Melissa Barbieri, of Greenwich was selected to contribute a palette to Miss Florence’s Artist Trees at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme.
For over ten years, visitors from across the region have admired the painted palettes on Miss Florence’s Artist Trees. The idea of contemporary artists creating paintings on artists’ palettes is a nod to the museum’s history as the center for the Lyme Art Colony, and alludes to the door and wall panels the artists painted throughout Miss Florence’s boardinghouse over a century ago. The palette artists’ styles and subject matter are as varied as the individuals. Oils, acrylics, watercolors, ceramics, glass, and collage are used to transform the palettes into traditional holiday scenes and landscapes.
Artist Melissa Barbieri of Greenwich chose one of her favorite subjects, sea life, for her palette. “We live in a place where the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound surround us in our daily lives, where fresh and brackish and saltwater all meet,” Barbieri explains. “To me, that’s one of the reasons living in the Connecticut River Valley is so unique, beautiful, and fascinating.”
The palettes will be displayed on three trees in the Krieble gallery, along with the current exhibition, “In Place: Contemporary Photographers Envision a Museum.”
Visitors of all ages can enjoy “The Magic of Christmas” from Dec. 1 to Jan. 8, 2017.
Located on a 13-acre site in the historic village of Old Lyme, the Florence Griswold Museum is known as the Home of American Impressionism. The Museum is located at 96 Lyme St., Old Lyme, and is open year round Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. The Museum is closed Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $8 students, and free to children 12 and under.
For more information, visit FlorenceGriswoldMuseum.org or call 860-434-5542, ext. 111.
