Two watercolor artists currently showing at Pemaquid Gallery in New Harbor are Cindy Spencer of Wiscasset and Peggy Farrell of New Harbor. They both are inspired by the light and colors of Maine scenery, from coastal scenes to barns and gardens.
Peggy Farrell is a long time member of the gallery and currently serves as Gallery Manager. Although she has worked in several art media including oil, tole painting, stained glass and calligraphy, it is watercolor that has captured her heart. Her loosely rendered watercolor images are a favorite of gallery visitors. Recently she has also painted in gouache, or opaque watercolor, particularly when creating portraits of birds in a natural setting, which she will be showing this year at the gallery.
Working often from memory during winter months, Farrell recreates garden subjects, featuring both flowers and vegetables, as well as scenery familiar to every Maine coast visitor in summer. When painting figures, both human and animal, she seeks to capture the gesture or essence of the subject. As she comments “painting is my secret garden. I go there to find my inner self and put feelings and observations on paper. When I am painting, I am just quietly me.”
Find more about Peggy Farrell and her work at www.thepottingshedstudio.com.
Cindy Spencer also enjoys watercolor which she feels “encourages her work to be alive with discoveries.” Prior to coming to coastal Maine, she lived and painted in the Mt. Washington Valley, with about thirty years of experience in watercolor.
Like Farrell, Spencer paints in an impressionistic style, working on her paper at an angle to allow pigment to flow and mingle spontaneously. Her paintings invite the viewer to engage their own imagination as they encounter the loosely rendered images. Color and light inspire the painter, and fill her paintings of local Maine scenery. She is also a watercolor instructor, offering both group and private classes at her studio in Wiscasset.
Read more about the artist and her work at cindyspencerart.com.
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 […]