As Jean Fogle tells it, “artists want to display their art wherever they can.”
That’s exactly what the Marblehead resident and lifelong artist is doing with her Black and White mixed media exhibit, currently on display at Stetson Hall inside the Unitarian Universalist Church on Mugford Street. The exhibit, which opened on Jan. 12 and runs until Feb. 10, features a handful of pieces Fogle made over the years, ranging from pottery to charcoal to acrylic paintings.
Black and white art serves as the only uniting theme of the exhibit, which Fogle dubbed a “mish-mash.” But, she said, that’s an intentional effort to “keep exploring.”
“Some artists get into a real groove but I find that that isn’t as interesting to me,” she said in an interview. “Sometimes it’s attacking it by what medium you’re going to use or sometimes you’re approaching it as a blank slate and that’s kind of the way I work. It’s intuitive, it’s not too planned out ahead of time.”
“It’s not planned out at all, actually,” Fogle added with a laugh.
Fogle said she has lived in Marblehead since 1974, and spent years working as a commercial artist and graphic designer for years. Her most notable work, she said, was a mural for the Orson Welles Cinema in Cambridge.
“I have done … all kinds of different things for jobs, and for my own work, it’s just … all kinds of different mediums really,” she said.
The Black and White exhibit is not the first Fogle has displayed at the church, she said, adding that she was “fortunate” that she was invited to display her art there.
“This gallery has been around for quite a while. I’ve actually had other shows here, and used to come to this church a lot. It’s a great church. We used to do a lot of theater here as the Mugford Street players,” she said. “I have a connection to this church and to that gallery.”
While Fogle said it was difficult to choose a favorite piece, she pointed out a piece entitled “Rabbits for Feet,” a collage on paper displayed to the right of the church entrance.
The art at the exhibit is for sale, with prices ranging from $50 to $400.
Fogle, who also works as a dog walker CCPaws three days a week, said she has yet to plan her next exhibit.
That’s consistent with her approach to art in general.
Fogle said she generally doesn’t know what she will produce when she sits down to get to work.
“I like mixing things that aren’t supposed to be mixed together and just sort of throw[ing] caution to the wind,” she said.