submitted by unknown contributor:
"NORTHAMPTON — Painter, sculptor and humanitarian Gregory Stone died Thursday at the age of 69, surrounded by friends and family at his home in Hatfield, according to those who knew him best.
Stone, a prolific artist, was known for his unflinching urban landscapes, luminous portraits of ordinary people and expressionist bronze sculptures. A familiar figure in Northampton, Stone in recent years kept a studio at the Canal Gallery in Holyoke. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in July.
Born in Gardner on April 5, 1947, Stone was the second son of Dorothy and Chuck Stone, a sportswriter for the Athol Daily News and Fitchburg Sentinel. The family lived in the North Quabbin community of Athol.
"He was an artist from an early age," said Stone's older brother Rocky. "He did it his way. He loved many, and was loved by many."
A talented athlete, Stone attended Athol High School and Kimball Union Academy before gaining admission to Boston University, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture.
Stone, who started exhibiting in the 1970s, broke ground with his oil portraits of homeless people on the streets of Northampton in 1989. A decade later, his "Baseball" exhibit memorialized players and the game. Stone gained accolades for his portraits of great blues musicians.
Throughout his career, he captured the vernacular in his art, including buildings on fire, disabled veterans and ordinary people at work.
Kathy Fletcher of Washington, D.C., said she had known Stone for 30 years. She said he saw the world "through Greg Stone eyes" — discerning those in pain, hungry or in need. "He illuminated and transformed that pain through his art," she said.
Stone's longtime friend Michael Ludquist concurred. "He painted what was invisible to most people. He saw what others couldn't or wouldn't see. He painted things people didn't really want to look at," he said.
He told a story from decades ago, when Stone had a small studio at 199 Main St. in Northampton. "People liked to hang out with Greg when he was painting," said Lundquist. "I was there one day, and we we were flat broke. We didn't have money for cigarettes, and we didn't have money for food. And this man came up and offered Greg an exorbitant amount of cash for one of his paintings, but wanted him to change one detail."
The giant painting depicted a freshly killed deer during hunting season hanging from a tree. The deer had been gutted, and its face looked like it was still alive. "It had this open eye, that was looking straight at you," said Lundquist. "The man said, 'I'll buy that painting from you, but I want you to fix it, to close the deer's eye.'"
Stone refused to alter the painting, and remained with empty pockets. "That was Greg," said Lundquist. "He refused to compromise, even if it meant going hungry." Stone abhorred the business of marketing his art, probably to his detriment, said Lundquist.
Lundquist said he and Stone had known each other since high school, reunited later in life, and were inseparable. "He was always a charismatic figure. He lettered in every sport, and played shortstop for BU. He also loved nature. There's a lot that people don't know about Greg Stone."
Lundquist and Stone in 1997 traveled to Nicaragua with a small group of friends to help landmine victims in Nicaragua receive artificial limbs. They formed Walking Unidos, a prosthetic clinic in the city of Leon. Stone remained involved in the charitable work, now led by the nonprofit Polus Center, founded by Lundquist.
Fletcher recalled that when she was 20 years old, Stone brought her a milkweed branch with caterpillars on it. She tended the creatures, watched each form a chrysalis, and eventually emerge as Monarch butterflies. "I watched them fly from my window," she said.
Stone, an avid motorcyclist, called his friends in the days before his death, and they traveled from afar to gather at his side. "We said, 'your ride is coming to get you, Greg,'" said Fletcher.
To those who lament Stone's passing, Fletcher said he's not really gone. "Greg will live on in his art, and with every act of generosity.""
"NORTHAMPTON — Painter, sculptor and humanitarian Gregory Stone died Thursday at the age of 69, surrounded by friends and family at his home in Hatfield, according to those who knew him best.
Stone, a prolific artist, was known for his unflinching urban landscapes, luminous portraits of ordinary people and expressionist bronze sculptures. A familiar figure in Northampton, Stone in recent years kept a studio at the Canal Gallery in Holyoke. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in July.
Born in Gardner on April 5, 1947, Stone was the second son of Dorothy and Chuck Stone, a sportswriter for the Athol Daily News and Fitchburg Sentinel. The family lived in the North Quabbin community of Athol.
"He was an artist from an early age," said Stone's older brother Rocky. "He did it his way. He loved many, and was loved by many."
A talented athlete, Stone attended Athol High School and Kimball Union Academy before gaining admission to Boston University, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture.
Stone, who started exhibiting in the 1970s, broke ground with his oil portraits of homeless people on the streets of Northampton in 1989. A decade later, his "Baseball" exhibit memorialized players and the game. Stone gained accolades for his portraits of great blues musicians.
Throughout his career, he captured the vernacular in his art, including buildings on fire, disabled veterans and ordinary people at work.
