A Great Success: 'North Greets South Paint-Out'!

Watercolor sketch by Jody Regan

At the invitation of The Board of Trustees of the North Shore Arts Association, artists from communities south of Boston mixed and mingled with NSAA members in a full day of plein air painting in Gloucester, on Tuesday, June 23rd.
Seventy artists, many of whom are nationally and internationally  known, painted en plein air at six private property locations on Rocky Neck, opened only to them for this special event, and at the harbor side grounds of the historic North Shore Arts Association overlooking East Gloucester's sparkling Smith Cove.

In spite of brief mid day showers, it was a fun-filled day for all. The visiting artists were captivated by the beauty of Gloucester harbor, it's coves and street scenes. A special thank you goes out to the private property owners who graciously invited our artists to paint from sites with  access to some of the most beautiful views of our historic, coastal city. The artists were all smiles, enjoying the North Shore Arts Association's hospitality and the opportunity to form new and lasting relationships that will enhance the already formidable reputation of the eastern Massachusetts art community and add to our region's creative economy.
By all accounts the North Greets South Paint-Out was a great success and one that we hope will become a yearly event!

Paint Out Coordinators Nancy Colella and Judythe Evans Meagher

With special thanks to the originators and coordinators of this enormously successful event: artist Judythe Evans Meagher, coordinator for the North Shore; jemeagher@comcast.net, and artist Nancy Colella, coordinator for the South Shore; saltydogstudio@comcast.net. Paint On!

Q & A with Nella Lush and Steve Lush: "A Forty Year Collaboration"

'Family Roots' by Nella Lush

 The North Shore Arts Association celebrates the opening of a special exhibition "A FORTY YEAR COLLABORATION" showcasing the work of husband and wife team, artists NELLA and STEVE LUSH. The exhibition will be on display from Sunday June 28 through Saturday, July 25, 2015, with a public reception Sunday, July 12, 2 - 4 p.m.

'The Pilot #3' by Steve Lush

We caught up with these two fascinating artists earlier this week for a brief question and answer session, that proved quite lively! Biographies of the artists follow the transcript.

Steve and Nella Lush: a question and answer session

Interviewer:  How and when did you meet?

Nella: "We met in Brindisi, was it perhaps divine intervention? Steve's ship was diverted to Brindisi due to a strike in Turkey and I was called in at work due to the fact that the custom/shipping agent was ill. Since I spoke English, I was the designated person to take care of the Manifest and Declaration. I met Steve on the ship, he was a Third Engineer. The story unfolds..this is the beginning..."
Steve: "In the late autumn of 1973 my ship was docked in Brindisi for five days. I was working in the engine room during the days with my nights off while in port. While on a "smoke break" on our first day, I spotted Nella, with her long reddish auburn hair, running across the street, manifests in hand and bounding up our gangway. This seemed to be a daily routine with her while the documents for our cargo were being finalized at her agency. We were tied up at a quay adjacent to the cargo/travel agency where she worked. On the fourth night of our five day port visit, I worked up enough courage to plant myself outside of her agency by the time she finished work around 7 p.m. She walked right toward me to get a bus home. I introduced myself as one of the engineer's aboard the Export Adventurer. She said she didn't remember me but I guess I cleaned up enough for her not to shake me off at least immediately! We walked together the several blocks to her bus stop. By the time we arrived there she decided that I was OK and agreed to have a glass of hot milk and honey with me while I had a beer in the lounge of the luxury hotel near our docked ship. The ship departed the next day at noon but not before we met again for a couple of hours in the morning. We vowed to stay in touch with each other as best we could, because we both knew that we had found someone special in each other. We did manage to stay in touch via long distance airmail and telegrams. We hooked up again, stateside, a few months later when Nella came to visit relatives in Canada and friends in Maryland. Another voyage interrupted this time and I was on another American Export ship off to India for a few months. I returned in late autumn of 1974 from that voyage with enough time left to hook up with Nella again. We decided to get married in late December of 1974, just before I had to return to another ship and Nella to return to Italy since her tourist visa was expiring."

Interviewer: Do you now or did either of you have another career; art-related or in an entirely separate sphere?

Nella: "Yes, for many years, and when my own children were young, I had my own private preschool where I developed my curriculum on teaching another language (Italian) by using art as an instrument for teaching."
Steve: "Yes, after leaving the ships, I worked for Westinghouse Electric Corporation on turbine generation equipment in power plants, one in Bilbao, the other in Tarragona. I am a mechanical engineer and have had dual professions (engineer/artist) since before I met Nella. I also build model ships and have won awards for my models both here and in Spain. In fact, a couple of years ago the New Bedford Whaling Museum bought a scratch built model of Joshua Slocum's 'Spray' that I built for a retiring member of their Board of Directors."

Interviewer: Do you now or did you at a point in the past share a studio space? If not, at the present time, is there a particular reason for keeping separate studios?

Nella: "We shared a studio but it was not working for me. When I create I need to be in my own world where I can only 'hear' my own thoughts. If I get distracted, I lose the momentum. Steve was kind enough to move his studio to our finished basement."

Interviewer: Has your creative process changed in any way as a result of your long relationship with each other? Do either of you sense that your voices or styles have blended with each other?

