Nancy DuVergne Smith

Nancy Duvergne Smith

Artist Statement:
Watercolor is a breath of life. The color starts rich and mingles to form new associations. Each painting is a conversation with time and intention. The paintings offer a visceral burst of life that leaps from the artwork into the eyes, brain, and very cells of the viewer.

My subject matter—water, plants, people, and abstracts—combine in a new series titled Skins and Petals. Each work explores the notion of color as a liberating, not limiting factor. The collages pose rich color surfaces against crisp cut-paper edges. Figures, hands, and feet play against flower images, enriched with human colors from deep blood red to the medley of skin variations.

Everyday my brush gets wet is a good day.

Artist Bio:
Nancy DuVergne Smith earned a BFA at Tulane University and a masters in English and American literature at Harvard’s Extension school. She has taught writing at Wellesley College, ESL in Egypt, and writing for the web workshops. Her memoir about her first year of retirement from MIT is in progress.

In 2022, she has shown paintings in more than a dozen exhibitions including the New England Watercolor Society’s juried Celebrating New England show and the Newton Art Association’s juried Human Being | Being Human show at the Piano Craft Gallery. Her work was chosen for juried events including the traveling FenceArt Newton show, Unquiet at the Piano Craft Gallery, and a Newton Watercolor Society 2023 calendar. She curated two shows, Regarding Water at the Honeyjones Gallery in Cambridge and co-curated the Art of the Line at Galatea Fine Art. She is a board member and past president of the Newton Art Association.

nancyduvergnesmith.com
Insta: nancy duvergne
FB: Nancy DuVergne Smith

460B Harrison Ave. #B-6 | Boston, MA 02118

617-542-1500 | director@galateafineart.com

GALLERY HOURS: Thu-Sun, Mar-Oct, 12-5pm; Nov-Feb, 12-4pm, and by appointment

Michelle Lander Feinberg

Artist Statement:
Painting began as a way to make sense of personal grief, a process of release rather than outcome. Over time, it evolved into an exploration of resilience, joy, and the complexity of human emotion. My work moves between lyrical abstraction and structured forms, each approach reflecting a different emotional state. Circles appear often, symbolizing renewal and the cycles of challenge and growth.

Artist Bio:
Michelle Lander Feinberg is a contemporary artist based in Norwood, Massachusetts. A signature member of the National Association of Women Artists, she is also an active member of Galatea Fine Art and TAG The Art Gallery, both in SoWa, Boston's Art + Design District. Her paintings, known for their vibrant energy and playful spirit, are featured in hospitals, galleries, private collections, libraries, and corporate spaces. Recently, Michelle’s painting was added to the permanent collection of Boston Children's Hospital, her work received an Honorable Mention from NAWA for its 2025 Winter Small Works Exhibition, and she was featured by Arts to Hearts Project in their Women Artists on the Rise book. Beyond her work as an artist, Michelle is the author of the Cooper the Dog children’s bookseries, a retired attorney, and the mother of five children and her beloved rescue dog, Cooper.

www.micheidistudio.com
@micheidi_studio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-lander-feinberg-9463251a7

460B Harrison Ave. #B-6 | Boston, MA 02118

617-542-1500 | director@galateafineart.com

GALLERY HOURS: Thu-Sun, Mar-Oct, 12-5pm; Nov-Feb, 12-4pm, and by appointment

Robin MacDonald Foley

Robin MacDonald-Foley

Artist Statement:
I’m a multi-faceted artist with a passion for landscape themes in real and abstracted forms. After ten years of maintaining a studio, in 2004 I began working directly in nature—a haven of creative ideas ensued. Empowered by our ever-changing environment, my photography and sculptural work has been influenced by islands and coastal regions, places I’ve known since childhood. Documenting close and distal views, a myriad of colors, texture, and shapes, informs the way I process my art while recording time and being present in the moment.

Artist Bio:
A Quincy, Massachusetts native, Robin MacDonald-Foley received her BFA from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, where she developed her creative expression in a wide variety of mediums, including painting and the traditional art of stone carving. Her work has been included in many exhibitions both locally and nationally, and has been widely published in healing arts materials, educational textbooks, and sports magazines. Prior to her fine arts pursuits, Robin held a career in design and graphics. She currently teaches art in Mission Hill and is a recipient of the Mission Hill Fenway Trust Grant for art workshops. In 2019 she was awarded a Boston Harbor Islands Artist in Residence position, inspiring her work specific to islands and climate change. An avid bicyclist, Robin loves exploring the less traveled roads that inspire her art and writing.

robinjmf.com

460B Harrison Ave. #B-6 | Boston, MA 02118

617-542-1500 | director@galateafineart.com

GALLERY HOURS: Thu-Sun, Mar-Oct, 12-5pm; Nov-Feb, 12-4pm, and by appointment

Marjorie Kaye

Artist Statement:
Taken Out of Context is a study of the relationship between my recent two dimensional paintings and three dimensional sculptures. My paintings see interrelationships between shapes along the surface, as if there were entities co-existing within the space. They encouraged three dimensional pieces that seemed to have jumped out of the surface, escaping from the confines of the second dimension.

