Markings Gallery, 50 Front St., Bath, ME, is pleased to present “Tracking Spirit,” an exhibit of shamanic fiber art by Nancy Marstaller, Susan Mills and Sara Palumbo for the months of October and November 2019. Their work is inspired by nature and the spirit world, and uniquely expressed through felted vessels, elementals, wall hangings and hand-painted fabric flag strings. Tracking Spirit opens on Monday, October 21st with an artist talk and reception on Friday, October 25th at 5:30pm.
Nancy, Susan and Sara stepped through a doorway into an unseen world of deeper meaning and imagination at a young age. Their fascination with nature has been woven through their lives and manifests in their artistic work today.
Their work is inspired by nature and the spirit world, and uniquely expressed through felted vessels, elementals, wall hangings and hand-painted fabric flag strings.
Nancy Marstaller grew up spending much time outdoors exploring the land and playing in the woods near her home. She recalls, “Creating villages of stick figures with twig homes, libraries full of bark books, stores filled with berries and acorns.” This explorative and creative spirit continues to inspire her work today. A few years ago she noticed that more and more people seemed to be taking in and often overwhelmed by negative news and ideas, even though there is so much good in the world. She started making flag strings inspired by images from nature: “ I imagine seeing these flag strings fluttering in the breeze and sending out positive energy- as a way to counteract the negativity.” Nancy works with watercolor, pencils, collage, printing, and fabric. Her prints on fabric are inspired by what she sees, dreams, and how she wants to dance in the world.
Susan Mills remembers, “One day when I was a little girl playing in the woods outside my home, I found three bird feathers and tied them onto a tree with some sticks and leaves. I stared at my installation for a while, transfixed by its beauty and the ritual I had performed to set it apart from nature.” She continues to live in that sense of ritual today. Her artistic work is her way of recording her inner journey and embodies her search for a new myth and metaphor. Susan believes that “in healing the split between our inner and outer worlds, our bodies and souls, we heal both ourselves and our planet.” Susan believes we are all individuals, yet all connected. And when one of us takes a journey, it affects us all. Her most current work represents the four worlds, Upper, Middle, Lower and Dream. She portrays the Upper World in blacks and whites, the Middle in browns and gold, the Lower in volcanic reds and greens and the Dream in blues.
Sara Palumbo grew up camping with her parents and would sit for hours communing with the salamanders, crafting imaginary villages in the moss and floating in the creek. “I was mentally collecting and cataloging nature’s treasures. I spoke with the spirit of each piece of nature I encountered, creating my own language and understanding that there is life in everything.” Sara spent much of her childhood living in this enchanted vibration filled with stories and glimpses of an otherworldliness that she could never express in words or through her hands until she found felting. Each of her felted pieces is a unique, one-of-a-kind wall hanging. They are abstract in nature, and Sara sees them as living beings in the world. Co-creating them is a heart-centered practice for her. She feels blessed to be able to express her personal shamanic experiences and teachings in these tangible forms.
Join us for a magical evening on Friday, October 25th at 5:30pm for a gallery talk and opening reception with Susan Mills, Nancy Marstaller and Sara Palumbo!
Admission is free, and refreshments will be served.
More information about these artists can be found at www.markingsgallery.com, www.susanmillsstudio.com and www.sarapalumbo.com.
Tracking Spirit opens on Monday, October 21 with an artist talk and reception on Friday, October 25 at 5:30pm. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served.
Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland is featuring “IDK,” an exhibition of paintings by Tollef Runquist that explores the intersection of personal reflection, archetypes, fantasy and play. Runquist’s paintings combine images and symbols drawn from lived experience, emotional landscapes and cultural influences, creating an intuitive dialogue between imagery and meaning. “My work explores a space where […]
Meetinghouse Arts in Freeport is presenting a full schedule of fall exhibitions and performances, including a members show, a collaborative exhibition by longtime artist friends Tim Sample and Linda Rowell-Kelley and several concerts. The gallery’s fall members exhibition, “Nature’s Palette: Art Inspired by the Season,” will remain on view through Oct. 18. Featuring paintings, drawings, […]
Local Color Gallery in Belfast will feature printmaker, collage artist and sculptor Jeff Wahlstrom from Oct. 19 to Nov. 22. An Art Walk reception will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 23, with an artist talk at 5 p.m. Based in Bangor, Wahlstrom creates block prints and watercolor collages inspired by the natural […]
Women Eco Artists Dialog (WEAD), based in Berkeley, California, is accepting submissions for its 2027 members exhibition, “Prototyping Futures of Making: Water, Data, and Living Systems.” The exhibition will explore the relationships among water, data, ecological systems and emerging technologies, asking how artists can engage with living systems as sites of collaboration, construction and consequence. […]
Triangle Gallery in Rockland is presenting three exhibitions through Oct. 31, including an extended solo exhibition by Carter Wentworth, a group fiber arts show and a fall exhibition of work by gallery artists. Wentworth’s “Sound of Rain Crossing the Lake” will remain on view in the upstairs gallery through the end of October. “Interwoven,” a […]
Waterfall Arts in Belfast will present “Found in Translation,” a mixed-media exhibition featuring Maine artists Deborah Jellison, JoAnne Houlsen and John LeBlanc, from Oct. 23 to Nov. 28. An opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 23. The exhibition brings together three artist friends whose work explores familiar Maine landscapes, objects […]
Courthouse Gallery Fine Art in Ellsworth is presenting “Form Meets Surface,” an exhibition highlighting porcelain ceramics by potter Mark Bell and collaborative works created with painter William Irvine. The artists, both established in their respective fields, have worked together since 2015 to create porcelain vases and plates that combine Bell’s ceramic forms with Irvine’s painted […]
Barn Gallery in Ogunquit concluded its 2026 exhibition season Oct. 12, but the venue will continue to welcome visitors for two performances in the 19th annual Elizabeth Dunaway Burnham Piano Festival. Pianist, composer and vocalist Zahili Zamora will return to Ogunquit with her Afro Cuban Jazz Trio for a performance from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. […]
The Brunswick Guild Fine Craft Show will return to the historic Fort Andross Mill in Brunswick on Oct. 24 and 25, celebrating its 10th season with work by 40 juried Maine craft artists. Presented by Shop Maine Craft, the indoor show will feature basketry, ceramics, decorative and wearable fiber art, furniture, glass, jewelry, mixed media, […]
Receive news and information about Maine artists and events delivered right to your inbox.