Cape May Cove, by Mary Lippincott

Cape May Cove, by pastel painter Mary Lippincott

• What is your name, and where do you live?

  Audrey, The Creator-Collector, Cape May, NJ

  
  

• What is the title, who is the creator, and where did you purchase it?

  Cape May Cove, by Mary Lippincott, at the Carriage House Gift Shop in Cape May.

  
  

• What first drew you to the item and has that sentiment changed in any way?

  Mary is a friend of mine from outside of Cape May MAC. We met online first, chatting in early morning hours over a winter when she was away. We hit it off fairly well, chatting via messenger and text, and liking posts on social media. We finally had a chance to meet in person, and fell into an easy friendship. I freely admit I like to collect pieces that my friends have made. It is a nice reminder of their friendship when I am home alone.

  I appreciate Mary's work, with many, many layers of detail and superb blending of colors. The sky in this piece goes quickly from green to blue, and ends up purple, but it's hard to tell exactly at which point that occurs. The tiny shells in the sand enhance the sense of depth of the painting, as do the faint tiny figures or people up the beach. You almost don't notice the sailboat at first, but it really helps to complete the composition.

  
  

• Does this item fit with other parts of your collection, or is it different for you?

  We collect lighthouse paintings, photographs, and figurines. We used to keep everything in our powder room, but the collection is too large for that space now, so it's spread throughout our home. We do not have any other pastel paintings, so this is different from most of our art.

  
  

• Where do you display or use it?

  This piece is framed in a whitewashed, rather chunky frame, that doesn't really fit in with the rest of our decor. For now, it's safely tucked away on a shelf in a closet. I may ask Mary to re-frame it for us, and use a non-reflective glass to protect the pastels, as our home is quite glare-y, making the image hard to see in most of our rooms. Though the lighthouse is quite small in this pastel painting, it still dominates the skyline in the distance, and we do like the overall piece very much, so I think refitting it to keep is the best choice.

Cape May Cove, by Mary Lippincott. This is a beautiful piece, but in my eagerness to purchase it I did not consider the frame. The whitewash does not look great in our home, and the glare off the glass dustcover is quite distracting. I think new glare-resistant glass and a new frame will make us happier.

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