MANCHESTER — On a cool and breezy early autumn afternoon in Manchester, artists from the Southern Vermont region gathered at the new Three Pears Gallery to help owners Greg and Judith DeLuca bring in the art.
The DeLucas stand in the newly renovated location that will soon house the Three Pears Gallery.
Woodworker and designer of contemporary fine art furniture, John Begin, was standing with his wife Gigi Begin, who “paints romanticized aspects of rural farm life.” Both artists will be exhibiting their works at the new Manchester location of Three Pears Gallery.
John Begin’s table was uncovered. The contemporary and custom-designed piece demonstrated craftsmanship created a sense of fluidity out of the metal and wood structure, and it was made for the gallery. Gigi Begin’s painting of forest dwelling wildlife brought realism to whimsy, in a figurative sense.
Woodworker and designer of contemporary fine art furniture, John Begin, stands with wife Gigi Begin, who paints romanticized aspects of rural farm life. The pair will be exhibiting their furniture and paintings at the new location of the Three Pears Gallery in Manchester.
Ken Rush — who, according to the DeLucas, had “lifelong attachments to Vermont, which are represented through his dynamic contemporary landscape paintings” — brought one of his pieces into the gallery. Together, he and the DeLucas chatted about the vision for the space.
Ken Rush — who, according to the DeLucas, has “lifelong attachments to Vermont, which are represented through his dynamic contemporary landscape paintings” — brings one of his pieces into the gallery.
Oil paint artist Mary Iselin was maneuvering a large painting down the stairs.
The Begin’s dog, Grape (“like the fruit”), was peaceably observing the scene. “Grape — John and Gigi are the parents,” said Greg DeLuca, conspiratorially, “But Judith and I are the godparents.”
Judith DeLuca and Grape, the dog, work to organize the Three Pears Gallery as it readies to open in Manchester.
“This just feels very fresh and new — we’re very excited. We’ve seen the progress of this whole thing,” said Gigi Begin, grinning. Iselin agreed, “I think I speak for all of us — this neighborhood is going to be so happy to have them here.”
Upstairs, landlord Stan Wiener was finishing up some detail work on the restoration of the historic building.
“This building was a gallery for 40 years before this,” said Wiener, of the 4963 Main St. location in Manchester that the Three Pears Gallery will be occupying. The owners of the shop that used to occupy the space — Long Ago and Far Away — had wanted to semi-retire, Wiener said.
At the same time, he learned of Greg and Judith’s desire to move their Three Pears Gallery location from Dorset to the downtown Manchester area.
Wiener, as landlord to all of the Green Mountain Village Shops in Manchester Center, has a vested interest in the success of the plaza. “Three Pears, they’re one of the top galleries in Vermont,” he said, adding that he knew immediately that he wanted them there.
“Stan has worked so hard,” said Judith DeLuca. ”He’s just a perfect fit for us. He’s so sweet. He brought his sons to meet us. And, he tore down walls for us — he just did all this work in here — sheet rocking, painting, bringing this space back to how it originally was. He did all this for us — just so we could be here.”
After 13 years of building a community around the gallery in Dorset, couple the couple is hoping to build a similar experience in Manchester. The building that they had previously occupied in Dorset sold, the DeLucas said — and two days later, they had met Wiener.
“Like I said, it was a perfect fit,” said Judith DeLuca. “It just made perfect sense.”
Of the items in the gallery, the DeLucas stressed that the price points will be widely distributed across the inventory.
“That’s done purposefully,” said Judith DeLuca, of her partner’s marketing structure. “Our price points are very attainable. We believe that beautiful things and aesthetics don’t need to be crazy expensive. We’re very careful what we curate in, as well.”
“Even the antique pieces and the vintage pieces — there’s a history behind them and they’re of the finest quality,” she continued. “The whole feeling is of this curated aesthetic of beautiful lines — beautiful pieces that have emotion, history, and story to them.”
Even the building itself has an incredible history.
“This building used to be way up the street, and it was moved here,” said Weiner, resting his hand on one of the time-worn timber frame beams that support the structure. The beams — exposed — exude the anticipated rustic character that one might expect from a structure with a century or more behind it. The old window frames have been painted black, and Wiener pointed out an antique apparatus that one held an old-fashioned door ringer.
The rest of the gallery space has been finished with a warm, inviting, and pristine white — almost like a blank canvas just waiting for that first creative stroke of inspiration.
“It’s very important to us,” said Judith DeLuca, of creating the new vision of Three Pears Gallery in Manchester. “Greg has an extraordinary eye — he’s very, very gifted. He fell in love with Vermont as a little boy. And, we’re so blessed with the artists that we have, too.”
