Cape Ann juts out into the Atlantic Ocean just North of Boston and has been a destination for artists for over a hundred years. The light that reflects from the surrounding sea is said to give off a particularly advantageous light for painting pictures and sculpting. Scattered around the towns of Rockport and Gloucester are dozens of studios that were built over the course of time when the area was a magnet for artists. The buildings that they constructed for creating their art mostly remain. Vast skylights built into the two story ceilings let light flood into these rooms. Northern facing skylights were thought best as the light casts little or no shadows due to the lack of direct sunbeams. Most of these visually arresting rooms have been turned into living spaces but unfortunately a few have been torn down. This post is a teaser for an upcoming series of photographs and stories about the studios, artists and their works. A “preservation act,” if you will.

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