Artist Residency in Nantucket

 

“Hummock Pond”

   In mid-July, I began my Artist Residency at The Nantuckt Island School of Design and The Art. It was everything I was hoping it would be. From the moment I got there, the island's disctinctive character with it's weathered grey shingle style architecture and seaside vibe, I began to relax into its overwhelming beauty. Thirty miles out to sea with a history going back to the 1700's, it gave me the opportunity to dive headlong into long stretches of looking, painting and enjoying its abundance. 

“Reyes Pond”

  The staff at NISDA were incredible and truly dedicated to their community. Denese Alen was especially helpful at the Seaview Farm and Art Center Studios, while Ann Conway kindly assisted me at the Wauwinet residency. The long barn was filled with activities in clay, and between exhibitions, lectures and an incredible performance by the Native American intertribal dance troupe Indigenous Enterprise, there was an abundance of activities all week long.

  Armed with gouache, a portable easel and several goals to achieve, I only had a week to explore and capture the feeling of the island during my Offshore Artist Residency. With some urgency, I began to paint in gouache on watercolor postcard paper. Its diminutive size was perfect to work with and the creamy, matte finish of gouache was such a delight to work with. It had been a very long time since I did so much work en plein air, and forgot how delightful it was to have the breeze in my hair, the sounds of the environment in my ears and sand in my paint. I plan on painting postcards where ever I roam from now on! 

“Hither Creek”

  The first day on the island, I spent a glorious morning painting at Pocomo Beach with my fellow artist resident Stevie Rosenfeld, a photographer from upstate New York. As she was snapping shots all around the beach, it was in stark contrast to the single painting I ended up creating. As I have been a fine art photographer for 3 decades, it was a revelation to only end up producing a single work but it forced me to slow down and capture the minute details in front of me.

   My first goal was to paint a series called "Postcards from Nantucket". With every intention of mailing these paintings to family and friends, I soon realized the delicate nature of gouache would probably not withstand the rigors of being shipped. Begrudgingly, I decided to keep them and create a booklet of all 30 finished pieces. Each person personally selected will receive this booklet by the end of the year. If you would like a copy, email me and we can discuss the price.

“Van Bourne’s Vessel”

  My second goal was to create 11x14 abstract paintings of boats. As I mentioned in my previous blog "Postcards from Nantucket", before I left on my trip, I had done a ton of research on artists who had painted abstractions on the island. Through The Nantucket Historical Association, I came across the painter Charles Green Shaw, a founding member of the American Abstract Artist group in New York and part of the Park Avenue Cubists. As an homage, I wanted to follow in his footsteps but ended up organically crafting my own style instead. While drawing preliminary sketches of each boat, I began to capture the various angles each boat created as they turned slowly in the water. This lead me to the realization that I was also capturing time in the paintings. I plan on exploring and expanding on this application of painting abstractions the next time I have the opportunity to paint a boat.

“Boat at the End of Monomoy Road”

  I was offered a chance to participate in NISDA's 2nd Annual People's Art exhibition in their Silo Gallery. By that point I had a pocket full of postcards and 2- 11x14 paintings which I had just created that day. An art patron from Liz Cann expressed interest in purchasing one of the 11x14 abstract boat paintings but as I had just painted the image that day, I needed a few days to think about its value both monetarily and to me personally.

  At the end of my residency, I attended the Artists Association of Nantucket exhibition "Blue Skylines"  at The Big Gallery. In my reasearch on the island before I left, I discovered that Charles Green Shaw had been on several AAN committees, including the executive committee from 1952 - 54, so I was keen to see what they were all about. It was a delight to meet and discuss the work in the exhibition in detail with artist John Carruthers, who's woodcuts on display were vibrant and engaging. Seeing this community of artists gathering together made me happy to see that the arts were alive and thriving on the island. 

John Carruthes at the AAN exhibition 

  In the end, it was a whirlwind trip which I will not soon forget. I ended up producing 30 postcards and 2 - 11x14 paintings in 6 days. I cannot wait to apply for another residency on a island - close to the boats, the sea and the sand.

Julie Green

August 10, 2024

(Special thanks to The Nantucket Land Bank and The Weinstein Galley for their invaluable assistance and information).