gloucester

Sculpture in Sea Glass

Filed under: Art

Debara Hafemann is a sea-glass artist. Her work schedule is one any artist would envy. She buys a cup of coffee near her favorite Rocky Neck Beach in Gloucester, Mass. When the cup is empty, she strolls along the beach collecting glass shards. When the cup is full, it's time to go home and begin her "real" work: sea-glass sculpture. Pure sea glass, mostly from discarded bottles drowned at sea and worn smooth from crushing waves, has a patina all its own. As a material for art, it's just about irresistible which is why Hafemann uses her collection for both sculpture and photography. Although most of her sculptures are of fish, sea horses, lobsters, and an occasional flower, she is creating more abstract works, "so they can hold their own as pieces of art." Hafemann lives in the oldest seaport in America and, no surprise, it's home to more than 150 artists. While they are busy painting fishing boats and fab harbor sunsets, the challenge for a sea-glass artist is finding material. There are roughly 17 different colors of sea glass with orange, followed by red, as the rarest finds. Spotting pure sea glass on beaches today in places like the Hamptons or Fire Island, for example, is becoming as unlikely as rescuing a message in a castaway bottle.

Tags: beach art, beach combing, gloucester, sculpture, sea glass, sea-glass sculpture, seaglass, seaside art

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Red Gable, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's estate of the day is classic 1880s New England home that has been lovingly remodeled into a modern beach home. This home in Gloucester, Massachusetts has a fantastic perch of approximately half an acre on Coffin Beach between Ipswich Bay and Essex Bay at the northwestern tip of Cape Ann. This is some of the prettiest shoreline that the North Shore has to offer. The home itself is approached down a private road.

While the exterior maintains its venerable facade inside we are looking at granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, newer floors and decking. There are five bedrooms including one tucked into the turret of the house. There are ocean views from almost every room offering sweeping vista over dunes and the white sandy beach. This home is listed at $4.1 million.

[Thanks, Nathaniel]

Gallery: Red Gable

Tags: estate of the day, gloucester, massachusetts real estate, oceanfront real estate

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Killybracken, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Even the name of this home, Killybracken seems to recall the rocky, rugged coastline it sits upon in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The main home was built in 1927 in the Arts and Crafts style and sits on an Eastern Point peninsula. The property includes plush lawns,perennial gardens and specimen plantings on around 2.4 ocean front acres. The compound consists of five structures with more than 10,400 square feet of indoor space that includes the main house, the pool house, and the caretaker's cottage. The entertainment building has an integrated indoor/outdoor pool built with granite from the same quarry used for the original residence. The pool can be used year round.

The main residence has 14 rooms and has oak and pine woodwork, accents of polished brass, copper and leaded glass work, and decorative granite windowsills. A timbered great room offers views of the ocean and the dining room has its own fireplace. A sun room has a coved ceiling and opens onto a terrace. The library has a fireplace, ocean views and a half bath. On the second floor the master suite offers a sitting area, fireplace and a granite bath with a whirlpool spa. The master suite has a balcony that overlooks the Great Room. A 'tree house' offers a cozy private suite that is separate from the rest of the house. This property is listed at $12.75 million.

Gallery: Killybracken