Nella: "My creative process is the same as I rely basically only on my feelings, my own history but I must admit I rely on Steve's fresh eye when I need feedback."
Steve: "I find myself using many of the color combinations in both my watercolor and oils that Nella employs in her work. I have also launched into oils using cold wax as a medium from Nella's encouragement."

Interviewer: How have you maintained the individuality of your own vision in this artistic collaboration?

Nella: "Yes, most definitely. Even though there is a common thread between Steve and I, we still manage to keep our own individuality."

Steve: "Without question! Even though I primarily portray ships, Nella is quite keen on knowing what does and does not work in my work. We regularly ask each other's advice and opinion. We generally see the same flaws and successes in our work and others' work."

Interviewer: Who are your mentors/role models?

Nella: We are each other's mentors. I realize that our situation is unique, we have the same likes, watch the same art shows and have conversations on what we see and/or experience, our social life is our art!"

Interviewer: How do you apply the creativity that you bring to your artwork to developing your career?

Steve: "I stay quite active in making sure my art work stays before the public eye year round. This is mandatory for any professional artist. The days of remaining behind closed doors, reclusive, waiting to be found are history. We both use social media to the maximum advantage. We try to stay current with social media trends."

Interviewer: Do you rely on each other's individual strengths or are you both equally adept at the business of art?

Steve: "Nella is exceptionally adept at many social media skills. She has taught me a lot but I still have much to learn!"

Interviewer: Where do you want to be in ten years? What are your aspirations/goals?

Steve: "Like most professional artists, I would want to be represented in major galleries from New York and LA in 10 years and have my work in several museums. I know this takes time but I have been realizing the fruits of my efforts with increasing awareness every year."
Nella: "I believe that, as any professional artist, we aspire to much more. I don't plan to retire from creating so I am hoping that in 10 years, I would have grown my collector's list, be part of more corporate art collections and a museum too. :)"

Interviewer: Congratulations on the birth of your new granddaughter! How has raising a family impacted your relationship and your work? Are your children artists as well?

Nella: "Our three children are all creative with music, writing and visual art!"

Artist's Biographies:

Steve Lush was born in 1949 into a family with roots in both art and the sea. In 1968, after a year working as a 'machinist apprentice' in an East Boston shipyard, Steve attended The Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Graduating in 1971 with a Merchant Marine Engineer's license, Steve sailed for five years aboard freighters with the American Export Lines and on oil tankers with Standard Oil Co. of California. These voyages took him to ports around the Mediterranean, India, Africa the American west coast and the South Pacific. Steve made three voyages from Brooklyn, NY to India via the Cape of Good Hope when, in the 1970's the Suez Canal was closed to transit shipping. Steve began building model ships in 1978 while living in Spain, renewing his love of ships and the sea. Since then he has won three gold medals in model ship competitions in the Boston area and in Spain. In 1992 he begain painting in watercolor and other mediums. Many of the maritime-themed watercolors are a result of research on specific ship and port histories and ship construction. Steve uses a collection of reference books, ship construction plans, personal reference photos and his own models to orchestrate his paintings. Once the subject is drafted, Steve applies washes in a painterly yet strategic and detail-oriented approach. Every August, Steve and his wife, Nella, travel to southern Italy to visit Nella's relatives. Steve finds time to paint plein air in Italy, a welcome change from his normal studio based work. Steve is an artist member of the North Shore Arts Association, a Signature Member of the American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA) and of the New England Watercolor Society.

Nella Lush was born, raised and educated in Italy by a family with a long heritage of visual artists, musicians and poets. Her family history and her life near the Adriatic Sea is what shaped her artistic career. She studied foreign languages and art history and she is a full time artist who works on several canvases at once developing the imagery through a process of surface changes. Nella's art is a constant exploration of the relationship between man and his environment and becomes a spiritual and intimate journey. With intuition and experience, and never following a formula, she brings together the alchemy of materials, classical forms and the appearance of centuries of aging in all of her paintings regardless of the subject matter. She predominately paints with oils, cold wax and marble dust to create more texture and depth. Nella is a juried artist member of many organizations, including the North Shore Arts Association. She is a Signature Member of the American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA), President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Associations of Women Artists in NYC, and the Rockport Art Association  (Board of Trustees) and Founder of the Experimental Group of the Rockport Art Association.

Carole Loiacono: Solo Show, "Reflections of Cape Ann"

'Serene Moment' by Carole Loiacono

The North Shore Arts Association announces the solo show "Reflections of Cape Ann" by award winning Cape Ann Artist, Carole Loiacono, which opens Thursday, July 2nd through Saturday, July 25th,  with the Artist's Reception to be held on Sunday, July 12th, 2 – 4pm. This event is free and open to the public.

Carole Loiacono declares, "I'm always in love with Cape Ann!" She is an award winning plein air painter who has fulfilled her dream of living, teaching and painting on Cape Ann for the last 30 years, also following the sun to paint in Tarpon Springs, Florida in the winter months.

Carole works in watercolor, acrylic, pastel, pencil, pen & ink, and oils, and can often be seen painting on site throughout Cape Ann and Tarpon Springs. She likes to absorb the feeling of the moment. "Sometimes," she says, "it takes me in a weird direction which leads me to start with a color I don't normally use, and let the painting evolve from there." Often described as a Romantic Impressionist, she likes to exaggerate the moment, the feelings, the experience of the day, pushing the envelope through color and texture. "I'm trying to be a conduit through the painting to convey to the viewer the essence of the moment by experiencing the energy of the scene. If I am able to express some of the feelings of excitement and joy that I experience while painting the beauty of Cape Ann, then I feel I have created a memorable piece of artwork."
Loiacono earned a B.S. in Art Education from Pratt Institute and has taught art classes in the New York and Long Island school districts. In addition to numerous art show awards she was commissioned to create a twenty panel acrylic series and a fifteen panel acrylic series for the Rockland Psychiatric Center in Orangeburg, New York.

