Scenes of Gloucester and Rockport from a bygone era grace the walls of the Hibbard Gallery at the Rockport Art Association as it prepares to host its annual art auction on Saturday.

"The offerings are as much an historic exhibition as they are an auction," RAA director Carol Linsky said. "They represent a place and time that isn't here anymore with works by artists who aren't here anymore."

The auction features pieces by several historic Cape Ann artists, including Aldro T. Hibbard, W. Lester Stevens, Anthony Thieme, Antonio Cirino, Emile Gruppe, Paul Strisik, Marguerite Pearson, Frederick Mulhaupt, Al Czerepak, Bernard Corey, Theresa Bernstein, William Meyerowitz, Stow Wengenroth, James K. Bonnar and John F. Gould.

The values of the 173 items up for auction vary greatly, starting with works priced at a few hundred dollars to Hibbard's oil painting titled "Winter Brook, VT," which is valued at $18,000 to $25,000.

Among the other works that carry a higher price tag are an oil painting by Bernstein (1890-2002) titled "Sailing Gloucester Harbor" with an estimated value of $6,000 to $9,000, an oil painting by Gruppe (1896-1978) titled "After the Storm" with an estimated value of $8,000 to $12,000, and an oil painting by Gould (1906-1996) titled "Motif #1, Rockport" with an estimated value of $10,000 to $15,000.

"This is one of the best years ever," said artist Don Mosher, chairman of the auction committee. "The emergence of the Cape Ann artists - many who came here because of the American impressionists who painted here - is growing, and this type of painting has become very popular today. Some of the more well-known names sell for more than $100,000."

The auction, which is open to the public, draws both first-time collectors as well as seasoned art dealers. Most of the pieces up for bid are paintings, although there are a few sculptures, relief carvings as well as graphics, etchings, drawings and lithographs in the mix. Michael March of Essex donates his time to serve as auctioneer.

"It really runs the gamut of all the different media," Linsky said.

The auction is a major fundraiser for the nonprofit Rockport Art Association, which is now in its 86th year.

"We rely heavily on it for a certain percentage of our revenue," Linsky said.

The auction began after the death of noted artist Antonio Cirino in 1983. He left half of his work to the RAA and the other half to the Salmagundi Art Club in New York City.

The stipulation was that the art be auctioned off to benefit the organizations, Linsky said.

Rather than auction all of Cirino's pieces at once, in which case they would have sold for lower prices, the Rockport Art Association decided to auction a few each year with other paintings, Mosher said.

Since its inception, the auction has expanded to include a significant representation of Cape Ann artists.

"It's an exciting event whether you buy art or not," said RAA President and artist Ron Straka. "The auction gives collectors a great opportunity to get some very good paintings at a reasonable cost. The big thing that we want to make known to more people who are private collectors is that instead of going to a major gallery and paying high prices, there are some reasonable prices for great work at these auctions. Plus, it's a fun event."

The auction also gives the viewer an opportunity to see varied approaches by artists in creating their artwork, Straka said.

"Many of the paintings are of the area," he said, "and it's interesting to see how each artist had a different eye in seeing the same thing."

That varied approach is evident when viewing the various interpretations of the scenes depicting Gloucester Harbor, Rockport's Motif No. 1 and the open surf by today's artists compared to those who painted years ago.

"That's why people buy paintings - to see the expression of the artist," Straka said.

IF YOU GO

* What: The Rockport Art Association's annual Art Auction

* When: Saturday, May 5, at 2 p.m. The auction preview begins Friday, with a special evening preview planned from 4 to 7.

* Where: 12 Main St., Rockport

* How: Catalogs cost $3. Call 978-546-6604, or visit www.rockportartassn.org to view a photo catalog of the auction lots.