Art for Art's Sake

For the second year in a row, I participated in Cape Ann Art Haven's annual buoy auction.  The basic concept is: Art Haven selects a collection of local artists to create art on blank buoys, which are auctioned off to support their programs for the year.  It's a gathering of local artists, students, kids, families, and people who appreciate supporting the arts in the Gloucester community.

Here is a snapshot of the event, in the lovely Gloucester Cruiseport

Last year, I painted my mermaid buoy with oil paints, but sadly I was not able to attend the auction.  This year however, I got to experience the event and see my buoy displayed in the silent auction, and watch the kids' buoys get sold in the live auction.  I also got to hear about what's been happening at Art Haven over the past year and what they have in store for the coming year.  It was a great time!  People were very enthusiastic and raised a lot of money to support Cape Ann Art Haven, which is expanding their program significantly this year--I'm very excited for them!

It was wonderful to wander around and look at the other artists' buoys, as well as the kids buoys and a display of the paintings, drawings, pottery, sewing, and other artwork done by teenage students who participated in the program.

A selection of photos I took at the event using Instagram on my iPod--
The gorgeous ocean buoy in the lower right is by my talented friend Sarah Brooks,
whose brother David is the founder of Art Haven.

For my buoy this year, I went with a topic that I've become more and more interested in over the past few years: female aviators of the early 20th century.  The most well-known of these is, of course, Amelia Earhart--but she inspired, and was inspired by, many other female aviators.  I love to search for old photographs of women climbing into piper cubs or biplanes, eager for adventure and equipped with skills in navigation and aeronautical sciences.  For my buoy, I worked from a handful of inspirational photos I found online to portray an aviatrix from that time period.  She is a fictional character, though most people at the auction referred to it as the "Amelia Earhart buoy".

I used acrylic paints for the figure and the silhouette of the plane behind her

Once I'd painted my figure and the silhouette of a small aircraft behind her, I (painstakingly) cut up a map of New England and modge-podged it onto the buoy as a backdrop for my aviatrix.  When painting the figure, I aimed at the style of vintage posters of that era, which use bold solid colors and high contrast, with limited details.

Making art in order to support a place for kids and teens to create art is a great feeling.  I love that Cape Ann Art Haven is a place where creativity can be unleashed, which some kids don't experience in any other places--here, they can try any kind of medium available, and can be surrounded by adults who take art and creativity seriously and infect kids with their own enthusiasm for it.  I can't wait to see how the program will grow in the coming year, with more space than ever and more students participating!