My gouache paintings are built from the observation of complexity and my intention in actualizing sequential order. I need to work as if untying a complicated and seemingly impossible knot. The forms are immediately organic, swirling and undulating from one end of the surface from the other. Once this has been established, I go in honing, working each shape, dissecting it into its unique rhythm. This is the secondary aspect of making each work, and the action that ties the shapes into a whole, one that balances between energy and calculation.

These shapes are mirrored in the sculptures. Entities are born from shaped wood pieces, all coming together in a series of elemental creature-like formations. In opposition to the paintings, these sculptural forms are minimally painted, deriving any sense of complexity from the juxtaposition of individual pieces.
There is a dichotomy present in the works, from subtlety to complexity; iteration to minimalism. Together the works address the balance between two disciplines, and the singular worlds that arise from their interaction, as in a thought giving way to the crystallization of form.

Artist Bio:
Marjorie Kaye has lived in the Boston area for most of her life, with stops along the way in Syracuse, NY to earn her BFA in Painting, as well as New York City in the 80s.

She is a sculptor with experience in drawing and painting as well. Her work has been an exploration of opposites: form and color; organic and geometric; precision and chaos. Colorful and bold, her sculpture and present gouache paintings are kinetic and energetic. Her work has been reviewed in many publications including the Boston Globe and ArtScope Magazine, and has been shown extensively both locally and nationally, including Galatea Fine Art in Boston, Atlantic Works Gallery in East Boston, Harbor Gallery, UMass Boston, and Space Womb Gallery in NYC.

Ms. Kaye is the founder/member/Director Emeritus of Galatea Fine Art in Boston, MA, a large artist-run gallery featuring over 50 artists from Boston and beyond. Past projects also include the web-based Caladan Gallery, which ran for 10 years and exhibited hundreds of artists from all over the world, and Gallery 181, Lawrence, MA , which enhanced the community with the exhibition of local, national, and international artists.

She currently resides in Cambridge, MA.

marjoriekayeart.com

460B Harrison Ave. #B-6 | Boston, MA 02118

617-542-1500 | director@galateafineart.com

GALLERY HOURS: Thu-Sun, Mar-Oct, 12-5pm; Nov-Feb, 12-4pm, and by appointment

Yvonne Troxell Lamothe

Artist Statement:
Painting en plein air keeps me grounded and observing and finding relationships in the natural world has become a form of meditation for me. I spend countless hours walking along the sea and hiking into the woods photographing and taking in special moments as I move along. Yet, I do have a restless spirit and attribute my constant searching and exploration of how to express the glory and unpredictability of the environment to my being an art educator for many years. The need to explore a variety of approaches has been ever present for me. As a painter, I am not easily satisfied with my work and seek new solutions to showing a spirit, finding an element of surprise and looking beyond the surface. Helen Torr, Lois Dodd, Marsden Hartley, George Bellows are among those whose work inspires me.

Artist Bio:
Yvonne Troxell Lamothe has pursued her interest in painting by both observing the natural world and being immersed in the elements. Learning and unlearning as an art educator and as a life long learner and an art maker has been an engaging process for her. Endlessly challenging her own ability, she has studied painting with many accomplished artists and now is accepting the outside world as her teacher. She has been producing both oil paintings and watercolors mainly completed en plein air. Yvonne embraces her roots in New England. Finding intrigue with marshlands, woodlands and glorious vistas of Quincy, Massachusetts and the south shore where she now lives and her cabin in Ossipee, New Hampshire and the White Mountains where she finds solitude gives her ample inspiration for painting. Trips to the Maine coast and Vermont offer great additional and endless places to stop and paint. It is no wonder that such a range of American painters have found their way here to New England. Among her favorites are Marsden Hartley, Lois Dodd and Milton Avery. Her paintings show close connections to the earth because of the unusual perspectives that she finds to insure a closeness to her subject. Color is of essence to Yvonne and this joy can be felt in her work. And, of course, as the earth becomes more threatened, she hopes her paintings will inspire others to take time to appreciate and celebrate our planet.

rockislandcovearts.com

460B Harrison Ave. #B-6 | Boston, MA 02118

617-542-1500 | director@galateafineart.com

GALLERY HOURS: Thu-Sun, Mar-Oct, 12-5pm; Nov-Feb, 12-4pm, and by appointment

Jeannine Hunter Lazzaro

Artist Statement:
I always thought that there was a clear distinction between artists who worked abstractly and the ones who included recognizable imagery in their work. Happily, for me this is not the case. The plurality that exists today in the world of painting makes it possible to move from narrative painting to abstract images and never leave the realm of exploring the act of mark making and the language of painting. For me my work is a celebration of being alive and of the creative moment! I combine various methods, textures and paint to create what becomes a transformative experience. The stain-painting method, masking out areas, creating collaged surfaces and shaping the canvas are elements employed in the visual language that I have developed over time.

