As any gallery owner knows, artist requests for representation are frequent. The fact is, there are far more talented artists than there are galleries that handle fine art. With so many artists to choose from, what a gallery is looking for is an artist who stands out, who has something unique and special to offer. When Lyn Asselta approached Gleason Fine Art last year, we knew right away that she was an artist whose paintings we wanted to carry.
Lyn Asselta paints landscapes in pastel, a medium that is notoriously difficult to master. But master it she has. In fact, one of her paintings recently took Gold at the prestigious 36th Juried Exhibition of the International Association of Pastel Societies. For a pastel artist, this is like winning the Kentucky Derby.
Asselta’s pastels are transcendent. Some, such as the breath-taking “Slow Dance with Fog,” are delicate and moody. In others, such as the bold “As We Wait for Summer,” sunlight bounces from rocky outcroppings to greening shrubs to brilliant blue skies. Clearly, the artist revels in the natural world that is so close at hand along the Maine coast.
Lyn Asselta’s life and art career have recently come full circle. Having grown up in York and Cape Neddick, with a two-year stint at the former Portland School of Art, she headed south to Florida after a family tragedy, intending to be away from Maine for only a short time. The year or two turned into 36 years, during which she raised a daughter and worked as an art teacher, a designer, and finally a landscape painter.
Never a fan of warm weather, Asselta longed for Maine’s ever-changing weather and rocky coast. Finally, last year she packed up her studio and moved to a house in mid-coast Maine. Here, with sunsets over a tidal cove and mossy hills outlined with old stone walls, Asselta has found the inspiration she needs and has loved all her life.
In Maine, Lyn Asselta’s pastels may be found at Gleason Fine Art, 31 Townsend Avenue, in Boothbay Harbor. Her work may also be viewed on the gallery website, gleasonfineart.com. For further information, call or email the gallery at 207-633-6849 or info@gleasonfineart.com. For now, Gleason Fine Art is open to the public, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm. Hours may be extended as the season progresses. An appointment for a personal viewing of the gallery may be arranged by calling or emailing the gallery.
Join award-winning painter Terri Brooks for “Figures in Pastels,” a workshop designed for experienced pastel artists. Working from a live, costumed model, participants will refine their ability to capture the human form using layered pastel techniques. The class will focus on essential life-drawing skills, using light and shadow to define facial structure and form through […]
The Deer Isle Artists Association announces the March Artist-in-Residence Program on March 4 with artist David McBeth. McBeth is a potter, working primarily with porcelain that is high-fired and ready for the dining table. Additionally, he is a knitter, whose preferred material is wool yarn. A true renaissance man, lately McBeth is also a writer, […]
Established in 2010, The Maine Museum of Photographic Arts is the only museum in Maine dedicated exclusively to photography. Dear Friends of the Maine Museum of Photographic Arts, What a transformative year 2024 has been for MMPA. As we reflect on the past twelve months, we’re struck by the extraordinary level of artistry, scholarship and […]
The Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA) presents its winter season with the unveiling of two new thought-provoking exhibitions and held an opening reception on Feb. 1. New exhibitions that opened Feb. 1: “The Sun, Trying to Disappear” is a show that speaks of entanglement. The images in this exhibition flutter between icons and mistrusted […]
Crescendo is about reaching new heights, riding the waves of life, climbing peaks, looking up to the zenith, witnessing the culmination of a project, peering over the crest, feeling the surge of emotions. 2025 is a 9 year in numerology, marked by a crescendo of power and experience, acclimation and completion, and new beginnings. Artists […]
Joseph Fiore (1925-2008) was a widely respected artist and active member of the Maine Art Gallery during the 1960s and ‘70s. In celebration of the 100th year of his birth, the gallery is partnering with Maine Farmland Trust (MFT) on an exclusive and overdue major retrospective, “Fiore at 100: Maine Observed.” The show runs June […]
The Midcoast Downeast Chapter of the Union of Maine Visual Artists, in collaboration with Waterfall Arts and Dark Sky Maine presented “Dark Skies: Artwork Honoring Dark Nights in Maine,” which ran from Jan. 17 to Feb. 28 at Waterfall Arts in Belfast. Not only did the exhibit gather a sizable crowd of over 280 people […]
In March the Roux & Cyr International Fine Art Gallery will host its first abstract contemporary artist as its featured artist of the month. Jeanne Maguire, a Maine-based abstract artist, will be the First Friday artist on March 7. Maguire’s show is titled “Feminine Archetypes” and her work is vibrant and expressive, capturing the emotion […]
Youth Art Month is right around the corner. Show your support and celebrate the young artists in this year’s youth show, “Healing Through Color,” on view March 6 to 9. Students from all instructional levels will be featured in the show, which emphasizes the importance of visual arts, creative expression, and access to the arts […]
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