Rockport, MA – Starting this week, you may notice an increase in the number of plein air painters and their easels in Rockport and other Cape Ann-based streets and vista locations. In addition to summertime temptations that usually brings the aesthetic persuasion to our shores, one of Rockport’s newest galleries, Folly Cove Fine Art, has kicked off a medley of events that welcomes professional Painters, Art aficionados, collectors, and local enthusiasts to revel in the legacy of Cape Ann’s Artist Colony history. The activities are scheduled under three main offerings and all are open to the public, free of charge:
Old Masters of Cape Ann Exhibition, August 1-31st
A month-long exhibition of original Old Master paintings, including but not limited to original works by Emile Albert Gruppé (Gloucester 1896-1978), marine painter Anthony Thieme (Greenwich, CT 1888-1954), Aldro Thompson Hibbard (Rockport 1886-1972), and Paul Strisik (Rockport 1918-1998), is open to the public and works are for sale. The show is located at 41 Main Street and open during gallery hours from August 1st through August 31st.
Solo Shows
The Gallery is hosting a series of week-long solo shows and spotlights for contemporary Artists represented by the gallery. Solo showcases for August include (opening dates only are listed; artists will be here on opening days, and shows will hang for the week):
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Opening August 11th: Richard Boyer, Utah/Sweden-based Landscape Painter
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Opening August 14th: Ann Larsen, plein air Painter hailing from New York’s Adirondack Mountains
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Opening August 21st: Kirk Larsen, Winner of ‘Great Painters of Cape Ann’ Award, CAPA 2019
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Opening August 28th: Veronica Funk, Ben Nelson & Marianne Thompson, all local Massachusetts artists and Ben Nelson is the youngest Folly Cove Fine Art Gallery co-owners.
Plein Air Live Paint Events – Paint where the Masters Painted!
Third, Folly Cove Fine Art is hosting a week of plein air painting attended by many of the Artists represented by the gallery. Enjoy the company of fellow painters in some of the same locations painted by Thieme, Gruppe, and Hibbard. While Artists may be located anywhere based on their own preferences, suggested locations are as follows:
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Monday August 9th: Main Street & Beach Street in Rockport, including Front & Back Beach, Union and Old Parish Cemetery, and all along Main Street
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Tuesday August 10th: Bearskin Neck and Dock Square, Rockport
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Wednesday, August 11th: Gloucester sites, including Bass Rocks, Eastern Point Lighthouse, and the Boulevard
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Thursday, August 12th: Granite Pier, Rockport, including Wharf Road, the Granite Keystone Bridge, and Pigeon Cove
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Friday, August 13th: The Headlands in Rockport, and Old Garden Beach, Mt. Pleasant Street, and Atlantic Avenue
Ribbon Cutting and Wet Paint Sale
The Gallery will be hosting a Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting on Friday, August 13th from 5:30-6:30PM accompanied by the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce at 41 Main Street. The public is invited to attend and invitations to the event have been sent to Senator Bruce Tarr and the Rockport Board of Selectmen. After the Ribbon Cutting ceremony, a Wet Paint Sale and Reception will be hosted at 41 Main Street. Folly Cove Fine Art opened during the pandemic last year and is celebrating its new home located at 41 Main Street, a historic address relevant to Rockport Art history.
Gallery Co-Owner, Jill Guthrie, says, “There is so much happening in and around the gallery it’s hard to keep up! The best way to get involved is to come down and see for yourself. Together with other Rockport Art galleries, it is a must to make Rockport an August destination.”
About Folly Cove Fine Art
Founded in Rockport, Massachusetts in 2020, Folly Cove Fine Art is a fine art gallery that deals in museum quality works from the 19th century to the present day. Folly Cove Fine Art also provides advisory services to collectors worldwide. Folly Cove Fine Art specializes in Cape Ann School and Hudson River School painters as well as contemporary Artists who are influenced by the same style. Now with three locations on Main Street and an extensive online gallery, Art enthusiasts and collectors can be confident to grow, sell, or begin their collection with Folly Cove Fine Art. Learn more at: https://www.follycovefineart.com/