'Harbor Sails' by Carole Loiacano

Holiday Artists and Artisans Show

An Important Message to NSAA Artist and Associate Members!

Planning for the NSAA's first ever Holiday Show of Fine Arts and Fine Artisans Works is underway right now! Open to all Artist and Associate Members this event will be a showcase for our members creative talents.
We must have your response as soon as possible if you wish to submit work to be considered for this exhibit which will be held on November 13, 14 and 15th.

In addition to paintings and sculpture by our Artist Members, we are looking for unique, fine handcrafted works for gift giving created by our Artist and Associate Members. Categories include but are not limited to, handcrafted holiday cards, ornaments, glass, metal, wood, fiber, paper, pottery, ceramics and jewelry.

Crucial to the sucess of this venture is the participation of our members, either as exhibitors or as volunteers during the show. This is not something you can wait to decide upon. NSAA members will be given preference and then we will open the registration to outside artisans, to fill the available space on both floors of the NSAA galleries.

Members will have various options for participating:
1. They may provide their own set up (table)
2. They may rent an 8' x 30" table ($10.00 per day)
3. They may reserve a portion of a table to display a smaller number of items.

The exhibition offers our Associates, in particular, an additional avenue for sales. All outside vendors/artisans may become Associate members in order to participate. A 33.3% commission will be taken on all sales.

Preference will be given by date of registration, so don't hesitate! When all available spaces are reserved, latecomers will be place on an alternates list.
Complete details are available by calling Trudy Allen at (978) 865-3361. Trudy will be available to answer Holiday Show questions at Exhibition III receiving at the NSAA, June 28th and 29th.

Sign up today as an Exhibitor or as a Volunteer!

"In Memoriam" A Tribute to Past Members of the NSAA

2014 and 2015 were sorrowful years for Cape Ann's artistic community and for the North Shore Arts Association in particular. The art world lost a number of master painters and the loss of their talents, leadership and friendship is deeply felt. As a tribute to our esteemed and accomplished colleagues the NSAA presents the "In Memoriam" Exhibition,  filling the staircase walls with masterworks by these great artists, Rudy Colao, Robert Douglas Hunter, Betty McMillan, Donald Allen Mosher, Edith Socolow, Don Stone N.A., and Tom Sutherland. The rich legacies of these artists live on in our collective memories and in their inspiring images. We are grateful to the collectors and family members who donated works from their private collections,  making this exhibition possible, and we invite you to experience these works of art in person this season at the NSAA.

Thatcher Island Lighthouse by Rudy Colao, oil on canvas, 16" x 20"

Rudy Colao    1924 - 2014

Rudy died suddenly on Saturday, October 4th while on his way home from one of his frequent walks to downtown Rockport. The news came as a shock because just a short while before he was to all appearance in good health and spirits and was planning to attend an event that evening at the Rockport Art Association.

Rudy was born in Peekskill, New York. He attended the local schools there and was drafted into the US Army at the end of World War II. After that he attended the Art Student's League in New York City on the GI Bill. There he studied painting under Frank Vincent DuMond.

After art school and marriage he settled in Manhatten on the Upper East Side. At this time he painted almost exclusively florals and still-lifes.

In 1971 he left New York with his family and moved to Canaan, New Hampshire. He had a space in the barn converted into a studio.

In the early nineties he moved to Rockport, which he had first visited in the ninteen fifties. He established himself there and became an integral part of the art scene. During his years in Rockport he painted landscapes and seaside scenery in addition to florals and still-lifes.

Rudy was very sociable and good natured, with a lively sense of humor. He was full of vitality and enthusiastic about his interests in people, language, culture and art. He especially enjoyed opera. In the early 1980's he began to take a serious interest in Zen Buddhism which he maintained for the rest of his life. He is featured in Who's Who In American Art.

Metal, Glass and Crockery On White by Robert Douglas Hunter, oil on canvas, 14"x24"

Robert Douglas Hunter    1929 - 2014

Bob was born in West Roxbury in 1929. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, he attended the Vesper George School of Art, graduating in 1949. Following graduation he studied at the Cape Cod School of Art with Henry Hensche. There he met Boston School painter R. H. Ives Gammell who had studied with William Paxton, who in turn had studied in France with Gerome and Jean Paul Laurens. Bob accepted Gammell's invitation to study with him and spent the next five years practicing Gammell's disciplined approach to painting.

Bob went on to develop a distinctive style of still life painting that was uniquely his own. His designs present large, quiet, orderly arrangements seen at eye level and at life size. Bob taught at the Vesper George School of Art from 1950 until it closed in 1983.

In 1968 Bob married Elizabeth Ives Valsam who was Ives Gammell's godchild. Commenting on her husbands work she notes:
"His work ethic was nothing short of amazing. He painted six days a week. He might take a day off if one of his children had an activity, but he would make up for it on Sunday afternoon." She added, "Painting was a job to Bob, but it was a job he loved."

