demand for her work, Katherine became a “painting
factory.” Over time, she grew restless with the work
she was doing and decided to take a break—to the
consternation of her gallery, which had a waiting list
for her paintings.
After a lengthy hiatus and a period of creative
rediscovery, she developed a more abstract direction in
her painting that felt like a better fi t. Th e new paint-
ings were well received and the audience for her work
grew. Since then, her work has continued to evolve so
that it feels more authentically true to herself—as all
our work must, she tells the group.
A REMARKABLE RANGE Most of the artists
in the Gloucester workshop used water-based media for
practical reasons related to travel and transport, but the
variety of ways in which each utilized their materials is
a testament to the imagination and diversity of human
nature. A workshop can be a
cauldron for experimentation.
Some of the artists use their
own biography as a starting
point for their work; others use
the process to generate meaning
as their paintings progress. One
artist with a background in photography incorporated
digital elements into her mixed-media collages; another
photographer with a vast library of botanical images
used them as the basis for gelatin prints.
One artist was at work on a series of paintings
inspired by James Joyce’s Ulysses; another combined
her poetry with collage in a booklike format, one of
which took the form of a travel journal inspired by a
trip to Egypt. An art instructor used gelatin printing
techniques and an extensive variety of found elements
to create texture in collages with a saturated palette.
Several artists used Yupo to achieve diff erent eff ects;
one layered paint to create abstractions of color rela-
tionships, and another used pigmented inks to achieve
a resistlike eff ect on the glossy surface. In a corner of
the studio, Kat Masella worked on encaustic paintings
in between answering to the demands of running her
business and baking healthful treats for the workshop
participants. And one brave artist worked in oils.
EXPLORING THE TERRAIN Th e demands
of the workshop didn’t allow much free time beyond
dinner at the array of neighborhood restaurants. Th ere
is apparently not a bad meal to be had in this area:
Th ere’s a reason that “lobster” rhymes with “Gloucester”
ABOVE: Sunrise at
Cape Ann’s Marina
Resort, overlook-
ing the Annisquam
River.ALL PHOTOS OF GLOUCESTER
BY JUDITH FAIRLY60 artistsmagazine.com
54_tam1216Liu.indd 60 9/22/16 9:33 AM