New season and new members at Art Space Gallery in Rockland

Art Space Gallery welcomes new members who add a new level of diversity to the gallery’s art offerings, working in a variety of mediums and with their own distinct styles.

The Front Room show in May is a group exhibition with the theme “Cheer Me Up.” Come by from 5 to 8 p.m. May 5 during Rockland’s May Art Walk for some of that cheer and to meet new members and see their work.

MEET THE NEW ARTISTS

Heather Newton Brown (she/her/they) is an artist who works in encaustic. She often embeds new and unexpected materials in her art. She believes art is alchemy. From the combination of forms, materials, and processes, something new is synthesized. Heather lives in Casco with her family.

Molly Mugler paints from her studio in Cushing primarily in watercolors and oils. She is drawn to scenes of coastal Maine, transitions of light and shadow, and negative space. Her work often features unique perspectives (including aerial scenes which showcase mid-coast Maine’s uniquely shaped coastline). 

Shelley Nolan worked in Corporate Information Technology for several years, however, she always had a love for making “things.” After several years of trying her hand in ceramics and quilting, she discovered the art of fused glass.   Colors and patterns are what inspire her. She and her husband live year round in St. George, where she has been focused on learning and practicing the many aspects of fused glass out of her Clark Island studio Shelliam Glass.

A versatile painter, Arthur Schaefer captures Maine in its subtlety and blazing glory — from countryside to oceanside to flora and fauna. Regardless of subject, Schaefer’s work shows dynamic energy with a strong viewpoint. He paints both en plein air and in his Union studio — his satisfying impressionistic style is most evident in landscapes that feature an expansive capture of light and vista on relatively small canvas. Maine’s seasides come to life with dynamic coastal vistas of ocean, homesteads, boats a-sail or in dry dock. Personality-driven animals reside on canvasses large and small, whether beloved pets, livestock or Maine wildlife. Flowers painted in a fine art detail round out his portfolio. His work has been featured in shows ranging from UNE, Aldermere Farm, Merrymeeting Arts Center and Yarmouth Library, as well as other venues.

Douglas Houle lives in Jefferson. He attended Plymouth State College and graduated with a BFA degree in painting in 1998. His focus has always been painting New England’s buildings, objects and landscapes, creating dramatic images using light and color. Houle works in oils, leaving the under layer of painting showing through the planes and edges, which helps to develop a level of interest in the surrounding work.

Lara Max says painting and making has always been a part of her identity. “As I began working with steel it became a new obsession. I found a way to capture the experience I have in painting, using hammers and chisels on metals.  While working with metals I play with the ideas of light, dark, shine and depth, creating my version of a repousse technique. Repousse is an old form of blacksmithing that pushes metal to form pictures in relief. I have started to make a limited series of etchings before I finish a sculpture. This is an archival print of the etching. The sculpture is stainless steel with image of a chickadee perched on the branch of a Mountain Ash.”

Art Space Gallery, a fine art cooperative owned and operated by Maine artists, is located at 405 Main St., Rockland. See artspacemaine.com for details.