Art lovers will only have until January 15 to view Michel Delacroix’s, “Souvenir de Boston,” a winter scene of the Boston Public Garden on display at the Four Seasons Hotel.
It is the second such painting that Delacroix had made of the garden. He had created an autumnal view of the Public Garden for a benefit Axelle Fine Arts Boston did for the Friends of the Public Garden in 2007. “The painting was in the window, and we had clients fighting over it,” recalled Amse Hammershaimb, Axelle’s senior art consultant.
Based on the success of that painting, Delacroix decided to do another one, a winter version, which is a 24-by-28 ½-inch acrylic on canvas.
The 91 Newbury St. gallery consultant decided to loan the painting to the hotel, partly because it was a natural since the Four Seasons is featured in it.
“It was so stunning, and it was in front of the Four Seasons,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine a better home for this painting.”
Hammershaimb sent a letter and an image of the painting to hotel general manager Bill Taylor, who called her the next day. “He said he loved the painting, and he’d love to have it in the lobby for the holidays,” she said.
Delacroix is a French master of the naïf tradition whose work has been featured in over 300 US solo exhibitions, as well as around the world. Delacroix was selected an Official Artist of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and commissioned to paint three works.
The other reason why the gallery decided to loan it out was to try a little marketing creativity. The hotel used the painting for its Christmas card, and otherwise, the painting saw foot traffic the gallery may not have otherwise received.
“I do have to say that I believe that had our economic situation been a little more stable, this would not be only a loan,” said Virginia Lockwood, an administrator at Axelle. “We are, however, happy to have the exposure. This is a great way to reach both tourists and Boston natives that have yet to visit the gallery.”
Said Hammershaimb, “We’re thinking left and right on how to do the best we can in this economy.”
The happy result is that the painting was sold to former locals who now live in New York, and it increased foot traffic to both the gallery and the Four Seasons.
“It started as reaching out to the Four Seasons, but now it’s gaining exposure for the gallery,” said Hammershaimb. “It’s about thinking who might be interested in certain pieces. I definitely think we got people in here that we wouldn’t have received before. In turn, we have clients of Michel Delacroix that we’ve sent to the Fours Seasons as well. It’s a nice way for the Four Seasons to get exposure.”

A cheapskate on a date can skip the entrance fees at one of the local museums and just wander around the many art galleries along Newbury Street.
Sure, you can look at the Museum of Fine Arts or other museums, but sometimes you just want to browse artwork that’s a little more available.
“You can see a lot of great art, take a break from your shopping, see art in a great brownstone,” says Beth Vose, whose family owns Vose Galleries at 238 Newbury Street. “A lot of people spend a lot of time looking at the pieces. We were named a good date place by one of the local magazines.”
And maybe, just maybe, on a whim and a roomy credit card, you might just be able to afford one piece of art from Vose Galleries of Boston, who now feature a “Works Under $10,000” section.
Vose specializes in 18th, 19th and early 20th century American realist paintings and works on paper. They started the “budget” section to target those who love art but are scared off by some of the local galleries’ price points. It’s still high quality paintings, but it’s a 400-piece collection of “moderately priced” works by artists such as Ernest Albert, Thomas Allen, Joel Babb and Reynolds Beal.
Vose Galleries is a multi-generation gallery that opened in 1841, but they’re definitely in the 21st century, with a sophisticated website that includes search features, a “personal gallery” for your own browsing consideration, an e-newsletter, and e-mail alerts about newly added artworks for sale. “We’re doing a whole lot over the Internet,” says Vose.
Passed down through six generations from father to son- now daughters - Vose says it is the oldest family-owned art gallery in America, with paintings hanging in over 150 museums nationwide, and it claims to have the largest inventory of American realist paintings in New England.
In 2001, after a nearly 40-year hiatus, Vose Galleries opened a contemporary division, marking its return to handling the work of living artists.
“The Works Under $10,000 is fairly unusual because many galleries don’t like to put prices on a website,” says Vose. “We think it’s important. We may be reaching those who would otherwise feel uncomfortable contacting us. Maybe they’re a beginning collector. Some people don’t realize we have works under $10,000.”

