About The Exhibit and The Painters

Here is an excerpt from No. 3 Reading Room & Photo Book Works’ description of the show:

Clarence Morgan and David Rich are painters who have worked for decades in both the studio and the classroom. Their devotion to painting and teaching brought them together decades ago in Minneapolis where they both arrived to work, teach and raise their families.

Longtime colleagues, Clarence and David were co-founders of what was known early on as the Painter’s Group, formed in Minneapolis in 1993 along with other local painters of various persuasions to generate dialogue exploring issues in contemporary painting. The purpose was not to critique each other, but to discuss the questions raised by their work and the possibilities for painting to address a range of concerns. Meeting in each other’s studio amongst peers, the ongoing conversations evolved organically and became a crucial source of discourse that was lacking outside academia at that time. It was an environment that was counter to the isolation of the studio and offered painters a space for the paintings to exist in a larger context.

Working overtime. Working over time. They sound the same, but connote different temporal states. Both apply to the painters and their works in this exhibit.

What does it mean to make a painting over time? What does devotion to one’s practice extended over a lifetime entail? To painters Clarence Morgan and David Rich, each in their sixth decade, time has become compressed, with a degree of urgency about its limitations and passage.

Yet both are known to, without reluctance or hesitation, revisit work done decades ago, to pick up their tools and search within both dimensions of painting and of time, of then and of now. Nothing is fixed, everything is up for grabs. Time collapses and the dialogue commences. As one day merges into the next, as each year melds into another, their work in the studio continues overtime and over time, yet is enacted in the here and now.

And in time, the paintings will be all that remain. Within the abstraction, the residual marks add up to signs and signals, visual occurrences and references. Old hands painting alongside younger selves, trains of thought picked up, clarified, informed and strengthened by years and years of working- a form of talking to one’s self, over time.

The resultant images become meditation devices, bold assertions or quiet murmurs of being, resolved, but not static, forces with lyrical movement residing within a compressed space, offering room for thought and for eyes to wander and explore. Within these paintings, time operates on its own schedule in relation to the viewer, offering first the immediate read, and then the slow reveal that rewards durational looking.

You’ve driven by it countless times - the construction going on at 143 Main Street, the building that formerly held the office for Shane Hobel’s The Mountain Scout Survival School. Prior to that storefront, the space was the location for the art gallery Fovea before it moved across and up the street to the second floor of Hudson Beacon Glass.

Slated for a Saturday, November 10, 2018, grand opening, Utensil Kitchenware, owned by Emily Burke, will move from her location on the east end of town to this larger, fully renovated space on the West End. Emily and her architect husband designed it specifically to fit the kitchenware store.

The store has always held a cozy collection of pretty much any kitchenware item you needed - or didn’t know you needed - and now will offer an interactive demonstration space so that you can learn how to use the gadgets that Emily has discovered. The front doors have been expanded to be double doors, the front windows enlarged. If you’ve walked by, you may have seen exciting red ceiling beams on the inside.

The building Utensil originally opened in is currently for sale. Says Emily of her new location: “I am really excited about this new chapter. Although I will miss the East End, I think the community will like the new location too. I secured a long-term lease at 143 Main Street a very fair rate. The building owner is a great guy who really cares about Main Street, the tenants and building renovations.”

Newest shop, Darry'l’s Contemporary Women’s Clothing, opened in former Nella’s Bellas, which had been Global Home. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin — Newest shop, Darry'l’s Contemporary Women’s Clothing, opened in former Nella’s Bellas, which had been Global Home.
*Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin*

Fun Fact for Beacon Trivia Lovers: This is not Emily’s first time working on this end of town. She worked at the home decor shop, Global Home, before it pulled up its pins several years ago. That location was later occupied by Nella’s Bellas, and now Darryl’s Contemporary Women’s Clothing. (A brand new shop… looks like they are also in Rhinebeck and NYC on Amsterdam of the UWS… We are investigating!)

