Philip Barter: Oasis 8, 2017, acrylic on linen, 36 x 48 inches
Philip Barter: Oasis 8, 2017, acrylic on linen, 36 x 48 inches

Courthouse Gallery Fine Art is pleased to present two solo exhibitions—Philip Barter: Maine Oasis and Judith Leighton Restrospective—from June 21 through July 20. Also showing are Susan Amons, Judy Belasco, Philip Koch, Mark Kidschi, and Stephen Porter. The exhibitions are free and open to the public.

 

Philip Barter: Maine Oasis

Philip Barter (b.1939) is a self-taught artist from Boothbay, Maine, who was living in California during the 1960s when he met Alfonso Sosa, an abstract expressionist painter. Sosa took Barter under his wing and added a “charge of light and color” to Barter’s aesthetic vision that influenced his work for the next fifty years. Barter has spent a half-century painting narratives based on the Maine’s fiercely independent people and the landscape of his home state, becoming the “painter laureate” of the region. Barter was the subject of a feature profile in Down East magazine and went national when, in January 1995, Tim Sample highlighted his life in art in one of his “Postcards from Maine” segments on the CBS Sunday Morning program hosted by Charles Kuralt.

Top Left: Carl Little (Photo by Erin Little), Top Right: Philip Barter, Bottom: Book Jacket
Top Left: Carl Little (Photo by Erin Little), Top Right: Philip

 

In conjunction with the show Philip Barter: Maine Oasis, Courthouse Gallery will host a Book Launch and Signing on July 12 from 4–7pm for Philip Barter: Forever Maine, a new book by Carl Little (Marshall Wilkes). At 5:30pm Little will introduce Philip Barter, who will talk about his narrative paintings, process, and career. The author will be available for book signing. Books can be reserved by calling (207) 667-6611. The event is free and open to the public.

 

Judith Leighton: Protection, 2007, pastel, 27 x 21 inches
Judith Leighton: Protection, 2007, pastel, 27 x 21 inches

Judith Leighton Retrospective

Judith Leighton (1929–2011) was the former owner of the Leighton Gallery in Blue Hill and an artist in her own right.  She began painting with watercolors in the 1950s, gaining notice for her work by the 1960s. After moving to Maine in 1970, Leighton worked almost exclusively with dry pastels.Her modernist inspired motifs included flowers, landscapes, tables and chairs, and women, often seated as if engaged in an pleasant conversation, or standing, or holding a dog, cat or bird. Leighton was passionate about art that “celebrated life” whether it was the art she showed at her gallery, or the art she made.

 

Courthouse Gallery is located at 6 Court Street in Ellsworth. Hours: Monday–Saturday 10am– 5:30pm; Sunday 12–4pm. For more information on upcoming shows call 207-667-6611, or visit www.courthousegallery.com