Kathy Fletcher of Washington, D.C., said she had known Stone for 30 years. She said he saw the world "through Greg Stone eyes" — discerning those in pain, hungry or in need. "He illuminated and transformed that pain through his art," she said.
Stone's longtime friend Michael Ludquist concurred. "He painted what was invisible to most people. He saw what others couldn't or wouldn't see. He painted things people didn't really want to look at," he said.
He told a story from decades ago, when Stone had a small studio at 199 Main St. in Northampton. "People liked to hang out with Greg when he was painting," said Lundquist. "I was there one day, and we we were flat broke. We didn't have money for cigarettes, and we didn't have money for food. And this man came up and offered Greg an exorbitant amount of cash for one of his paintings, but wanted him to change one detail."
The giant painting depicted a freshly killed deer during hunting season hanging from a tree. The deer had been gutted, and its face looked like it was still alive. "It had this open eye, that was looking straight at you," said Lundquist. "The man said, 'I'll buy that painting from you, but I want you to fix it, to close the deer's eye.'"
Stone refused to alter the painting, and remained with empty pockets. "That was Greg," said Lundquist. "He refused to compromise, even if it meant going hungry." Stone abhorred the business of marketing his art, probably to his detriment, said Lundquist.
Lundquist said he and Stone had known each other since high school, reunited later in life, and were inseparable. "He was always a charismatic figure. He lettered in every sport, and played shortstop for BU. He also loved nature. There's a lot that people don't know about Greg Stone."
Lundquist and Stone in 1997 traveled to Nicaragua with a small group of friends to help landmine victims in Nicaragua receive artificial limbs. They formed Walking Unidos, a prosthetic clinic in the city of Leon. Stone remained involved in the charitable work, now led by the nonprofit Polus Center, founded by Lundquist.
Fletcher recalled that when she was 20 years old, Stone brought her a milkweed branch with caterpillars on it. She tended the creatures, watched each form a chrysalis, and eventually emerge as Monarch butterflies. "I watched them fly from my window," she said.
Stone, an avid motorcyclist, called his friends in the days before his death, and they traveled from afar to gather at his side. "We said, 'your ride is coming to get you, Greg,'" said Fletcher.
To those who lament Stone's passing, Fletcher said he's not really gone. "Greg will live on in his art, and with every act of generosity.""
submitted by unknown contributor:
"NORTHAMPTON — Painter, sculptor and humanitarian Gregory Stone died Thursday at the age of 69, surrounded by friends and family at his home in Hatfield, according to those who knew him best.
Stone, a prolific artist, was known for his unflinching urban landscapes, luminous portraits of ordinary people and expressionist bronze sculptures. A familiar figure in Northampton, Stone in recent years kept a studio at the Canal Gallery in Holyoke. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in July.
Born in Gardner on April 5, 1947, Stone was the second son of Dorothy and Chuck Stone, a sportswriter for the Athol Daily News and Fitchburg Sentinel. The family lived in the North Quabbin community of Athol.
"He was an artist from an early age," said Stone's older brother Rocky. "He did it his way. He loved many, and was loved by many."
A talented athlete, Stone attended Athol High School and Kimball Union Academy before gaining admission to Boston University, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture.
Stone, who started exhibiting in the 1970s, broke ground with his oil portraits of homeless people on the streets of Northampton in 1989. A decade later, his "Baseball" exhibit memorialized players and the game. Stone gained accolades for his portraits of great blues musicians.
Throughout his career, he captured the vernacular in his art, including buildings on fire, disabled veterans and ordinary people at work.
Kathy Fletcher of Washington, D.C., said she had known Stone for 30 years. She said he saw the world "through Greg Stone eyes" — discerning those in pain, hungry or in need. "He illuminated and transformed that pain through his art," she said.
Stone's longtime friend Michael Ludquist concurred. "He painted what was invisible to most people. He saw what others couldn't or wouldn't see. He painted things people didn't really want to look at," he said.
He told a story from decades ago, when Stone had a small studio at 199 Main St. in Northampton. "People liked to hang out with Greg when he was painting," said Lundquist. "I was there one day, and we we were flat broke. We didn't have money for cigarettes, and we didn't have money for food. And this man came up and offered Greg an exorbitant amount of cash for one of his paintings, but wanted him to change one detail."
The giant painting depicted a freshly killed deer during hunting season hanging from a tree. The deer had been gutted, and its face looked like it was still alive. "It had this open eye, that was looking straight at you," said Lundquist. "The man said, 'I'll buy that painting from you, but I want you to fix it, to close the deer's eye.'"
