Author: Sheila

Exhibitions

Winter Member Show

Sheila

Marblehead Arts Association is pleased to announce its Winter Member Exhibit to be held from 11/8 to 12/21/25 at their lovely Hooper Mansion, 8 Hooper Street, Marblehead, MA. Work in many mediums, styles, and subjects will be on display. Hours are Wednesdays to Sundays, 12 noon to 5pm.

My painting in the show is titled Mother Earth. It is done in acrylic paint on a gallery-wrapped canvas, 24″x30″, $400. This painting represents the interconnectedness of everything and everyone in the world and is inspired by Celtic art. The spirals of the ocean echo a Celtic theme and represent the blending of all things on Earth. The trees which were considered sacred show the passing of time, and the metallic background and bright colors use the colors usually used by the Celts.

The Irish Gaelic title is: Máthair Gach Duine which loosely translates to Mother of All. To be able to give my painting an Irish title is special to me because when my father Michael Joseph Farren lived in Northern Ireland as a boy, it was illegal for him, or anyone to speak their native tongue. In fact, he witnessed his classroom being smashed and his teacher being dragged off to jail for daring to present their own language to his class. I was humbly grateful when this painting won Outstanding Work in the International Exhibit of 2024 Marblehead Festival of Arts.

When you come by to view the exhibit, do not forget to stop in to our lovely Artisan Shop on the first floor of the building. It is chock full of exquisite, one-of-a-kind, hand crafted goodies for everyone on your Holiday Shopping List. And don’t forget to treat yourself!

Exhibitions

Danvers Art Show 11/22/35-1/4/26

Sheila

Danvers Art Association is pleased to invite the public to our latest Member Exhibition at the Peabody Institute Library, also known as the Danvers Public Library. Please join us at our opening reception on Saturday, November 22, 2025 from 2:00 p.m to 4:00 p.m. for good art, conversation, and delicious treats. The exhibit will run from November 22, 2025 to January 4, 2026.

It makes me so happy that my painting, Great Horned Owl, has been accepted into the exhibition. Great Horned Owl (acrylic on canvas, 16″ x 20″) was painted in the plein air style, which means it was done quickly on location in real time. It was inspired by the beauty of the raging blizzard coating the trees in the woods behind my house one winter afternoon. However, since it was so cold, I set up my easel inside the glass doors of my house beside a roaring fire and painted in comfort!

Though I intended to paint the snowy woods, with maybe a few chickadees huddling on the branches, I got a surprise visit by a mighty great horned owl swooping through the air! I had often heard her hooting, seen her tiny owlets peeking from the nest in the oak tree, and even heard her hunting scuffles — but I had never actually seen her before. She really made the painting sing. Since she moved too fast for me to “catch”, I painted her in afterwards, with the help of some reference photos.

Gallery wrap canvas has several benefits. It allows me to continue the image around the deep edges of the canvas. It does not require framing, thus keeping the price down — though you can have it framed in a floater frame if you wish. It also makes the painting lighter, so you do not need to worry about hanging it from a stud in the wall.

A huge array of other paintings by members of the Danvers Art Association will fill the lovely room, done in many different mediums and styles. You will find oil, watercolor, and acrylic paintings; photographs; drawings; and more. Why not treat yourself to spruce up your home in time for the Holidays? Maybe a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork would make a perfect gift this season!

Please visit my website to view some of my other paintings! I enjoy collaborating with patrons to help them find artwork that fits their budget and style. I hope my painting gives your heart as much happiness as it has given mine!