The DeLucas described their work to profile the artists, and feature the artists as much as the art that they produce.
“The artists’ personalities — their magic — transcends from above through them. Each piece has their own kind of uniqueness — and we just love celebrating the art. We love celebrating them. When we give a show, it’s a party — and it’s really lovely,” said the two, smiling at one another.
“Our vision,” said Judith DeLuca, “Is to make this feel as much of a home as possible with the whole retail store kind of incorporating the fine arts, artisanal pieces, one-of-a-kind finds, beautiful glass, vintage and antique tabletop ware — it’s all just such gorgeous pieces — it’s all about gracious Vermont living. That’s our whole thing.”
“We were just so blessed to make so many friends through the [Dorset] gallery,” said Judith DeLuca, looking around at those who came to assist, and reminiscing of how people would stop by the Dorset gallery with a cup of coffee — just to chat. “It’s important that people feel comfortable — art can be intimidating, and we do have incredible artists — but people feel comfortable here, with us.”
Iselin, who was propping one of her paintings up on the thick wood table at the center of the gallery as she chatted with Judith DeLuca, added, “Everyone that walked into the gallery, came out smiling — they’re just so warm. The community made petitions to keep them in Dorset, you know?”
Iselin said that she has followed the DeLucas through several previous venues, and will continue to work with them — wherever they go.
Mary Iselin – whose oil paintings are described by the DeLucas as “just luminous and filled with light” – holds one of her paintings that will be exhibited at Three Pears Gallery.
“Mary’s paintings are luminous, and filled with light,” explained Greg DeLuca. “She paints draft horses, sheep, cattle, and landscapes with the exploration of light, color, and atmosphere. And, Steve [Kovach] is an oil painter working in the traditions of American realism, tonalism, and impressionist landscape painting.”
Tony Schwartz, the DeLucas added, is “an award-winning fine art and documentary black and white photographer.”
Steve Kovach, an “oil painter working in the traditions of American realism, tonalism, and impressionist landscape painting,” holds up a painting of an early morning scene of a frosted clover field with a sunlit foliage hill in the background.
“Award-winning fine art and documentary black and white photographer,” Tony Schwartz (left), confers with gallery owner Greg DeLuca (right) on the placement and vision of art in the gallery.
The DeLucas are generous with the accolades, and they discuss a shared history with the artists that they host.
“You know what’s incredible?” asked Judith DeLuca, looking at the assembled group. “They’ve been with us since day one, and this is just going to be incredible.”
The artists and friends of the DeLucas — the community they brought with them from their Dorset location — have now gathered around, laughing and communicating their best wishes and shared joy for the DeLucas and one another as they talk about when they will finally be able to open the doors to the people of Manchester.
Artists and friends gather around the DeLucas in the new Manchester location of the Three Pears Gallery – (from left to right) Tony Schwartz, Ken Rush, gallery owners Juliet and Greg DeLuca, Steve Kovach, Mary Iselin, and John and Gigi Begin.
The DeLucas have decided that they will not be having a grand opening. They will simply open the doors when they are ready, and invite the public in.
Wiener said that he believed the location in the Green Mountain Village Shops, situated in the heart of Manchester, Center will work out well for the DeLucas and the Three Pears Gallery.
“We get a tremendous amount of people — maybe 600 cars in here — on the weekends,” said Wiener, of the Village Shops location. “Manchester — it’s modern, but this place has the character and charm — and it’s going to be tremendous for them.”
“All of our artists and artisans have that affinity with Vermont and, no matter what border you come over, you know you’re in Vermont,” the DeLucas agreed, nodding to one another, and adding that there is a subconscious authenticity that speaks to you about what it means to “be in Vermont.”
“There’s just something about it,” said Judith DeLuca. “That trueness about the people in Vermont, and the landscape — you know? It’s not a facsimile of what you think Vermont should be. It just is what it is, I think — and that’s what also draws that Vermont aesthetic because there is that trueness.”
“There’s just something so loving — you know?” said Judith DeLuca, waving her hand out to encompass the greater Vermont area. “You feel safe here, welcome here. And, yes — we’re selling material things. But, it’s not just material things represented. We know we have a strong local following, and while the gallery is really celebrated — with people coming from Canada, from New York, from Boston — they want to bring a piece of Vermont back with them.”
The Three Pears Gallery will be at 4963 Main St., between RoadRunner restaurant and the Green Mountain Village Shops. The DeLucas will not be having a grand opening; they will simply open the doors.
Three Pears Gallery will be located at 4963 Main Street, between the RoadRunner restaurant and the Green Mountain Village Shops.
