South Yarmouth – All are welcome to celebrate five outstanding exhibits at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod in South Yarmouth. Maritime master William R. Davis will exhibit his extraordinary oils in the Constantinidis Great Hall, while “Earlier Times,” a retrospective of paintings by Raymond W. Perry, takes place in the Saben Board Room Gallery. Both exhibits run from November 25-December 19. Two other exhibits run from November 25-December 5: “The Big and the Small of It,” oil paintings by Ruth Odile Davis, in the Vault; and “A Far Place,” paintings by Carl Richards, in the Blue Room. Plus, continuing in the Education Wing through December 19, “Soliloquy,” an exhibit of oils by Lydia Mozzone. The Cultural Center will host an open house on Saturday, November 28, from 2-5pm. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, from noon to 5pm. There is no admission fee to the exhibits or the open house. All are welcome, but CDC protocols will be observed, including social distancing and mask usage.
William “Bill” Davis spent his Cape Cod childhood sailing Beetle Cats and making art as a student at Barnstable High School. After a year attending Cape Cod Community College, Bill went to work for his father's heating and air conditioning company, painting at night, and eventually selling his work to local builders and folks in Hyannis Port. By 1982, he had made the switch to painting full time. Davis had his first show at Richard Bourne Company in 1983 along with his friend Elizabeth Mumford. The show was well received and attended by Lee Remick and Jackie Onassis. This was the beginning of a very long list of shows all over the country and the foundation for a reputation as one of the best marine artists in the United States. Davis is known primarily for techniques traditionally used by American luminosity painters to capture the serene light of sunrise or sunset on the water. He also has a marked preference for 19th century subjects and, most recently, for nocturnes like the one currently being raffled at the Cultural Center to support its many services to the community.
Known for her stellar seascapes and marsh scenes – and for evocative Tuscan landscapes – Ruth Odile Davis is also recognized for the wearable art that fills her Harwich gallery: Odile Fine Art and Artful Clothing. Ordinarily, Davis would be splitting her time between Harwich, Tuscany, and many juried fine art events around the country, but in 2020 she has stayed closer to home, painting up a storm, experimenting with abstracts, and relying on her considerable creative energy and enormous talent to see her through a tough time. Her exhibit in the Cultural Center’s Vault gallery will consist primarily of small works anchored by a couple of her more customary large canvases.
Raymond W. Perry, whose “Earlier Times” retrospective will hang in the Saben Board Room Gallery, was a painter, writer, and illustrator who specialized in block printing and watercolors. He lived in Providence, Rhode Island, and West Dennis, Massachusetts, but exhibited his work widely, including at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1918 to 1926. His work does, indeed, depict earlier times, capturing the color and character of Cape Cod and New England long ago, from a summer day in Provincetown to maple sugaring up north.
Conversely, “A Far Place,” paintings by Carl Richards, takes his audience far afield to evocative locations captured in vibrant colors and layered textures. Originally from New Jersey, Carl has lived, painted, and made music on Cape Cod for the past twenty years.
Lydia Mozzone, whose exhibit “Soliloquy” will hang in the Education Wing, narrows the focus once again, this time to the human form – a nude, in each case, clothed only in water and light. Best known for her atmospheric renderings of the female form in oil paint, Mozzone seeks ways to depict the complex, emotional relationship she maintains with her own body. A resident of Boston, Mozzone was named one of ten “Artists to Watch” by Boston Accent Lit in 2018.
For more information about these exhibits, the William Davis painting raffle, or the Cultural Center’s many classes, events, and other programs, call 508-394-7100 or visit www.cultural-center.org. The Cultural Center is located at 307 Old Main Street, in South Yarmouth.
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