A born teacher, Bob was a mentor and instructor who taught many grateful students over his long career. He is remembered as being kind, eloquent, and witty, always encouraging to younger students.

Bob was a member of many art organizations, including more than fifty years as a member of The North Shore Arts Association. Bob served as president of The Guild of Boston Artists from 1973 to 1978. His work is in the permanent collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

Still Life by Betty McMillan, watercolor, 31.5" x 34"

Betty McMillan    1922 - 2015

Betty was born in New Orleans in 1922. She was brought up in Philadelphia. After graduating from High School, she attended a combined art program at the Philadelphia Art Museum and the University of Pennsylvania.

Her studies were interrupted by the onset of World War II. Betty altered her birth certificate so she could enlist. Betty became a Lieutenant in the Women's Army Corps. Initially, she was stationed at Cape Hale in Leadville, Colorado, home of the Ski Troops. There she learned to ski and developed a love of the Rocky Mountains.

In the spring of 1945, she was transferred to a WAC post at the New York Port Authority where she supervised decoding of secret messages. While there, she learned that her fiance, Ed, a B17 pilot shot down over North Africa and a prisoner of war for twenty-seven months, was on the first ship bringing servicemen back from Europe. He was summoned to the deck and handed an envelope with a message inside from her, "Darling, I'll be on the dock." He was the first man off the ship and the photograph of the two embracing made the front pages of newspapers around the country.

After the war, Betty obtained her pilot's license. Captain of her High School tennis team, and an avid tennis player throughout her life, she won doubles championships at the Manchester Bath and Tennis Club.

Betty devoted many hours to working with children, teaching swimming and Red Cross courses and leading Girl Scout troops. She was an accomplished artist and was a member of the North Shore Arts Association as well as Betty Lou Schlemm's Rockport watercolor group. Her paintings won many awards. In addition to her paintings, Betty loved creating beauty in her gardens.

Low Tide, Corea by Donald Allen Mosher,  oil on canvas, 22" x 28"

Donald Allen Mosher   1945 - 2014

Born in Malden, Don's family moved to Topsfield, and then to Saugus, where Don graduated from high school. Don's interest in art led him to the Vesper George School of Art, where he met his future wife Christine.

The Moshers settled on Cape Ann in 1974 living at the Rocky Neck Art Colony. In 1980 they bought the Gallery in Rockport on Main Street where Don and Christine's work can be seen today.

Don was a member of many art organizations including The North Shore Arts Association, The Rockport Art Association, where he served as president, and the Guild of Boston Artists. Over the years, Don has won over two hundred awards, including many gold and silver medals.

His paintings have been featured in several national publications including Yankee Magazine and American Artist Magazine. His work is included in the collections of The Peabody Essex Museum, The Massachusetts State House and the Rockefeller Collection.

Outgoing and gregarious, Don made friends wherever he went. A devoted practitioner of  Plein Air painting, Don often journeyed to Maine and Vermont in search of inspiration. He never slighted Cape Ann however, and could often be seen at his easel painting one of his favorite local spots.

Christine Mosher is an award-winning member of The North Shore Arts Association.

Salt Island by Edith Socolow, oil on canvas, 24" x 36"

Edith Socolow     1921 - 2015

Edith Socolow was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. She was raised in a family with a rich cultural and intellectual heritage. From an early age she was possessed of an enthusiastic and iconoclastic spirit that manifested itself in the arts.

She was highly accomplished in both the visual arts and music. She studied art in New York City and went on to work in the fields of design and advertising.

Following her marriage she lived in Dallas Texas, Boston, Harrisburg Pennsylvania, and Gloucester.Throughout the years of raising her family her dedication to her artwork never wavered. At the age of sixty-seven Edith earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree from Goddard College.

Through the years she affected many lives by teaching, first at the Jewish Community Center of Harrisburg and then for many years at the Harrisburg Area Community College. Her final teaching years were at Endicott College in Beverly.

Edith was always active in community art organizations wherever she lived, and most recently here at The North Shore Arts Association. In her later years she continued to paint and draw her seascapes, inspired by the view from her studio overlooking Salt Island. Also with her lifelong interest in music, she continued to play her beloved piano.

Elemental to Edith's nature was her ongoing free spirit and love of life. Her core humanist convictions, love of family and animals, and her dedication to social justice have left an enduring legacy.

Sailing Under an August Moon by Don Stone, N.A., oil on canvas, 30" x 24"

Don Stone, N.A.     1929 - 2015

Don was born in Council Bluffs, Indiana. As a child his family moved to Gloucester. He graduated from Gloucester High School, where he played on the hockey team. He attended the Vesper George School of Art in Boston. Shortly after graduating he was drafted into the Navy, serving as a Gunnery Yeoman on a destroyer.

After the Navy, he taught at Vesper George and at The New England School of Art. He was a commercial artist and cartoonist for The Boston Post and The Lowell Sun, before pursuing fine art full time.

In 1954 he accompanied fellow artist Paul Strisik to Monhegan Island. He found Monhegan an ideal place to paint, in the ensuing years spent increasing amounts of time there, painting, teaching workshops, and eventually moving there.

