It’s the most wonderful time of year, a few short weeks to entertain, shop and see lots of favorite shows.
The Brush Art Gallery and Studios, 256 Market Street, Lowell, hosts its annual Soup and Shop tomorrow, Dec.12, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sip homemade soup and shop the popular Holiday Marketplace for homemade gifts and art. On Saturday, December 13, 2-4 p.m., it’s the reception for the Annual Members Exhibition, which also includes works from the New England Sculptors Association. It is open through Dec. 24.
Don’t forget the second Holiday Open Studio at Western Avenue Studios, 122 Western Avenue, Lowell this month on Saturday, Dec. 13, 1-5 p.m. It’s the ultimate opportunity to shop locally and for unique gifts. And don’t forget to check out the exhibits and gifts at Loading Dock Gallery and the other galleries in this large complex of studios and lofts.
Don’t let the holidays pass without a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston or the MFA for short. You can shop, dine, and see the special exhibit of Winslow Homer’s watercolors on view only through Jan.19.
American artist Winslow Homer (1836–1910) transformed the medium of watercolor through his relentless spirit of experimentation. His luminous views transport viewers to the rugged Maine coast, the Adirondack Mountains, seaside England, sun-drenched Caribbean waters, and beyond. The MFA houses the largest collection of Homer’s watercolors in the world, though the works’ fragility and sensitivity to light means they have not been displayed together in nearly half a century.
This exhibition brings dozens of the MFA’s Homer watercolors back into the galleries for a new generation to experience, alongside a selection of related oils, drawings, and prints by the artist. With material ranging from Homer’s childhood drawings all the way to his final canvas, left unfinished at the time of his death, visitors can follow the major chapters in his career and learn about the various environments — ecological, artistic, social, and economic — that shaped his enduring work in watercolor.
Born in Boston, Homer had a long relationship with New England and the MFA, which was one of the first museums to acquire a painting by the artist, Fog Warning (1885), in 1894. The first watercolor, Leaping Trout (1889), came into the collection soon after, and over the 20th century the Museum amassed almost 50 watercolors and 11 oil paintings by Homer, creating one of the most significant collections of Homer’s work across media.
Writer Henry James famously described Homer as an artist “who sees everything at one with its envelope of light and air”— a fitting description of a painter who utilized the unique qualities of watercolor to capture the ephemeral, fleeting nature of his subject matter.
From the serene waters in his iconic The Blue Boat (1892) to the drama of Breaking Wave (Prout’s Neck) (1887), “Of Light and Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolor” invites visitors to celebrate the artist’s mastery of the medium and the innovative techniques he pioneered.
This is a ticketed exhibit. Visit https://www.mfa.org/tickets for tickets and info.
Nancye Tuttle’s email is [email protected].
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