NANTUCKET
'S CENTURY HOUSE WELCOMES ARTIST BARBARA LUSSIER
Artists
Discover the Freedoms of Nantucket
(Nantucket, MA) – May 2007.
The Century House, the oldest continuously
operating inn on Nantucket, as part of its third annual
educational Art Charrette, is pleased to welcome renowned
artist Barbara Lussier, to participate at the
inn’s 2007 Artists in Residence Program from June 3-10,
returning for her second artistic stay at the Century House.
Lussier has selected Robert Duffy and Christopher Magadini to
join her Charette.
Lussier holds a B.F.A. degree from the
University of Hartford. She has also studied at Ringling School
of Art, Hartford College for Women, and Lyme Academy. Her work
has been exhibited throughout New England and internationally.
She is represented in a number of corporate and private
collections and has won numerous awards, recently including a
painting award from the 2007 First Summer Show at the
Rockport Art Association and from the
2007 Academic Artists Association 57th National Exhibition,
also the painting award from the Connecticut Academy of
Fine Art and the Spring 2006 Award For Excellence in Painting
from the Rockport Art Association. She has taught plein
air painting privately and through various educational
institutions and the Lyme Art Association, where she is an
elected member and serves on the Board of Directors. She is a
Signature member of New England Plein Air Painters currently
serving as President.
Lussier’s work is published in the “Guide
to Connecticut’s Critical Habitats” and she is currently working
on paintings for a book, “A Rhode Island Journey,” traveling the
coastline, which is scheduled to be published in 2007. A
philosophically direct descendant of the American Hudson River
and Old Lyme painters, Barbara approaches her subject in a way
that embraces these traditions working from direct observation
and honoring nature. Her landscapes explore the romance of
color and light and have been described as “poetry.”
The daughter of a consummate fisherman and
boater, Barbara experienced the mysteries and wonder of the sea
while roaming the coastline of Nahant, Massachusetts as a child.
Asked about her Nantucket inspiration at
Century House, Lussier says, “The Island is beautiful, sublime,
and JeanE and Gerry of Century House offer me encouragement and
support in such a gracious way.”
Currently, Lussier haunts the New England
mountains and coastline, and supplies galleries with their
imagery. Her award-winning “Sailor’s Delight” is available to
view at the Rockport Art Association Summer Show until June 12th.
Gallery address: 12 Main Street,
Rockport, MA or 978-546-6604
An evolution from the June 2005
Professional Artist’s Week, the artistic Charrettes offer a
series of intimate stays orchestrated by a long term Century
House Artist-in-Residence “Point/Master Artist” who invites
a few fellow artists to the Century House, providing a unique
opportunity for the group to create its own energy with the
purpose of congregating and critiquing each other’s work at the
end of the day.
The innkeepers of the Century House
also welcome guests to stay during the Charrettes, which take
place from mid-May through October on select dates. While
guests cannot participate in the creative process of the group,
they are encouraged to observe the artists’ day and connect with
the artists during their Century House stay.
“We are delighted that the Artist in
Residence Program has evolved so well here at the Century
House. We look forward to seeing Nantucket through their eyes
and potentially sharing the experience with some of our guests,”
said innkeeper duo Gerry Connick and JeanEllen Heron.
The Century House
dates back to the Cliff Road land purchase in 1833. According to
research performed by Edouard A. Stackpole, renowned Nantucket
historian and former director of the Peter Foulger Museum, the
Century House was built by a member of an old Nantucket family
of Scottish roots, Captain Robert Calder. It is said that Capt.
Calder chose this site because of the privacy, the ocean
breezes, the views, and the genuine serenity the location
provided in the 1840’s and still exhibits today. According to
Mr. Stackpole, the Century House is the oldest continuously
operating guesthouse on Nantucket Island to date.
More details on
participating artists will be posted on
http://centuryhouse.com/events-calendar.html
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