Author: God's Morning

I pray you are blessed, built up in your faith and Christian walk, and become an interactive participant in God's Morning. We are here as Christ's body, supporting and building each other up in all righteousness, in His name, awaiting His soon return. Maranatha!

Everyone Loves Happy Hour, Especially when it is Two and Free

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happy hour

This weekend the Rocky Neck Holiday Art & Fine Crafts festival continues Sat. & Sun. from noon to 4:00, with a Happy Hour Party on Sunday, 12/15 from 3-5:00pm.  Typical Happy Hour fare, beer, wine and a special festive holiday concoction that will warm the cockles of your heart, fingers, toes and other parts that might need warming.

The festival features over 2,500 items by Rocky Neck Art Colony members, many ranging in price from $4 to $50, for a relaxing, unique and fun local shopping and party experience.

E.J. Lefavour

Artist Spotlight Series – Katherine Bagley

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spotlight_katherine bagley

Katherine Bagley is a North Shore native who has lived in Gloucester for 22 years. She works out of her home to make handcrafted jewelry using mostly sterling and Argentium silver, as well as copper, sea glass and colorful beads.

She first started making jewelry fresh out of high school when she apprenticed with a silversmith in Boston. After setting up a workshop in her apartment, Katherine honed her skills with many self taught methods and sold her work in various stores on the North Shore.

A move to New Hampshire in 1986 gave her the opportunity to become a juried member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen where she had her work in the retail shops across the state as well as taking part in the League’s annual 10 day Sunapee Fair. She also was a juried member of the Valley Artisans in Epping, NH. Katherine furthered her skills at the Manchester Institute of Art where she took classes from silversmith Elizabeth Nutt and participated in various jewelry workshops within the NH League studying under Pauline Warg. Her work was accepted at the New Hampshire Gallery of Art Spring Show.

Katherine and her husband returned to Gloucester with their 2 year old son in 1992. Jewelry took a back seat in her life for many years as she was busy being a mom. She returned to her craft 3 years ago and is thrilled to have her tools out of the boxes and into her hands. “It is so fun to be able to take a piece of wire or a sheet of metal and turn it into something completely different, something with form and beauty and wearability.” She has been pleasantly surprised that the skills of working with metals have been imbedded in her memory even after so long so that the re-entry into silversmithing has been a real joy.

Katherine has shown her work for the past two seasons at the Rocky Neck Gallery as well as Flatrocks Gallery in Lanesville, Fish Fish Gallery in Rockport and the Newburyport Art Association where she has been accepted into two juried shows and has shown work in their gift shop. She looks forward to continuing in the creative process and seeing where this path will take her.

Her latest work is a series of earrings and necklaces called “Redeemed by Fire” and can be found at the Rocky Neck Holiday Art & Fine Crafts Festival held at the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson St. The festival is being held Saturdays and Sundays from noon – 4:00 through December 29.

E.J. Lefavour

Artist Spotlight Series – Sinikka Nogelo

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spotlight_sinikka nogelo

Spotlight on Sinikka Nogelo

Gloucester painter Sinikka Nogelo considers herself lucky to work in a studio overlooking Joey C.’s business, Capt. Joe and Sons. “The view is just lovely. I enjoy seeing the activity on the working waterfront, knowing my friendly neighbors are doing so much for the community with Good Morning Gloucester, while supplying us with the freshest lobster, and also supporting the arts. A few years back at Joey’s, one of my favorite art installations featured larger than life, black and white photos of faces of the waterfront. “

Though Sinikka has been most well known locally for her work in community television, art has always played a major part in her life. After graduating from Tufts, she studied at Montserrat with Oliver Balf, Barbara Moody, George Gabin, Roger Martin and Ethan Berry. She also took classes at Silvermine Guild in Connecticut and at the BFA’s Museum School in Boston. As a young artist, she was a founding member of the women’s cooperative “Center and Main Gallery,” located in what is now Passports Restaurant. Sinikka returned to painting full time upon her retirement from Cape Ann TV in 2010.