Peabody Institute Library of Danvers

15 Sylvan Street, Danvers, MA 01923

Library Hours

Monday – Thursday: 9am – 9pm
Friday & Saturday: 9am – 5pm
Sunday (Nov. – Mar): 1pm – 5pm

TEL: 978-774-0554
E-MAIL: danversref@noblenet.org

Exhibitions

Art, Activism & Democracy

Sheila

I am thrilled to have been invited to display one of my Protest Umbrellas at an exciting exhibit being offered by Salem State University, my alma mater! I got the idea to paint an umbrella, rather than a poster, after standing in both pouring rain and in melting sun! Over the months, I have shared my methods with many other activists and the protest umbrellas are “popping up” all over! The umbrellas and many clever protest posters are part of the Art, Activism & Democracy show featuring the art of Sue Coe & Stephen F. Eisenman — as well as the 2025 documentary A SAVAGE ART: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant.

ART, ACTIVISM & DEMOCRACY

SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY
Sue Coe & Stephen F. Eisenman
November 20 – December 19, 2025.

Artist Talk: Thursday, December 4, from 12:30 – 1:30 PM.

Sue Coe will discuss her work in the Winfisky Gallery at the Ellison Campus Center.

Reception: Thursday, December 4, from 1:30 – 3:00 PM.
For further information contact Ken Reker at kreker@salemstate.edu

“A picture is worth a thousand words”. Throughout history, artists have responded to the
inequities around them in the form of images, music, literature & performance.
Since the 1970s, Sue Coe has worked at the juncture of art and social activism to
expose injustices and abuses of power. This exhibition combines the powerful artwork of Sue
Coe with the lucid writing of Stephen F. Eisenmen, in highlights from their new book, THE
YOUNG PERSON’S ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO AMERICAN FASCISM.

Coe and Eisenman participate in a tradition dating back at least to the Age of Revolution, and spiking during tumultuous times, of artworks designed to foster social change, often by confronting the viewer with challenging imagery. As a compliment to this exhibition, assembled from a Call for Hand-
Made Protest Posters, demonstration placards from various rallies will be on display in the Winfisky Gallery.


The exhibition offers viewers an opportunity to reflect upon the ideals of democracy, while
aiming to elicit thoughts about ‘what’ individual values are most important in this endeavor.


The 2025 documentary A SAVAGE ART: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant will be
screened on Tuesday, December 2, at 7:00PM in Veterans Hall in the Ellison Campus Center.
A Savage Art chronicles the incredible life & career of Pulitzer Prize political cartoonist Patrick
Oliphant, spanning fifty years & ten U.S. presidents. It features interviews with Pat, his family,
friends & colleagues, alongside archival footage & hundreds of his distinctive cartoons. The film
also provides a concise history of political cartoons, illustrating their significance & influence on
Pat & other cartoonists. It underscores why, in today’s era of political polarization & corporate
media control, political cartoonists like Oliphant remain crucial in holding power accountable.

Uncategorized

YMCA Art Exhibit

Sheila

The Swampscott Art Association is offering a Holiday exhibit of members’ art from November 13, 2025 until January 15, 2026. The show is being held at the Lynch Van Otterloo YMCA on the Salem/ Marblehead line.

My artwork in she show is titled Autumn Tapestry. This painting was done en plein air — which means outside, on location — looking at the woods behind my home. There was even a bright red cardinal sitting on the branches of my evergreen! The tapestry of colors inspired me to grab my easel and materials and capture the magical play of light on the autumn leaves. The sun moves so quickly that I have to paint fast. I love the immediacy of working en plein air because I can feel the breeze, smell the soil, and bring all of that to my painting.

Autumn Tapestry is a 10″ wide x 20″ tall acrylic painting on gallery wrapped canvas. Gallery wrap allows me to paint around the sides of the canvas to add extra dimension to the work. It is wired and ready to hang as is, or you can pop it into a floater frame if you desire. Unframed gallery wrapped paintings are easy to hang; they are so light that you do not even have to find a stud. Hang them anywhere! The tall, narrow size allows you to add pizazz into those spaces too small for a wider painting.

Members are displaying artwork in a wide range of mediums and subject matter. There is truly something for everyone. Included in the show are paintings in oil, acrylic, and watercolor; there are also drawings and beautiful photography. Any item in the impressive display would make a wonderful one-of-a-kind Holiday gift for a friend or loved one….or treat yourself!

