Out of the 64 entries in the Marblehead Festival of the Arts’ 2024 Cod & Whale Auction, five are made by hands with the same genes.
When you drive past the Henlotter family’s home, it’s clear that creativity is brewing inside. A developing tiny home sits in the driveway surrounded by ladders and buckets of paint. An array of buoys welcomes visitors to the front door dressed with a giant ‘H.’ An art room lies in the basement.
Three budding artists, a mother and her two young adult sons, live inside.
Tyler, Austin and Heather Henlotter were each asked by the MFoA in the spring to craft a cod for the sixth annual auction. Tyler, 20, and Austin, 19, are the youngest artists to be asked to participate.
The MFoA invites artists from around Essex County to create a work of art from a blank wooden cod or whale, or they can opt to freestyle the piece’s medium. After receiving their blank pieces, artists have around six weeks to create before their works are displayed at Abbot Hall, which happened May 31. Then they’re sent to retailers around town and auctioned off.
“We started the cods in the same room, but when I looked up we all had totally different ideas. It was funny,” Heather, 61, said.
Tyler sought inspiration from the wonders of the seashore: shells. A once plain piece of wood is now adorned with pearls, bay scallop and cerith shells that he has collected over the years. He calls the piece “Luna,” named after his girlfriend.
Austin took a different approach to fill his blank cod, named “Infinity.” Inspired by the ouroboros symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its tail, Austin’s piece represents a tango between order and chaos.
The Henlotter brothers’ passion for art isn’t surprising. Tyler and Austin draw inspiration from their mom, Heather.
“I was enamored by her creativity in my youth and it has become a cornerstone of my creations,” Tyler said.
Heather has lived in town 30 years and enjoys creating art in many mediums. She loves experimenting with sculpture, woodwork, painting and jewelry-making in her free time. Outside of her art, she is a naval architect.
“Golden Girl” is her second cod entry in the Cod & Whale auction. She decided to craft her cod out of clay and cover it in swirling clay seaweed. The piece took her three weeks.
“I was kind of trying to do a modern take on the sea. It’s very simplistic, like the movement of seaweed,” Heather said.
Also up for auction under Heather’s name is a whale titled “Beneath the Surface.” The piece encourages spectators to dig deep and unearth the hidden beauties around us.
Heather’s sister-in-law, Kim Leventhal, also has a piece in the auction. It’s titled “Forever MHD.”
“We’ve always liked to do art together,” Heather said. “It just brings the family together in a special way.”
Decorated codfish and whales will be up for bid in an online fundraising auction until July 7. All proceeds from the Festival of Cod and Whale auction will support future MFoA programs and scholarships.
For a glimpse of these pieces, check out some local spots:
“Luna” – Sweetwater & Co. at 33 Atlantic Ave.
“Infinity” – Trove at 96 Washington St.
“Golden Girl” – Organic Nail and Spa at 40D Atlantic Ave
“Beneath the Surface” – Tucker Architecture at 59 Atlantic Ave.
“Forever MHD” – Mud Puddle Toys at 1 Pleasant St.
The Marblehead Current is the media sponsor for the Festival of Arts. Check out full coverage at MarbeheadCurrent.org. Marblehead resident Lia Gorbach is the Current’s college summer intern. She is pursuing a journalism and business degree from the University of Maryland.