A member of Rocky Neck Art Colony and the Cape Ann Artisans Studio tour, Sinikka paints contemporary pieces inspired by thoughts and feelings, sea and sky. “I just love color and composition. I get a great deal of satisfaction from the process of making art, just seeing where things will go, experimenting and building on what I’ve made.” In recent years Sinikka has also been creating wall pieces from recyclables and found objects, some of which were on display last summer at the Cape Ann Museum’s White-Ellery House in Sinikka’s installation, “Tin – Relics and Remakes.”

At the Rocky Neck Art Colony’s Holiday Art Festival Sinikka is offering miniature paintings on easels to grace spots such as desks, book shelves and counters, as well as miniature paintings to hang as ornaments. Her paintings have long been influenced by the sea and sky which she uses as subjects and as metaphors. Sinikka loves color and composition and putting that first stroke on a canvas.

You can see more of Sinikka’s work at the Rocky Neck Holiday Art & Fine Crafts Festival (Sat. & Sun. noon – 4:00pm through 12/29) and at the Magnolia Historical Society’s Art in the Schoolhouse Show (Sat. & Sun. 10:00am – 2:00pm through 12/22).

E.J. Lefavour

“Got Milk?” RNAC’s “Season’s Best Cookie Competition”

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cookie scarf got milk

Saturday, December 21, 2:00PM

The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck

As part of the Holiday Art & Fine Crafts Festival, the Winter Solstice Party on Saturday, December 21 will feature a “Season’s Best Cookie Competition”. Any kind of home-baked cookie may be entered, except chocolate chip – everyone makes good chocolate chip cookies – as we are looking for competitors to come up different, unique and prize-winning entries.

The first prize winner of the cookie competition will become the proud owner of this hand-painted silk scarf by Adriana Mederos, titled “Got Milk?”  This beautiful scarf depicts Shortbread, Anise, Oatmeal-Raisin, Linzerkuchen, Chocolate-dipped Diamonds, Biscotti, Baklava, Sugar Cookies, Snowball, Mandelkuchen, Macaroons, Almond Mezzalune, Polvorones, Pizzelle and Crinkles. There is also a First Place Blue Ribbon painted on the scarf to memorialize the winner’s proud achievement.

There will also be 2nd and 3rd place prizes, as well as prizes for “best presentation” and “classic”.

First prize – “Got Milk?” hand-painted scarf

Second prize – limited edition trivet

Third prize – set of Ice Box Bling

“Best Presentation” and “Classic” prize winners will receive notecard sets

The cookie competition will be judged by the Honorable and Venerable Judges Ed Collard (renowned master of food competition judging), Mayor Carolyn Kirk (whose birthday is December 21, so come help celebrate her birthday by bringing your well wishes and most awesome cookies for her to judge), and Sister Felicia Ciaramitaro (the Cape Ann Queen of culinary delights, so bring on your absolute best).

We are hoping to have some unique and festive cookie entries, such as those depicted on this delectable scarf, but bakers are encouraged to enter what they know to be their best cookie (again, no chocolate chip). If you would like to enter the competition, please email gigimederos@gmail.com with “cookie competition entry” in the subject line and your name, type of cookie you plan to enter, and your phone number in the email body. Entries will be limited to the first twelve unique cookie entry submissions received (we want to have diversity and be considerate of the judges’ waistlines, and eating more than 12 cookies isn’t in anyone’s diet). Please be prepared to bake at least two-dozen cookies, for the judges and party attendees to taste and enjoy.

Also, RNAC is considering creating a Best Cookies calendar as a fundraiser for 2015 which would include the recipes, bakers’ credit and photos of the 12 cookie entries.  Please indicate in your email entry if you are willing to share your recipe and have it included in the calendar, if we go forward with producing it.

E.J. Lefavour

High Tea Party

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high tea party shots

We had a great turnout of food, excellent herbal tea, partygoers and shoppers at yesterday’s High Tea Party at the Rocky Neck Holiday Art & Fine Crafts Show.  Karen Tibbetts, Suzanne Audette and Rosemary Quataro did an amazing job of putting it all together so beautifully.  People enjoyed the wonderful selection of finger sandwiches, scones, cookies, cakes and more that flooded the table.  Although primarily attended by women, there were a few men there, including Charlie Carroll sporting his tape measure suspenders.