Please stop by the YMCA and check out this exhibit. The location is located at:

40 Leggs Hill Road
Marblehead, MA 01945-3325
United StatesPhone+1 781-631-9622

Hours of Operation

Mon – Fri:5:00am – 9:30pm
Sat:6:00am – 7:00pm
Sun:6:00am – 6:00pm
Art Tour
Uncategorized

Art Tour! 11/6/25

Sheila

Wow! I never expected to have a chance to lead a tour of my outdoor public art! Well the Third Age Club, part of the Senior Center at the Salem Community Life Center changed all that. A bus was engaged, a route was charted, a megaphone was activated, and we were off!

First stop: The Sunflower utility box located at the corner of Nichols Street and Boston Street in Salem, MA. The City of Salem, MA had decided to brighten up the city and raise citizens’ spirits after Covid with their Positive Thoughts Art Box Project. My design shows a sunflower garden, full of cheerful flowers, butterflies and bumblebees; and positive quotes are painted both on the street side and the sidewalk side.

Second stop: Brooksby Farm utility box located at 82 Main Street, right outside the Peabody Institute Public Library. My design celebrates Brooksby Farm’s popular “pick your own apples” program which is an autumn tradition on the North Shore. This box was part of the Peabody Outside the Box utility box mural project to focus on community pride and to bring art to unexpected places.

Third stop: Mrs Fenton’s Tea Party to the right of Walgreen’s across from the Peabody Institute Public Library on Main Street, Peabody. This is part of the Outside the Box project Project. My theme alludes to a historical figure in Peabody who used to have lovely tea parties at her home my Brooksby Farm. A tea party is celebrated there annually in her honor.

Next: We drove down Swampscott Road, Salem, to the utility box in Swampscott at the end of that street — the intersection of Danvers and Essex Streets. There, I painted a Patriotic Utility Box at the site of the Jared Raymond memorial. The box features flags representing all the branches of the U. S. Armed Services and one for P.O.W.s. It also has special symbols included in the design that were suggested by Mrs. Raymond, Jared’s mother who planned and cares for the memorial.

Fifth Stop: Take-out lunch from the ever-fabulous Periwinkle’s Food Shop in Salem!

Sixth Stop: My Big Blue Wave, a 77 foot wide and 17 foot tall mural along the entire side of the Swampscott Department of Public Works Building at 200 Paradise Road. The mural was inspired by Swampscott Schools’ Mascot, Big Blue; and the art was inspired by the famous Japanese wood block print, The Great Wave by Hokusai. Celebrating the intrepid, unsung DPW! Public Works Makes It Happen.

Next: We stopped at the Big Blue Lobster Utility Box outside the Vinnin Square Mall on Paradise Road. This mural celebrates the cooperative spirit of the Swampscott Elementary School children. When a new elementary school was built to house all the students, a new mascot had to be agreed upon, and with lots of discussion, the children decided upon a Blue Lobster. If only adults could work together so well.

Eighth stop: We stopped at my Muñeca Statue on Lafayette Place in Salem. She stands 12 feet tall with her back to the ocean, and embodies the spirit of kindness and acceptance to new Americans as they make their way in the USA. I covered her skirt with uplifting quotes in the languages of the various cultures that have called this traditionally gate-way neighborhood home: Spanish, French, Gaelic, Polish, and English.

Last: Our final swing before returning to the Senior Center to enjoy our Periwinkle’s lunches was the Rainbow Plugs at Reilly Plaza. It was meaningful because this was my very first utility box mural, and it was the the first round of such murals in Salem.

What a wonderful and memorable day!

Exhibitions

Mural’s New Home!

Sheila

I was thrilled to find that my Main Street Mural has found a new home! It is on the landing going from the first to the second floor at the Peabody Institute Public Library Main Branch on 82 Main Street, Peabody. As the public library for the community since philanthropist and businessman George Peabody’s generous donation in 1854, the Peabody Institute Library provides innovative services, resources, programs, and spaces to meet the educational, informational, cultural and creative needs of the community while offering opportunities for lifelong learning for all. As a retired public school teacher, it means a lot to me to be a part of this wonderful place.