In troubled times, some people seek solace in unsavory ways, but with this group, when the going gets tough, the tough get knitting.
The Greater Boston Knitting Guild has been meeting for 15 years, offering each other company and conversation while they create blankets, sweaters, hats, and other often-complicated pieces from just a ball of yarn. They’re not just making sweaters, though: they’re making connections.
Some have weaved their way into finding a job; others are transplants who knitted their brows until they figured out a way to make fast friends. Some have supported each other through surgeries and family losses.
At the very least, they support each others’ projects, with a rotating team of “doctors” to help unravel mistakes. They show off their creations or help beginners with their first strand.
Forget the stereotype of the knitwit dullard. This crowd is filled with accomplished, driven and creative people. Many are bloggers who research their patterns online, and use computer programs to design their pieces. Others can do the complicated math involved with many pieces. Many of them are successful business owners or at least are organized and resourceful types, perhaps because knitting organizes their minds. Or maybe it’s the other way around, but the point is, knitting is not just for cozy grandmas.

Busy hands
About 60 members came to the December meeting. As always, they meet the third Thursday of the month, to sit and knit. They chat and listen to speakers, but their hands are busy, busy, busy, pausing their projects only to eat their bagged lunches or to duck out early for some shopping, including at the nearby Newbury Yarns store, at 164 Newbury Street, where they can get a discount on purchases.
December’s guest speaker was knitting instructor and author Jackie Fee, sharing tips and stories with the appreciative crowd. Fee, who wore an Aram Isle pattern in an Irish-type sweater she adapted for indoor wear, is the author of "Sweater Workshop”.
"She's my mentor," said one of the group’s founders, Anita MacKinnon. "We can do anything without having to sew the seams."
During the meeting, MacKinnon knitted socks from a blue, yellow and dark green yarn. She wore her homemade Christmas knitted sweater, which has the words “fa la la la la la” written along the bottom. "My children think it's tacky," she said. In spite, she takes it with her when she visits her kids for the holidays. "I wear it a solid week, every year," she said.
The attendees also exchanged Secret Santa gifts, and held a cookie contest that was won by Jackie Fee's date balls. One knitter stood up to recommend supporting a New Orleans woman who sells yarn despite having to rebuild from the hurricane.
"These women all have interesting lives, and they take the day off to come here," said MacKinnon, who also does marketing for the College Club of Boston.
And the group also has men. Or, at least one. Board member and past president Bob Jaeger was the sole male in attendance at the December meeting, working on a wool cardigan for his wife as a Christmas present. He'll also be hosting the annual summer club retreat at his Best Western Cold Spring motel in Plymouth, where members will come and knit by the pool.
"He's a good teacher and a good knitter," said MacKinnon. "He has six kids, like I do." Jaeger added, "I knit all of them sweaters in unisex colors and styles."
Jaeger wore a decade-old gray Aran cable knit that he dug out of the attic. Most meeting attendees wore self-knitted sweaters, but it’s not a badge for entry.
"The name guild is misleading," said guild President Cheryl Mariolis, who wore her red oversize sweater made from brown sheep lambs pride bulky yarn, designed with a the help of the computer program Sweater Wizard. It sounds complicated, but actually knitting is just common sense and patience. "We don't require a level of expertise. This is really a network of people who love to knit," she added.
However, some are more creative and talented than others. Judy Dienstag of the North End held up a stunning sling purse she knitted from felted wool, which she shrunk on purpose to make a strong knit. She says people stop her on the street and ask to buy it. She also modeled a pretty Sausalito sweater jacket, lined with handmade wooden buttons from Zecca of Western Massachusetts.
For those who haven't knitted in a while, they can get tips at the club. "It's like riding a bicycle. The little motions are back, once you put the needles back in your hands, it's a muscle memory," said Jean Holtey, who owns In Stitches and The Threaded Needle in Weston. The group even provides lessons and a rotating "knitting doctor" to help out anyone with a snag.
The guild also helps out non-knitters, supporting The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Caps for Kids program and The Woman's Lunch Place, a daytime shelter for homeless and poor women and their children. Guild members have contributed hundreds of hand-knit and crocheted baby blankets, sweaters, hats, mittens, booties, and socks to these and other Boston organizations. The Guild’s community outreach coordinator, Elaine Cobucci, distributed 364 knit hats to children at Dana-Farber in November.
The guild has been meeting for about 15 years, starting with about a dozen knitters gathering at the old The Women's Educational and Industrial Union on Boylston Street. They outgrew the space and moved into the College Club of Boston, which was big enough to start inviting guest speakers that include historians, magazine editors, authors, and designers. They have speakers booked into the next year. Hitting the 200 member mark, with young and old traveling from as far away as Rhode Island and New Hampshire to attend, they had to move to a bigger space, and since the fall they now meet in the basement of Trinity Church.

