Art's new directions on display

''There's a focus on evolving artwork, that which is unusual, which is pertinent to the times," said gallery director Marjorie Kaye, describing Gallery 181 in Lawrence. Because it is a common area for several businesses, visitors to the gallery can also visit the gourmet food shop, chocolate store, custom lingerie store, antiques store, or frame shop that occupy the space.

The ''Art on the Wall" exhibit that will inhabit the year-old Gallery 181 until the end of this month consists of the work of 40 local artists in a variety of media, and most of the artwork is for sale. Among the artists are Loretta Berardinelli, a digital photographer from Pepperell; Donna Catanzaro, a digital collage artist from Windham, N.H.; Sharon Chew, a mixed-media artist from Westford; Lewka Z. Cims, an acrylic painter from Groton; Nancy Grice, an oil painter from Andover; Jack Holmes, a photographer from Andover; Peter Koutrouba, an acrylic painter from Pepperell; and J. Sjostrom, a monoprint artist from Salem, N.H.

''The art in the show 'Art on the Wall' is very dynamic and very varied; it's a good sampling of the type of art that's done in our area," said Kaye. ''It's just amazing how many really, really talented and dedicated artists there are in the area."

Berardinelli describes her works, of which three will be on display, as ''motionscapes" in which the images are based on movement. ''The image is not crystal-clear, so it has a mysterious look," she said. ''When I shoot this way, the colors blend and it has a very different look to it."

She is always looking for color that catches her eye and then takes the photos from a moving car or while her arm is moving to blend the image. This way, she mixes the colors but still keeps some kind of recognition of what it is. ''The way I photograph is that it's all blended like a painting," she said. ''It involves a lot of trial and error, because I shoot hundreds of pictures before I get it right."

Berardinelli hopes that people will be able to connect with the images on an emotional level based on the colors in the photographs instead of clear-cut images that draw the eye to particular details.

Kaye describes Berardinelli's work as photo-Impressionistic. ''She captures a place or a feeling of landscape, but it's all done in motion," she said, adding that most photographers try to stop the motion in their photographs, but Berardinelli enhances it and relies on it. ''They're Impressionistic, yet they're very subtle and almost minimalist in a way; they're very serene and very beautiful."

She is also excited about the work of Paul DiLascia, of Watertown. New to the art world over the past few years, DiLascia makes digital collage art using a computer. ''I think it's the purity of his vision that creates such imaginative scenarios," said Kaye, referring to the futurescapes that DiLascia creates.

The gallery space ''is enormous, and Lawrence is going through such a renaissance and a creative revolution right now," said Kaye.

''The whole area is just coming alive with creative energy, and there's all sorts of plans to make the whole city a better and more productive place to live in, and the arts are essential to fulfilling that mission."