This mural depicts some of the iconic old buildings on Main Street, Peabody, MA. This colorful piece of artwork has had an exciting life. Here is some background information from the website of the North Shore Children’s Museum:

In March of 2019, the museum was piloted with a pop-up endeavor, CuriousCity, which was initially designed as a three-month pop-up exhibition to test the feasibility of a children’s museum in downtown Peabody. The Peabody Cultural Collaborative (PCC) received a creative placemaking grant from the Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF) in July of 2018 to activate community support for a children’s museum. This original investment in the project vision leveraged additional funding from the Lahey/J.B. Thomas Foundation, the City of Peabody Department of Community Development, North Shore Bank, Eastern Bank and the Peabody Cultural Council. The pop-up garnered such interest from the community, that its time open was extended several months longer – until the covid-19 pandemic began in March 2020.

Based on this success, the Peabody Cultural Collaborative and the City of Peabody turned its attention to designing and funding a permanent museum, in a new location at 10 Main Street, in the heart of downtown Peabody. The new museum opened on October 15, 2022 and featured 14 exhibit spaces, a party room for rent, workshops, a gift shop, and much more. Since that time, exhibit spaces have changed and grown, with the gift shop made space for some of them. The North Shore Children’s Museum continues to expand its ideas about the space.

At CuriousCity, my Main Street mural was designed to be part of a downtown construction play area, complete with building activities and lots of toy cars and trucks. When CuriousCity became the North Shore Children’s Museum, the Main Street mural was set up in a hallway leading to lots of exciting activities.Because of a plumbing issue in the hall where my Main Street mural was installed, it had to be removed and I lost track of it for a couple of years as the City decided on where it should go. Well, now it had a happy home at their main library. It brightens the stairway and brings back fond memories of Main Street, Peabody.

Main Library

82 Main Street, Peabody MA 01960
Get Directions

978-531-0100

Hours:
Monday: 9am-9pm
Tuesday: 9am-9pm
Wednesday: 9am-9pm
Thursday: 9am-9pm
Friday: 9am-1pm
Saturday: 9am-5pm
Sunday: 1pm-5pm *CLOSED Memorial Day – Labor Day*

Uncategorized

Mural Expanded

Sheila

My mural in the Construction Corner exhibit at the North Shore Children’s Museum in Peabody, MA has been expanded! This popular mural encourages kids to play with the building materials provided in the room: blocks, rocks, bricks, and more. There is also lots of opportunities for gross motor activities like climbing, sliding, and using a pulley system.

The original mural now fills a wall encompassing a Lego block activity center. Kids can build the wall as they imagine the mural wrecking ball is ready to knock it down. The activity includes many different shapes and colors of Lego blocks. Little Lego people are also part of the fun to inhabit what the kids build.

Here is some information on the Museum from their own website:

North Shore Children’s Museum brings together children, families, and their community with accessible, hands-on learning through play.

Our vision is to create inclusive, welcoming spaces and learning experiences that use the power of play to nurture the imagination, engage families, and strengthen the community.

Our History at North Shore Children’s Museum

North Shore Children’s Museum is located in Peabody, Massachusetts and serves children ages 2-8.

In March of 2019, the museum was piloted with a pop-up endeavor, CuriousCity, which was initially designed as a three-month pop-up exhibition to test the feasibility of a children’s museum in downtown Peabody. The Peabody Cultural Collaborative (PCC) received a creative placemaking grant from the Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF) in July of 2018 to activate community support for a children’s museum. This original investment in the project vision leveraged additional funding from the Lahey/J.B. Thomas Foundation, the City of Peabody Department of Community Development, North Shore Bank, Eastern Bank and the Peabody Cultural Council. The pop-up garnered such interest from the community, that its time open was extended several months longer – until the covid-19 pandemic began in March 2020.

