By Sabrina Fay
It's a bitterly cold day, the swirling air seeming to despise all around it as it whips into my house with hearty gusts. Despite it, however, I know the afternoon will be an auspicious one, because it will involve taking a trip to the Belle Maison studio and seeing up close the work that Heidi O'Donnell Eastman and her husband, Charles, dispense their diligent passion on. Located in Westport Point, the area surrounding the studio is just as rich with history and meaning as Heidi's paintings. When I arrive she acts as my guide to the area, pointing out the old schoolhouse and plaquered colonial homes for their architectural signatures and the shipbuilders they once housed.
The harbor too, is an entrancing place; I get to observe fishermen at work on their trawler while it shifts in the tide and sends ripples across the frozen ocean surface.
I find the true gem to be the studio itself however, and I say that not just because of the warmth provided by its wood fireplace. It is a respite of bursting creativity amongst the quiet, tempered atmosphere of the rest of the town. The home is a former dormitory for the whalers who a century ago set out from Westport Point. Strewn about the organized disorganization that only artists are able to achieve are paints, brushes, and pieces of antique furniture lovingly restored.
It's a veritable cornucopia of interesting objects. The paintings and sketches themselves, whether by Heidi or her husband Charles, are painted in a variety of styles and depict a wide range of emotion and incredible care taken by their creators. The furniture is comfy-looking and refined, and I almost don't believe that the pieces have been purchased from flea markets and completely restored rather than bought new. As well as this, there are a great many items of historical or sentimental value: Heidi's mother's easel, decades old but still incredibly reliable, the 200-year-old door from the O'Donnell's old Greek Revival home in America's oldest art colony, Provincetown, the three framed portraits (Hans Hoffman, Jack Tworkov and Karl Knaths) of influential artists from the area (all of which Heidi's mother knew personally), or the paintings of the Westport or Provincetown coast that capture the contemplative mood of a walk along the beach. This--Westport as well as the gallery within its borders--is a busy and beautiful place, and it is an important one. Important, not only because of the history within or the inner worth given to it by its loyal residents, but because of the creativity it inspires and nurtures as a location where history is not only remembered, but made.
To learn more about the Belle Maison study and check out the works for sale, click here.
