On Saturday, September 17 from 4-6 p.m., the Addison Art Gallery will host a reception for Orleans Pond Coalition Celebrate our Water Festival with new artwork inspired by the waters surrounding Orleans, including Town Harbour, Rock Cove and the area’s many freshwater ponds. The event will include painting demonstrations by artists Paul Batch and Sharon McGauley.
The weekend of September 16, 17 and 18 will mark the 11th annual Celebrate Our Waters festival. Orleans Pond Coalition, along with the City of Orleans, will host over 20 free events showcasing the natural beauty and recreational opportunities that the waterways surrounding and through Orleans have to offer, as well as the uniqueness given to the community by its surrounding waters. (see article on page 18).
“The celebration is a weekend-long reminder of all the fun and beauty offered by the waters around us, while the art captures that fun and beauty,” said Helen Addison, owner of the Addison Art Gallery. “Additionally, the weekend has educational elements for all ages that further help us appreciate and inspire us to care for this vital multi-faceted resource.”
Paul Batch is a contemporary painter praised for his evocative atmospheric landscapes. “Paul Batch’s love for water is evident in his work and in his life,” said Addison. “Paul has spent years observing and studying the waters of Cape Cod. Paul’s depictions of water have won awards and recognition nationwide and he is a regular supporter of the Center for Coastal Studies. His intriguing enthusiasm to share his process is pleasing to watch.Batch explained that his work reflects the tone and qualities offered by nature.
“I strive to convey a felt experience through my art,” Batch said. “Although most of my work is figurative, I remain open to embracing the more abstract elements of each individual scene.”
Sharon McGauley said she painted hundreds of sea paintings.
“There is nothing that has inspired me more – the sea, the sky and the environment around it,” McGauley said. “It’s constantly evolving while being consistent in its savagery, unpredictability and ability to bring peace.”
The Orleans Pond Coalition is a voluntary organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of saltwater estuaries and freshwater ponds and lakes in Orleans. The organization offers educational programs, sponsors water quality research, and works with community, regional, and state organizations on environmental protection policies. Special events like Celebrate our waters of the Orleans Pond Coalitioninvites the community to experience the local waterways and appreciate their importance to Cape Town communities.
“All of this is a reminder to cherish our waters and a call to action to do all we can to protect this fragile ecosystem,” said Jamie Demas, the Orleans Pond Coalition‘s treasurer who also leads the organization’s partnership with the Association to Preserve Cape Cod to monitor Orleans ponds for cyanobacteria.
For more information about Addison Art Gallery‘s Celebrate Our Waters Reception, contact Helen Addison at helen@addisonart.com or call 508-255-6200. Addison Art Gallery is located at 43 South Orleans Rd., Orleans. For more information on the Orleans Pond Coalition’s Celebrate our Waters festival, visit www.orleanspondcoalition.org/2022-celebrate-our-waters-save-the-date/.
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