Based on this success, the Peabody Cultural Collaborative and the City of Peabody turned its attention to designing and funding a permanent museum, in a new location at 10 Main Street, in the heart of downtown Peabody. The new museum opened on October 15, 2022 and features 14 exhibit spaces, a party room for rent, workshops, a gift shop, and much more.

The NSCM encourages children and families to learn through play and exploration. We support joyful, active, and exuberant play. We believe in allowing for mistakes and encouraging children to be creative. We ask guests to be kind, respectful, accepting of differences, patient, and understanding. We ask guests not to interfere with children’s playful discovery or try to “perfect” the play experience. 

Tickets are available in-person on a first-come, first-serve basis for all visitors, regardless of discount or membership used. Online ticket reservations are strongly encouraged for library pass users, as well as members and non-members alike due to our museum capacity.

www.nschildrensmuseum.org

Hours of Operation

Wednesdays: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm & 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm (Closed 12:00-1:00PM)
Thursdays: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm & 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm (Closed 12:00-1:00PM)
Fridays: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm & 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm (Closed 12:00-1:00PM)
Saturdays: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Sundays: 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm, 2:00pm – 4:00pm

Please check the monthly calendar on our homepage for any schedule changes, such as holiday closures or special school break hours.

Exhibitions

New Kids’ Mural

Sheila

My newest mural is now complete at the North Shore Children’s Museum Construction Corner exhibit! It frames a new wall of magnetic pipes and gears that children can arrange and rearrange to their hearts content, forming new paths to roll balls into a tray at the bottom. This exhibit is also fun for the parents!

The mural depicts pipes in copper, steel, and PVC, intertwined and dripping along the top and sides of the large magnetic pipes activity. My pipes have an array of colorful faucets, gears, valves, and levers to inspire kids’ imaginations. At the very bottom right of the mural sits a goldfish happily benefiting from the drips from a faucet above. I like to add a little humor into all my murals.

The North Shore Children’s Museum is located at 10 Main Street, Peabody MA.

Here is some information on the Museum from their website:

Our Mission & Vision at North Shore Children’s Museum

North Shore Children’s Museum brings together children, families, and their community with accessible, hands-on learning through play.

Their vision is to create inclusive, welcoming spaces and learning experiences that use the power of play to nurture the imagination, engage families, and strengthen the community.

Our History at North Shore Children’s Museum

North Shore Children’s Museum is located in Peabody, Massachusetts and serves children ages 2-8.

In March of 2019, the museum was piloted with a pop-up endeavor, CuriousCity, which was initially designed as a three-month pop-up exhibition to test the feasibility of a children’s museum in downtown Peabody. The Peabody Cultural Collaborative (PCC) received a creative placemaking grant from the Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF) in July of 2018 to activate community support for a children’s museum. This original investment in the project vision leveraged additional funding from the Lahey/J.B. Thomas Foundation, the City of Peabody Department of Community Development, North Shore Bank, Eastern Bank and the Peabody Cultural Council. The pop-up garnered such interest from the community, that its time open was extended several months longer – until the covid-19 pandemic began in March 2020.

Based on this success, the Peabody Cultural Collaborative and the City of Peabody turned its attention to designing and funding a permanent museum, in a new location at 10 Main Street, in the heart of downtown Peabody. The new museum opened on October 15, 2022 and features 14 exhibit spaces, a party room for rent, workshops, a gift shop, and much more.

The NSCM encourages children and families to learn through play and exploration. We support joyful, active, and exuberant play. We believe in allowing for mistakes and encouraging children to be creative. We ask guests to be kind, respectful, accepting of differences, patient, and understanding. We ask guests not to interfere with children’s playful discovery or try to “perfect” the play experience.

Tickets are available in-person on a first-come, first-serve basis for all visitors, regardless of discount or membership used. Online ticket reservations are strongly encouraged for library pass users, as well as members and non-members alike due to our museum capacity.

