Prescott Park opens annual art exhibit

The Sheafe Warehouse was made of heavy timbers fastened with wooden pegs in 1705 and has since been preserved as an example of the waterfront structures once used by merchants to store goods.

For 35 years, the New Hampshire Art Association has coordinated exhibitions in the warehouse in conjunction with the Prescott Park Arts Festival. This year’s theme of water is an obvious one for the park’s riverside setting, yet the area’s talented artists continue to surprise with new and different work. In this case, water also works as an often used metaphor for renewal.

“The Art of Water,” an exhibition juried by the N.H. Art Association but open to all, runs through Aug. 23 at the Sheafe Warehouse in Portsmouth’s Prescott Park. The exhibition was juried by Dody Kolb, former director of the Coolidge Center for the Arts, who found the work submitted “exciting and fresh.” More than 70 artists submitted their interpretations of the theme. While the images include the obligatory boats, sunsets, seascapes and bridges, the beauty of this show is in the vast and unexpected perspectives of these definitive Seacoast scenes.

First prize went to Kathy Morrissey for “Hot Catch,” part of her lobstermen series. The lobster isn’t shown in this oil painting, but rather the red gloves of the lobsterman with his thumbs spread like claws. It’s a telling moment, though just past its peak, as though taken by a camera with a flash delay.

Second prize went to Theresann D’Angelo, whose day dreamy oil painting “Falling Clouds” depicts a low tide twisting under sunset colors and low clouds. Judith Totman’s pastel “Warm Rocks” took third prize. Pine trees slope down to a clay-colored rocky shore in an angle that nicely carries the eye across the image. 

The photography in this exhibit is a pleasant surprise. Karen Bushold’s photo “Old Orchard #2” is a blurry reflection of beachgoers that provides a totally different point of view. “Out of the Fog” by Kristin Burchstad shows a solitary man rowing a boat into a grey void, but it feels peaceful, not as though he’s lost. “Weathered” by Michael Sterling is a boat house scene with the timeless print quality of an antique Wallace Nutting hand-colored photograph. This one was quick to sell and for good reason. 

The only piece of pottery on display is a unique, enclosed piece in raku clay by creative sculptor Jane Kaufmann. Etched in the iridescent glazes of “Silver Groundwater” are trees and rain clouds, a stretch of road and red arrows indicating the rain cycle. Another contemporary take on the theme is by recent University of New Hampshire graduate K. Lee Mock. “Wallis Sands Sunrise,” from her beach series, shows confident use of color and texture and lack of detail.  

The show surprises in both quality of technique and quantity of styles. Rose Sielian Theriault contributed two small, square seascapes set in white frames and titled “I’m in Heaven.” Bruce Iverson stands out with a traditional Chinese style in “Mountain Water.” A simple, but effective linear painting by Jack Davis is called “Only Feeling Good When Feeling Blue.” 

Every Friday afternoon this summer, artist demonstrations will be held just outside the Sheafe Warehouse from 2 to 4 p.m. On July 10, Jack Davis creates wire sculptures. The following week, Michael Dater will draw cartoons, and on July 24, Norma Machado will work with pastels. Demonstrations run through Aug. 21.

The warehouse is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., but visitors to the park this year can also see outdoor sculptures by 10 art association members on the grounds every day.

The Sheafe Warehouse is located at Prescott Park on Marcy Street in Portsmouth. For more information contact the N.H. Art Association at 603-431-4230.