As summer gives way to autumn, the George Marshall Store Gallery continues its 25th anniversary celebration with three new exhibitions.
Pam Brown, Gail Spaien and Julia Zanes combine sculpture with paintings of imagined worlds and interiors; “Animalia,” by Michael Stasiuk, presents creatures both big and small; and “Quotidian Views,” by Grant Drumheller, includes gouaches and oil paintings that depict travel and people engaged in work and leisure.
There are numerous visual connections between the paintings by Portland artist Gail Spaien, Vermont artist Julia Zanes and the copper wall sculptures by New York artist Pam Brown. “Cottage Bonsai #4,” by Spaien, dominates the front wall of the gallery. The painting depicts the interior of a seaside, summer cottage filled with tables and chairs, books and flowers, and a dog curled up on a rug. Through the window are stylized ripples of the ocean, and oval shaped clouds float above. Although busy with many patterns, there is a zen-like quality to this series of paintings.
Julia Zanes’ work is rooted in storytelling. Through color, collage and various pictorial devices, she leads one into the artist’s world of fairytales and myths. Zane’s paintings are rich in symbolism including many examples of redemption motifs that are designed to break evil spells. The artist explains, “If all other efforts fail, love always prevails.”
The flowers and vines found in Zane’s paintings are repeated in the copper wall sculptures by Pam Brown. The artist collects remnants and salvaged materials from abandoned factory sites and then, using a process similar to needlework, assembles them. Instead of the traditional fabric and thread, she darns together the found sheet metal with wire. These elegant pieces float on the white gallery walls and the copper and brass patinas blend with the colors in the paintings.
A menagerie of animal sculptures made by Portsmouth artist Michael Stasiuk are exhibited throughout the gallery. By combining found materials — mostly wood, metal and assorted fragments from broken chairs and toys — Stasiuk creates playful, nostalgic sculptures. The creatures in “Animalia” range in scale from a 5-inch aardvark to a 5-foot giraffe. Stasiuk’s many years of teaching and collaborating with both children and adults has kept his whimsical sensibilities intact, delighting the viewer with his imagination.
Figures feature prominently in much of Grant Drumheller’s work. His paintings reflect ordinary life by capturing crowds in a city park, fishermen on their boats, people digging for clams, or quiet domestic life and the private world of a home’s interior. His exhibition makes everyday activities something to celebrate. There is a freshness and brightness in the small gouache paintings on paper — elements that he brings to his newer oil on linen canvases. After decades of teaching, the artist seems very content and productive in his new-found retirement years.
The exhibitions continue through Oct. 18. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Appointments can be made on the gallery website or by calling curator Mary Harding at 207-752-0205.
George Marshall Store Gallery is at 140 Lindsay Road, York. See www.georgemarshallstoregallery.com for more information.
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 […]
Receive news and information about Maine artists and events delivered right to your inbox.