NORTH SHORE ARTS QuickstARTS!: A lively exchange of news, ideas and opportunities for artists, associates and supporters of the historic North Shore Arts Association and the Greater Cape Ann cultural community.
The North Shore Arts Association congratulates the award winning artists of Exhibition II, "Art of the Sea and Science", and The New Artist Members Show. Both exhibitions are on display at our harborside galleries from June 17 through July 30th and are free and open to the public.
A very unique component of the "Art Exhibition of the Sea and
Science" will be a show and silent auction of works by NSAA artists
painted on original roofing slates removed from the historic Paint
Factory building. These historic slates were donated to NSAA by
non-profit Ocean Alliance and they provide the substrate used by Artist
Members to create original works, each approximately 12" x 24" depicting
a wide range of images inspired by Gloucester, the sea, and its
inhabitants. Bids for the silent auction may be place June 17 through
July 30 by visiting or contacting NSAA. One hundred per cent of the
silent auction proceeds will go to fund the ongoing restoration the
NSAA's gallery building and Ocean Alliance's Paint Factory headquarters.
Click here: http://nsarts.org/2016_Slate_Auction.html
to see all of the slates available for bid from now until July 30th at
5pm. Visit or call the gallery to place your bid! 978-283-1857.
Please join us Sunday, June 26th at 12:30-1:30 for Ocean Alliance CEO Dr. Ian Kerr's lecture, "Why Whales?" A reception for Dr. Kerr and all Exhibitions follows, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the gallery. A $5.00 donation is encouraged.
ART EXHIBITION OF THE SEA AND SCIENCE AWARD WINNERS
VERMONT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ALDEN BRYAN MEMORIAL AWARD & MEDAL Traditional Landscape in Oil
MARK SHASHA "Summer Vista"
"Summer Vista", Mark Shasha
CAPE ANN SAVINGS BANK AWARD Excellence in Sculpture
DAVID KAPETANOPOULOS "Genesis"
"Genesis", David Kapetanopoulous
DONALD ALLEN MOSHER MEMORIAL AWARD Excellence in Landscape
T.M. NICHOLAS "Breaking Light Vermont"
T.M. Nicholas, "Breaking Light Vermont"
ARLINE W. MANNING MEMORIAL AWARD Excellence in Any Medium
DAVID CURTIS "Silence"
David Curtis, "Silence"
CHARLES C. GRUPPE AWARD Excellence in Marine Painting
GARY DAVIS "Leaving the Harbor"
Gary Davis, "Leaving the Harbor"
EDYTHE S. GHEN MEMORIAL AWARD Excellence in Watercolor
CHARLES SYVERTSEN "Rockport Quarry"
Charles Syvertsen, "Rockport Quarry"
HOWARD CURTIS MEMORIAL AWARD Excellence in Marine Painting
JEFF WEAVER "Beacon Marine from Gravel Beach"
Jeff Weaver, "Beacon Marine from Gravel Beach"
ART SUPPLIES WHOLESALE AWARD
JOHN FLEMING "Hatchling"
John Fleming, "Hatchling"
JAMES G. SAUNDERS MEMORIAL AWARD DAVID HATFIELD "Hannah Jumper House"
The North Shore Arts Association proudly presents a comprehensive retrospective of the work of artist member Robert D. Stephenson (1935 -2015). The exhibition is curated by Tom Nicholas, N.A., and T.M. Nicholas, who generously gave of their time and energies to mount this show. The show opens May 6 through June 11, 2016, with a reception free and open to the public on Sunday, May 15 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Robert Stephenson was born on August 21, 1935 in Gloucester, the oldest of two sons born to Charles Francis Stephenson and Cora (Douglas) Stephenson. At 8 years old, his mother arranged for Robert to study art with noted artist Alice Beach Winter at her home studio at 134 Mt. Pleasant Avenue in East Gloucester. Alice Beach Winter and her artist husband Charles Allen Winter were winter residents of New York City and began summering in Gloucester in 1914. Alice was every bit the artistic equal of her husband having studied at the Art Students League and exhibiting regularly at the National Academy of Design. After the couple's marriage, Alice's teaching, portrait work, and illustrations did much to support the family, leaving Charles free to concentrate on his painting. Their lives in New York City put them into the social center of the most forward thinking artists of the day.
Alice and Charles became full time residents of East Gloucester starting in 1931 where they became influential teachers in the artist community. Many of the great American artists of the day found their way to Paris, Rome, and beyond to study in the French ateliers and to bring home the newest ideas being espoused in the artist circles of Europe. The artists who surrounded the Winters proved to be a veritable "Who's Who" of American Art. Among the artists they socialized with were such notables as John Sloan, Robert Henri, Leon Kroll,Aldro T. Hibbard, W. Lester Stevens, Jane Peterson, and William Glackens.
