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Lucky the Lobster

Sheila

One thing that I really like to do is paint outdoor murals. The combination of fresh air and the chance to interact with bypasses makes this activity a lot of fun. In the past, I have painted boxes in Salem, Peabody, and Melrose; and I am thrilled to have a chance to paint a box in Swampscott, MA.

My newest box is an homage to the new Swampscott Elementary School. The Town recently completed building the new school which will house the children from 3 elementary schools in Swampscott. The kids needed to put their heads together, take a vote, and choose among the various nominees put forth by the school kids — including blue shrimp, blue seal, blue lobster, and others. I think you can guess that the school color is blue!

The winner was a Blue Lobster! I was inspired to use a blue lobster in my design for the utility box at Vinnen Square on Paradise Road, Swampscott. The design also includes happy red crabs, yellow star fish, schools of swimming orange fish, and friendly sea horses. I call it Lucky Blue Lobster because the kids are lucky to have a beautiful new school, and the Town is lucky to have such smart kids with the ability to come to a happy agreement.

The box is located on the Marshall’s/ Petco/ CVS side of Paradise Road, Swampscott.

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Salem Maritime Festival

Sheila

The Salem Maritime National Historic Site is hosting its annual Salem Maritime Festival on Saturday, August 3, 2024 at its lovely seaside location on New Derby Street, Salem, MA. I am so happy to be taking part at the Festival with other members of the Salem Arts Association by taking part in their Plein Air Painting Event.

Many members of SAA will be setting up our easels scattered all over the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. Two years ago at the Festival, I painted the featured photo — the Salem Rope Factory and the Friendship — at the top of this post. This year, I plan to stand near the sidewalk and paint the Custom House. Wander around, listen to the music, taste the food, take part in the activities, and talk to the artists.

The festival is free and will feature musicians, a magician, visiting vessels, historic craft demonstrators, and hands-on activities. Fun for everyone — all ages.

There is nearby public parking at the nearby garage.

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Featured Artist

Sheila

The Salem Arts Association has a new look! And I was lucky to one of the artists with work featured in the newly designed Gallery Shop.

Come to see the original work of local artist-members in so many different mediums. My work includes small original paintings, mini-originals with wee easels included, matted prints of my paintings of local scenes, activity books about Salem MA, and more. Other artists are offering hand-made jewelry, fiber art, wearable items, hand made one-of-a-kind pottery, photography, books, cards, sculpture, woodturning, and much more.

My work in the photograph is shown in the 3 vertical columns in the far left: Column 1 top to bottom — Essex Marsh, acrylic, 8″ x 10″ framed; Gloucester Paint Factory, acrylic, 8″ x 10″. Column 2 — Imaginings, acrylic on illustration board, 11″ x 14″ matted & framed; Time Travelers, original hand-pulled screen print, 11″ x 14″ framed. Column 3: Marblehead Autumn Skyline, acrylic on canvas, 8″ x 8″; Salem Willows Closing Time, matted print, 11″ x 14″; Swampscott Lights, matted print, 11″ x 14″. The bin below holds an array of my other matted prints.

Upstairs, you can visit our galleries featuring an ever changing array of art shows, some are for members only, others are open to all area artists. The shows are usually themed and are a feast for the eyes. Most of the work is available for sale!

Salem Arts Association’s lovely gallery is housed in an antique home tucked right beside the Friendship docking area across the street from The old Custom House. Of course, admission is free. There is a public parking garage a short walk from the SAA, and many nice places to eat and enjoy everything that Salem has to offer.

We are located at 159 Derby Street, Salem, MA 01907. Phone: 978-745-4850, Email: info@SalemArts.org, #SalemArts, @SalemArts. Hours are usually Saturdays and Sundays 12:00 noon till 6:00 p.m., with expanded hours During October. Call, email, or check the website for more information!

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Champion for Kids 2024

Sheila

The Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Greater Salem is once again celebrating with their Champion for Kids Celebration! I am so happy and proud to have been associated with this wonderful organization for many years. My interest started when as a teacher in the Salem Public Schools, I would see my students so excited to get on they B&GCGS bus after school to take part in their activities each day.