In addition to the North Shore Arts Association and Rockport Art Association, Don was elected a full member (N.A.) of the National Academy of Design. He was also a member of The American Watercolor Society, The Salmagundi Club, The New England Watercolor Society, the Guild of Boston Artists, and The Hudson Valley Art Association and Allied Artists of America. His work has been shown at The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Portland (Maine) Museum, and The Cape Ann Museum.

In addition to his artistic gifts, Don was a skilled musician, mastering the banjo, fiddle, and mandolin. He played banjo with the local group Loblolly Five.

Don's son Caleb is a member of the North Shore Arts Association.

Painting With Puccini by Tom Sutherland, watercolor, 30" x 24"

Tom Sutherland     1944 - 2013

Tom was born in Brunswick, Maine. His family moved to Quincy, Massachusetts before moving to Melrose. Tom graduated from Melrose High School in 1962. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and later graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Engineering. He worked as a civil engineer and project manager for several years before finding his life's calling as a woodcarver and painter.

Tom had many passions in life and embraced every interest with unwavering confidence. Always calm, Tom never met a challenge too big. His interests varied widely from painting and woodworking, to playing the guitar and piano.

When he was given a woodworking set, he soon made himself into a professional sign maker. He quickly built a reputation as an excellent craftsman, and produced thousands of signs for restaurants all over the world.

Tom also had a passion for painting. He often found himself painting streetscapes across the North Shore. He displayed his work at area art shows and was know for his live painting performances to classical music. Tom was a member of many area art groups including the Malden Sketch Group, The North Shore Arts Association, Concord Art Association, and Rockport Art Association. He was the former President of the Melrose Arts and Cultural Association and the Reading Art Association.

-Peter Tysver, NSAA Archivist and Historian

Demonstration and Book Discussion with Lynn Loscutoff, Saturday, June 20th

North Shore Arts Association artist member and a former NSAA Vice-President, Lynn Loscutoff presents a demonstration and book discussion at the NSAA galleries on Saturday, June 20th at 3:00 p.m., free and open to the public.
An artist and colorist, Lynn has been teaching for many years using Yupo, a synthetic paper, as the support for her watercolors. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience and will be demonstrating her techniques with an emphasis on creative inventiveness!

In addition to her many artistic accomplishments we congratulate Lynn on the publication of her new book 'Loscy and Me: The Artist & the Boston Celtics Legend, Jim Loscutoff, A Scrapbook/Memoir'.

From 1957 to 1969, the Boston Celtics won eleven NBA championships in thirteen years and eight championships in a row (1959-1966), the longest consecutive streak of any North American professional sports team. Among the players during this period was "Jungle" Jim Loscutoff, along with Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, and more, all coached by Red Auerbach.
In this highly personal memoir, Lynn Loscutoff tells the story of the Celtic "wives" and their journey supporting their men and one another. Lynn, an artist who later served as the Executive Director of Boston's prestigious Copley Society, writes with both humor and honesty, and being a Celtic wife, about her life with Jim after he left the team. Packed with vintage photographs, some never before printed, 'Loscy & Me' is both a scrapbook of an adventurous life and a tribute to the women behind the men. Foreward by Arnold "Red" Auerbach.

Exhibition II Award Winners and The New Members Show!

Exhibition II and The New Members Show take center stage at the North Shore Arts Association harborside galleries this month, opening June 4 through June 27, 2015.  "MEET THE ARTISTS!" receptions for all three shows, which include Bonnie Gray's solo exhibition "I Love To Paint!" to take place Sunday June 7th from 2 to 4 p.m.
Come enjoy the hospitality of our reception; help us welcome our NSAA new artist members and experience the joyous artistic outpouring on display in the galleries!

Award Winners: Exhibition II (June 4 through June 27)

'The White Barn" Jonathan Hotz - The Vermont Community Foundation Alden Bryan Memorial Award and Medal Traditional Oil Landscape ($1000.00)






"Marine Railways"  Jeff Weaver  Marguerite Phillips Neuhauser Shafer Memorial Award  Representational Oil Painting of or from Rocky Neck, the Working Waterfront or the Fort Area ($500.00)

"Short Cut" Janet Sutherland  A.P.H. Waller & Sons Award  Excellence in Tonalist Painting ($300.00)

"Reflections of a Working Pier"  Jim Gibbons  Lazare Barth Award  New Member ($100.00)

"Frog Pond"  Gary Tucker  Kenneth L. Lincoln Award  Excellence in Watercolor, given by the Cape Ann Watercolor Painters ($100.00)






"Andre the Seal"  Em Marquis Brown Art Supplies Wholesale Award
Gift Certificate ($ 50.00)

"Behind NSAA" Marion Rayner Popular Award  Exhibition I ($50.00)



$50.00 Popular Award, Exhibition II - to be determined by popular vote!

 

 

Meet Our New NSAA Artist Members!

This 2015 Exhibition season, we are eager to introduce the North Shore Arts Association's newest artist members and warmly welcome them to our community! The New Members Show, Jun. 4 - June 27, showcases these sixteen artists and their work. Opening reception will be held Sunday, June 7 from 2 - 4 p.m. Please seek out our new members, introduce yourself and others to them. We want all of our membership to feel at home and supported in our galleries and at our receptions. First and foremost this is "The Year of the Artist"!

