CRAFT Gallery has invited eight artists to exhibit their interpretations of a teapot. Almost every artist has been challenged to make or design one. “Teapots: Real and Imagined” opens July 6 and runs through August. The studio artists in this show consider the teapot as a functional and sculptural source for inspiration. Every teapot has a lid, a spout and a handle and yet they are as diverse and unique as the artists who create them. Each tells its own story.
Jody Johnstone and Autumn Cipala are two potters who use different clay bodies and firing techniques to create functional teapots. Cipala is inspired by historical ceramics from many cultures. Her teapots are elegant and balanced. The proportions are studied and restrained with subtle contrasts of carved patterns on the porcelain surfaces of creamy white and pale celadon. She is known for her perfect teapot accompanied by traditional cups and saucers, cream pitchers and sugar bowls, inviting a more formal occasion of taking tea. Jody Johnstone, in contrast, uses her wood fired Anagama kiln and rough textured stoneware to create earthy pots with textures created from the heat and ash during firing. Her teapots invite casualness and comfort from the pleasures of company. Potter George Pearlman’s teapots are seen in a broader context coming from making ceramic containers that serve as a canvass to paint colorful exuberant patterns in a theatrical way. The teapot by Siem Van der Ven, a potter known for his organic forms and patterns, reflects his response to nature. His work in this show is through the courtesy of Harbor Square Gallery.
Graphic interpretations of the culture of tea are offered by Dudley Zopp and Lissa Hunter. Zopp’s paintings of tea bowls and jars recall the Japanese ritual of the tea ceremony. Hunter’s charcoal drawings of groups of teapots gesture and interact with one another in a sociable way. During July and August glass artist David Jacobson will debut his new series of handblown glass vessels for use as vases, sculptural objects of serene beauty or as containers fr commemorative ashes. Jan Owen and Abbie Read will show new work as well. Artists will be present to talk about their work during the July 6 First Friday Art Walk and live music will be played by Bill Tozier in front of CRAFT in the courtyard at 12 Elm Street. Rockland. FMI visit www.craftonelm.com or call 207 594 0167.
Dominique Ostuni’s solo exhibition, “Would an Angel Apologize for Spilling Champagne,” is on view through Oct. 3 at Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland. A centerpiece of the exhibition is “Excess Comes Naturally,” an elaborate mirror standing more than 8 feet tall. The work begins with an ordinary functional object, then overwhelms that function with porcelain, […]
Waterfall Arts will invite the public inside more than 40 artist studios during the Lincoln Street Center Fall Open Studios from 1 to 5 p.m. Oct. 17 at 24 Lincoln St. in Rockland. During the free event, artists will open their studios and welcome visitors into their creative spaces. Guests can explore Rockland’s historic former […]
“Made in Maine,” the Maine Art Gallery’s annual member show, features more than 100 works of art across two floors of the historic Old Academy building in Wiscasset. The exhibition is on view through Oct. 18. Sara Stites of Thomaston, a new member, is showing at the gallery for the first time. Her oil painting […]
High Peaks Artisan Guild in Kingfield features Western Maine watercolor artist Karen Jordan Paul throughout September. Paul draws inspiration from wildlife found throughout Maine, particularly wild birds and fish. The guild celebrated Paul as its featured artist of the month during the Sept. 4 Kingfield Art Walk. High Peaks Artisan Guild is at 245 Main […]
Turtle Gallery in Deer Isle presents “Material Storytelling,” a three-artist exhibition featuring new work by Sheep Jones, Michele Ratté Delphin and Barbara Sullivan, through Oct. 11. The three artists use distinct materials and techniques to explore narrative, light and the quiet poetry of everyday objects. Jones brings her signature combination of oil and cold wax […]
Photographer Melonie Bennett will discuss her exhibition and debut monograph, “Holy Cow!,” from 5 to 8 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Maine Museum of Photographic Arts in Portland. The event will include an interview, reading and book signing. Photographer and writer Robert Diamante, a friend and fellow photographer, will interview Bennett. “Holy Cow!” presents an […]
Centre Street Arts Gallery in downtown Bath will open its fall show during the Bath Art Walk from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 18. The gallery represents 20 local artists and will feature new work in its fall exhibition. Visitors can meet the artists, explore the show and enjoy refreshments during the reception. Centre Street […]
Maine artist Daryne Rockett will present “Restoring Liberty,” an exhibition of monotypes and mixed-media work, from Oct. 2 to Nov. 24 at the McDade Gallery at Bangor Public Library. The exhibition brings together two interconnected bodies of work examining freedom, democracy, justice and hope. In a series of layered monotypes, the Statue of Liberty appears […]
Maine Craft Weekend, an annual statewide celebration of craft, community and creativity, will return Oct. 3 and 4. The free, self-guided tour invites visitors to discover the people, places and stories behind Maine’s craft communities. Hundreds of participating artists and locations will host open studios, workshops, pop-up markets, exhibitions, fairs, artist talks, special events and […]