It was my pleasure to work with some of the B&GCGS kids to facilitate their painting of game motifs to coordinate with this year’s theme. The kids planned, sketched and ultimately painted with acrylic paint on canvas and entered their finished artwork into the silent auction to benefit their beloved club. Many of them were at the party and witnessed the attendees excitedly bidding on the kids’ work! All their work sold and the kids were thrilled, and nobody was more thrilled for them than I was. This year I was delighted to also donate one of my paintings to their Silent Auction: Log Cabin Quilt, acrylic paint on illustration board, matted & framed.

Champion for Kids Celebration

DATE:
SEPTEMBER 20,2024

LOCATION:
PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM
161 ESSEX STREET, SALEM, MA

TIME:
7-8PM COCKTAIL RECEPTION
IN THE GARDEN ATRIUM AND GARDEN

8-11PM BUFFET DINNER & AUCTION
IN THE MAIN ATRIUM

PURCHASE TICKETS

Aine, Celtic Goddess of Summertime, Love & Good Fortune small
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Heroes and Legends

Sheila

From Gilgamesh to King Arthur, humans have always passed on stories of heroes and legends. These figures, whether mythical or real, have inspired us throughout history. A hero doesn’t need to be famous, nor does a legend need to be written down to exist. Our member artists reflect on the heroes and legends who have inspired their own lives.

My acrylic painting reflects my idea of Aińe, the Celtic goddess of summertime, love, and good fortune; and she is created to resemble a person who is very dear to my heart. I love that this goddess stands for so many of the things I think about at this time of year, early August; and I was inspired to paint her especially for this show. Aińe is strumming an Irish lap harp and wearing a dress in the style of ancient Celtic women. The ancient Celts used the color people wore to show their status in the community. Druids were the highest and wore white, sometimes with a gold band. I brought Aińe a step higher by making her dress have a golden embroidered band enhanced with jewels that match her eyes and a summer sky.

The next level down was a king, who was allowed to wear 7 colors, a bard could wear 6, warriors had 5, and down from there. I love that artists and bards were third only to Druids and kings. Even in modern Ireland, artists do not need to pay taxes for the beauty they create.

This exhibit will offer an opening reception on Friday, August 2 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Salem Arts Gallery, 159 Derby Street, Salem, MA 01907. The show will run from August 2 until September 7, 2024.

Contact information: www.SalemArts.org

978-745-4850

info@SalemArts.org

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Impressions Exhibit

Sheila

Life is less like a box of chocolates and more like a never-ending series of impressions made upon us, like finger marks in wet clay. As artists, not only do we visualize and bring to life the impressions that have been made on us by sights, sounds, scents, interactions, dreams, and ideas; we also leave impressions on everyone who sees our work.

I chose to take the theme of this exhibit literally and am very pleased that my impressionistic style oil painting, Sheehan’s Pond, was juried into the show. This painting grew out of only three colors of oil paint: titanium white, alizarin crimson, and dark green. I used artist Dennis Sheehan’s style of smearing the colors on a blank canvas with paper towels, and then seeing what images emerged. I began to see shapes that brought to mind pine trees surrounding a secluded pond, then used some brushes to finish the picture that appeared to me. It was a fun process.

This exhibit will offer an opening reception on Friday, August 2 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Salem Arts Gallery, 159 Derby Street, Salem, MA 01907. The show will run from August 2 until September 7, 2024.

Contact information: www.SalemArts.org

978-745-4850

info@SalemArts.org

SAA Shop featuring MOI
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SAA Gallery Shop

Sheila
Visit Our Retail Shop!Saturdays & Sundays, 12:00 – 6:00 PM

Come explore the newly designed Salem Arts Association Retail Shop, now featuring fresh items from our talented member artists and top volunteers! Whether you’re looking for a standout piece for your home, a unique souvenir, or just some inspiration, our curated collection has something for everyone. Discover unique artworks and handcrafted treasures created by local artisans.  #SalemArts 159 Derby Street, Salem, MA 01970

That’s my work on the left, the first 3 vertical rows! Lots of fabulous creations from all the members in every style and medium you can imagine. Treat yourself!

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The Lure of the Local

Sheila

The Lure of the Local exhibit at Galleries at Lynn Arts (GALA) looks to showcase local artists and their favorite local places and people. Paintings and photographs filled the gallery with images of downtown, Lynn Woods, and more to celebrate each artists’ “special local place”. The exhibit displays works in many mediums and styles.

My piece in the exhibit is Marsh Reeds, acrylic, 16×20″ and was painted en plein air at the marsh behind Woodman’s in Essex. A delightful lunch at Woodman’s obviously followed!


