Art over easy at Clark's Cafe
By Patty Angevine / Correspondent
Wednesday, January 17, 2007 - Updated: 10:19 AM EST

Most of us think of art galleries as pristine places with white walls and minimal furnishings, the kind of space that instinctively compels one to whisper so as not to disturb the artistic ambiance — or accidentally bump into something.

But that’s not how it should be, according to Clinton resident and artist Sheryll Collins, who has come up with a novel idea for creating people-friendly art galleries. Called “Art on Rotation Gallery,” Collins first venue is Clark’s Café, a Clinton restaurant known for its good food and friendly atmosphere.

“I’ve been coming [to Clark’s] for years because it’s a great, homey place. They make you feel welcome and the food’s good too,” said Collins. “I’m an artist and so I had noticed that he had a few small paintings on the walls, but they weren’t local artists. So about a month ago I approached Al [Clarke] and said, ‘here’s my idea and I’m calling it the Art on Rotation Gallery. We’ll feature a different local artist each month, and I’ll advertise it and encourage people to come. And that’s how it got started.”

Clark loved the idea, which he believes will bring even more customers to his popular High Street establishment — a comfortable, diner-like setting that features an old-fashioned counter and vinyl booths. It’s the kind of place where you can come for a good meat-and-potatoes meal or just a cup of coffee and a muffin — either way, chances are Al Clark will be there to greet you as you come through the door.

“We wanted to create a place where people could come and socialize and catch up with each other because they don’t get too because their lives are too busy,” said Clark. “I think [Sheryll’s] idea is a good one and I think it’ll bring in new people who want to see the art. I can’t even draw between the lines myself, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like art.”

Collins, a nurse by profession but an accomplished artist as well, is launching her Art On Rotation Gallery at Clark’s, with plans to eventually find other locations in nearby communities, including Bolton, Hudson and Sterling. She believes restaurants, banks and other community spaces that people visit during the course of their day-to-day life offer great opportunities for art appreciation.

“The arts are good for us — it does something for the soul that nothing else does,” said Collins. “Art is part of you whether you’re an artist or not. It’s a part of your soul that needs to be touched and I want to bring that to the community.”

Putting their art out there

Collins’ brainstorm to install an art gallery at Clark’s Café is not the first time she has come up with an innovative idea for sharing her passion for the arts. About a year ago, she invited Worcester artist Kat O’Connor to teach an art class in her home. A well-known watercolor artist who has taught at the Worcester Art Museum and Worcester State College and exhibited in galleries across the region, O’Connor has brought a number of local artists to Collins’ home in the past year. Over time, the classes have nurtured the birth of a small but vital artist community in Clinton, according to Collins.

“Kat’s an awesome teacher and it’s become a wonderfully, close-knit group,” said Collins. “We started with watercolors and have since added an oils class. Most of us think we stink as artists — that’s a very common thing among artists — but our teacher won’t let us think like that anymore.”

O’Connor offers a different perspective on Collins’ achievements as an artist and organizer as well as the talents of others in the group, many of whom will exhibit their work in the Art on Rotation Gallery.

“It’s an interesting, dynamic group of people that started out as a class but has really become more of a support system than strictly a learning environment,’ said O’Connor. “Sheryll’s idea of a gallery for local artists is great too because the experience of putting your work up on a wall means you have to acknowledge that you’re very good at what you do and that’s the hardest thing for them.”

The first local artist to hang his work in the Art on Rotation Gallery is Eugene McCarthy, a Worcester resident and retired Holy Cross professor. McCarthy’s collection includes images ranging from mundane to magnificent. A beautiful rendering of an old Croatian doorway is as skillfully executed as a landscape portrait depicting the New Mexican desert or a mountain range in Maine. On the evening of the opening of his exhibit at Clark’s Café in December, McCarthy said working with O’Connor and the Clinton-based artist community has helped him develop as an artist.

“I’ve been painting since the 1970s but it wasn’t until I retired from Holy Cross that I decided to get serious,” said McCarthy. “And it’s only been the last few years that I’ve felt I could really do this — that’s where the support group has been very helpful. You do something and you say, ‘ah, I don’t like it,’ but then other people will find beauty in things you thought were weak spots. Kat is the teacher, but Sherry and Steve [Collins] and the gang are fellow teachers too the way we all work together.”

At the end of the month, McCarthy’s paintings were replaced with that of Westborough resident Liz McDonald and Worcester physician Dr. Sapna Savant, whose work will be on exhibit throughout January. Both are accomplished watercolor artists, and like the others in the Clinton group, hold down full-time jobs when they’re not painting. On the morning they were preparing to hang their work on the walls at Clark’s Café, both women said they hope the exhibit not only brings an opportunity for others to enjoy art, but to be inspired to find a place for it in their own lives.

“It’s really exciting to see my work here,” said McDonald. “You put your heart and soul into creating something. … Maybe people will come in for a cup of coffee, see our art and develop their own interest in art. Everybody needs to create something whether they know it or not.”

For more information on visiting or exhibiting at the Arts on Rotation Gallery, contact Sheryll Collins at 978-549-5822. Patty Angevine can be reached at patty5133@yahoo.com.

Used by permission of Patty Angevine, Mothertown