Homeowners’ Stories: Art as Identity, Memory, and Joy
Art by Janet Rickus in the home of Margo and Kevin Mercer.( Bernay Fine Art)
They installed the pieces on the walls and helped Stephanie see how each work interacted with the architecture and furnishings.“ A lot of people, when they think of art and a gallery, it can be intimidating. But they are very approachable,” Stephanie recalls.
She continues to follow Bernay’ s artists, recommending the gallery to clients, praising Lou and Paula’ s thoughtfulness and attention to detail. Their ability to match shows and artists to her design sensibility, she says, is rare and invaluable.
For Sharissa Jones and her husband, Daniel Medwed, their experience working with Bernay Fine Art has been transformative. The couple, who split their time between Cambridge and a second home in Sheffield, discovered the gallery one day walking down Main Street in Great Barrington. What began as an impromptu visit turned into a purposeful, collaborative journey, with Paula and Lou helping them select large-scale works by artists such as Joy Taylor and their father Warner Friedman. Warner even joined Lou when the painting was installed in the home because, Sharissa says,“ he really wanted it hung a certain way. It was a collaborative effort, and they’ re just so delightful and lovely. I trust them so much.”
“ Living with these pieces has changed our sense of home,” she continues.“ I loved the house before, but now, I’ m really happy when we come here.” The
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Y unique life, planned.
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38 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE July 2025