Stone refused to alter the painting, and remained with empty pockets. "That was Greg," said Lundquist. "He refused to compromise, even if it meant going hungry." Stone abhorred the business of marketing his art, probably to his detriment, said Lundquist.
Lundquist said he and Stone had known each other since high school, reunited later in life, and were inseparable. "He was always a charismatic figure. He lettered in every sport, and played shortstop for BU. He also loved nature. There's a lot that people don't know about Greg Stone."
Lundquist and Stone in 1997 traveled to Nicaragua with a small group of friends to help landmine victims in Nicaragua receive artificial limbs. They formed Walking Unidos, a prosthetic clinic in the city of Leon. Stone remained involved in the charitable work, now led by the nonprofit Polus Center, founded by Lundquist.
Fletcher recalled that when she was 20 years old, Stone brought her a milkweed branch with caterpillars on it. She tended the creatures, watched each form a chrysalis, and eventually emerge as Monarch butterflies. "I watched them fly from my window," she said.
Stone, an avid motorcyclist, called his friends in the days before his death, and they traveled from afar to gather at his side. "We said, 'your ride is coming to get you, Greg,'" said Fletcher.
To those who lament Stone's passing, Fletcher said he's not really gone. "Greg will live on in his art, and with every act of generosity.""
"NORTHAMPTON — Painter, sculptor and humanitarian Gregory Stone died Thursday at the age of 69, surrounded by friends and family at his home in Hatfield, according to those who knew him best.
Stone, a prolific artist, was known for his unflinching urban landscapes, luminous portraits of ordinary people and expressionist bronze sculptures. A familiar figure in Northampton, Stone in recent years kept a studio at the Canal Gallery in Holyoke. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in July.
Born in Gardner on April 5, 1947, Stone was the second son of Dorothy and Chuck Stone, a sportswriter for the Athol Daily News and Fitchburg Sentinel. The family lived in the North Quabbin community of Athol.
"He was an artist from an early age," said Stone's older brother Rocky. "He did it his way. He loved many, and was loved by many."
A talented athlete, Stone attended Athol High School and Kimball Union Academy before gaining admission to Boston University, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture.
Stone, who started exhibiting in the 1970s, broke ground with his oil portraits of homeless people on the streets of Northampton in 1989. A decade later, his "Baseball" exhibit memorialized players and the game. Stone gained accolades for his portraits of great blues musicians.
Throughout his career, he captured the vernacular in his art, including buildings on fire, disabled veterans and ordinary people at work.
Kathy Fletcher of Washington, D.C., said she had known Stone for 30 years. She said he saw the world "through Greg Stone eyes" — discerning those in pain, hungry or in need. "He illuminated and transformed that pain through his art," she said.
Stone's longtime friend Michael Ludquist concurred. "He painted what was invisible to most people. He saw what others couldn't or wouldn't see. He painted things people didn't really want to look at," he said.
He told a story from decades ago, when Stone had a small studio at 199 Main St. in Northampton. "People liked to hang out with Greg when he was painting," said Lundquist. "I was there one day, and we we were flat broke. We didn't have money for cigarettes, and we didn't have money for food. And this man came up and offered Greg an exorbitant amount of cash for one of his paintings, but wanted him to change one detail."
The giant painting depicted a freshly killed deer during hunting season hanging from a tree. The deer had been gutted, and its face looked like it was still alive. "It had this open eye, that was looking straight at you," said Lundquist. "The man said, 'I'll buy that painting from you, but I want you to fix it, to close the deer's eye.'"
Stone refused to alter the painting, and remained with empty pockets. "That was Greg," said Lundquist. "He refused to compromise, even if it meant going hungry." Stone abhorred the business of marketing his art, probably to his detriment, said Lundquist.
Lundquist said he and Stone had known each other since high school, reunited later in life, and were inseparable. "He was always a charismatic figure. He lettered in every sport, and played shortstop for BU. He also loved nature. There's a lot that people don't know about Greg Stone."
Lundquist and Stone in 1997 traveled to Nicaragua with a small group of friends to help landmine victims in Nicaragua receive artificial limbs. They formed Walking Unidos, a prosthetic clinic in the city of Leon. Stone remained involved in the charitable work, now led by the nonprofit Polus Center, founded by Lundquist.
Fletcher recalled that when she was 20 years old, Stone brought her a milkweed branch with caterpillars on it. She tended the creatures, watched each form a chrysalis, and eventually emerge as Monarch butterflies. "I watched them fly from my window," she said.
Stone, an avid motorcyclist, called his friends in the days before his death, and they traveled from afar to gather at his side. "We said, 'your ride is coming to get you, Greg,'" said Fletcher.
To those who lament Stone's passing, Fletcher said he's not really gone. "Greg will live on in his art, and with every act of generosity.""
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