'The Red Cottage', Alice Beach Winter
Under Alice's tutelage and in the atmosphere of her eclectic studio in The Red Cottage, which was filled with props, costumes, curios, and architectural fragments brought back from distant places, Bob Stephenson's youthful imagination caught fire. In his teens, he painted a large sea serpent on the rocks at Cressy's Beach, which was much loved and is fondly remembered by many in Gloucester. Bob's artistic development was further developed by the encouragement and teachings of his influential mentor, Howard Curtis, one of the great Gloucester painters, who was the head of the Art Department at Gloucester High School. Curtis, a deeply contemplative and spiritual man, certainly influenced the spiritual dimension that is so evident in Bob's mature artwork.
Bob showed great academic promise as well as artistic talent, winning the coveted Sawyer Medal for Academic Excellence. Having been exposed to the romance of other cultures and places in his early years, he was well prepared, after graduation from Gloucester High School, to take advantage of the travel and experiences afforded by entering the U.S. Army. He traveled throughout the world during his 27 year career, traveling extensively through Southeast Asia and the Far East. It was during his time spent in the Far East that Bob's interest in Buddhism took hold.
'The Art Class', Robert Stephenson
Upon his retirement as a U.S. Army Sergeant Major, and with a treasure trove of images stored in his imagination, he took up brushes and revisited his love of art. He studied with John Terelak at the Gloucester Academy, where one of his fellow students was T.M. Nicholas. They soon became fast friends and Bob was a frequent and welcome visitor at the home of Tom and Gloria Nicholas. . Later Bob studied with Tom Nicholas, N.A. and traveled to the West Coast taking workshops and painting with Tom Nicholas. Returning home, Bob was given the honor of being chosen "artist in residence" at the Fitz Henry Lane House and later he would open a permanent studio at his home on Parsons Street, which was open to all during working hours. Bob and his frequent visitors to the studio held forth on any and all subjects; politics, art, religion, and more were open for discussion.
One test of the impact of a man's life lies in the quantity and depth of the anecdotes that are told of his life and character. By this measure, Bob's life was one of great import. He was much loved by the many friends who knew him best. The dry, acerbic nature of his wit, his wide ranging intellect, and his ability to imbibe a well known scene with layers of foreign atmosphere and a touch of swashbuckling romance still take us along with him on his journeys of the imagination.
The North Shore Arts Association is indebted to Bob Stephenson's friends and fellow artists, Jill Whitney Armstrong and Bob Armstrong, owners of iartcolony, 42 Broadway, Rockport, MA for the use of the following video which was produced by Jill Armstrong for iartcolony's 2012 Invitational Artist Exhibition of Robert Stephenson's work.
GLOUCESTER DAILY TIMES ART SECTION COVER STORY ROBERT STEPHENSON 2016 "A VISION OF FAR OFF PLACES"
A Retrospective of Bob Stephenson's Artwork Opens NSAA's 94th Season
by Gail McCarthy, Gloucester Times Staff Writer, April 27, 2016
Robert “Bob” Stephenson’s legacy
survives on his beloved Cape Ann through those who enjoy the image of a
sea serpent he painted decades ago on rocks in a harbor, and through
others who grew to admire the enigmatic artist who lived off Main Street
and became part of the local art circles.In a tribute to one of
Cape Ann’s creative giants, the North Shore Arts Association will open
its 94th season on Friday, May 6, with a retrospective dedicated to
Stephenson’s art.Many of Stephenson’s paintings were notable for
the complex cloud designs he painted among his prolific works. Nebulous
and cirrus describe both the artist and the cloud formations that erupt
on his canvases, while other works exude a dreamlike or mysterious
quality.“Perhaps he was most innovative with his concept for how a
cloudy sky was adjusted to the landscape,” says Rockport’s Tom
Nicholas. “One of the things he did, which a lot of artists don’t do,
was he painted the sky as you wouldn’t expect it. If you had a
complicated landscape, many would keep the sky simple. But (Stephenson)
would think nothing of making it a complicated sky and it created a lot
of movement.” He looks at nature and makes it his own, Nicholas adds.Nicholas,
a National Academician, and his son, T.M. Nicholas, an accomplished
painter, looked through 140 of Stephenson’s paintings, out of which they
selected about 40 works to be part of this exhibition.“Bob would
take a subject he was interested in and added his own particular view
of what the painting needed,” Nicholas says. “In order to express
himself, he instinctively put more of himself into the painting. He
would improvise to a great extent. That’s what it is all about — self
expression, and his standard was high.”....please click HERE to see Gail McCarthy's complete article published in the Gloucester Daily Times.
