Gallery by the Green
To anyone visiting my hometown of Nashville, Indiana, I recommend a visit to Gallery by the Green. It’s a unique little place tucked around the corner, a tiny bit off the trodden path on Jefferson Street. The two-story white frame house once belonged to the town’s doctor who had his office on the first floor. The place exudes history that you won’t find in slick city galleries.
But the heart of this gallery are Joe and Charlotte Gore, the artists and owners of this little gem. Everyone who stops in is greeted as an old friend, which many of the visitors are. Over the years, Joe and Charlotte have strived to fill their gallery with art and fine crafts that are unique to their corner of Nashville. Much of the art is produced by local artists, myself included.
A visitor to the gallery can find on any given day: ceramics (including wall vases suspended from fanciful swirls), gourd art, mosaics, jewelry, textiles, baskets and birdhouses. And of course paintings done in watercolor, oil, acrylics, and mixed media. That’s just scratching the surface. You really never know what you’ll find there; the inventory changes as artists bring in new treasures. Absolutely not to be missed are Joe’s photographs of the Southwest and local Indiana scenes, including a series of covered bridges portraits.
Okay, I admit it, one reason why I’m touting Gallery by the Green is because they have an awful lot of my stuff there. But obviously (hopefully) if you’ve found your way here it’s because you have some interest in my art and what I do. So what unique Monique treasures can you find at the gallery? Well, several paintings, prints and cards—many of which aren’t shown on my Web site, including tiny (2"X3") paintings! You’ll also find my hand-painted bookmarks, jewelry, and hand-painted wineglasses. With spring’s arrival, I delivered a bouquet of felted rose pins—they look great on a lapel or purse to add a dash of colorful whimsy. When the chilly winds blow, I bring in armfuls of thick, cozy scarves—hand crocheted with multiple yarns in an array of colors. Joe and Charlotte are amazingly willing to give most things I bring in a whirl—maybe they really believe in me as an artist, or could it be all the fresh eggs and flowers from my garden that I keep bringing them?
All kidding aside, Gallery by the Green is truly a unique gem in the hills of Brown County. No Made in China stickers here, just lots of honest to goodness real live art. And two super nice folks who can tell you all about it. So stop in and say hi!
The last few days have been beautiful, blue sky sunny days. After the rain and storms, I just want to soak up that blueness. Looking around at the paintings I’ve done, I realize I’m very drawn to that blue sky—it’s just filled with such hope and joy, though I suppose some people might think it’s odd to equate the color blue with happiness. It’s no wonder it keeps showing up in my art, I guess it’s my way of sharing the elation I find in that expanse—one blue sky above us—as Pete Seger says. My brother once commented that I must go through a lot of blue paint—I suppose I do, just spreading the love!
Chessie at last gets her turn to be Cat of the Month. Here is her story... Several years ago while living in Spencer, Indiana, my husband and I took a walk down near the railroad tracks not far from our home. I seem to remember there was a small craft fair or something going on at the time. On the way back home, we discovered a skinny grey kitten entertaining a handful of people on the corner. She rolled around inviting belly rubs, just too charming to resist.
An informed young girl let us know the kitten was a stray and shared her fear that the kitten may wander off and fall into the nearby river. Hindsight tells me that of course the kitten would not have carelessly fallen into the river to be swept away. But we were easily swayed and scooped up the ball of grey fluff and took her home.
Later watching her sleep, we agreed she looked just like the railroad cat Chessie and that’s how she acquired her name. It didn’t take long for Chessie to fit into our household of kitties. As a youngster she developed a curious manner of flinging an arm over the shoulders of any nearby cat and vigorously licking the top of the other cat’s head. In her slightly crankier old age she’s more likely to swat than lick any nearby cat!
After the death of my beloved lap cat, Abby, I wondered which of our cats would step up to take over the evening lap-time ritual. That cat was Chessie—every evening after dinner she arranges her not so tiny self (the kittenish figure is long gone) on my lap for a few hours, stretching out her paw to touch my arm every now and then to remind me that hands are for chin rubbing, okay?