Watch for details on next weekend’s Happy Hour Party, 12/15 from 3-5:00.  The festival is open Sat. & Sun. from noon to 4:00 (5:00 next Sunday).  A fun, relaxing way to shop in a beautiful venue, with a great selection of over 2,000 unique affordable items crafted by Rocky Neck artists.

E.J. Lefavour

Invasion of the Winter Moths at Magnolia Historical Society

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winter moths

I’m sure you’ve noticed them everywhere the last couple of days.  Driving over to Magnolia last night for the Magnolia Historical Society opening of Art in the Schoolhouse with Charlie Carroll, it was like driving in a brown blizzard.  They are pictured here all over the front door of the place at 46 Magnolia Ave.  Also pictured are some of the partygoers at the opening.  If you missed the opening, stop by Saturday and Sunday (12/7&8, 14&15 or 21&22) from 10:00 – 2:00.  The moths may or may not still be there but the great artwork, cards, prints, calendars, books and more still will be (whatever hasn’t been sold anyway).

art in the schoolhouse opening

Now more about the Winter Moth.

The Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is an abundant species of Europe and the Near Eastand one of very few Lepidoptera of temperate regions in which the adults are active in the depth of winter.

The female of this species is virtually wingless and cannot fly, but the male is fully winged and flies strongly.

Winter Moths are considered an invasive species in North America; Nova Scotia experienced the first confirmed infestations in the 1930s. The moth is now found in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine.[1] In Massachusetts, the moths have attracted the attention of several media outlets due to the severity of the infestation.[2] In northern Rhode Island, damage to fruit orchards has been attributed to winter moth, and it is now reported in mid-southern Rhode Island (Bristol/Barrington area and Warwick). Efforts at biological control are underway.[3] There have been unconfirmed reports of infestations in southern New Hampshire.

Wikipedia

Here’s a link to an article Kim Smith wrote about the relationship between songbirds
and the Winter Moth, back in 2010.  http://kimsmithdesigns.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/white-throated-sparrow-zonotrichia-albicolli/

E.J. Lefavour

Art in the Schoolhouse Preview Opening Party

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magnolia historical society art show poster3

Friday, 12/6 5-8:00PM at the new Magnolia Historical Society’s Museum and Cultural Center building (in the old Blynman School), 46 Magnolia Ave.  A great collection of artists and photographers, plus a large selection of affordable holiday gift items -cards, books, prints, mini paintings, calendars and more.  Refreshments, live music and free admission.  Come see, shop and find out what Magnolia Historical Society is up to – exciting developments for Magnolia and the Gloucester historical, arts and cultural scenes.  Hope to see you there.

E.J. Lefavour

Spotlight on Marty Morgan

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spotlight_marty morgan

Spotlight on Marty Morgan Pottery

Marty Morgan was a French lit major in college, but a good friend introduced her to the magic of clay and firing. She learned the basics of throwing on the wheel with Frances Trapp at the Boston Museum School. Living in California in the late 60’s she learned to fire gas kilns, did extensive glaze testing and took many workshops at Big Creek Pottery in Santa Cruz, with Daniel Rhodes and other well-known potters.

Returning to the East Coast in 1972 Marty opened a retail crafts gallery and teaching studio, the Works, in Manchester, MA. In 1979 she moved to her present home on the Mill River in Gloucester, turning the garage into a studio and showroom. The studio features her dream kiln, a 65 cubic foot car kiln, which is loaded in the studio and then rolled outside to be fired.

As well as creating her own work, Marty has been very involved in the Cape Ann community, as a founding member and president of the Cape Ann Artisans which has held studio tours twice a year for over 30 years. She is also known as “the bowl lady” for her work helping to organize the Empty Bowl event, an annual fundraiser since 2001 for the Open Door food pantry. Marty says: “After making pots for forty years, I still love it when someone tells me they have to have their coffee in a Marty mug”.

