North Shore art galleries revved up for holidays

LYNN – The second annual Lydia Pinkham Open Studies will be held today form 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 271 Western Ave.Painters, potters and mixed-media artists will open their doors to the public. For more information, go online to www.nsclaystudio.com.At LynnArts, 25 Exchange St. in Central Square, the annual holiday art show and sale will be ongoing Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.The show features the works of over 70 artists from Boston and the North Shore. For more information, call LynnArts at 781-598-5244.The second annual Salem Open Studios will be held today and Sunday. The approximately 50 artists feature handmade items. The studios will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The event is presented by the Salem Arts Association. In addition to open studios, some of the work will be exhibited at Old Town Hall and featured in local shops.Artist information and a downloadable map are available on the Salem Open Studios Web site, www.salemopenstudios.com.”But the real draw is that you get to see most of the artists set up in their very own studio where they produce their work,” said Gary LaParl, Salem Arts Association president. “And you’ll get to see and meet artists who work in a variety of disciplines including painting, glass, photography, metalsmithing, assemblage and collage, film and video, and jewelry making.”In Marblehead, an artists holiday open house and a reception for “small works” artists is scheduled for Sunday, from 2-4 p.m., sponsored by the Marblehead Arts Association. The King Hooper Mansion, 8 Hooper St., is filled with 170 original works of art at affordable prices.For the second consecutive year, the Marblehead Garden Clubs: Driftwood, Cottage Gardeners, Arrangers, Marblehead Garden Club and the Winter Garden Club have decorated the mansion. As an added attraction, Javier Marquez will provide entertainment on the Steinway piano in the Ballroom Gallery. Marquez is a senior at Salem State College majoring in music. He composes chamber music as well as pieces for chorus and piano.A world premier of Marquez’s “Nativitas Christi” will be performed by The Greater Lynn Concert Singers in this year’s annual holiday concert.LynnArts will also host a holiday concert, entitled Rejoice All the Earth, on Saturday, Dec. 15, at 2 p.m.