Tag: #SalemArts

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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.

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Journey Into Self

Sheila

While we may often think of art as a means to convey our message to the viewer, as artists, we are also looking within ourselves to find that expression, emotion, joy, or pain that emerges onto our chosen canvases, or through our lenses.  Salem Arts Association asked their artist members to take a deep dive within, and to really explore their own inner world.  They asked them to let the art tell their stories, perhaps even betray their secrets, and let go of those things they’ve pushed down and held on to so tightly.  Art should be cathartic.

I was pleased when my painting, Musing, was juried into the exhibit. Musing is painted in black acrylic paint on white illustration board and framed to 11″ x 14″. It is done in the Op Art style of Bridget Riley whose work I admired while growing up and forming my own style. The undulating lines, intersecting, streaming, remind me of the winding places my thoughts go when I am pondering.

The Opening reception on Friday, June 28, 2024 is free and open to the public. Come and enjoy the rooms full of original artwork in the galleries of our wonderful antique headquarters. While you are there, do not forget to visit the wonderful Gallery Shop on the first floor to treasure hunt through the multitude of exquisite one of a kind art made by the members of Salem Arts Association. My matted prints are in the bins for you to find, as well as my smaller paintings and children’s coloring book about Salem, MA — Salem: Which City? You will also find work by many other artists: jewelry, blown glass, ceramics, textiles, photos, paintings, drawings, etc.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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Library Art Exhibit 6/8-7/20/24

Sheila

Danvers Art Association is pairing with the Middleton Art Association to stage an un-themed exhibit at the Peabody Institute Library of Danvers, also known as the Danvers Public Library. The Opening Reception will be held on Saturday, June 8 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The show and reception are free and open to the public during regular library hours.

My painting in the exhibit is titled Salem Willows Closing Time and is rendered in acrylic paint on 11″ x 14″ x 1.5″ deep gallery wrapped canvas; the image continues around the edges of the canvas. The painting was inspired by a photograph I took one idyllic evening at Salem Willows after enjoying delicious fried fish at the Clam Shack while sitting outside at their picnic tables, watching the sun go down. My husband Tom and I got an ice cream at Hobb’s and ate it while strolling along the water. Then we capped off the evening at the arcade, where Tom is a Skee Ball champion. As we left, I took a photo of the Arcade facade glowing in the darkness, as people started to leave.

The bright colors in my painting reflect the feeling of the place with blinking lights, laughing children, and all the bells and whistles of The Willows. It makes me happy to look at my painting and remember all the wonderful days I have spent there with my friends and family.

The exhibit at the library is a particularly good one. Because it is un-themed, each artist was able to freely choose a painting that reflects their own style and strengths. So when you come to the show, you will see artworks in oil, acrylic, watercolors, pastels, all the various drawing media — plus mixed media and photography and I’m sure, more. We are lucky to have been invited to again display our work among antique molding and a lovely fireplace, thanks to the hospitality of the library.

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

Phone: 978-774-0554

Website https:danverslibrary.org

Sat9 AM–5 PM

Sun1–5 PM
Mon9 AM–9 PM
Tue9 AM–9 PM
Wed9 AM–9 PM
Thu9 AM–9 PM
Fri12–5 PM
Exhibitions

Holiday Showcase

Sheila

Coming up! Salem Arts Association Holiday Showcase, unthemed exhibit of members’ creations. My entry is an original acrylic painting on canvas, Frosty Dawn, 12″ x 24″, framed. It was painted from inside my warm house, looking out over my old neighborhood in Gallows Hill Salem at my neighbors’ beautiful yards. I just left out all the houses, cars, street lights, and everything except the lovely snowy scene.

Opening reception this coming Friday, November 17, 6-8pm — SAA openings are always a good time! While you’re there, check out the SAA Shop on the first floor and the Masters’ Circle show going on upstairs. 159 Derby Street, Salem, MA www.SalemArts.org #SalemArts These shows will be on display through December 16, 2023.

Exhibitions

Summer Member Showcase

Sheila

The Salem Arts Association #SalemArts is presenting the Summer Member Showcase at their beautiful seaside galleries. The opening reception will be held on Friday, August 3 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

The opening reception will feature live music by musical guest Brian Cogger performing original compositions. There will be refreshments and an opportunity to visit the SAA Gallery Shop stocked with exquisite one-of-a-kind handmade creations by the artists.

My painting in the exhibit is Emerald Woods, acrylic on canvas, 16″ x 20″. This was done en plein air and is a view into the conservation area behind my house. In the early morning, the sun shines through the leaves, making them glow. I had to work fast before the sun rose too high and the light completely changed. The woods are an ever-changing subject for my paintings!

The artists were free to use any medium, and any subject for this exhibit and there is a huge array of different styles.

Salem Arts Association gallery is located at 159 Derby Street and has lovely ocean views of Pickering Wharf. The exhibit will run until September 9.