Introducing the North Shore Arts Association's new juried artist members:

J.E. Daly is a full time artist who lives and works at his studio in Hudson, MA. He was born in Glens Falls, New York, and earned B.S. and M.S. Ed. degrees from

Siena and St. Rose College, respectively. He received early training from his mother, regional artist P.A.Daly. His formal art training came under Michael Dowling at the UMASS Danforth Museum School of Art, in Framingham, MA. Daly has also studied with Bruce Bachman Turner, Don Stone and Charles Movalli. He has shown his work in numerous national juried exhibits. Daly's work resides in numerous northeast corporate and private collections. He works primarily in oil. Daly believes that growing up in the Washington County region of upstate New York creates a unique appreciation for rural and mountain environments. "I am most inspired in the creative process

when painting from life", he says. "I try to find the human connection in nature, from the exotic to the mundane. I hope to portray the 'sense of landscape' and the never-ending human relationship with the earth. This is a timeless emotion". Daly travels extensively and has painted in Europe, North America and Asia. His work is represented in the Adirondack Art (Association) Gallery in Essex, NY, The Blackburn Gallery in Queensbury, NY and John Zaccheo Fine Arts Gallery in Manchester, VT. www.jedaly.com

Gary Davis was born in Saugus, MA. Gary draws his inspiration from personal experience, and his New England surroundings. As a young boy, Gary spent much of

his time outdoors, whether on his grandfather's fishing boat, or with his father at the ballpark, and later on the golf course. Encouraged by his high school art teacher, Gary followed his passion, and in 1980 he earned a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art. His oil landscapes, marine art and sports paintings have been exhibited at various galleries, and placed through corporate art buyers. In 1991, Steuben commissioned Gary to create the image for, "The Pitch" which was translated into a limited edition, crystal sculpture. Gary is a member of the Copley Society of Art in Boston. A few times a year, Gary joins friends to paint en

plein air, in Booth Bay, Maine. Many days he can be found among the marshes and shorelines of Essex, Ipswich, and Gloucester where the light offers a new landscape every minute. Gary lives in Wakefield, MA, with his wife Cindy, and their recently adopted dog, Dixie.




F. Michael Dorsey Mike is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design in Illustration and Animation. His animation, "Twilight" (no vampires) won 5 National

and International Awards. He studied illustration with Chris Van Allsburg and Animation with Amy Kravis and Yvonne Andersen. His work is collected in the U.S.A. and in Canada. Years ago he heard that... “Plein Air painting is God’s prank on the artistic soul: lured into the beauty, or the mystery, or the intrigue of a landscape, the artist sets up their easel and goes at it for hours. Sometimes the moment is captured. More often, the lighting changes more and more, and finally beaten, he/she packs up thinking, “I’ll get it tomorrow”… and so the ruse goes on and on”. Mike, with his wife, long
time NSAA member, Janet Sutherland calls Ipswich, MA home. Most days he can be found “livin’ the ruse” and thanking his lucky stars for an artistic soul.
www.fmdorseyart.fineartstudioonline.com

Cynthia Dunaway was born in Excelsior, Minnesota. From the beginning, she had a keen interest in putting down onto paper what she saw in nature and loved to

draw from life. After meeting Stapleton Kearns in 1986, Cynthia moved to Cape Ann to pursue her interest in painting. Since then, she has been deeply committed to the development of her artistic expression through the use of charcoal and pencil in life drawing and as a "plein air" painter. Cynthia has studied with numerous Cape Ann artists: Stapleton Kearns, Bernie Gerstner, Ruth Hagstrom, Debbie Clarke, David Curtis, Don Stone and Paul George. She also attended Montserrat College of Art and Mass. College of Art in Boston. Cynthia has been the recipient of many awards, such as the Earl Merchant Memorial Award for excellence in portraiture, the C. Bruce Brown Memorial Award in oil painting, the
Gerald Epstein Memorial Award for innovative graphic work and the Marguerite Pearson Gold Medal. She is a returning artist member of the North Shore Arts Association, the Rockport Art Association and a former member of the Local Colors/Artists Co-op in Gloucester, MA.









Michael S. Foley grew up in Beverly, MA and attended public schools there. He worked at various part time jobs during his teen years, and pursued wood carving, hiking and guitar. He attended Lowell Technological Institute in Lowell, MA, where he earned his Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. While following a career in Mechanical Engineering

Design and Management, Mr. Foley and his wife, Anne, raised their two children. He continued his interest in relief wood carving and guitar over the years and in 2003 took a three year sabbatical from engineering to start his own company, Northshore Home Repair Co., which he ran for three years before returning to his career in engineering. For many years, Mr Foley had planned to pursue a second career in Stone Sculpture and upon his retirement in 2013, he put his plan into action. The advent of readily available industrial diamond tools enabled his transition from woodcarving to

stonecarving, working as M. S. Foley Stoneworks in Gloucester. The majority of his work is in local granite, and to a lesser extent, Berkshires and Vermont marble. He had had gallery exhibits and shows on Cape Ann, MA and in Nashua, NH and has displayed his work in several Cape Ann establishments. "Geometry and the love of natural materials are the driving forces behind my work. As a lifelong carver and career machine design engineer, I find beauty in both the gifts of the earth, as well as the wisdom of mathematics, which helps us to see our humble place in the universe. My sculptures, in their small ways, attempt to transform the fusion of these beauties into expressive forms, frozen in time, but warmed by each human hand which reaches out to touch them." www.msfoleystoneworks.com


