European Influence Seen in Two Pemaquid Gallery Artists

Bruce Babb and Viola Glendinning are two area artists returning this year to the Pemaquid Gallery in Lighthouse Park, Bristol. Both artists have explored old art forms that come originally from Europe, putting their own unique stamp on their work.

Bruce Babb has been fascinated by marquetry, the demanding art of veneering patterns in wood, since he bought his first sample pack of veneers over forty years ago. With an X-Acto knife, Babb cuts small thin pieces of woods that come from all over the world, placing them on another piece of wood to form patterns. These may become wall plaques, tabletops, games and jewelry boxes. He has been inspired by Italian marquetry during visits there; this is a very old art form, particularly in Europe.

Each piece is unique, based on patterns he designs, or inspiration from antique quilt patterns. Marquetry requires great skill and patience, both in the design and finishing stages. Each piece is entirely hand-cut. The color comes from the unstained wood that is finished with at least six coats of hand-rubbed varnish. His work can also be seen at the Damariscotta gift shop, Gifts at 136, at The Good Supply, New Harbor, and online at www.covehousestudios.com

Viola Glendinning works primarily in oil. Marinescapes are often the subject of Glendinning’s painting as she spent her childhood on the seacoast in Norway. She is fascinated by the ocean, whether the seas are calm or windblown. Glendinning delights in the wind filling sails, and tossing trawlers in a tempest and she finds great satisfaction in bringing these scenes to life on her canvas.

She received an art degree from Brookdale College in New Jersey and owned the Redmen Gallery in South Bristol for a number of years. This summer, she plans to reopen a gallery for her own work in her Cottage Cupboard Shop in South Bristol. View some of her work online at http://cottagecupboard.wix.com/gallery.

 Visit the Pemaquid Gallery of Art this season to see the work of the following member artists: Barbara Applegate, Debra Arter, Bruce Babb, Julie Babb, Stephen Busch, William Curtis, Dianne Dolan, Peggy Farrell, Viola Glendinning, Claire Hancock, Kay Hannah, Jean Harris, Hannah Ineson, Will Kefauver, Jan Kilburn, Barbara Klein, Patti Leavitt, Sally Loughridge, Marlene Loznicka, Nancy MacKinnon, Judy Nixon, Paul Sherman, Liliana Thelander, Ernest Thompson, Bob Vaughan, Bev Walker, and guest artists Mark Chesebro, Sarah Fisher and Kathleen Horst.

Artists all reside within the Pemaquid peninsula area. The Gallery is situated within Lighthouse Park at Pemaquid Point, Bristol and online at www.pemaquidartgallery.com. The gallery is open daily through Columbus Day, from 10 AM until 5 PM.