Artist Bio:
Jeannine is originally from northern New Jersey where she grew up in the shadow of Manhattan. She has a BA in Contemporary Art from Ramapo College of New Jersey. The college was famous for employing struggling artists, writers, actors from New York. As a consequence, she worked with Joanna Pousette-Dart (painter) and Carol Duncan (Art Historian) early in their careers. She earned an M.A.T. from Bridgewater College and spent twenty years in teaching art. One of the many joys of teaching for her was working with high school students who had not yet learned to take the creative act for granted. She has an M.F.A. from Lesley College of Art and Design. One of the aspects of the program at Lesley was that individuals worked with various local artists. As a result, she had the opportunity to work with Jon Imbur, Ruth Dealy and Carrie Moyer among others.

jhunterlazzaro.com

460B Harrison Ave. #B-6 | Boston, MA 02118

617-542-1500 | director@galateafineart.com

GALLERY HOURS: Thu-Sun, Mar-Oct, 12-5pm; Nov-Feb, 12-4pm, and by appointment

Susan Leskin

Artist Statement:
I enjoy creating ambiguity in my work, both in imagery and mood. Pieces are often dreamlike, objects or figures partially hidden or revealed, often elusive. I'm inspired by natural and urban landscapes, and by interiors. My most recent work employs high flow acrylics, old papers, pencil, and mica.

Artist Bio:
Susan has moved among different mediums for years but recently returned to her first love - collage. Her use of deep color and strong line are constant throughout her work. Her pieces are sometimes abstract, sometimes impressionist, often both within the same work. Her greatest inspirations are June Leaf, Milton Avery, and Ben Shahn. Susan has taken many classes and workshops throughout her artistic career. She has shown her work in several group and solo exhibitions in the greater Boston area, and also at Jamaica Plain Open Studios and Roslindale Open Studios for many years.

susanleskin.com

460B Harrison Ave. #B-6 | Boston, MA 02118

617-542-1500 | director@galateafineart.com

GALLERY HOURS: Thu-Sun, Mar-Oct, 12-5pm; Nov-Feb, 12-4pm, and by appointment

Carolyn Letvin

Artist Statement:
Why Sheep?
I’ve been painting Jacob sheep for 16 years. When I began, I had no idea that they would engage me as a visual subject for such a long time! As when I started painting them, I still get a charge from the results of the combination of my hand, the medium and the subject. One of the things that has evolved through the making of them is that I’ve pretty much eliminated any identifiable background. I think the flat color background accentuates the negative space of the composition. To me, composition is the most important element in any painting. No matter how well the picture is painted, if the composition is lacking, the piece will not be successful.

Sheep are often one of the first images we see in our lives. Think of all the nursery rhymes and children’s stories that involve or are about sheep. In my case, one of my very first memories is of painted wooden cut-outs of Little Bo Peep and her sheep that my mother had hanging above my crib. I can envision that room and how the “art” was hung to this day. Maybe you, too, have some kind of formative visual in your mind about sheep. Or maybe you connect with them for other reasons. Either way, I hope you will enjoy my sheep images!

Why Plein Air Painting?
Painting outside, plein air, rather than from a photograph, is a huge challenge. I’ve been doing it since the early 90s and am still not comfortable with the experience. There are so many variables, most of all the fast-changing light, that what I create seems to be out of my control. I think that’s why I keep doing it – because when it does turn out, it’s somewhat of an out-of-body experience. Interiors, though not done outdoors, have many of the same challenges. I just don’t have to deal with Mother Nature so much, which I consider a good thing!

Artist Bio:
Carolyn Letvin is a resident of Marlborough, Massachusetts. She has exhibited in the New England area since 1990. She is an accomplished landscape painter and also creates stylized feline and farm animal imagery. She works on-site, from photographs and memory.

She has won many awards through the years, including the Top Award at the 18th Annual Faber Birren National Color Award Show, an Honorary Mention/Sakura Award from the United Pastelists of America/Oil Pastel Association and a second place in the 2014 Blanche Ames National Juried Exhibition. One of her recent awards is from Concord Art’s Members Juried 2 Exhibition where she received the prestigious Nancy T. Baldwin Drawing Award. Currently, her work can be seen at Galatea Fine Art in Boston, MA, Lauren Clark Fine Art in Great Barrington, MA, Hudson Art & Framing in Hudson, MA. She is on the boards of Galatea Fine Art, Boston, MA, the Monotype Guild of New England and the New England Book Artists.

carolynletvin.com