Deborah Geurtze  www.rockyneckartcolony.org/_artists/geurtze.php



Jim Gibbons  "The most creative people in this world are children. For most, as

they mature that spark for creating and imagination fades. Being an artist is an extension of that childhood, but with the fine skills to express and capture the imagination". Growing up in Gloucester, Massachusetts with its rich art and fishing history, and being surrounded with the sheer beauty of Cape Ann was the key to open Jim's desire to capture all that is beautiful. "Being able to take a blank surface and push paint tactfully around to create an illusion of three dimensions is magic". One hundred percent self taught, from the basics of observing to

the complexities of brush quality, for Jim, "It's been a tremendously patient and passionate journey which only grows stronger with the passing of time". www.jimgibbonspaintings.com





Michele J. Kenna, a transplanted Canadian, has lived in Massachusetts for over 30 years. Growing up in a family involved in art and theater, Michele pursued her

own artistic aspirations by completing her degree in Fine Arts at the University of Toronto. After raising two children in Beverly, MA, Michele continued to study with nationally known American artists who taught and mentored her in the pastel medium, her primary influences being Frank Federico, PSA 2012 Hall of Fame Honoree and internationally renowned painter, Wolf Kahn. Michele has also studied with renowned American painters, Betty Lou Schlemm, Charles Movalli, Ted Minchin, Barbara Moody, Masako Kamiya and many more. Classes at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA have inspired Michele to reach out beyond traditional boundaries and to challenge herself to more
abstract ways of expression. With a studio at Porter Mill Studios  in Beverly, Michele continues to develop her unique style of landscape painting. She has exhibited her work in numerous galleries and art associations in the Greater Boston area and the North Shore. She is a juried artist member at the Cambridge Art Association, Marblehead Arts Association, Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod and the Rocky Neck Art Colony. www.michelejkenna.com

Dana Levin, during her high school years, attended both The New World School of the Arts, Miami, FL and Belvoir Terrace, Lenox, MA, a program for gifted young

artists. She received a B.F.A. from the acclaimed School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Dana traveled to Florence, Italy to study at the rigorous Florence Academy of Art and trained in the painting and drawing techniques of the Old Masters, where she subsequently taught for several years. Her private study of realism oil painting has taken her to museums throughout Europe, Britain, Russia, and across the United States. Dana's paintings have received awards and honors from prestigious national and international juried shows and museums. She is a Fellow of the American Artist Professional League and her work is included in

important museum and private collections. Dana accepts commissioned painting requests: portraits, still life, and landscape paintings in the Boston, New Hampshire Connecticut and Rhode Island areas. Dana's oil paintings are highly crafted, subtle questions about existence, death and attachment. www.danalevin.com

Eileen Patten Oliver has been painting in Massachusetts and in Maine, specializing in landscape and seascape, for more than 50 years. Born and raised in

Waltham, MA, she received her early art education under noted Boston painter, Paul Shea. Eileen was chosen to take classes at Mass College of Art while still in high school. Although life circumstances prevented her from continuing formal training, she continued to learn from other painters and learned much as a result of her own endeavors. Eileen had found inspiration in the beauty of the DownEast Maine coast and upon moving to Cape Ann in 2010, she soon discovered the quality of light, natural beauty and architecture unique to the area also offered the painter boundless subject matter. Eileen paints
"not merely to document images of people and places, but to capture the spirit and intensity of that one magic moment with her brush". An artist member of the Newburyport Art Association and a contributing member at the Rockport Art Association, Eileen currently lives and paints in Gloucester, MA with her husband, James Oliver, a Cape Ann native and also an accomplished artist. www.eileenpattenoliver.com

Rae O'Shea Originally from central New Jersey and now residing in Rockport, MA., Rae began a lifelong love of traveling and painting at an early age. She became

a professional painter in 2006. She believes plein air painting to be an essential element in her development as a painter. Using a traditional approach most of her studio paintings are based on studies completed on location. Rae received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland in European History and English Literature. As an artist she is primarily self-taught but has attended workshops with Stapleton Kearns, Scott Christensen, Timothy Thies and Calvin Liang. She is a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society, The Plein Air Painters of Colorado and the Plein Air Painters of the
Jersey Coast, the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters and the Plein Art Painters of the United Kingdom, and associate member of Oil Painters of America, Landscape Painters of America, the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, the Rockport Art Association and the California Art Club. She has participated in numerous plein air events including Paint Annapolis, Wayne Plein Air Festival, and Plein Air Easton. Recent awards include the Tamsin L. Holtzer award for Traditional Landscape at the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe exhibit at the National Arts Club, First Place at the Plein Air Colorado National Show and Honorable Mention for Artistic Excellence and Jurors Top Fifty at Salon International 2011 and 2012. Her work has appeared in numerous art publications and the book "100 Painters of the Mid-Atlantic". Represented by galleries in New Jersey and Pennsylvania she recently had a two month solo show at the Noyes Museum's Seaview Gallery. www.raeosheaart.com.

