By Doug Holder
One day I got an email from the accomplished Somerville sculptor Ann Hirsch about a talented outsider artist-- Robert Wright. She told me he has this strange but very compelling art on display in a little park in Gilman Square. On a crisp morning in October, I walked over to Gilman Square in Somerville, to meet the man and view his art. It was a bit nostalgic, as the old Paddock Restaurant site was across the street, a place I used to frequent years back. Wright was walking with a friend of his, and I introduced myself. Wright told me that he is a resident of the Park Street Senior Center and started working on this art among a little warren of trees next to his residence. He revealed that he had once been an ironworker, and was severely injured in a work-related accident, and since then he had been looking to fill his time with something interesting. His canvas for his artwork is trees, where his creations are posted. He is not a formally trained artist. His medium is mostly seashells. One creation which is inventively arranged is in the form of a turtle--that has now reached the ripe old age of 20. He also created a Halloween mask from shells, that can be lit up at night. In addition , he formed a seashell rose for his mother, who of course is named Rose. He also has a few abstract paintings on display. Wright told me he has lived in Somerville for thirty-five years, and had made friends through his artwork, and takes pleasure in the many comments he gets. He has formed a community around this special place. Wright is just one the creative people that makes Somerville the "Paris of New England."
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