Marty will be holding an Open House at her studio December 7th & 8th, 10 -5 featuring her porcelain mugs, serving pieces, lamps and vases and her latest “quarry vessels” and tile wall sculptures. Stop by for some home-made cookies and holiday cheer.

Marty Morgan Pottery 428 Washington Street, Gloucester. 978-281-3347 http://www.martymorganpots.com

E.J. Lefavour

Cape Ann Forum Hosts Omar Dahi at City Hall

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omar dahi_cape ann forum
On Sunday, December 8 the Forum hosts Middle East scholar and author Omar Dahi speaking on the Syrian civil war, an increasingly regional catastrophe and humanitarian crisis affecting neighboring nations as well as Syria.  This is nowhere more evident than in Lebanon, where some villages now have more Syrians than Lebanese.  Just back from Lebanon, Dahi reports a lack of hospital beds and growing fear of a cholera outbreak and ensuing public health disaster in the Bekaa Valley.  Dahi will discuss the war, the complex welter of competing groups and outside interests, and the urgent need for a political solution and massive aid in the region.
Omar Dahi is an associate professor of economics at Hampshire College and visiting fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace MIddle East Center.
Born and raised in Damascus, Syria, Dahi received a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Notre Dame, serves on the editorial committee of the Middle East Report, is co-editor of the  Syria web page at Jadaliyya, and is widely published in various academic journals.
The  forum will be held at Gloucester City Hall and is free and open to the public.

Gloucester Writer’s Center Presents Alan H. Weisman at The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck

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Weisman

Art in the Schoolhouse Preview Opening Reception Friday, 12/6

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magnolia historical society art show poster3

Another great holiday art event that you shouldn’t miss – presented by Magnolia Historical Society.  Come check out their great new location in the old Blynman Schoolhouse, 46 Magnolia Ave.

E.J. Lefavour

Paint Factory at Sunset

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paint factory at sunset_bob wallace photo

This photo of Ocean Alliance headquarters, the Tarr and Wonson Paint Manufactory was taken by Captain Bob Wallace of the Odyssey the last time he was in town.

What a gorgeous photo, submitted by Amy Kerr.

E.J. Lefavour

Shop Small Day

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shop small

Did you know that Saturday, November 30th is national Shop Small Day?  Don’t miss the first day of the Rocky Neck Holiday Art & Fine Crafts Festival at The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Saturday November 30 from 2-4:00pm.  Artists are some of the smallest small businesses around, but we do what we do with big hearts, great dedication and a lot of passion, and we make the world a better, more beautiful place.  Just imagine the world with no artists or art – it would be a heARTless place.

Also, don’t miss all the Gala Preview Party fun on Friday, 11/29 from 5-7:00pm!

rocky neck holiday festival poster

A Sneak Preview before the Preview Party

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RNAC_winter show setup photos2

The Rocky Neck Holiday Art & Fine Crafts Festival will opening this Friday, 11/29 with a Gala First Choice Preview Party from 5-7:00 (or later, most likely).  Above is a sampling of the incredible array of beautiful items you will find, on top of having a great time shopping locally at a Rocky Neck party (and we know how to do parties on Rocky Neck!).

There is something for everyone at the Rocky Neck Holiday Art & Fine Crafts Festival. Items you will find at the festival include paintings, photography, prints, cards, calendars, pottery (six wonderful potters have work for sale), jewelry (five golden rings won’t be found here, but you will see some gorgeous seaglass, sterling silver, glass bead and other unique one of a kind jewelry pieces by five talented jewelers),  book marks, children’s books and unique clothing, coasters, beautiful hand painted silk scarves, very cool men’s ties, hand painted mirrors, trivets, ceramic bird houses, hand painted mailboxes, treasure boxes, and so much more.

