Text and Photo by Kevin Rush Locke

Open Studios, sponsored by Hull Artists, is back for its 28th year. On July 13 and 14, Open Studios takes the front stage in Hull, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. It’s always fun and always free. For an interactive map of studios open to the public throughout the town – 36 artists in 24 locations – visit hullartists.com/openstudios.

Even two artists in Cohasset will open their studios as part of the art festival. For 28 years, the artists of Hull have opened their hearts to encounter with you the transformative energy of the town’s 26 miles of coastline. Artists have engaged their craft and spirit to interpret the sandy, sometimes rocky and craggy, spit of land. You cannot miss Open Studios next weekend. The art is for sale!

What is the quiet side of Hull? The mystical aspect of Hull? Frederick Law Olmsted of Emerald Necklace, Central Park, and World’s End fame created lush gardens in the Nantasket Beach area more than 100 years ago. Think of it, the nation’s top landscape architect worked on the peninsula in concert with the natural environment. The father of landscape architecture who laid out the gardens of the U.S. Capitol in Washington labored to make Hull sing its song of peace and light. Those gardens are long gone, replaced by DCR’s reservation of asphalt and concrete. Soon, a building 47 feet tall, with 132 apartments and 7,000 square feet of commercial space will be erected to further erase the beauty that is ours to care for, and it will obstruct the iconic threshold to Hull – the sea. As the town takes on an urban look and feel, artists have an increasingly challenging time getting to nature. Have you ever seen a painting of the south end of town where the condominium buildings are? No, no would ever think of those buildings as belonging to a natural landscape by the sea in New England. These factors affect art in Hull.

Artists need a graceful palette with which to explore and be with the mystical side of Hull. Artists can even collaborate with a gritty subject. An artist must engage the colors, textures, shapes, and most of all, the light in a place like Hull.

Kristophe Green and Dacher Keltner of the University of California at Berkeley write in the university’s magazine on human flourishing: “A large body of research is documenting the positive impacts of nature on human flourishing – our social, psychological, and emotional life. Over 100 studies have shown that being in nature, living near nature, or even viewing nature in paintings and videos can have positive impacts on our brains, bodies, feelings, thought processes, and social interactions. Viewing nature seems to be inherently rewarding, producing a cascade of position emotions, and calming our nervous systems. These in turn help us to cultivate greater openness, creativity, connection, generosity, and resilience.”

Hullonians would do well to be intentional about acknowledging the full experience of nature and be strident in diminishing those obstacles to beauty. Thirty-six artists have been beguiled by the need to respond to the beauty of nature. You will be moved by what you see. I speak not only of painters and photographers. Artists of jewelry, fabric media, and ceramics also respond to the light that is Hull. Art is a compelling occupation. An artist is never satisfied.

Do not miss Open Studios 2024 on July 13 and 14.

Visit hullartists.com/openstudios. On August 24 and 25, Hull artists will again open their studios for you to enjoy. Remember, the art is for sale!

Like what you’re reading? Stay informed with a Hull Times subscription by clicking here.

Do you have an opinion to share? Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.