“Daybreak, Stump Pond”

Bayview Gallery presents a solo exhibition by Maine native Marsha Donahue through July 30.

The public is invited to meet the artist at a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. July 8, coinciding with Downtown Brunswick’s Second Friday festivities.

Born in Waterville, Marsha Donahue began her art education at Portland School of Art (now Maine College of Art). She completed her studies in painting and print making, earning her BFA from American University in Washington, D.C.

“Remote Shoreline”

As her painting career began showing promise, Donahue returned to Maine (initially to the Portland area) in 1985, where she exhibited her paintings at Greenhut Galleries. In 2004, she moved to Millinocket and founded North Light Gallery. There she exhibited her own oil and watercolor paintings, as well as those by other artists who specialize in inland Maine.

Last year, following the death of her uncle, Donahue closed the Millinocket chapter of her life and moved to Belfast.  

For Donahue, painting for this solo show was about transition.

“Over the last year I have closed a business, sold properties and moved my studio and household, all while holding steady to the one constant in my life since childhood: creating art,” she writes. “Katahdin and its region have been my inspiration for 17 years, but I have longed for the blue ocean and salty air of the coast. After inheriting my uncle’s house in Belfast, having the winter to make the transition has been a grounding experience. The variety of imagery in this exhibit results from this period of change and adjustment.”

Bayview Gallery is at 58 Main St., Brunswick. Contact the gallery at 207-729-5500 or susan@bayviewgallery.com, or go to www.bayviewgallery.com.