The Rocky Neck Holiday Art & Fine Craft Festival will take place at The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, in East Gloucester.  The Festival runs for five weekends Saturdays and Sundays from noon-4 PM, starting November 30 and ending December 29, and will include a number of great holiday season parties to enjoy while shopping locally.  In addition to the Preview Party, on Saturday, 12/7 from 2-4 PM, there will be a High Tea Party (the art colony’s twist on an old English tradition).  On Sunday, 12/15 from 3-5 PM stop in for Happy Hour.  On Saturday, 12/21 from 2-4 PM don’t miss the Winter Solstice Party (featuring mead and a cookie competition) and on Sunday, 12/29 from 2-4 PM, get in some practice for the New Year at the Pre New Year’s Party.

Come by early on Saturday or Sunday, have breakfast at Sailor Stan’s, or stop in for chowder after.  Also, don’t forget to visit the galleries on Rocky Neck that are open in the winter:  Elynn Kroger Gallery, upstairs at 15 Rocky Neck Ave., Goetemann Gallery, and John Nesta Gallery, 37 Rocky Neck Ave.

This year the Rocky Neck Art Colony invites the whole community to come visit Rocky Neck and experience the beauty, warmth and hominess of the Cultural Center during its Holiday Art & Fine Crafts Festival and parties, and to support local artists.  The Festival and parties are free and everyone is welcome.  For more information, call 978-515-7004 or visit http://www.rockyneckartcolony.org/winter.php.  

There are many items priced from $4 to $50, going all the way up to $7,000 for an exquisite Gordon Goetemann oil painting of Bass Rocks (in the bottom photo of the stage area).

Aside from being a beautiful piece of art that would grace any home with the budget to purchase it, the owner would be publicly acknowledged as a sponsor of one of the artists selected for the 2014 Residency Artist Program.  Their generosity would also endear them to all the artists who know how critical patrons are to their well being and to the art educational mission of the Rocky Neck Art Colony.  A great way to support Residence Artist Program and the Cultural Center while becoming the owner of an exceptional piece of artwork.

Also, parking is no problem on Rocky Neck this time of year, with plenty of free parking in the public parking lot at the start of Rocky Neck, plus street parking on Rocky Neck Ave and Wonson Street.  

E.J. Lefavour

Artist Spotlight Series – Len Burgess

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spotlight_len burgess

Spotlight on Len Burgess

Len has lived on the North Shore for the last 43 years with wife Joanne, who was a Landmark School special ed teacher and is a painter and graduate of Mass Art. They have four sons. Len grew up in Hingham MA and after graduating from Hingham High School he attended Mass College of Art where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree majoring in Advertising Design. In his early career he was employed as an artist and then art director for two Boston Advertising agencies, designing and creating ads, booklets, brochures, and trade show booths. His artistic abilities were also used to do renderings and illustrations of clients products, and services. He’s now retired after a 45 year career in the greater Boston area including 39 years operating his own company, Burgess Associates Inc. a graphic design/advertising company.

Len has been involved in photography since the age of 15, starting with an old box camera. He gained valuable photo experience through the years in his advertising and graphic design business supervising professional photographers and also taking photos himself. His quest for good closeup photography was realized with his first digital camera in 2006. Since then he has shot thousands of macro photos, many of which are of tiny ice crystal patterns which grow on the old storm windows in his house in winter. Because he loves the ocean and North Shore towns, many of his photos are of the sea, beaches, ships and wildlife, as well as native flowers, sunsets and moon shots. Other photo interests are abstract design, antique autos, WWII aircraft and insects.

As a member of the Essex Shipbuilding Museum he volunteers as a photographer and has been an instructor in 6 digital photography workshops at the Museum. Len is a member of the Rocky Neck Art Colony and contributes his photography on a regular basis to Good Morning Gloucester. He has won a dozen local and regional awards for excellence in graphic design and advertising. His nature, abstract and Schooner Festival photography has appeared in local newspapers, visitors guide pamphlets and on many websites. Len’s photos tend to celebrate the intricate beauty of nature in all its forms. View 2900 of his photos on Yahoo flickr… http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenbo/ or by 41 sets… http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenbo/sets/

You can see more of Len’s photography at The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, East Gloucester during the Rocky Neck Holiday Art & Fine Crafts Festival

Saturdays and Sundays, Noon-4 PM

November 30 – December 29

http://www.rockyneckartcolony.org/winter.php

E.J. Lefavour

Artist Spotlight Series – Anna Vojtech

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spotlight_anna vojtech

Spotlight on Anna Vojtech

Anna grew up in Prague, Czechoslovakia, what is now the Czech Republic. She studied art and animation film in Prague, Antwerp (Belgium) and Hamburg (Germany), where she met her German-American husband, Roland Cornelis Baumgaertel.