Terry Del Percio-Piemonte "Sometimes my art expresses an internal secret, an obvious emotion or no meaning at all. I am not always sure which one is which. I

guess the viewer decides. I don't set out to create art about a particular subject or express a particular emotion - I let whatever is coming, arrive and unfold. I suppose that in many ways, my work demonstrates either complexity or simplicity; after all - aren't our collective lives made up of both? When I enter my studio, I don't know what is going to happen. A flurry of emotion usually shows up and for a few minutes leaves me confused, scattered, disorganized and sometimes almost frantic. Once I put a shape, a line, or a color down, I begin to feel calmer and more at ease. I try very hard not to think, but to let my instincts move forward. This isn't always possible, of course. Typically working on at least three pieces at the same time,

I move back and forth among them in each session. Usually these pieces are in different media - mixed media collage, watercolor, and acrylic painting. Other materials such as ink, oil sticks, graphite, charcoal, pencil, and threads find their way into my work. Working with various media keeps me on my toes and pushes me to experiment and change. I change, you change, the world changes, my art changes. Mostly self-taught, I have also studied with Susan Guest-McPhail, Nick Simmons, and Tom Sutherland. I am grateful to the many incredibly talented artists everywhere who inspire me with their fabulous work. www.terrydelpercio.com

Brent Rotsko was born 1954 on the north shore of Boston. His interest in painting maritime subjects began while spending time as a Merchant Marine after graduating from Maine Maritime Academy. His days spent on the ocean and local

waterways as a Merchant Marine gave him a great love and appreciation for the beauty and balance of nature. His first artistic endeavor was carving intricate ship models while spending time at sea. After his mother passed away, inspired by the art she left behind, he picked up her oil paints and began to paint. He fell in love with oil painting! As a self taught artist in search of a more solid training, he sought out workshops, lessons, and demonstrations from local artists whose work he admired, such as Todd Bonita, Donald Jurney, Robin Thornhill, Rosalie Sidoti, and others. Captivated by the smells, sounds, taste, and feel of the sea, Brent
strives to capture depth, dimension, and atmosphere in his paintings, the result being a representation of reality. Brent resides in Merrimac, Massachusetts with his wife Jana. He enjoys the support of his wife and three daughters and two sons-in-law. www.brentrotsko.com

Judy A. Ryan was born in Chicago, Illinois. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Boston University. Judy also received training from Robert

Cormier in portrait drawing, life drawing and cast drawing at The Guild of Boston Artists. David P. Curtis has been her mentor for landscape painting. Judy has taught art at many schools and museums including the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, MA, the Worcester Art Museum, Brookline Arts Center, Newton Center for the Arts, Cambridge Center for Adult Education, Emerson Umbrella for the Arts and Concord Continuing Education. She has taught abroad for "Art in Provence", as well as having conducted her own painting workshops in Provence. Judy, currently teaches at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts where she has worked since 1994. Judy received

the Frances A. Kinnicutt Foreign Travel Award administered through the Worcester Art Museum while teaching at the museum and received an artist support grant administered through the Somerville Arts Council where she worked as a Somerville artist for 10 years. In 1996, Judy joined the historic artist cooperative of Fenway Studios in Boston. She recently served on the Board of the Fenway Alliance in Boston and is currently an officer on the Fenway Studios Board of Directors. After the loss of her husband, artist Arthur Collette, Judy moved to Gloucester in 2013 to further pursue her love of "plein air" landscape painting. www.fenwaystudios.org/artists/judy_ryan.php



Katalin Spang grew up in New York City, a wonderful place to nurture her love of art and  graduated from the High School of Music and Art in 1964. She received a

Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1968 from The Cooper Union and a Master of Arts in Painting from Villa Schifanoia, a graduate school of Art and Music affiliated with an American degree granting college in Florence, Italy. She has taught Fine Arts in the public school systems of Yonkers, NY, Tewksbury, MA and Burlington, MA for a total of thirty one years. She also taught classes in Calligraphy at Middlesex Community College for twelve years. In the summer of 2003 Katalin was the recipient of a grant "Art Renewal for Teachers" (ART) from the Philanthropic Institute of Boston. The grant enabled her to travel to Tuscany where she photographed and painted the landscape, en plein air. "My joy is to paint the
landscape, en plein air, wherever I travel. Often the paintings done on location received finishing touches in the studio, and sometimes sketches and photos on location lead to larger studio paintings." Katalin works in oil, watercolor and pastel. "Painting for me is a spiritual experience. It is a careful distillation of my interpretation, in a visual language, of the beauty I find around me." Katalin is an associate member of the Rockport Art Association, the New England Watercolor Society and a member of the Concord Art Association, the Reading Art Association and the Newton Watercolor Society. www.katalinspang.com



Gary Tucker "I feel fortunate to be at this place and time-my life has been an artistic one, drawing then painting from an early age. Fortunate to have the support

of family and friends, teachers and students, and the fellowship of other artists. I did graduate from the Museum School though I don't rate it as a positive experience for a teenager and from there helped to establish an atelier styled art community in Boston, Kaji Aso Studio Institute for the Arts, where I continue to teach and serve as Gallery Director. Success in the form of awards and sales has come as of late, but they only validate partially this artistic life - I feel the "art spirit" surge in me when I am painting, struggling

and creating. In my approach and aesthetics I feel commonality with Turner, the Impressionists, and the Chinese and Japanese Zen brush painters in that I am captivated by nature and through my artwork attempt to capture a sense of the moment. Through the media of watercolor and my process of painting I find power through brushwork, and subtlety through transparency. Watercolor differs from other media in that there is a performance aspect to it. The fine pieces come out in one sitting and very often like a classic performance, something happens, a fusion of mind and subject, an improvisation that cannot be duplicated". www.garytuckerartist.com/gallery/