West End Of Beacon’s Main Street Is Basically Getting Renovated

There’s a lot going on at this end of town - referred to often here as “the west end of town near the train” - from building renovations to business relocations. This change started when a large swath of property - 20 parcels - changed hands from the Piccone family (see our coverage in “Top Nabisco Pressman Starts Over At Age 54 To Open Salon - Mr. Bell’s Story”) to new owners in one of the largest real estate deals in Beacon’s history.

Colorant, now located at 146 Main Street started out inside of Beacon Healing Massage as a pop-up shop, turned perma-pop-up shop, and now has a permanent home across the street in the space formerly occupied by Miss Vickie’s Music. Photo Credit: Kat… — Colorant, now located at 146 Main Street started out inside of Beacon Healing Massage as a pop-up shop, turned perma-pop-up shop, and now has a permanent home across the street in the space formerly occupied by Miss Vickie’s Music.
*Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin*

Storefront shops always come and go on any Main Street, but taking a moment to reflect on what’s going on, not only has their been an ongoing Shopping Guide Shuffle since the summer, but there are building improvements as well.

Renovations Have Begun

At first blush, one might think that a bunch of new businesses are moving in. However, Beacon businesses already located here, for the most part, are simply moving around. The first major move and renovation was to Colorant’s space, which used to be a seasonal pop-up shop in Beacon Healing Massage’s space, which is right next door to the (now former) Mountain Scout office. Beacon Healing Massage’s new neighbor will be Utensil.

Colorant transitioned into a perma-pop-up in the Beacon Healing Massage space, and then officially moved out and across the street into the studio where Miss Vickie hung her musical shingle - but not before that space was totally renovated for Colorant. Miss Vickie has since moved to another location owned by the same people a few blocks up, down the alley near the shoe cobbler and Mr. Bell’s barbershop.

Miss Vickie’s Music, down the alley near Mr. Bell’s barbershop. Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin — Miss Vickie’s Music, down the alley near Mr. Bell’s barbershop.
*Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin*

reMADE, the boutique carrying handmade Hudson Valley items recently closed, yet the space has re-opened as a new store - Lewis and Pine. The new shop, however, occupies half the space. The store was essentially two stores inside with an existing wall and door separating the two. This can make for an awkward layout - or not - depending on how you set it up. The space will now be two storefronts.

Says Liz Ferrera, owner of reMADE and PAX Studios of her decision to close the shop: “For me personally, the decision to close reMADE was primarily ‘life getting in the way.’ More specifically, aging parents and my desire to learn all that I can from them while I have the opportunity. The maker community in the Hudson Valley is just incredible! The craftsmanship and creativity that I saw being produced just blew me away. Educating people on the benefits of handmade will continue to be my passion.”

Wait - Where Is Mountain Scout Going?

A survival training workshop on the Mountain Scout property in Hopewell JuncTion. Photo Credit: The Mountain Scout Instagram — A survival training workshop on the Mountain Scout property in Hopewell JuncTion.
*Photo Credit:* *The Mountain Scout Instagram*

The inside of the Mountain Scout office was really neat, and was set up as if you were outside in the wilderness. The Mountain Scout trains in survival tactics in the wilderness and taps into primitive stuff we humans otherwise may have disconnected from thanks to modern technologies. The true training takes place on several acres of land that Mountain Scout owns in Hopewell Junction, just 5 minutes from I-84 or the Taconic.

The big, tan Mountain Scout passenger van you see driving around Beacon is part of their offerings of shuttling clients to and from the Beacon train station to their land in Hopewell Junction for workshops or private trainings. His classes are just so neat - you should check them out for survival tactics for kids or adults, including Family Emergency Planning.

Meanwhile… On The East Side Of Beacon Near The Mountain

There are incredible finds! So many shops, galleries and eateries. We have a few articles slated to tell you about them, but a lot of good stuff. Loopy Mango (giant yarn), the No. 3 Reading Room for extremely rare art books and interesting print things not found in art galleries or book stores, The Vault for creative cocktails and one of the best baby kale Caesar salads, and Jeffrey Terreson’s curious dimensional paintings.

Eat up our write-ups of all of the shops in A Little Beacon Blog’s Shopping Guide, and the eateries in our Restaurant Guide. Don’t miss our Brunch Guide, of course!