Hours of Operation

Wednesdays: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm & 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm (Closed 12:00-1:00PM)
Thursdays: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm & 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm (Closed 12:00-1:00PM)
Fridays: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm & 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm (Closed 12:00-1:00PM)
Saturdays: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Sundays: 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm, 2:00pm – 4:00pm

Please check the monthly calendar on our homepage for any schedule changes, such as holiday closures or special school break hours.

Uncategorized

Featured Artist

Sheila

What a lovely surprise to be included as a Featured Artist in the Art in Giving Newsletter Fall 2025! You can read the newsletter at www.artingiving.com and also see the gallery page featuring my paintings as well as the work of the charitable foundation’s other artists.

Art in Giving raises funds for childhood cancer research through the sale of fine arts.

Talented artists exhibit their work with Art in Giving and fifty percent of the purchase price of their artwork sold goes directly to talented cancer researchers working on breakthrough ideas to identify causes of and cures for brain tumors and gliomas. 

 To date, Art in Giving has granted $1.4 million in seed funding to researchers at Stanford University Medical School, Yale University School of Medicine, Barrow Neurological Institute, University of Pennsylvania, The Broad Institute, Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Mass General Hospital, and Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Our business model increases the amount of money targeted for pediatric cancer research, a severely underfunded area.

  • People buy from us rather than a commercial gallery, and still make donations to their favorite charities
  • Interior designers purchase art for their clients while supporting innovative research
  • Companies purchase art using facility management and gift, not philanthropy, budgets

 With Art in Giving, children with cancer and their families, pediatric cancer researchers, artists, art enthusiasts, and corporations all benefit.  

VIEW OUR EBROCHURE

page4image1026527072

Featured Artist: Sheila Billings

This 77′ x 17′ mural is located on the Swampscott Department of Public Works building at 200 Paradise Road, Swampscott — Rte. 1A. The mascot for Swampscott is Big Blue, and this is the biggest, bluest thing I could think of to represent
the Town! The mural was inspired by a woodblock by Japanese artist, Hokusai. The best part was hiding my Swampscott granddaughters’ names in the sea foam! And inspiring the auto mechanic next to the DPW to spruce up his building too!” Sheila Billingspage4image1094795504page4image1094796336page4image1094797168

Please visit Sheila Billings web page to learn more about her art pieces.page4image1094807024

Thank you for your support for Art in Giving for The Rachel Molly Markoff Foundation

Uncategorized

Best in Show!

Sheila

The Danvers Art Association’s Fall Member Exhibit opened October 10, 2025 and it will be on display until Sunday, October 12. The Opening Reception will be held on Friday evening October 10 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public afternoons at the Danvers Art Association’s lovely antique schoolhouse at 105 Elliott Street, Danvers, MA which is right on Route 62. You can call them at 978-777-8501.

I was thrilled when my entry was named Best in Show and was also given the 1st Place ribbon for Acrylic Painting! My painting, Gloucester Dahlias was painted en plein air with acrylic paint on gallery-wrapped canvas, 24″ high by 12″ wide. There were numerous beautiful paintings and photographs in the exhibit and I feel very surprised and lucky to have the honor of being chosen for these awards.

I love the lush, colorful dahlia gardens along the sea walk by Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, MA. One perfect early autumn day last fall, I brought my paints and easels there, set up on the sidewalk amid the blossoms, and painted! I had to work fast because as the sun moves, the shadows move too and the colors seem to change. The bees were working fast right beside me, moving from bloom to bloom gathering nectar; and many of them spent time curiously walking over my painting. I’m sure there are many tiny bee footprints decorating my canvas. Many people stopped by to visit me as well as they strolled along enjoying the perfect weather and glorious garden.

It is a pleasure to paint outside where I can feel the breeze, smell the aromas of flowers and ocean, and hear the waves and happy people. I think “being there” and working fast, gives plein air paintings a sense of immediacy and freshness that I prefer to working from my photographs. I hope you will have a chance to visit this show!