Exhibitions

Be Still 5/19-6/17/23

Sheila

Salem Arts Association’s newest exhibit, Be Still, will host an Opening Reception this Friday May 19, 2023 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. This event is free and open to the public! I shall be there and hope you can come by and say Hello! My painting of the Beverly/Salem Bridge, Making Connections (acrylic, 12×24″, $485) has been juried into the show which will run from May 20 to June 17 at their beautiful gallery, 159 Derby St, Salem, MA 01970. Salem Arts hours are Saturdays and Sundays from noon until 6:00 p.m. The first floor houses the SAA Gallery Shop and the Paul Nathan Gallery. Upstairs you will find the exhibits, including Be Still.

This show was open to both artist members of the SAA and to non-member artists. They were met with the following challenge: The Oxford Dictionary defines “Stillness” as the absence of movement or sound. Stillness can be a moment of solitude, the calm surrender that we feel during meditation, the quiet moment just before an intense storm, the tranquility of water, or the uninterrupted surface of a frozen pond. This exhibition features artworks that depict the stillness within and all around us, or the glimmer of the storm to come.

My painting, Making Connections, was painted from a photograph I took of the Beverly/Salem Bridge. The title reflects all the connections shown: the bridge between Beverly and Salem, the railroad bridge, the water, the sky, the radio/phone tower, and even the red light on top of it which communicates with the airplanes in the sky. One early morning as I drove from Danvers to Beverly, the sky and water were so calm and the color was so stunning that I had to pull my car over to capture the moment. When painting, I did take artistic license and placed the railroad bridge in the distance which allowed me to have the legs of the Beverly/Salem Bridge reflect directly against the water without having the train cut them in half visually. That is the fun of being an artist; I can control the world on my canvas.

Guest Juror: Claudia Paraschiv

2023 Salem Public Artist in Residence (PAiR) on Artists’ Row

Claudia Paraschiv is an architect, public artist, and educator. Born in Romania and raised in Los Angeles, Claudia now lives with her family in Salem MA, where she started her design practice, Studioful Design in 2016. Studioful takes on a varied constellation of projects for more meaningful living and engages people to participate in the transformation of their worlds as purposeful places of stewardship, democracy, social gathering, self-expression, and imagination.

Claudia will continue these explorations as the 2023 Public Artist in Residence (PAiR) on Artists’ Row with her project the Tree of Care + Wonder / Árbol del Cuidado + del Maravillas, a large scale sculpture of a whimsical tree featuring migrant stories and a magical canopy!

The Tree of Care + Wonder / Árbol del Cuidado + del Maravillas will transform streets in Salem into community spaces of art and friendship to demonstrate the potential of streets to do more than move cars: local artists (poets, visual, musicians, dance, and theatre) will collaborate to produce civic-art events centered on migration stories, food memories, local history, and novel visions of how a future city might take care of and bring wonder to its residents. 

Exhibitions

Go Away Exhibit 4/9-5/14/22

Sheila

Salem Arts Association is proud to announce  “Go Away”, an exhibition of images inspired by travel and transportation. It’s the journey not the destination. During this time when travel has been restricted for so many people, artists were invited to take us on a journey that captures the experience and adventure of going away.

My entry — Starship Tripping, acrylic, 11″ x 14″, $225 — is a lighthearted take on the theme. I painted it using bright colors and a playful style. With the serious events we see every day in the news — war, pandemic, climate crisis — I liked the idea of portraying Earth as a united, welcoming place. From my paintbrush to God’s eyes!

The exhibit is located in the gallery spaces on the second floor of the Salem Arts Association’s beautiful antique yellow house right beside Derby Wharf and the Friendship, 159 Derby Street, Salem, MA 01970. Hours are noon to 6:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The exhibit will run from the opening reception on April 9 until May 14, 2022.

Exhibitions

Salem Arts Show: 3/5-4/2/22

Sheila

Salem Arts Association is excited to open our 2022 exhibition schedule with a showcase of our member artwork. Our current Salem Arts members are exhibiting their best and newest work showing the community what we have to offer in all of our diverse styles and artistic disciplines.

My entry in this exhibit is Changes, a 4-panel acrylic painting of stylized tree branches with each 12″ wide by 24″ high canvas panel showing one of the four seasons. The total size is 48″ wide by 24″ high. The painting was inspired by the Asian panels at the Peabody Essex Museum and the background is done in many layers of different metallic paints and glazes which gives it a rich and varied look as the light in a room changes.

The Salem Art Association Gallery invites you to the Opening Reception on Friday, March 4, 2022 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Free and open to the public.

Exhibition dates are March 5 through April 2, 2022. While you are there do not forget to visit our beautiful Gallery Shop located as you come in the front door. So many one-of-a-kind handcrafted treasures by local artists! I have a selection of 8 smaller paintings, miniature original acrylics with tiny easels, and matted prints of my work in the shop.

Salem Arts Association Gallery and Shop are located an antique yellow house by Derby Wharf at 159 Derby Street, Salem, MA. Hours are Saturdays and Sundays 12 noon until 6:00 p.m. www.SalemArts.org 978-745-4850 #SalemArts Info@SalemArts.org