The Economics and Mental Health of Yarn
Yes, knitting can be expensive. You can certainly buy a sweater off the rack for a lot cheaper than buying the yarn, but a homemade sweater can have a higher quality and design.
Holtey gives member discounts. Despite the economy, she has seen an increase of about 20-30 percent in customers since last year. Actually, she said, the economy probably boosted sales.
"You sort of don't save any money knitting, but it's very soothing and allows you to make economical gifts. It allows you to give something to someone. They're made with really nice yarn. If you've tried to buy it, it would be hundreds of dollars,” she said.
But Holtey added in this economy, many people turn to knitting to improve their mental health. It’s a pretty good secret: Knitting is the key to good mental health.
Knit, purl, lining up the rows, it all seems pretty simple. But all that math and counting, and then when you get into a groove and are just doing the repetitive motion that allows your mind to wander, it’s all about organization, about strengthening the mind muscle. Like other craftwork, there are connections between handiwork and cognitive ability, and dexterity and mental health. Books on yarn also include talks about neuroplasticity, beta or alpha or theta wave action in the brain.
"It's like meditating,” said Holtey. “The key is to get the beta waves going, which happens when you're knitting and you're in the zone."
Unfortunately, her left hand was bandaged temporarily, and she looked sad and a little itchy watching everyone else knit. "I'm moderately crazed right now," she said.
MacKinnon didn’t have a lot of time at the meeting to knit her socks, but otherwise, she knits everywhere – at the airport, on the train, watching TV – calling it a compulsion. "I knit and talk all the time," she said, but she also keeps a notepad nearby, because that’s when the ideas come. "You can really multi-task when you're knitting,” she said.
MacKinnon added the hobby is recession-proof precisely because it’s addictive and puts her in a happier mood. "When a lot is going on, people are coming back to knitting. When I had a really bad day, I knew my knitting and my needlepoint and my piano were home waiting for me," she said.

Out with the old, in with the new

It is a scary and sobering thought – how short a year in our lives can be – how fast it speeds by – how irretrievable time is.
Time is at once a great healer and the great devourer.
Time is as vast as the emptiness of outer space.
Above all, time flies (tempus fugit) and in such a way that no sooner has one year passed, another is upon us.
For mortals like us, time is finite, to a point of cruelty. In fact, our time on this earth is so brief, our presence doing what we do so short, that a year in a life can often pass with the speed of a bullet.
Such is the case with 2008.
No sooner had it begun and it is coming to an end.
Obviously, it was not a great year, as years go.
It was a volatile year. Our economic system’s ability to deliver has been called into question.
It was a year that began with an economic downturn that morphed into a worldwide recession of inestimable difficulty.
With the old year going out and the new year coming in, and with the world we live in a place where nearly all things yield to money, we are preoccupied with all things economic. We fret and we wonder, what will the New Year bring?
However, we would respectfully suggest that you treat New Year 2009 with a bit of savoir faire.
Instead of lamenting the condition of your bank account and worrying about the economy, believe that each day that dawns on you is your last. Tomorrow’s life is too late, so live today.
Thank God each time you put your feet to the floor after awakening in the morning.
As the old year prepares to pass and the new year is upon us, remember that there is no situation in life that is happy in every respect, just as there is too little time for us on this earth.
In the immortal words of the late great poet, W.H. Auden:

The years shall run like rabbits,
For in my arms I hold
The flowers of the Ages,
And the first love of the world.

But all the clocks in the city
Began to whirr and chime:
O let not Time deceive you,
You cannot conquer Time.

Being here is nearly all that matters. Atop of that, it is doing something that gives life meaning in order to close the circle.
With 2008 done for, we look ahead to 2009.
Out with the old.
In with the new.
Happy New Year.