Gallery Antonia | 7/17-8/1 | Chatham, MA

Atmospheric Days

Gallery Antonia prepares to host its Annual Artist Group Show

In mid-July, Gallery Antonia in Chatham, Massachusetts, hosts its Annual Artist Group Show, bringing together the works of such contemporary artists as Carol Maguire, Sue Gilkey, William R. Davis, Eli Cedrone and Barney Levitt. Paintings in the exhibition give off feelings of warmth, cheer and contentment, from Gilkey’s July Waterlilies, an idyllic view of waterlilies scattered across a still pond, to Davis’ Yachting Under Blue Skies, Nantucket, a breezy ocean scene.Eli Cedrone, Primavera, oil, 11 x 14"

“For Gallery Antonia’s summer show, I included paintings done in my two different gardens. Foxgloves in the Mist was painted in Ireland, looking out my studio doorway. I had planted the seeds the year before and was delighted by this massive display the next year,” says Gilkey. Foxgloves in the Mist is a gentle scene of foxglove flowers commanding the foreground, while a soft mist lingers in the air beyond. “In Stowe, Vermont, the pond, its waterlilies and reflections are the main event all summer,” she says of July Waterlillies. “My paintings begin outdoors and then go back and forth between the location and the studio.Carol Maguire, Peonies, oil on panel 24 x 18"

I find more interesting shapes and subtler color outside, but inside I give the work compositional corrections and final polish. I love atmospheric days, when edges soften and color resonates. If I wake up to a misty morning, I’m moving to get my paints.”Sue Gilkey, July Waterlilies, oil on linen canvas, 20 x 20"

The beauty in Hart’s delicate watercolor Sitting Pretty, Provincetown, MA is its simple composition with a two-story home “sitting pretty” in the center of the scene. The eye is drawn toward the subject of the composition in her watercolor Catbird Seat, in which the songbird is perched on a branch against a vibrant green backdrop. “While always a celebratory event, this year’s group show is especially welcome as we greet fellow artists and gallery friends in person—and mark the 11th summer of Gallery Antonia,” says Hart. “It is exciting to see new work and inspiring to hear the stories behind the paintings. My pieces for the show draw upon my appreciation of the natural world and strive to do justice to both my subjects and the luminous magic of watercolor.”Ann Hart, Sitting Pretty, Provincetown, MA, watercolor, 9 x 14"