Tag: Gloucester MA

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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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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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Cape Ann Plein Air Group!

Sheila

I am so happy to have been invited to join a group of plein air painters based in Gloucester, MA! These talented artists meet each Tuesday morning at various locations around Cape Ann to paint, then they meet at noon for a critique session.

Sometimes they are able to obtain permission to paint in locations not usually open to the public. So far, I have been able to meet with them to paint on the grounds of the Eastern Point Yacht Club where I was excited to be close enough to the Eastern Point Light House to get some details I could not see when painting it before. (Painting shown: Eastern Point Light House, acrylic, 10″ x 20″) We also met in a private area of Rust Island, and I was relieved when the drizzle held off long enough to allow me to paint Cormorant Cove.

On a really hot day, we painted at Cripple Cove in Gloucester. The tide was low and the view was of many moored boats. The day we painted on Bear Skin Neck in Rockport was just the opposite – cold, damp, and very windy. I had to abandon my half-finished painting of Motif #1 for another day! My fingers were getting stiff from the cold and my canvas would not stay on the easel. On a perfect painting day, we all met at the Gloucester Loop where I had a nice, close view of the Old Paint Factory, and finished the painting.

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Variations — Feb. 8 to March 8, 2020

Sheila

Here’s what the MAA has to say about their new exhibit!

“Variations…. it’s what keeps outlooks fresh and interesting.

For close to a century the Marblehead Arts Association has exhibited the works of artists from throughout New England in the six galleries of its historic 1728 mansion home. All works have been judged and prizes in Fine Arts, Photography and craft categories will be awarded at the opening reception. There will be ballots available for visitors to cast votes for their favorite piece with a People’s Choice Award to be announced at the close of the exhibit.

We were excited to have received a record number of entries this year with hundreds of submissions from artists throughout New England!”

I was thrilled to have my mixed media artwork, Seabreeze, chosen to be part of the Variations exhibit. Seabreeze incorporates my watercolor painting of Ten Pound Island in Gloucester, seen through the paper sculpture window of a seaside house. The paper sculpture is all done in white paper and was inspired by all the white houses I saw on a visit I made to the Greek Island of Mykonos with my daughter. We wondered what the blue Mediterranean would look like through the windows of those white homes. Seabreeze is framed in a shadow box, 14″ x 14″.

The Variations exhibit will be open to view from February 8 through March 8, 2020. The opening reception was held Sunday, Feb. 9, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at MAA’s Hooper Mansion, 8 Hooper St., Marblehead. Hours are Tuesdays through Fridays and Sundays, noon to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed Mondays.