In this ongoing series, we highlight two of the many talented artists in the Concord area. Concord and the surrounding area have a rich artistic culture. In Concord alone, we have The Umbrella Arts Center and Concord Art as well as the Artscape artist community operating out of the Bradford Mills Building in West Concord. We also have two excellent commercial galleries, Three Stones Gallery in West Concord, and the Lucy Lacoste Gallery in Concord Center. As well, Village Art Room in West Concord provides a wonderful gathering place offering projects and classes for art making and creative community outreach in our town. So, whether your passion is for the visual, performance, or decorative arts, there is likely a community of those artists in the Concord area.

Ray Ciemny

Metal artist Ray Ciemny spends his days creating beautiful iron and steel railings, banisters, fountains, and other objects for homes in the New England area. In his free time, Ray loves turning discarded and unused metal into stunning works of art for homes and gardens. Working in wrought iron, copper, bronze, brass, and other architectural metals, Ray assembles his unique, often edgy (no pun intended) pieces of art. He has turned a snow sled into a flying angel, thin winding metal thread into a large horse reminiscent of a cave drawing, and different colors of roof metal into abstract sculpture. His whimsey and technique invite us into a world of exciting fresh perspective.  

Ray is a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art and has taught metal sculpture, forging, and blacksmithing for many years. Ray is also the founder of Artisan Iron, his custom metalworking business. You can find Ray’s work online at artisaniron.com and rayciemny.com and on display at Three Stones Gallery in Concord, MA. 

Walrus Spirit, mixed media, 48x38

| ©Lynne D. Klemmer

Lynne D. Klemmer

A resident of Lexington, MA, Lynne is a graduate of Skidmore College and New England School of Art and Design. Lynne has traveled widely throughout her life and frequently draws inspiration from different cultures, including Inuit and Aboriginal art.

In her latest series, titled Redux, she weaves Inuit, Aboriginal, and American folk-art references throughout her paintings. One fascinating aspect of the Redux series is how Lynne has painted entirely new pieces on top of the canvas of an older piece. This approach creates a multi-layering where original paint peeks through parts of her new piece. Her palette is rich and complex while her completed paintings are both simple and sophisticated, bright, fun, engaging, mysterious, and accessible.  

Visit Lynne’s website at ldk-art.com or see her work on display at Three Stones Gallery in Concord, MA.