Category: Exhibitions

The Danvers Art Association is staging a virtual Fall Art Show on the DAA website, www.thedanversart.org. which goes up November 9, 2020. Members have submitted art in many different mediums. Because of safety concerns about COVID, there will be no reception or in-person gallery time.

I have 2 entries: Twitter, acrylic, 16″x 20″, $350 –Psyched to receive Second Prize!!!   I had painted a smaller version of Twitter, inspired by bright birds in a leafless winter tree, tweeting in the morning near my window. I think it was cardinals and blue jays. It made me think of how fun it would be to paint even more colorful birds against a gray sky on a larger sized canvas.

Black Lives Matter, pastel 14″ x 18″ matted & framed, $250. This pastel was done in a virtual Zoom workshop I took at Salem Arts Assoc, taught by the fabulous artist Janet Schwartz. She had all of us do renditions of her powerful photo of the BLM march in D.C. and it was fascinating to see the many renditions of the same subject from different artists.

The Galleries at Lynn Arts, GALA, is presenting an exhibit, Feminism & Activism which features art inspired by the Feminist Movement and other activism which has been inspired by the current political situation.

I am thrilled to be part of this show! My art for the exhibit is called “Dear Sirs” and uses my shorthand and typing to send messages a equal rights for women. Stenography is mostly a women’s language; these days, when it is no longer taught in most schools, it is almost a secret women’s language. So it is the ideal language to use in feminist art.

First I wrote a series of letters to the men of the world who have the power to change the system to treat women, more than half the population, fairly. One discusses equal pay and equal job opportunities, one is centered on passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, and one concerns a fair and equal split of household responsibilities. First I took the letter down in stenography on the last page of the stenography pad of my youth, then I typed them. The letters are crumpled, burned and stained with coffee mug rings to represent the long journey women have been forced to take to try to attain equal and fair treatment in the world.

Then the letters were collaged with newspaper articles which covered various aspects of Women’s Rights. An interesting and depressing fact is that all of the articles were gleaned from one regular daily Boston Globe — not a special Women’s Issue, not an issue printed on a day special to the Women’s Movement. Lastly, I smeared the whole collage with the shorthand brief form for “Dear Sirs”, done in translucent paint so the letters would show through. The color is the red of blood & lipstick. It is not painted in a gentle and lyrical way, but an angry slash. It is time for women to stick together and be angry about our unfair treatment, and to not worry about whether think it isn’t pretty.

“Inspired by PEM” – 14th Annual PEM Inspirational Exhibition

Salem Arts Association presents an exhibition by local artists inspired by the Peabody Essex Museum’s collections of art.  Artists draw inspiration from any of the work in the PEM’s outstanding special exhibits and permanent collection of art and architecture.

My two entries in the show are part of my Tree Collection, Free Birds and Four Seasons. Both of them are painted with acrylic on canvas, and are trees painted against a mottled metallic background which is accomplished by painstakingly applying layer upon layer of translucent paint. My paintings are inspired by the exquisite Asian panels I have seen at the Peabody Essex Museum.

Free Birds shows a row of three trees with autumn leaves swirling around them. The three trees represent my three children who are pictured as blackbirds flying away from the nest. Two birds representing my husband and I remain behind. The question is….which are the free birds? Free Birds, acrylic, 15″ x 18″ framed, $300.

Four Seasons is a four-panel painting, and each panel illustrates one of the seasons of the year in New England. Winter shows swirling snowflakes, spring depicts the delicate flowers and tiny leaves on a blossoming apple tree. Summer is drifting leaves done in shades of green and blues, and Autumn illustrates spiraling fall leaves in reds, oranges, golds and browns. Four Seasons, acrylic, 4 panels 12″ x 24″ each (total size 48″ w x 24″ h), $1,200.

Free Birds will hang in the actual gallery. Four Seasons is too large for this show and will be part of the virtual online gallery. Salem Arts Association is located at 159 Derby Street, Salem, MA 01970, right beside the Friendship at Derby Wharf. Gallery hours are noon to 6:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. 978-745-4850. The virtual gallery as well as the Salem Arts shop can be found at www.salemarts.org.

September 5 through Sunday November 8, 2020

Mythology is full of tales which are intended to teach a lesson, explain the many mysteries of life, phenomenon in nature or describe the customs, institutions, or religious rites of a people. Here we are, in the 21st century, and many of us still enjoy mythological tales. Mythological references can still be found in our discussions about science, art and literature…everywhere you turn, there is likely to be a reference to Mythology. What does it teach us? How did Mythology became modern?

My painting, Shell Selkie, was juried in to this exhibit. Shell Selkie is done in acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, 11″ x 14″. It was inspired by stories in Irish mythology of sea maidens who can transform into seals, and by the haunting folk song The Great Selkie of Sule Skerry.

Opening reception will be held on Friday, Feb. 21 at GALA. Meet and greet the artists, 5:30 to 6:00 p.m., suggested donation $10. Public reception 6:00 to 8:00, suggested donation $5. Lots of food and fun!

