George Marshall Store Gallery: “A trio of shows and Woodturnings”

The three separate gallery spaces in the George Marshall Store Gallery are the venues for three distinct exhibitions, on view through August 18th.

The front gallery space, entered at the street level, is dedicated to paintings by Lincoln Perry and Craig Hood and wood turned sculptures by Derrick Te Paske. The small gallery which looks out upon the John Hancock Wharf and the York River, holds a solo exhibition for Portland artist Noriko Sakanishi . The lower level gallery, which can also be entered from the dock level, presents the work of three followers of master watercolor artist DeWitt Hardy: Bill Paarlberg, Ken Fellows and Russel Whitten.

Perry and Hood share a jewel like palette and both are interested in landscape and the figure. Perry who lives part of the year in York, is also a respected muralist. His mural at the University of Virginia decorates the stairwells and hallway of Old Cabell Hall, a building designed by McKim, Mead and White. Here he depicts the life of a student at the University in a sweeping colorful narrative. The artist’s interest in the figure and the narrative is apparent in the six large canvases on exhibit. Almost life size figures pose as the four elements: Water, Earth, Fire and Air. “Is Paris Burning” completed in 2017, is a dramatic classical composition of broken store mannequins in front of the profile of Notre Dame and a firestorm sky

By comparison, the figures in Craig Hood’s paintings are diminutive, only inches high, and partially obscured by a fog-like haze.  Despite their scale and obscurity within a vast and moody environment, they are central to the narrative. Titles such as “World Away,” “Penumbra,” and “Long Black Veil” suggest an ominous or foreboding place. In his statement he compares his figures to migrants or refugees whose “underlying condition and motivating factors are fear and concern.” In these places of solitude they hope not to draw attention to themselves but to find freedom and peace.

Hood’s smaller landscape depict sparkling blue skies and waves of fresh green grass and fields. The sapphire blues and emerald greens in these paintings are fresh and inviting – landscapes where you would like to stay awhile and breath the clear air and appreciate nature.

Complementing the paintings are wood-turned sculptures by Boston area artist Derrick Te Paske. His elegant simple forms take advantage of natural grains and are often embellished with markings and studded with brass or copper pins.

Noriko Sakanishi has been working abstractly since the 1970’s. There seems to be no limit to the combinations that she can make while restricting her shapes to simple squares, rectangles and spheres. Her wall-hung constructions give the illusion of weight, either stone or metal, when in fact they are made of light weight foam materials, meticulously painted in earth tones and applied  texture.

DeWitt Hardy was a mainstay of the Ogunquit art community until is sudden death in the Autumn of 2018. He is being recognized this summer at Bates College in the exhibition “DeWitt Hardy: A Master of Watercolor.” Besides his own painting he is remembered and revered as a teacher. Ken Fellows, Bill Paarlberg and Russel Whitten all studied with him for many years. Hardy was more than a teacher to these men, but a pivotal mentor. His legacy is carried forward by these artists who learned from the best and now share what they have learned through their own teaching and exhibiting.

The exhibitions continue through August 18th. Gallery hours are 10-5 Tuesday through Saturday and 1-5 on Sunday. 140 Lindsay Road, York, Maine. The gallery is a program and property of the Old York Historical Society.  www.georgemarshallstoregallery.comphone: 207-351-1083