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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
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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!

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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.

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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

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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

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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!

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DPW Mural, Finis!

Sheila

The large mural I painted to cover the entire 77′ x 17′ wall of the Department of Public Works in Swampscott, MA is complete! It was hard work, and I was grateful for the help of the workers at the DPW who assembled a scaffold, moved it, and in general made the job easier. Thanks, Guys! Their friendly help gave meaning to the slogan I painted at the bottom of the mural: PUBLIC WORKS MAKES IT HAPPEN. This slogan became popular during the Covid pandemic when the DPW workers showed up to work every day since they are absolutely necessary to a town running smoothly and safely.

The wall was getting tired-looking, and I offered a few ideas; but everyone involved agreed that a giant wave would be best. Swampscott has a mysterious mascot called Big Blue. My first thought for this seaside community was a giant blue wave with foamy edges, swirling water, and huge white seagulls soaring above. I was inspired by the woodblock, The Great Wave Off Kanagawa by 19th Century Japanese artist, Katsushika Hokusai and then I painted it huge and made it my own.

It was interesting to get advice and thoughts from passersby, many who visited me daily as the painting advanced. When I am painting public art, I find my work is improved by listening to the ideas of viewers. I was complimented when the auto repair garage next to the mural also painted the front of their building in a color complimentary to the mural.

My favorite part of the mural is that I had the chance, while high up on the scaffolding, to secretly hide my Swampscott granddaughters’ names in the billowing sea foam. Every day when they go to school, they can try to find it. Thanks to the Town of Swampscott for giving me the opportunity to help make my town a bit nicer.

Salem-Willows-Closing-Time_acrylic_11x14
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Conjuring & Incantations

Sheila

Salem Arts Association is welcoming its newest exhibit Conjuring & Incantations with an Opening Reception on Friday, September 12 fro 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at its beautiful gallery space, 159 Derby Street, Salem, MA 01970.

My two entries juried into the exhibit are:

Salem Willows Closing Time, acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, 11″ x 14″ x 1.5″ deep. This painting was done from a photograph I took one night as the Willows Arcade was closing. The fluorescent lights flashing inside the arcade contrasted with the more demure twinkling of stars in the deep purple sky. Couples sauntered hand in hand down the street, children scampered for one last time around the flashing games. The Willows is one of my favorite places.

Nocturne, acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, 12″ x 24″ x 1/2″ deep. This painting was drawn from my imagination as I listened to the plaintive and kind of frightening sound of coyotes howling outside my house! Yes, it was really a full moon, but I imagined the steep cliff the coyote sits on in my painting.

Salem Arts Association is also open weekends 12 noon to 6:00 p.m. There is a public parking garage one block away.

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New Art — Swampscott

Sheila

There has been a change in the painting that I am showing in the Swampscott Art Association Fall Member Show. The piece I had originally advertised has found a new “forever home”, which is what I hope for all my art! Instead of Eastern Point Lighthouse, I will be exhibiting my plein air painting, Pumpkin Harvest.

Pumpkin Harvest is an acrylic paintig, framed and matted 14″ x 18″. It was painted last October at Russell Farms — a beautiful spot in Ipswich, Massachusetts. I had a lovely time painting there with a group of artist friends on a gorgeous New England autumn day. I was entranced with the antique red farm truck full of ripe pumpkins. I found a spot in front of it, and there I stayed till I was hungry enough for the delectable cider donuts they were baking.

The show will be held at the Swampscott Senior Center, behind the High School on Essex Street Swampscott from September 4 until October 3, 2025.

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Autumn Member Exhibit

Sheila

My entry in the Swampscott Art Association member exhibit is Eastern Point Light, Gloucester MA. It is an acrylic painting on stretched 10″ x 22″ canvas, and measures 12″x22″ framed.

This painting was done on location one morning from the Eastern Point Yacht Club. What a treat — I was overwhelmed with the close-up view from their lovely grounds! I love painting with my wonderful plein air painter pals who help to get us access to such special locations where we would not usually be able to go.

The Swampscott Art Association Autumn Member Exhibit will be on display at the Swampscott Senior Center from September 4 through October 3, 2025. The Senior Center is located behind Swampscott High School, 200 Essex St. Open 9:00 to 3:00 Mondays through Fridays. There is plenty of free parking.

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Art Exhibit 8/16 – 9/26/25

Sheila

The Danvers Art Association is pleased to present their new non-themed exhibit at the Peabody Institute Library of Danvers, MA. (AKA Danvers Public Library. The show will be hung in the gracious, elegant Standring Room, straight ahead as you enter the library. Members of the DAA and also non-member local artists have submitted work to be shown. Many different styles, mediums, and subjects will be on display.

My entry accepted into the exhibit is titled Emerald Woods. I painted it en plein air one morning when the trees were absolutely shimmering with pure hues of green, and the light was glowing through the leaves. There was a gentle breeze causing the slender branches to sway. So much loveliness prompted me to drag out my easel before I even had a chance to eat breakfast. I needed to catch the light before the sun moved!

The Opening reception will be held Saturday, August 16 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Standring Room. The reception is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served. The exhibit will be up until September 26, 2025 during regular library hours.

The Peabody Institute Library of Danvers is located at 15 Sylvan Street, Danvers, MA 01923.

Library Hours:

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

Closed on Labor Day

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