For more information please visit galleriesatlynnarts.org. Galleries at Lynn Arts is located at 25 Exchange Street, Lynn, MA 01901. Telephone: 617-909-9211

HOURS:

Monday: By appointment or by chance

Tuesday: By appointment or by chance

Wednesday: 2:00pm – 6:00pm

Thursday: 1:00pm – 4:00pm

Friday: 2:00pm – 6:00pm

Saturday: 12:00pm – 5:00pm

Sunday: By appointment or by chance

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Outstanding Work Award — MFoA

Sheila

Art & Exhibits

Thursday, July 4 thru Sunday, July 7, 2024

​

The Marblehead Festival of Arts 2024 exhibits and showcases artwork by artists residing, working, or affiliated with art associations in Essex County, Massachusetts, and invites guests to view pieces selected by expert judges in juried exhibits.

Founded in 1962, the Marblehead Festival of Arts has a rich history of producing a premier summer arts festival that has become a forum for artistic expression over its 50+ years of operation. The festival features art exhibits at six different venues: Abbot Hall, The old Town House, St. Michael’s Church, Old North Church, Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead, and King Hooper Mansion which is the home of the Marblehead Arts Association.

I have had 3 paintings accepted into the Marblehead Festival of Arts this year. In the Painting Exhibit at Abbot Hall — Emerald Woods; in the Senior Exhibit at the UU Church on Mugford St. –Charlie on the MTA; in the new International Exhibit at the UU too — Mathair Gach Duine (Gaelic: Mother of All)

The International Exhibit is juried and showcases original artwork, including crafts, digital art, drawing, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. The artwork is created by immigrants and first-generation to the United States representing their country of origin. I was honored to receive an award for Outstanding Work in the International Exhibit with my painting Mathaír Gach Duine (Irish Gaelic: Mother of All).

I gave this creation an Irish title to defy the unjust law that forbade Irish people to teach, learn, write, or speak Irish when my father was a boy in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I also signed it with my name spelled the Irish way, which was also not allowed: Silé Ó Farahaín.

The painting is done in acrylic on canvas and reflects my Irish-American heritage. The gold background, the spirals in the oceans, and the knots of the trees’ roots are a nod to the Celtic style of art in the Book of Kells. The trees, themselves, represent the fact that the ancient Irish worshipped trees. Ireland is a tiny land that has sent a huge percentage of its population everywhere around the world because of hardships in the country and also because of the daring spirit of its people. Those Irish emigrants made huge contributions to the world, and I am proud that I can carry on the customs of my father’s country.

Wake Up Call
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Written Word – Best of Show!

Sheila

“Written Word” Exhibition at Salem Arts. Think of a word, any word.  Or think of many, many words.  Salem Arts Association invited their member artists to use the written word as their artistic muse for this exhibition.  

The troubled state of the world inspired me to create Wake Up Call, a mixed media piece of artwork which illustrates my feelings about the necessity that we all work together to get things under control ASAP. Divided U.S. politics and gun violence, international wars, the climate crisis! These topics and many more moved me to insert a sense of urgency into this artwork by my use of strong color contrasts, hard edges, eye-catching Op Art lines (yes, I used a printed piece from my Musing painting to show the bugle’s blare!), and a little humor. Wouldn’t it be great if my Wake Up Call worked?

The juror for the Written Word exhibition is Ms. Jean Marie Procious is Executive Director of the Salem Athenaeum and co-chair of the Salem Literary Festival. She is a librarian and archivist with degrees from Simmons University and Hiram College. An avid reader and pie baker, her activities also include serving as a trustee of Harmony Grove Cemetery, volunteering with local nonprofits, and game night with friends, her husband, two kids, and two cats. Who better to judge works based upon the written word?

I am honored to have been her choice for the Best of Show Award! This is what Ms. Procious had to say about my piece, Wake Up Call: “The crisp visual elements reinforce the artist’s words. Message received, loud and clear!” Thank you, Jean Marie! I couldn’t be more delighted!

  • Reception: Friday, June 28, 2024, 6:00-8:00 PM
  • Exhibition Dates: June 29 – July 27, 2024

Open Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Salem Arts Association Galleries, 159 Derby Street, Salem MA 01970

Contact gallery@salemarts.org with questions.