In 1971 Anna and Roland moved to Montreal where she worked as a freelance artist for the National Filmboard of Canada and for various film companies. During that time Anna started to illustrate children books and work with Canadian publishers. Her first book published in the US was “The Star Husband”, a Native American legend, published by Doubleday in 1979. Since then Anna has been working and publishing with major publishers like North South, Putnam, Dial, Penquin, Abrams, and many others.  Her botanical paintings, another of Anna’s passions, have been published as”Wild Flowers for All Seasons”, a beautiful coffee table book.

In 1983 Anna, Roland and their two sons, Mathis and Lukas, moved to the North Shore. They lived in Marblehead for a time, but for the last 14 years they have been happy residents of Gloucester along with their grandchildren, Cyrus and Natasha. In 2001 Anna and Roland purchased a building in East Gloucester and turned it into an artist haven with 7 studios, called “Cripple Cove Studios”. This is where Anna continues doing what she has done all her adult life – illustrating, painting and experimenting with various media. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.

In March 2013 Anna exhibited her paintings along with her husband’s sculptures at the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck.  Anna will be participating in the Rocky Neck Arts and Crafts Show where she will be selling some of the books she has illustrated. Her most recent book are “Look What I can Do!” written by Nancy Viau and The Friendly Beasts”, an old English Christmas Carol, which includes a CD. All of the books will be autographed and at special times Anna will be signing them especially for your special little ones.

Look for Anna and her wonderful books at The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, East Gloucester during the Rocky Neck Holiday Art & Fine Crafts Festival Saturdays and Sundays, Noon-4 PM November 30 – December 29 http://www.rockyneckartcolony.org/winter.php

E.J. Lefavour

Artist Spotlight Series – Eileen Patten Oliver

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spotlight_eileen patten oliver

Spotlight on Eileen Patten Oliver

Eileen, a relative newcomer to Cape Ann, was born and lived her first 40 years in Waltham, MA. After a few years in the Plymouth area, caring for her mother, she and her family moved in 1998 to Lubec, Maine (the quintessential coastal Maine fishing village and home of West Quoddy Head Light). Eileen loved Maine and planned to live there for the rest of her life, even after her marriage ended. Fate however intervened! The first time the man who would become her new husband brought her to his home on Cape Ann, she instantly fell in love. Although she wasn’t too sure about him yet, she was totally smitten with this place. She remembers saying to him as they drove past Folly Cove that she wished she could just wrap the whole place up in a box and take it home with her. Their relationship blossomed over the following months with places like Rocky Neck, Lanes Cove, Flat Rocks, Halibut Point, and Bearskin Neck as the backdrop. Finally they decided that the long distance aspect of their romance was too hard and she left Maine behind, starting her new life in a place that prior to meeting him she barely knew.

At that point she wasn’t painting much, but found herself so inspired by the atmosphere, the galleries, and other wonderful Cape Ann artists that she picked it up again. In the three years since moving here, she hasn’t stopped for more than a few days at a time. The fact that her husband, James Oliver, is also an artist, gives her a kindred spirit to share the process with, and he encourages and inspires her every single day.

You can see more of Eileen’s work at The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, East Gloucester during the Rocky Neck Holiday Art & Fine Crafts Festival

Saturdays and Sundays, Noon-4 PM

November 30 – December 29

and look for her during one of the fun parties:

Friday, November 29, 5-7 PM Gala First Choice Preview Party

Saturday, December 7, 2-4 PM High Tea

Sunday, December 15, 3-5 PM Happy Hour

Saturday, December 21, 2-4 PM Winter Solstice Party

Sunday, December 29, 2-4 PM Pre New Year’s Party

http://www.rockyneckartcolony.org/winter.php

E.J. Lefavour