Did you know that Newton Open Studios is happening this weekend, April 9-10?

Neither did I (where is the advertising for these events?) – but then I ended up exploring SoWa  – especially that wildly picturesque alleyway at 450 Harrison, with all the galleries and design shops (I wanted to check out Casa Design and wasn’t disappointed).

Just by chance, I ended up in the basement and happened to find Abigail Ogilvy‘s beautiful and relatively new gallery space, which lured me in with its bright, very colorful abstracts by the Polish-American artist Natalia Wróbel.

Natali Wrobel, Portal II, 2015. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of Abigail Ogilvy Gallery.

And then, again by chance and as I was leaving, I happened to glance into a far corner, past the main show, to see this piece by another artist, Caron Tabb. Not part of the main exhibition, but impossible to ignore (and it seems I wasn’t the first to do a double-take at this tucked-away treasure):

Caron Tabb, All that Comes to visit while I sleep, 2016. Courtesy of Abigail Ogilvy Gallery.

The photo doesn’t quite do it justice (they rarely do), but it’s a very intriguing work. Just imagine what it would be without those bursts of yellow! A completely different, maybe even somber canvas. But here, with the joyful ray of light imposing itself in front of the slightly brooding black and white backdrop, it’s just the opposite: playful, uplifting. A work that would be very easy to live with.

And, luckily for those who want to see more of the artist’s work right away, it turns out that Caron Tabb – who lives in Newton – is participating in Newton Open Studios. You can download the map here.

See you there?

If you’d like to visit the Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, you’ll find it at 460 Harrison Ave, #C7
Boston, MA 02118.