The First Pioneer Artist of Glasstown Speaks

Fourteen years ago the city of Millville sought to establish a hub of economic and cultural activity. The efforts to renovate High Street into a centerpiece of the local community led to the creation of the Glasstown Arts District. What is ostensibly six blocks of stores and galleries has courted artists from across the country to reside there. The Pioneer Artist program offers loans of up to $5,000 at 0% interest to artists relocating there from elsewhere. The first Pioneer artist was Dennis Tawes from Jacksonville, who operates the Amethyst Gallery, a small cottage in a series of cottages located at 212 North High Street. His style is primarily that of wildly vibrant expressionism. The walls of his gallery are adorned with paintings, some of them naturalist, some of them abstract, all of them somewhat quirky. In the video below he goes into some of the detail of his process and reveals what he thinks art is.

Some of his work is available at his website. Or his work can be seen on the Third Fridays of every month.