Tag: Marblehead Festival of Arts

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Marblehead Festival of Arts 2025

Sheila

This year, I am thrilled to have had three pieces of my art juried into the Festival! My painting, Deverereux Beach Umbrellas (acrylic on canvas, 12″ x 24″) 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

Shore Lights
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Summer Members Show

Sheila

Summer Member Show

June 22 – August 4

The Marblehead Arts Association features the work of its Artist Members for the height of the summer season. With multiple galleries of MAA juried artist members, there is something for everyone. This show will be up during the Marblehead Festival of Arts on July 4th weekend, so stop by the beautiful MAA Hooper Mansion galleries at 8 Hooper Street, Marblehead if you are in Town for the festival.

Lovely works of art in every style and medium are on display. My painting in the exhibit is King’s Beach Lights, acrylic paint on stretched canvas, 16″x20″. One very dark night while driving along the Lynn/Swampscott shore, I was inspired by the lights shimmering on the gently rippling waves. I pulled over, took a photo, and went home to paint it.

To have a private online sneak peek of the exhibit, go to maacurrent-exhibits.square.site where my painting is displayed on page five. marbleheadarts.org

In addition to the art show galleries, Marblehead Arts Association also has a wonderful Artisan Shop full of original hand-made creations by the members: paintings, prints, note cards, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, and more. A perfect one-stop shopping spot!

Exhibitions

Summer Splendor 7/1-8/12/23

Sheila

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.

Exhibitions

Cod Auction 2022 MFoA

Sheila

One-of-a-kind decorated codfish are up for bid in the Marblehead Festival of Arts “Festival of Cod” online fundraising auction which begins June 13 and runs until July 4, 2022. I am delighted that the Festival has again invited me to be one of the artists decorating wooden codfish in any medium of my choosing.

My codfish this year is titled Marblehead Panorama and is painted with acrylic paint onto the wooden cod made by skilled local woodworkers at Ware Pond Woodworks and Redd’s Pond Boatworks who volunteer their time to cut and finish blank cods for the invited participating artists. The Marblehead Panorama portrays the view of Marblehead Harbor looking from Devereux Beach. It was inspired by my 2019 People’s Choice Award painting for Marblehead Festival of Arts Paint the Town plein air event.

I had intended to create a painting of the beachgoers at Devereux, but the plein air event turned out to be a cloudy, drizzly morning. So instead, I stood under the beach gazebo roof and turned towards the harbor. The sky was dark with just a hint of sunshine breaking through the clouds. The water was absolutely glowing a stunning pale green. It is funny how sometimes the best paintings come from unexpected places.

To check out all the codfish in the Cod Auction, go to www.marbleheadfestival.org, scroll down and click on “Cod Auction is Open!”, then click “Auction Site”, and scroll down to the “Bid for Good” button. There you will find all the codfish. Click on the cod to find all the information about that cod and the artist who created it.

 “Marblehead Harbor Panorama” is on display at Spotted Hound, 160 Washington St, Marblehead, MA