PRESS RELEASE
Acclaimed painter Molly Dee will celebrate her 35th year on Nantucket Island from July 24th - 31st in collaboration with Cavalier Ebanks Galleries, located at 10 Federal Street. An exhibition of her latest work will be on view from July 26 - 31 at the gallery, and Molly will also be in attendance for a celebration of her historic career on the island on July 29 from 6:00 – 8:00pm.
After receiving her master’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Buffalo, Molly came to Nantucket with her husband, Joe, on their honeymoon in 1960. It was then that she began painting images of the island. Years later, after raising her five children and teaching art in upstate New York for 27 years, she decided it was time to show her work. In 1986, Molly and her daughter Linda came to Nantucket with paintings in hand and hopes to find a gallery that would represent her.
Fortunately, she met Mary Beth Splaine, owner of South Wharf Gallery who represented Molly for over 20 years, until the gallery closed. Soon after, Cavalier Ebanks Galleries began representing Molly’s work and continues to do so today. Cavalier Ebanks Galleries, located at 10 Federal Street in Nantucket, has proudly promoted Molly’s work over the years. In addition to their Nantucket location, they also have galleries in New York City, Greenwich, Connecticut, and Palm Beach, Florida where they present an unparalleled collection of painting, sculpture, and photography from local and international artists.
Molly’s unique, large-scale work is inspired by old photographs that have been collected from estate sales, family collections and historical archives throughout the years. Her interpretation of personal historic images evolved from Molly’s early fascination with photographs of her own parents, whom she had lost when she was very young. The result of this intense experience was the beginning of a series of large canvases “Images of the Past.” This body of work became the foundation of her now widely acclaimed style of painting, which is marked by nostalgia, memory, and now, the celebration of island life. Molly also paints commissioned pieces inspired by a client’s own photographic collection.
“I don’t attempt to paint the photographs as they are,” Molly says. “Rather, I search and try to transcend time, to look in such a way so they become not just a man or a woman or a child but a faceless pulsation of human emotion.”
Over the past 35 years, Molly has been featured in over 30 shows and exhibitions across the country, including galleries in New York, New York, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Virginia, and, of course, Nantucket, Massachusetts. Her work has been featured in the Inquirer & Mirror, “Victoria Magazine,” “Coastal Living,” United Airlines’ in-flight magazine “Hemispheres,” and The Review.
ARTIST TALK
Thursday, July 29 at 10am
The White Elephant Hotel - Sundeck
50 Easton Street, Nantucket
Space is limited, RSVP Required
ARTIST RECEPTION & EXHIBITION
Thursday, July 29 from 6-8pm
Cavalier Ebanks Galleries
10 Federal Street, Nantucket