Upstairs Downstairs Antiques on Charles Street feted local artists during a festive reception on the evening of Oct. 20.
Featured talent included Andrea Guay, Niki Farrell, John Young, Robert Douglas Hunter, Marcia Corey, Nancy O’Hearn and Pearl McCarthy, as well as William Cloutman, Cate Hunter Kashem and Liz Hunter – an artist and former student of the late New England painter Robert Douglas Hunter; an artist and Hunter’s daughter; and Hunter’s widow, who was on hand representing his work, respectively.
Laura Cousineau, the store’s proprietor, said artwork on display included images of Boston skylines, the North and South shores and Beacon Hill and still-life fruit, while a series of paintings depicting a Beacon Hill dog wearing pearl earrings that were created by Nancy O’Hearn an employee of the Charles Street post office, sold out completely.
Unlike the artists series that Upstairs Downstairs sponsored last year, with each event was devoted to a single artist, Cousineau said staging this reception was particularly challenging not only because it integrated the work of multiple artists, but also because she had to handpick pieces of furniture to complement their wide range of work.
Upwards of 100 guests attended the reception, Cousineau estimates, including longtime Beacon Hill residents; newcomers to the neighborhood; loyal customers of Upstairs Downstairs, some of whom have been patronizing the store for decades; and families and customers of the artists.
“Everyone is so local and embedded in Beacon Hill,” Cousineau said of the event. “It was really a community thing.”