Miner Family Gallery flourishes in the off-season

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There’s a little gallery tucked away on Beach Road Extension across from the Black Dog Tavern. And unlike many galleries on the Island, the Miner Family Gallery is open year-round, hosting a revolving display of work by both established and lesser-known artists.

Craig Miner opened the gallery last summer after sharing a space on Beach Road with Althea Freeman-Miller of Althea Designs for a couple of years. The gallery is dedicated to the work of both Miner, a painter, and his son Avery Miner, a sculptor.

Currently Miner is showing a selection of his work and his son’s, along with a show titled “We Got a Love,” featuring pieces in a variety of media by eight other local artists. The unifying factor is that all of the work is very contemporary in nature, making the gallery a nice departure from others on the Island featuring more traditional styles.

“I want to constantly have new work flowing through here all the time,” says Miner, who adds that he is using the off-season to try out new artists who he may want to represent this coming summer.

“It’s a period of experimentation,” he says. “We are going to be integrating work by other artists in the summer.”

Miner has a mission to provide a space for emerging local artists. “We are opening the door for people who don’t have a voice in galleries on the Island.”

Among those newcomers are a handful of artists whose work is included in the current exhibit.

Michael Rottman works as a private chef on the Island. On the side he has been painting for many years. Despite his status as an emerging artist, Rottman’s work shows the sophistication of a professional. His paintings combine abstraction with figurative elements.

John David Miller’s work, by contrast, is clearly influenced by 1960s pop art, often featuring brightly colored lips (perhaps in honor of the show’s theme).

Among the more locally recognized artists in the show are Darcie Lee Hanaway and Marston Clough. Hanaway paints in a very unique style combining highly textured areas created with large fluid brushstrokes along with dabs and drips, with finely outlined figures.

Marston Clough has earned a reputation on the Vineyard for his moody landscape paintings. However, he is always experimenting with new subjects, styles, and media. For the “We Got a Love” show, Clough has contributed pieces showing some other sides of his fertile imagination. There’s a lovely impressionistic painting of a pear against a vibrant red background and a couple of whimsical wall-hanging wire sculptures.

Of course, work by the two Miner family members is also well represented in the show.

Craig Miner works in a variety of interesting styles, some of which are currently on view. His mixed-media pieces include one combining the incongruous images of a hand grenade and a trio of butterflies and another large piece featuring the silhouette of a man surrounded by colorful repetitive letters. Miner’s work often utilizes familiar images — like his very large painting on wood of a bottle of Joy dishwashing liquid.

Avery Miner is constantly experimenting with different styles and materials including clay, leather, cloth, wood, and polyurethane. His chosen subjects are always interesting, sometimes surprising, like a transparent human heart, complete with valves, made from odds and ends of plastic.

Also on offer are fun steel rose sculptures by Eli Dunn-Feiner, jewelry by Megan Bettencourt, and cards and stickers from Amber Hayes.

The Miner Family Gallery will continue to host work by different artists throughout the off-season, with shows scheduled to change monthly. Next up, Miner plans to host a Makers Mart featuring work by local artisans as well as artists.

In between shows, work by father and son will be on exhibit, with new work cycling in all the time. It’s always worth a detour at Five Corners to visit the gallery where the affable Miner always welcomes shoppers and browsers alike. Or just stop by for a social visit on a dull winter day.