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“I want to paint the way a bird sings.”
~ Claude Monet
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Our artwork is often informed by places we love. We see this in the two Body of Work shows this month by painters Cheryl Sager and Steve Carr. These shows open on Wednesday, May 1st, and run thorough Sunday May 27th. Please join us on May 10th, 5-7, for our Second Friday Reception to meet the artists and find that special Mother's Day gift or even a gift for yourself. Enjoy refreshments while listening to music from Maine's Jerry Short. Admission is free; donations appreciated. Click on images for more info about the artists.
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"Door #12: Poisden Lacy Tadworth," watercolor by Cheryl Sager
CHERYL SAGER
Doors of Possibilites: Let Me Take You There
The first time I visited Europe, I was taken with how old some of the places and buildings were. I fell in love with the small doors that were sometimes in the oddest places and felt like they led to secret and special places. I have since been back, and as before, the doors, gates and windows captured my imagination. I decided to take pictures I could paint and make these the focal point of my BOW. While sleeping, my brain, as it often does, ponders, creates, problem solves and plans. It was through this process that I decided to take viewers behind the doors and into other places. Hence, the concept for “Let Me Take You There” was born. In this show you will discover doors from various locations, near and far. When you discover your door, the one you want to “take you there,” you then can choose the place you want your door to secretly open to -- your “secret garden,” your “Narnia,” your “Calgon, take me away!” Then that painting goes behind your door where it stays hidden until you reveal your secret and special place. Each painting is titled, dated and signed on the back. When you look for my signature on the front you will have to be bit of a detective because my signature is hidden within the painting. Enjoy the search and discovery.
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"Goose Rocks," Acrylic by Steve Carr
STEPHEN EMERY CARR
Always Near Water
My love of water and my interest in boats and architecture play a big part in the choice of subject matter for my artwork. Hence the name of this show: “Always Near Water." But I paint too slowly to paint at the water’s edge. I mostly paint from photographs in my home studio. Often before starting a painting I will sketch the subject with pen. This helps me solidify the composition and understand how the light is falling on the subject.
In addition to being a member of the Seacoast Artist Association, I am a member of the Newburyport Art Association, and the American Society of Marine Artists. My paintings have been exhibited in numerous NAA Juried, Holiday and Selected Artist Shows, the Seacoast Artist Association, the Ipswich River Watershed Association, the Newburyport Artist and Culture Shanties, the Boothbay Region Art Foundation, the Exeter Inn, the Lamont Gallery at Phillips Exeter Academy, All Saints Parish (Brookline, MA) and the Cambridge Boat Club. I live in Newburyport with my wife Kate and our two West Highland Terriers. When I am not painting I am the Assistant Boy’s Crew Coach at Phillips Exeter Academy.
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| EXHIBITING MEMBER ARTISTS |
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On Wednesday, May 8th our walls will be full of new art! Here is work from three of our gallery artists.
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" Out of the Darkness," Oil by Stephanie Williams
STEPHANIE WILLIAMS
My painting has changed dramatically since my stroke a year ago. It has given me focus. This abstract painting was a cathartic experience. When words escape me, the images comfort me. Even when things feel dark, there’s always some light that glows.
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"Spring Colors Meditation," Photograph by returning member Jim Faist
JIM FAIST
On a spring day, don't wait for summer,
walk the awakening coast,
Turn your minds eye to the dunes and marsh lands,
notice the subtle but vibrant illumination of spring light!
This image is from just such a walk, spring 2023, at Odiorne State Park, in Rye.
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"Scout in Lupines," Photograph by Kevin Talbot
KEVIN TALBOT
We are very fortunate to have verbal permission from the owners of a large tract of former farmland to allow our dogs to run there. Turning from crops of corn and tomatoes to open fields and wetlands full of wildflowers which have been carefully tended, and garden flowers which have been lovingly planted and grown on the land. Someday it may be open to the public, but for now it’s a secret place where our dogs, Wicket a 7 year-old Tennessee Brindle, and Scout, a 2 year-old Border Collie, runt of her litter, can run and just be dogs. |
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ON THE EASEL
WELCOME BILL MENCHSING! |
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The painting I am working on here was done over the course of several days in a spot just above Wallis Sands Beach, known as "Pulpit Rock".
BILL MENSCHING
The most enjoyable part of painting for me is working outdoors -- currently along the New Hampshire coastline and nearby rivers. My paintings are contemplations of these places and of how daylight defines the space, colors, and forms. I try to distill that into the feeling of a moment: how the islands on the horizon come into view at sunrise just as bits of the sky are revealed through a cloud cover; a river at a moment of silence and stillness as the winter air above it begins to fill with morning light; or how the sunlight falls across rocks and moving water creating endless compositions. When working with larger canvases I often work both in studio and on site, returning to the same location over several days, tuning into a quiet that is alive with ceaseless rhythms and details.
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| BODY OF WORK SHOWS COMING IN JUNE |
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"Chama River" by Carol Poitras and detail from
"Leopard" by Gail Kushner. Reception on June 14, 5-7PM
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See more news and artwork from the SAA by following us on Facebook.
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