Getting Comfy in Their New Home
By Barb Arnstein
The Chautauqua Art Gallery, formerly in Lakewood, N.Y, just reopened in Jamestown, N.Y. Its new larger space at 318 North Main Street means that more artists will have their work displayed, and many artistic activities and events will take place there. The art in the gallery includes original watercolors, prints, cards, shadowboxes and jewelry. All the art pays homage to the beauty of nature, with colorful elements including trees, water, flowers, autumn leaves, boulders and moss.
Leslie Calimeri, the gallery’s owner, commented, “I opened Chautauqua Art Gallery in January 2018 as a place to showcase my own painting and the work of other regional artists. Very soon I began to see that the gallery was outgrowing our little location in Lakewood and we began to search for a larger space, which we found in Jamestown. We are excited to be almost doubling the number of artists we are hosting and will be able to showcase a much larger body of artwork. Our larger space will also enable us to host classes and artist gatherings as well as creating much needed room for photographing and preparing artwork for website display and shipping.”
On the gallery’s website, chautauquaartgallery.com, aspiring artists can learn about creating art from Leslie Calimeri by buying up to five kits including video tutorials. The “Watercolor Birch Tree Class Kit” allows you to create a painting of Chautauqua County-inspired birch trees. It includes: a printed step-by-step tutorial with photos, a link to a step-by-step video tutorial, a sketch to start your drawing, and all the necessary materials: paint, two kinds of paper, a pallet, brushes, a rule and a pencil. The other class kits are similar and focus on: a pen and ink sailboat, a watercolor painting of a barn, another of Chautauqua Lake, and a pen and ink House Portrait.
In a radio interview she did on WRFA 107.9 (you can listen to it on the website), Calimeri says that she often takes photographs of natural beauty in Cattaraugus and Erie County to use as drawing inspiration, in spots that might otherwise be overlooked. One result of this technique is her original watercolor, “Parking Lot Galaxy”, a “snapshot” of the Allen Park parking lot in Jamestown. By capturing the unique beauty
of a random cluster of leaves clustered in a parking lot, she reminds every viewer that beauty can be found in places you might never expect. She also conveys this message in her series of paintings of weeds, including Queen Anne’s Lace.
The gallery’s other artists include Michael Weishan, who beautifully captures local scenery in works such as “Autumn Along Jones Road”, available as a 16 x 24 canvas print. It features calming shades of green and subtle patterns of sunlight His “Rock City State Forest”, available as a 17 x 13 print,
highlights the simple beauty of a scenic spot including green moss, brown bark, and light green and yellow leaves. Kimberly Turner’s artwork includes excellent portraits of animals, including a bobcat, a coyote and an otter, while. Wendy Bale’s creations include a wonderful arrangement incorporating a white feather and blue and white beach glass.
If you can’t get to Jamestown, you can make a virtual visit to the gallery by going to chautauquaartgallery.com, The items available there include note card packs featuring Calimeri’s paintings of trees in the spring and autumn, and assorted dew-bedecked wildflowers. It’s a fantastic little oasis to visit.