Family dynamics are some of the more powerful interpersonal experiences we humans can share. And when those dynamics come together harmoniously, tastefully, gracefully through a shared love of art the result is something quite special. Enter the Macy sisters, whose art exhibit opened on Saturday at the Marion Art Center. The Macys called this show “a celebration of our spirits and gifts with a unique family ribbon on top.”
Beth, Deborah and Margaret Macy share DNA flavored with visual art talent. Their heritage includes grandparents, uncles and mothers all gifted in the art of painting, most to acclaim during their lifetimes. You might say these sisters were born with paintbrushes and pallet knives in hand.
A quick trip around the internet finds Wendell Macy, a descendent of early Nantucket settlers, was born in New Bedford in 1845. He painted nautical themes and likely portraits, as well as genre paintings from his seaside residences. William Starbuck Macy was also born in New Bedford (1853.) Of his background, we know that he studied art and whose major works are titled Edge of the Forest, Old Mill and January in Bermuda.
Also seasoning that exceptional artistic DNA brew was Beth Richardson Macy, mother of Beth and Deborah, who was a water colorist of note. Before passing away in 2006, Beth R. exhibited with her daughters. And not to be forgotten is Beth R.’s mother Edith Perry, who masterfully painted in watercolor but was not allowed to exhibit, being that it was believed unseemly for her to have done so in that time period.
One major takeaway from speaking with Beth, Margaret and Deborah during the Sunday reception was the tenderness each feels towards the others’ painting styles and themes. And it was also evident that these women enjoy coming together and sharing with the greater public all the beauty they have created independently.
The MAC’s gallery walls now hold a retrospective of works from their long careers as visual artists. There is drama, surprise and calm reflection in their divergent styles.
The viewer will be moved to find the stories in Deborah’s layering of fabric prints and textures so dense, so colorful, so filled with moods and themes that it is like reading a novel where the heroine might not win the heart of the prince, but then again, she might. The realism of the models’ dresses and the backgrounds employed define the word drama. Yet it is the facial expressions and body postures, along with antique clothing and Victorian-like scenes that capture the viewer in her web of mystery and intrigue.
Beth’s energy bursts upon her canvases in colorful rejoicing. Her impressionistic style of a rocky seashore, marshlands and landscapes maintains their organic dispositions but filtered through her artistic lens, gives them a new way to understand nature. Beth writes of her painting style, “my work is a celebration of the world around us, a call to look at things a second way.” Here we find an artist capturing a moment where color infused by light, along with surrounding natural textures from plants or moods inspired by water, coalesce, where colors borrowed from outdoor light are returned brighter than before.
Margaret gives us flowers and birds and pearls and lush textures found therein. Of her painting, Margaret shared, “I paint because, at an early age and recovering from an illness, it was the first and only thing I wanted to do.” She said she felt compelled to paint and found, “…lasting emotion in what I saw and imagined.” With her paintings, Margaret wants us to slow time down to gather new perspectives and find, “…the universes of inspiration and purpose in the smallest creations granted to our lives.”
Here, too, the viewer will find in Margaret’s work a narrative, but absent the human form, these works speak through still-life offerings with a soft edge of impressionism, as well as large paintings of nature scenes that viewers almost believe they could walk into.
It’s been quite some time since the Macy women exhibited together. Previously, they toured the east coast, but time and tides got in the way. Now they are considering options for a return to galleries. One can only hope they do resume sharing their collective works with a public in much need of the arts.
“The Macy Women – separate lives one epiphany of color” runs through November 3, a must-see exhibit.
By Marilou Newell