Island Artist's Views of Old Glory
The American flag is the people’s flag. It has been said that “a flag has no home except in our hearts” — it is this potent public and personal symbol that Nantucket artist G. S. Hill explores in his new summer exhibition: Our American Flag.
Hill has been painting, exhibiting, and selling his artwork on Nantucket Island for more than a quarter century. Each summer season, he presents a new exhibit. “We always want a new idea for our summer show—something different,” Hill explains. This one is a both a demonstration of Hill’s talent in capturing movement in oils and acrylics and tribute to how Greg and his wife Judi feel about America.
They got the idea while on a walk in their winter home in Georgia. The two were discussing concepts for the exhibit and talking about what they envision of when they think of Nantucket.
“Nantucket is full of flags,” said Greg, “for years we’ve decorated with them. When we got back to the island, we’d start looking for them on Main Street, and we’d see more and more flags in different and unusual places.”
“Small town Nantucket is small town America,” said Judi. “Flags are very much a part of summertime here. All of Nantucket displays the flag predominantly all summer and in such diverse ways.”
The American flag has long had a special place in the hearts and minds of Nantucketers. It was a Nantucket vessel, the Bedford, which first displayed the “rebellious” stars and stripes in port of London in 1783, while bringing in a large cargo of whale oil.
A flag is itself a work of art, and capturing the beauty of its fluid motion, the shadows and the curves, takes considerable talent. Hill often does a quick sketch of the scene he’ll later capture on canvas, and he does admit to taking some artistic license in reproducing the undulation.
The dozen or so new oils and watercolors that Hill has painted for the show are surprisingly varied in how he depicts this treasured symbol. There are iconic waterfront scenes, a painting of the Rainbow Fleet catboats, and even a stunning winter scene of Main Street with the brilliant colors of Old Glory caught in a snowstorm that was painted from a photograph shared by a friend. One of the artist’s favorites is a plein aire view of the many flags that fly on Old North Wharf; one of the more unusual paintings is entitled Fifi’s Boots.
“This has been a lot fun,” Hill smiled, “I’m more excited about this exhibit than I have been in a long time.”
“We’re both very patriotic,” he explained. “...Judi and I have traveled so much, we see that we might have a few problems here, but no other place offers so much and means so much. People forget sometimes that this is a great place to live.…“I hope the exhibit reminds people of the freedom we have here in America.”
Judi Hill expresses similar deep sentiments, saying simply: “To me the flag is the essence of America.”
Our American Flag opens with an artist reception on Thursday, July 3 from 6 pm to 8 pm at the G.S. Hill Gallery, 40 Straight Wharf.
