The exhibit Fine Lines: A Family of Artists tells the tale of a family bonded together by art.
The story begins, in a way, back in 1892, when the artist John Fulton Folinsbee was born. Mr. Folinsbee contracted polio at a young age, and was confined to a wheelchair. His eventual son-in-law, painter Peter G. Cook, developed a close relationship with the elder artist, often carrying Mr. Folinsbee to painting sites, where the two would spend hours painting intricate landscapes. This included outings on a boat they called the Sketch.
Henry E. Scott, Jr., grew up in Wiscasset, Me. He met the Folinsbee-Cook family there through a cousin, bird sculptor Charles (Chippy) Chase, who is pictured in the show in a chess game with Mr. Folinsbee.
Mr. Folinsbee’s grandson, Peter B. Cook of Chilmark, married Mr. Scott’s daughter and Anne McGhee's sister, Sarah.
A.F. Cook and Peter S. Cook are grandchildren from the Cook lineage (Peter G.) and Scott lineage (Henry), thus tying the family bloodlines together.
Fine Lines: A Family of Artists at the Chilmark Library showcases art from nine members of this union, including John Folinsbee, Anne (Scott) McGhee, Liz McGhee, A.F. Cook, Peter S. Cook, Peter G. Gook, Marie Fischer Scott, Hank Scott and Henry E. Scott, Jr.
The exhibit opened in mid-July and there are only a few more days to view the exhibit — a closing reception takes place on Wednesday, August 7 from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
The exhibit was a long time in the making, said A.F. Cook, the great granddaughter of Mr. Folinsbee.
“None of us has ever gotten to see all our work together... even some of our own relatives and friends didn’t realize the breadth of artistry within the larger family,” Ms. Cook said.
There were no collaborative efforts among the family members but there are similarities within the paintings, in particular with Island landscapes, often created during the summer and fall when more family members visited the Vineyard.
Ms. Cook said she and her aunt, Anne McGhee, have both painted The Little Lady fishing boat in Menemsha. Ms. Cook said Ms. McGhee is known among Islanders for sitting beside the boat with her canvas and paints.
“[Ms. McGhee] has been a fixture in Menemsha for many years just painting over in that corner near the Coast Guard station,” Ms. Cook said about her aunt. “It’s a happy obsession of hers, that particular boat.”
Another obsession of Ms. McGhee’s is Fenway Park, where she often stations herself outside of the ballpark to capture its image.
Ms. Cook said she did not paint The Little Lady intending to follow in her aunt’s footsteps, but couldn’t help herself because she was so struck by the boat’s orange contrast to the turquoise waters.
“The perspective you bring to a subject will distinguish the artist painting it,” Ms. Cook said. “Anne and I paint on our own, and we are sometimes attracted to the same things.”
The exhibit also includes abstract paintings from Liz McGhee and prints of Peter S. Cook’s wood carvings portraits, along with Marie Fischer Scott’s rural pastorals of the Vineyard and Vermont, a folk art piece by Hank Scott of Chilmark Pond scallop fishermen, watercolors by Henry E. Scott, Jr. and Maine oils by Peter G. Cook, to name a few of the works and mediums on display.
The library is closed Sunday and Monday but reopens Tuesday.
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