washburn’s niece and Richard Johnson’s wife, works with landscapes of hidden islands and lonely beaches, using watercolors and pastels. Her work compliments that of Washburn, who once listed her studio as “the outdoors.”
 

“Janet is known for sitting for hours and hours on-site, painting,” Artist Margie Austin deadpanned. “Hour and hours.”

“You really don’t need to listen to her,” Washburn said.

Austin works local scenes from Franklin County, bridges in Phillips, lakes in Stratton and sunlit fields, into oil paintings. Her art teacher was another Washburn & Johnson Gallery artist, Joyce Dubay, who runs the Mountain View Arts Studio in New Vineyard and teaches art classes in the local adult education program. Dubay’s oil paintings encompass a variety of subjects, but some of her most popular works are commissioned pieces of customer’s pets.

“We have all painted together for a long time,” Washburn said of the artists.

The gallery exhibits jewelry as well, crafted by Maggie Johnson, Su Johnson and Lynn Washburn. Another artist and retired art teacher, Gayle Barigar, works large-scale projects of oil, one of which decorates the wall behind the galley’s small counter and cash register.

Dubay noted that her students often considered art more than a hobby or even a career; they draw peace from working on a painting or sculpture, exclusive to the pace of everyday life.

“Some of it call it therapy,” Dubay said.

“We sometimes need therapy if we can’t find time to paint,” Washburn said, with a smile.

“Some of us need therapy after we paint,” Austin joked.

The official opening for the gallery is on Friday, April 30, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. and Saturday, May 1, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., although visitors are welcome to stop in between 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. until then. A showing on May 22 and May 23, which will encompass three local galleries, has also been planned.

Until then, both Gianquinto and the artists are hoping the new arrangement is beneficial to all involved.

“I really like the idea of people coming by,” Gianquinto said, “and deciding they have to visit more than one store.”