A new gallery in Brandon is an alluring venue even without the artwork. Conant Square Gallery is tucked next to the bridge over the Neshobe River and just feet from Route 7 as it squiggles through town. Originally a gristmill in the 1860s, the handsome red-brick building later housed an auto shop, then an antique store. Tall windows give the place a storefront vibe; inside, they overlook the rushing water below. An open window lets in the river’s mesmerizing soundtrack.
Artist Sandy Mayo bought the property two years ago and, after “bringing it into 2023,” as she put it, she moved in. The building has two apartments, a guest suite and studio space. Artist Fran Bull and her partner, Robert Black, moved into the second apartment. Now they can easily meet visitors to the high-ceilinged, street-level gallery, which just happens to be showing paintings by both women and longtime Brandon artist Warren Kimble.
For Conant Square’s inaugural exhibition, the three friends conceived of a whimsical theme, announced in its title: “Broom Art.” Yes, they really did paint with a variety of small brooms. The 28 abstract works reflect that swooping energy with dramatic brushing and vivid colors. And they are for sale.
“Working with brooms gave Warren a perfect ‘out’ for abstract work,” Mayo remarked, ensconced in the gallery’s cozy sitting room and art library. Indeed, Kimble is renowned for his folk art, but it’s clear the unusual tools were liberating. In a canvas titled “Hooked on Art,” he excavated layers of red and blue paint to produce an entirely nonrepresentational composition. Kimble’s “Wow” looks explosive — just bursts of red on white.
Bull is accustomed to working abstractly, but the broom produced simplified imagery. In “splish, splash,” strong primary colors and black fan outward like a peacock tail. Other compositions contain blocks of bold color or energetic swooshes.
Mayo’s previous works are delicate abstractions that feature subtle shifts of color and a purposeful sense of line. But with a broom, she produced chunkier pieces, such as “Taking Pictures w/Drones” — a grid of abstract blocks in gray on a pea-green field.
Trading years of living in the woods in Castleton, Mayo seems happy to be in a town filled with creative colleagues. “I think 40 percent of the people who live here are artists,” she said of Brandon. “One of the characteristics of artists is being insane,” she joked, “so it’s good to have friends.”
Her plans for the gallery include not only exhibits but also musical events and even a soup kitchen at Thanksgiving. Meantime, at Conant Square, there is art made with brooms.
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This article appears in Oct 4-10, 2023.
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