In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Vineyard Conservation Society (VCS), 13 local artists are creating original works inspired by the natural beauty of locations preserved by the work of the society.
Seven of the artists — Valentine Estabrook, Elizabeth Lockhart Taft, Tiffiney Shoquist, Jeanne Staples, Allen Whiting, Marjorie Mason, and Kanta Lipsky — have invited the public to come watch them create their newest work, live on location, on Saturday and Monday.
Their technique is known as painting “en plein air,” a French expression which means “in the open air,” used to describe the act of painting outdoors. Plein air can be used to capture the immediacy and power of the natural world where things are constantly changing, or alternately, to communicate the peace and serenity in a particular moment.
On Saturday, July 25, Tiffiney Shoquist will be painting from 7 to 11 am at Katama Farm. Marjorie Mason will work at the West Basin, facing the inland marsh, in the hours leading up to 10 am. From 9:30 to noon, Liz Taft will be at the Gay Head Cliffs, at the entrance near the Land Bank Beach. Allen Whiting will paint at Moshup Trail from 10 am to 1 pm. That evening, Jeanne Staples will be at Menemsha Beach from 4 to 6 pm, and Valentine Estabrook will paint Nip ’n’ Tuck Farm from 5 to 7 pm. Then on Monday, July 27, Kanta Lipsky will be painting the Lagoon Pond shucking shed on the road to Hines Point from 9 am to 1 pm.
Parking is limited at many of these popular summer spots, so VCS recommends that those interested walk or bike to the artists’ locations. This will be especially necessary for Mr. Whiting’s Moshup Trail location, where there is no public parking.
The plein air paintings, along with six others (by Lowely Finnerty, Nancy Kingsley, Thaw Malin, Harry Seymour, Wendy Weldon, and Rez Williams) will be on display for an auction preview at the Granary Gallery on August 1 from 5 to 7 pm. The paintings will then be sold during an auction on August 5 as part of a 50th birthday benefit dinner for VCS. For more information on the auction and benefit event, contact VCS at 508-693-9588.
