Gloucester

Abstract In the summer of 1974, Nell found a cottage to buy in her beloved Gloucester. Named for her mother, Eudora Cottage would be her and Carolyn’s home from June to late autumn every year. Nell made detailed sketches for plants in the many gardens she envisioned. The house also had to be renovated to accommodate a wheelchair user’s needs. Exploring Cape Ann required the assistance of a household staff of three, one driving a vintage Cadillac. In her paintings of local vistas, Nell avoided postcard fidelity to nature, preferring to capture the effervescent quality of light on water and gardens rife with blooms. This chapter also takes a quick look at other notable artists, including Stuart Davis and Marsden Hartley, who drew and painted Gloucester landscapes. In 1975, when Nell’s poet friend Howard Griffin died in Austria, he left his property to Nell—a bequest that would broaden her horizons.