Rick visited old friends, met new folks and fit in some collaborative painting as well. What could be better “Better Things” panel and movie preview was a success. Rick enjoyed the conversation and was glad to learn more about his art hero and friend. Interesting how you think you know someone well, yet each panel member has a different experience with Jeff so that during the panel a more rich image of our late friend emerges. Thanks to film creater/director  Maria Carbardo, for this opportunity.

“Better Things” traces the life of one of the industry’s most influential illustrators/painters, through interviews with those inspired by Jeffrey Catherine Jones.

   

Attending Comicon? We hope you’ll mark your program for “Better Things” Thursday evening. Please join us at 7:30 for a lively discussion about Art, Comics and Jeffrey Catherine Jones. We embedded a preview of this film a while back.

…quoting Rick from our Friday night visit to Issac White’s opening in “Bits + Pieces” exhibition, in Boston’s charming South End. White’s created a full environment in a separate room of Mills Gallery with work in various states of completion; paintings, drawings, photography, objects. One of Rick’s former students, this was the first time I’d really seen White’s art. His installation stimulated thoughts about the artist’s process, continually moving and evaluating. The work is dynamic and I enjoyed it. Lissa Rivera’s installation is also worth the visit – walk through drapes to a small victorian room, which surprises with sculpture and contemporary video. Hoping you’ll have a chance to visit “Bit’s + Pieces” before it closes June 26th…    

Solo exhibition at Northeastern closed this week. It was a great run, thanks to everyone who stopped by! Looking forward to reading all those comments. We are off to NYC in morning for Rick to receive the Silver for “To Absent Friends” from Cabaret Series. Hoping to catch some of the Armory Show/Scope/VOLTA if we stay around Saturday. Looking for some new galleries to place new Berry work – Suggestions? Favorites?

I attended one of Rick’s college talk & demo sessions for the first time and it was quite a day. It was held in New Hampshire Institute of Art’s gorgeous French Building of Arts and Sciences – such an impressively beautiful place built in 1913 and in continuous use for art students. It was packed with about 170 students from 11:30 -1:45 (yes, through lunch) who listened intently, asked questions and much to my surprise, accepted Rick’s invitation to get up on stage and collaborate. Rick started an image and continued to talk and answer questions while one by one students would go up to the stage (one fellow jumped up!) and paint. Rolando Torres was nice enough to send me these pictures today. Thanks Rolando.

I’ve been told a few people couldn’t find Gallery 360 on Northeastern’s large campus, so I’m including a section of the campus map. I can’t imagine why NU doesn’t have outside signage for this spacious and attractive gallery. Secret treasure… “SEEING IN THE DARK” –  Closes Tuesday March 1st / 10am -7pm daily      Free admission  /  please sign Rick’s guest book – comments welcome If you go:   Gallery 360 is inside Ell Hall (#52) 360 Huntington Ave in Ruggles MBTA Orange line                         #73 is very large parking lot on Columbus St. Krentzman Quadrangle, which is the first group of Northeastern buildings next to YMCA, and opposite MBTA green line stop. . Enter  here, turn right at Blackman Auditorium. Limited meter parking, garage on Gainsborough St, near New Eng.Conservatory. OR:     Park in NU parking lot along side MBTA tracks. At bottom of map, you can see the walkway over the tracks from the edge of the lot. Enter bldg # 50 Curry Student Center, walk through the building to Ell Hall. The gallery connects the two building.

It was a great night – thank you all!  The live piano music by Caroline Sun from Northeastern’s Gallery Music Program was wonderful! There was a calendar event at Boston.com which brought more new people. News on Shuffle who traveled from NYC to see Rick’s exhibition, sent us photos. Those and a few by Robert Wiener, Luke and me (Sheila) are below. We appreciate this weekend’s blog by SideBarNation Look for a future podcast with Rick Berry by Swain. The show features several theatrical paintings from Berry’s behind-the-scenes work this fall at American Repertory Theater’s hit musical CABARET; and two seasons with OperaBoston. Monumental portrait of Dresden Dolls’ singer-songwriter, Amanda Palmer as gender bending MC for Cabaret is a highlight. Paintings from the Cabaret series will be exhibited next month in NYC. Of socio/political interest are paintings from the international symposium Global Crime, Corruption and Accountability of Tufts Institute of Global Leadership where Berry was Practioner-in-Residence for four annual symposia.