When Marc Gurton accepted a part-time gig to set up the books for a local photographer and art gallery owner, little did he expect to have it turn into a brand new career. After 20 years as a corporate accountant, Gurton had taken some time off to travel and recharge before embarking on a job search.
"I had been barely home a few days from a six-week trip to England, Italy and Tunisia when I hooked up with Lisa," Gurton said recently at his new 13FOREST Gallery, the 500-square foot site of a former shoe-repair shop in Medford Square. Lisa is Lisa Tang Liu, the founder of Pigmentia Studio and Gallery, a woman whose interests range from photography to painting to computer programming. This collection of disparate talents together with Gurton's long-time interest in the visual arts and photography added up to a happy partnership comprised of an unusual set of skills.
When Tang Liu decided to concentrate on her fine art photography, she gently persuaded Gurton to take over the space. By the time she and her husband returned from a vacation in Seattle and Alaska, Gurton had extended the lease and begun pulling together a list of new items to offer.
"Our roots are in the Medford art community...I wanted the gallery to continue to be a venue for local artists to introduce their work to the public and to communicate directly with each other," Gurton said. He also wanted to expand on that concept by adding handcrafted jewelry, pottery, glass, and some clothing to the space. "Beautiful functional things" is the gallery's tagline.
Gurton has taken the concept of Medford pride even further. He designed a t-shirt with 02155, the city's postal code, emblazoned on the chest in a jumpy stencil ($16, available in black, chocolate, and forest green). "We're here to say Medford is much more than Paul Revere's ride - with the Mystic River, Lakes and Fells and the extension of the Green Line less than a decade away, it's a cool place to be."