Above: A Southborough artist is displaying her paintings of the iconic valentines day candies in time for the holiday (images L-R of painting and of a display of multiple paintings from gallery website)
Southborough’s Nicci Sevier-Vuyk is one of two artists whose work was selected for a Valentine’s Day themed exhibit. Her paintings will be on display this Friday through the holiday.
A press release describes Sevier-Vuyk’s paintings as “familiar American sweetheart candies with a playful twist”. At a special closing event the weekend before Valentine’s Day, the artist will also offer personalized paintings.
The press release promotes:
Nicci Sevier-Vuyk’s cheeky Sweet Talk exhibit emphasizes the all too familiar images of February 14th as it exists in the U.S. Known for her colorful, realistic, acrylic paintings of iconic objects in culture, Sevier-Vuyk’s candy heart paintings reference the cultural tradition of exchanging cards and sweets for Valentine’s Day. Through the maze of candy-colored treats and dreamy escapes, viewers are invited to consider the images and tropes that make up societal notions of “love” and “romance.” Rather than indulging one’s sweet tooth with an ephemeral bite, Sevier-Vuyk’s artistic candies offer audiences the chance to celebrate these holiday traditions, with a new appreciation of her social and cultural commentary through her artwork.
The exhibit will open with a wine tasting and musical performance this Friday, January 13th from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. On Sunday, February 12th from noon – 3:00 pm, Sevier-Vuyk will personalize “4 x 4 love hearts”.
I followed up with the artist who explained that at second event, she will have some images available with blank hearts. If the requested words/phrases are short enough to fit, she will custom paint them on for the collector to take home.
She noted that each one will take her a little while to customize – but collectors who don’t want to hang out there to wait can also enjoy walking around SoWa while she finishes. (The gallery is located in the SoWa neighborhood art district in South Boston.)
You can learn more about the exhibit and view more examples of her work here.
