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Mixture of favorites, newcomers at Hollis Fine Art Festival

HOLLIS – From lifelike lilies to paintings of Guinness so dark and rich you’ll want to take a sip, the Hollis Fine Art festival is on tap to showcase the best of the East Coast.

The sixth annual festival will be held Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 15-16, from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. at Nichols Field, Depot Road. Admission is free.

Artists from around New England and as far as Pennsylvania will gather to show off their stuff created in all of the major mediums: oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, graphics and photography.

Steve Previte, a local artist who puts the show together, said he tries to bring back crowd-favorite artists while at the same time giving a chance to newcomers and seeking out something new.

“One of the highlights, I think, is that each year I try to make sure that I am bringing a number of artists or, let’s say, faces that people haven’t seen in the area before,” he said. “We have a range of artists who range from local people just getting involved in the art festival thing and showing their work all the way to professionals. The quality of their work is very high.

“We run the gamut from amateur to professional. We try to have something for everyone.”

One returning artist is Mary Jane Q. Cross. Her work is so lifelike that at a distance, one would swear they were photographs of lilies or ladies or lazy afternoons in the lake. Moreover, no one would ever guess they were actually finger paintings.

“She does most of her painting with her fingers because she has a tremor,” Previte said. “She does a little bit of work with a brush, but she does a lot with her fingers. But she was a big hit last year.”

Don Reed, of Merrimack, who has been venturing out on a new style for a couple of seasons, Previte said, has perfected it even more and will show the results at this year’s festival.

Reed’s paintings are a sort of large pointillism, but instead of the picture coming together in tiny dots, it’s formed by half-inch to 1-inch blocks of color, Previte said.

“It’s very impressionistic, block-style pointillism,” Previte said. “It’s very unique.”

James Malady is coming in from Pennsylvania. Whether it’s the comely Mrs. Comerford, Sean O’Grady and his sheep or just a boy from the countryside fishing, Ireland seems close to home and alive with laughter and good times when Malady is painting it.

“He’s a real character,” Previte said. “He does all the Irish scenes; he does a lot of pub scenes. He’s a real storyteller. He’s always talking about Ireland to people when they come to his booth. He’s always joking with the public. He really adds a lot to the show.”

One of the stars this year is local artist Robin Frisella. Winner of numerous national and regional awards, her representational pastels have been published in the Best of America Pastel Artists Vol. II, The American Artist Magazine, New Hampshire Magazine and The American Art Collector.

Further, she has been elected a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and a juried member of the Copley Society of Boston.

Previte said Frisella’s technique includes using her fingers to manipulate layers of color until each object feels right.

In 2006, Robin opened Frisella Fine Art Studio in Candia, where she works, teaches pastel classes and workshops and has her work on display in an ongoing exhibit.

Not to mention, Previte said, “She’s a sweetheart, and her work is outstanding.”

Mixture of favorites, newcomers at Hollis Fine Art Festival

HOLLIS – From lifelike lilies to paintings of Guinness so dark and rich you’ll want to take a sip, the Hollis Fine Art festival is on tap to showcase the best of the East Coast.

The sixth annual festival will be held Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 15-16, from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. at Nichols Field, Depot Road. Admission is free.

Artists from around New England and as far as Pennsylvania will gather to show off their stuff created in all of the major mediums: oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, graphics and photography.

Steve Previte, a local artist who puts the show together, said he tries to bring back crowd-favorite artists while at the same time giving a chance to newcomers and seeking out something new.

“One of the highlights, I think, is that each year I try to make sure that I am bringing a number of artists or, let’s say, faces that people haven’t seen in the area before,” he said. “We have a range of artists who range from local people just getting involved in the art festival thing and showing their work all the way to professionals. The quality of their work is very high.

“We run the gamut from amateur to professional. We try to have something for everyone.”

One returning artist is Mary Jane Q. Cross. Her work is so lifelike that at a distance, one would swear they were photographs of lilies or ladies or lazy afternoons in the lake. Moreover, no one would ever guess they were actually finger paintings.

“She does most of her painting with her fingers because she has a tremor,” Previte said. “She does a little bit of work with a brush, but she does a lot with her fingers. But she was a big hit last year.”

Don Reed, of Merrimack, who has been venturing out on a new style for a couple of seasons, Previte said, has perfected it even more and will show the results at this year’s festival.

Reed’s paintings are a sort of large pointillism, but instead of the picture coming together in tiny dots, it’s formed by half-inch to 1-inch blocks of color, Previte said.

“It’s very impressionistic, block-style pointillism,” Previte said. “It’s very unique.”

James Malady is coming in from Pennsylvania. Whether it’s the comely Mrs. Comerford, Sean O’Grady and his sheep or just a boy from the countryside fishing, Ireland seems close to home and alive with laughter and good times when Malady is painting it.

“He’s a real character,” Previte said.

“He does all the Irish scenes; he does a lot of pub scenes. He’s a real storyteller. He’s always talking about Ireland to people when they come to his booth. He’s always joking with the public. He really adds a lot to the show.”

One of the stars this year is local artist Robin Frisella.

Winner of numerous national and regional awards, her representational pastels have been published in the Best of America Pastel Artists Vol. II, The American Artist Magazine, New Hampshire Magazine and The American Art Collector.

Further, she has been elected a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and a juried member of the Copley Society of Boston.

Previte said Frisella’s technique includes using her fingers to manipulate layers of color until each object feels right.

In 2006, Robin opened Frisella Fine Art Studio in Candia, where she works, teaches pastel classes and workshops and has her work on display in an ongoing exhibit.

Not to mention, Previte said, “She’s a sweetheart, and her work is outstanding.”