On Tuesday afternoons, three of us gather at David Reed’s studio and spend a few hours each week sitting around a common table, working on our individual art projects. We call it Art Table. David, Susan Levin, and I have been neighbors and friends for decades. In the spring of 2023, as COVID began to lift, we started seeing more of each other. We visited each other’s studios and went on art-related adventures like openings, galleries, and museums. By the end of the summer, we decided to make a regular weekly time to meet in David’s studio and work together. If the weather is good, we sometimes work in plein air as well. 

There are many kinds of artists, and while most prefer to work independently, the three of us are energized and inspired to share this experience weekly. It’s been almost three years, and we’re all committed to it. On occasion, other artist friends join us, which is a welcome addition. One time, a friend of Susan’s joined us, and later she gave me some earrings inspired by a painting I was working on. We work side by side, often listening to a soundtrack David has chosen. Sometimes we have tea and cookies, and we talk a lot! But mostly we just work. Those two hours whiz by! At the end of each session, we do an informal check-in to give and receive feedback.

When we first began, Susan commented, “This is a dream come true”. David and I totally agreed with her. It is more than just a shared studio time; it’s support, commiseration, stimulation, encouragement, sharing materials, and exchanging ideas. For David, it’s knowing that we have a weekly time together. To connect and support each other. For me, it’s also refreshing, as I work as a psychotherapist, and meet with my friends between the morning and afternoon therapy sessions. It works for all of us.

In April 2025, we had a show at Galatea Fine Art in Boston called Tuesday Afternoons. We showed work that we had made over the past couple of years at David’s studio. We also included my 20-year-old niece, Zoey McCarthy, as she had worked with us several times that spring. She was thrilled to be in her first gallery show!

We don’t have anything planned for now, but ideas continue to percolate, and our friendships deepen. And our art practices expanded as well. It really works!

It’s more than a song! And might be the thing I look forward to the most each week.

Thank you to New England Wax member, Lola Baltzell, for submitting this post. Check out her work at lolart.com.