NANTUCKET
'S CENTURY HOUSE WELCOMES ARTIST GARY AKERS
Artists
Discover the Freedoms of Nantucket
(Nantucket, MA) – June 2007.
The Century House, the oldest continuously operating inn on
Nantucket as part of its third annual educational Art Charrette,
welcomed prestigious artist Gary Akers to participate at the
inn’s 2007 Artists in Residence Program from June 23-28 along
with artist wife Lynn and artist daughter Ashley.
Akers is one of America's foremost
contemporary realist, painting in watercolor, dry brush and egg
tempera. Akers is considered to be a master of light and shadow
in his exciting compositions. His works are praised both for
their beauty and for their richness of detail, and that level of
detail is all the more remarkable considering the medium he
works in. Akers specializes in landscapes painted in egg
tempera, an egg-based paint that must be painstakingly applied,
with each work built up of hundreds of layers. No other medium
can match the beautiful luminosity of the traditional
Renaissance technique of egg tempera. By the mid-1980s, Akers'
egg tempera works were fetching commissions of up to $50,000.
Recently, one of Akers’ images appeared on
60 Minutes II, and his work was featured on "Kentucky Life" --
KET's Emmy Award-winning weekly TV series celebrating the
fascinating people and places of the Commonwealth. His paintings
have been accepted by some of the most highly acclaimed shows in
the country including the Speed Art Museum, the Ogunquit Museum,
the National Academy of Design, and the Artists of America
Exhibition.
With his wife, Lynn, and their daughter,
Ashley, Akers lives in Union, Kentucky, where he spends winter
months painting in his restored 19th century log cabin studio.
Akers and his family spend their summers in Maine, where he
paints the rugged coast. More information
www.garyakers.com
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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