The Galleries at Lynn Arts are presenting the exhibit, Mythology, from February 17 to March 25, 2020. The show is on display at GALA, 25 Exchange St., Lynn, MA. Email: galleriesatlynnarts@gmail.com. Phone: 617-909-9211. Website: www.galleriesatlynnarts.org

Artists throughout the greater metropolitan Boston area, northeast of Boston and Southern New Hampshire have been invited by ArcWorks Peabody to share original art work interpreting their own ideas about love. I am happy to learn that three of my pieces of Celtic art have been juried into this exhibit.

My father was born in Ireland, and I have long been inspired by the richness of ancient Celtic art. The three hearts I have put in the show, Ideas About Love, each are embellished with Celtic knots and brilliant colors. Two of the hearts have Irish Gaelic titles; they are all signed with my birth name, Sheila Farren, in Irish ~ Sile O’Farachain.

A Chuisle Mo Chroi (Irish: Pulse of My Heart) is a heart filled with an intricate Celtic knot in shades of purple and blue. It is hung in an 11″ x 14″ frame.

Wee Flower Heart (shown in this post) is a heart-shaped Celtic knot in shades of green, surrounding pressed yellow and purple flowers from the hills of Normandy, France. The heart is mounted on a white paper doily which represents the lace-making tradition of Ireland. This artwork is presented in an 8″ x 10″ frame.

Chroi Seamroag (Irish: Shamrock Heart) is a heart filled with gracefully curving and entwining shamrocks done in green on a soft golden background. It is framed to 8″ x 10″.

The opening reception will be held at ArcWorks, 22 Foster Street, Peabody, MA 01960 on Thursday, February 13 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. ArcWorks is located in Peabody Square across the street from a municipal parking lot and there is also plenty of on street parking.

It is with the greatest delight that I introduce my newest mural to the CuriousCity Children’s Museum! The mural is a stylized illustration of some of Peabody’s most iconic buildings arrayed along Main Street. It is wrapped around a corner in the museum’s temporary location at the Leather Museum at 205 Washington Street, Peabody, MA. This mural joins my other murals in the EpiCurious and Curious World exhibits.

The mural includes City Hall, the old Post Office (currently Arc Works) on Foster Street, the Fire Station, Civil War Monument, Public Library, and O’Shea Mansion. Along the bottom of the mural are an array of cars and trucks to inspire play.

Visit curiouscitypeabody.org for a list of exhibits and special events!

Marblehead Arts Association will present Tree Show, an exhibit of artist members’ paintings of trees, which will run from January 11 until February 2, 2020. The opening exhibit will be held on Sunday, January 12 from 2:00 till 4:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Trees are my favorite subject, and I selected my painting, Twitter (acrylic, 16″ x 20″) for this exhibit. The painting shows a winter tree bare of leaves, but alive with branches full of colorful tweeting birds.

The show was the brainchild of artist member, D.L. Kaulback, and it will be hung in the Dining Room and Hendrick Gallery of Marblehead Arts Association’s Hooper Mansion at 6 Hooper Street, Marblehead. All the entry fees for this exhibit will be donated to the Tree Committee of Sustainable Marblehead. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday & Sunday, noon-5 pm and Saturday, 10-5 pm. Closed Monday. 781-631-2608. marbleheadarts.org

GALA is presenting their show, Dark Arts from October 3 until November 4, 2019. This exhibit is based on a Dark Art or Halloween theme. The show’s planners were inspired by the Arts After Hours production of Carrie The Musical based on the book by Stephen King.

I have two entries in this show. Nevermore is a mixed media piece showing a stylized raven sitting on an autumn tree limb. It was inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, The Raven. The artwork has a mottled metallic background on which I painted tree branches using acrylic paint. The raven and colorful fall leaves are collaged with various types of paper. It is 20″ x 24″ framed. The second entry is Nocturne, a 10″ x 20″ acrylic painting on 1-1/2″ deep gallery wrapped canvas. It shows a wolf howling at a full moon. This painting was inspired by a family of coyotes living near my house!

The opening reception for Dark Arts will be held on Friday, October 4 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. A $5 donation is requested. GALA is located at 25 Exchange Street, Lynn, MA. Please go to galleriesatlynnarts.org for more information.

Dark Arts is Salem Arts Association’s seasonal exhibit exploring Salem’s history with witchcraft, religion, and Halloween festivities. And we can’t have dark without light so be free to share your fun art too. Salem Arts has encouraged any local artists to explore their interpretation of these themes in various mediums and styles.

My entry is Stairway to Heaven, a mixed media piece combining a charcoal study of a skeleton with collage, using the sheet music to Stairway to Heaven, composed by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page for Led Zeppelin. This artwork is framed and matted to dimensions of 20″ x 24″.

Dark Arts has been juried by Nathan Lewis, Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs, Montserrat College of Art.

Nathan Lewis is a nationally exhibiting fine artist, curator, instructor, and lecturer; having been involved in events at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, Northern Spark, and more. He received his BFA in studio art from the University of Texas–Austin and his MFA in Visual Studies–Photography from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. His personal work deals with the paranormal and uses the uniqueness of photographic processes to allude to the otherworldly.

The opening reception for Dark Arts will be held Friday, October 4 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public and will feature art, music and refreshments.

Salem Arts Association Gallery is located at 211 Bridge Street, Salem, MA 01970. Gallery hours are weekends noon until 5:00 p.m.