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MFoA 2025, Honorable Mention

This year, I am thrilled to have had three pieces of my art juried into the Festival, and one of them — Devereau Beach Umbrellas, won Honorable Mention! This acrylic on canvas 12″ x 24″ painting, Deverereux Beach Umbrellas is being exhibited at The Unitarian Universalist Church on Mugford Street, as part of the Senior Exhibit. Senior Art is a non-juried exhibit of original artwork comprising crafts, digital art, drawing, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture by persons 65 years of age or older.I painted this piece en plein air on a very hot day when almost everyone was sitting in the shade of a bright beach umbrella. The umbrellas formed an inspiring mosaic along the beach which just had to painted.

My drawing, St. Brigid’s Cross (pen & pencil on vellum paper, 20″ x 24″ matted & framed) is on display at the Drawing Exhibition, also housed at the UU Church. Drawing is a juried exhibit of original drawings in pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, conte’ crayon, pastel, and other media.My father was born in Northern Ireland, and his avid interest in Irish culture inspired this piece of art. He taught me how to draw the intricate Celtic knots which are incorporated into my design. All the images in the drawing are attached in some way to St. Brigid, the female patron saint of Ireland.

My painting, Salem Willow Closing Time (acrylic on canvas, 11″ x 14″ x 1.5″) was painted from a photograph I took after a long, pleasant day spent at this iconic attraction in Salem, Massachusetts. During the day, I love the expansive ocean views and lovely beaches there — with breaks for the yummy beach food! In the evening, the lights come on at the arcades. The bright flashing lights made a good contrast to the darkness of the street which inspired me to paint this scene as people left at closing time. Painting is a juried exhibit of original paintings in oil, acrylic, ink or watercolor; the exhibit is on display at Abbot Hall.

The Festival exhibits are open to artists who reside, work, or belong to an art association in Essex County, Massachusetts. In juried exhibits, the artwork has been selected by judges with expertise and knowledge in their fields of judging. Awards will be distributed in each exhibit category on July 2nd, 6pm at the Front Entrance of Abbot Hall.

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

All Exhibits:

Thursday, July 3: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Friday, July 4: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Saturday, July 5: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

St. Michael’s Church, UU Church, Old North Church:

Sunday, July 6, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

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.

P.O. Box 331 – Marblehead, MA – 01945

Marblehead Festival of Arts  is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

For further information, check out marbleheadfestival.org

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Abbot Library Exhibit

Just to remind one and all that warmer days are on the way, they Swampscott Art Association is pleased to present an exhibition of members’ work!

Devereux Beach Umbrellas (acrylic paint on stretched canvas, 12″ x 24″) is my contribution to the exhibit. I painted it on location at the beach on happy, sunny day when it seemed the whole North Shore was gathered on that Marblehead beach under bright, colorful umbrellas. It was very hot that day, and it made me wish that I had thought to bring an umbrella for myself! The good news is that the heat made me paint fast, which is necessary to get the painting done before the light and the tide changes too much.

Abbot Public Library, 235 Pleasant St., Marblehead. April 10-May 27. Reception, Thurs. May 1, 3-5pm.

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Swampscott Arts Assoc

The Swampscott Art Association is hosting an exhibition of members’ art work. The show will take place at the Demakes YMCA, 40 Neptune Boulevard, Lynn, MA. It will offer an opening reception from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m on Sunday, September 15. Come by, enjoy viewing the beautiful work, meeting the artists, and snacking on light refreshments.

Member artists have entered work into the show in a wide variety of mediums including oil and acrylic paints, watercolor paints, drawings, photography, etc. This is an unthemed show which gives the artists an opportunity to share work in a huge array of styles and subjects.

My painting in the exhibit is titled Devereux Beach Umbrellas and was painted en plein air at the beach in Marblehead on very hot, sunny summer afternoon — thus all the umbrellas! The beach was chock full of happy people enjoying the sand, waves, and each other. People were splashing in the water, reading on their blankets, playing frisbee, and even having birthday parties! I stood and painted, and I believe my painting captures the feel of the day.

Show runs 9/16-10/17/2024, and it is open during regular YMCA hours. Please come by and see!

@Demakes YMCA

@LynnMA

@DevereuxBeach

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Exhibitions

Summer Splendor 7/1-8/12/23

The Danvers Art Association is hosting an exhibit of summer inspired art at the historic Peabody Institute Library of Danvers. The show will open on Saturday, July 1, with a public reception from 2-4 p.m., and will run through August 12 .  It will be in the Standring Room on the first floor off the library’s lobby (the former periodical room).  Non-members, as well as Art Association members will exhibit their work.

I am delighted that my painting, Devereux Beach Umbrellas, has been accepted into the show. This painting (acrylic, 12″ x 24″) was done on the beach as part of the 2022 Paint the Town plein air event during the Marblehead Festival of Arts. It was a perfect summer day, hot and sunny and the beach was full of people enjoying the shore under a garden of colorful beach umbrellas. The water and sky were bright Caribbean colors instead of the usual New England look. I stood under the gazebo and happily painted until a birthday party took over and I had to complete my painting in the sun. Whew! I could have used my own umbrella!

The show will be judged by Noelle Boc, the popular library director, with ribbons for first, second and third place, as well as honorable mentions. Winning pieces will be announced at the reception. With a keen artistic eye, she does a great job sharing an array of thoughts about the finer elements that make a winning piece extra special.  For the fourth time, a People’s Choice Award will be given in addition to the individual place ribbons. This award will represent the piece voted most liked by the public showcasing the artist and his or her work. The public is invited to view all the artwork throughout the duration of the show and vote for a piece that truly impresses them. Voting will take place at the library. This winning piece and artist will be revealed at the end of the show with a special 

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