Abstract Artist Chris Spuglio Shows at Beebe Estate This Month

Chris Spuglio is rather a young man to be thinking so much about mortality. Spuglio's abstract pieces, showing at the Beebe Estate this month, portray the inevitable breakdown of living things and find beauty in decay.

The Boston native's work has caught the eye of art critics, curators, and dealers, including the Agora Gallery in New York City, which has been showing Spuglio's paintings for the past three years.

At a reception Friday night for the opening of his "Intervals" show, Spuglio greeted friends and supporters, including many from the Melrose art scene.

"I used to have a studio in downtown Melrose next to Marty's Furniture," Spuglio said.

His eye was attracted to the crumbling mill buildings, the broken and scattered shards of glass and metal he found. "Everything was dying everywhere," he said.

A graduate of Salem State, Spuglio, 33, now lives in Woburn and travels to New York twice a year for shows. He also works as a graphic artist.

His paintings, some with bright colors, show a painstaking craftsmanship, created by layering acrylics and then stripping the layers away. 

On Friday evening, some of his fellow artists mingled and admired his work. 

"We like to come and support each other," said Thom Ciulla, a Melrose photographer whose series on Italy graced the walls of the historic Beebe home in June.

J. J. Long, a Melrose painter, had a successful show at Beebe in January. "It was the best exhibit I ever had," he said. 

Gary Borkan, the gallery director for the Beebe Estate, said the shows support area artists, and also create some atmosphere at the estate for functions and events. "The stuff looks good on the walls," he said.

The estate hosts a new artist each month, with an opening reception on the first Friday, and an open gallery each Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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