Chester Gallery Opens First Friday of Local Artist Work

Sean Kratzert - ‘Portal into the Past, Present, Future’ Acrylic on canvas, 53” x 40”

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On Friday, from 5 to 8 p.m., Chester Gallery opens “Chester Artists: Past, Present and Up and Coming,” a revolving show of local artists over the next two months.

“From the postcard show I realized there’s a lot of talent in Chester, people I never even knew of. It opened my eyes to more of the Chester artists,” explained Nancy Pinney, owner of the Chester Gallery, where postcard-sized work by local artists was featured in December.

“Everyone has a tie to Chester, one way or the other… they lived here, they have a studio here,” Pinney said. 

In the main gallery, visitors will find “Series,” nine works in graphite and gouache on paper, by Elizabeth Gourlay, “Spring Trees, Central Park,” oil on canvas, by Jerry Weiss, “Rock n Roll” oil on board triptych by Deborah Quinn Monson and “Shadow” acrylic on wood by Fred Trinkaus. 

Fred Trinkaus, ‘Shadow’, acrylic on wood, 49” x 24”

Also featured is Richard Ziemann, who is known for his intricate black and white etching/engravings of landscapes and plants.

“Up and Coming” Chester artists in the show include Sean Kratzert and Rachel Carlson. 

In addition, the exhibit will include Sol LeWitt prints as well as one of his coffee tables.

Sosse Baker, who opened the gallery in 1982 with her husband, Jack Baker, and ran a frame shop in the building, will show her hand-dyed rattan baskets. 

Pinney, who became the gallery owner two years ago and also runs a frame shop there, talked about some of her paintings that will be in the show. 

Jerry Weiss – ‘Spring Trees, Central Park’, oil on canvas, 26” x 28”

“I’ve been working on painting atmosphere so I’ve got this warm glow, early sunrise kind of hot morning,” she said, referring to her painting in the main gallery. “I paint in layers so I’ll have probably a dozen paintings going at once. It’s so easy to overwork in oil paint. But if it stops working I can wipe everything down and go back to where I was, to the last dried layer. By keeping the layers going it brings out more light.”  

The show will also include what Pinney calls “smalls,” which are little canvases and collages in an affordable price range, and a number of works that feature scenes of Chester. 

Pinney said she hasn’t been open since March because of COVID-19 and she wants people to feel safe in the gallery.

“I’m going to create a flow. I’m going to have a wonderful local Chester classical guitarist, Mark Fornwald, play out front,” she said. “I will greet people outside and people can come through to the back door. I’ll serve refreshments on the back patio and there is more sculpture out back for people to see.” 

Elizabeth Gourlay, ‘Series’, graphite and gouache on paper, each 9” x 9”

An outdoor sculpture show will run concurrently on the grounds of the gallery, featuring work by Jesse Good, Gilbert Boro, Michael McLaughlin, Mundy Hepburn and Frederick Schavoir. 

Additional artists included in the show are Chuck Baird, Irene Barbaris, Debra Paulson, Katherine Clarkson, Annie Averill, Patrice Nelson, Dina Varano, Leif Nilsson and Jan Cummings Good. 

“Put on your best mask and come by,” Pinney said. “I think we all need a big party when we can finally get together to celebrate the construction being done.” 


Chester Gallery is located 76 Main St., Chester, CT
Call 860-449-3617 for more information.