Local Color Gallery welcomes three new artists and will present a workshop during Print Day in May

Three new year-round artists joined Local Color Gallery in Belfast on April 23.

A reception and open house was held o April 26 with artist talks.

Ruth Heffron, of Belfast, works primarily in oil, often with cold wax added. She enjoys collage and printmaking as well. She views her paintings as poems that shine a light on the ordinary and highlight the complexity of nature. Heffron attended Agnes Scott College, majoring in political science and psychology with several art courses along the way. After careers in teaching and 20 years working in community foundations in South Carolina and Maine, Heffron and her husband owned and operated Compass Rose, a bookstore and café in Castine. Following retirement, Heffron returned to her love of painting. She has studied with artists across the U.S. and Italy.

Susan Smith, of Dover-Foxcroft, is an artist, activist and educator. As faculty and coordinator for the graduate art program at the University of Maine, she is deeply committed to work that reflects stewardship of land and water. Her work begins with visits to a site, which she calls a witnessing of place and the forces that shape it. She often uses foraged materials: earth becomes pigment, plants become dyes or egg tempera, and textiles become imprinted with botanical traces. Smith is an art extension director for the Urban Soil Institute, collaborating with soil scientists, botanists and earth keepers.

Shelley Breton, of Freeport, has painted in oils for more than 14 years. Although her education and career are science-based, she has always had a love of the arts. Breton is a juried member of the Oil Painters of America and the American

Impressionist Society. She was named one of “Maine’s Most Collectible Artists” in ArtMaine Magazine in 2019. Breton’s work was included in “All About Oils” in the October 2021 issue of American Art Collector magazine. A Maine native, she takes inspiration from the effects of early and late-day light on the local landscape and seascape, as well as florals and figurative subjects. With her expressive-representational style, she strives to evoke a sense of mood, light and place through depictions of sunlight and shadow.

Printmaker David Morgan, of Bath, continues as Local Color’s guest artist through May. He will teach a printmaking workshop during Print Day in May. Morgan’s class in reduction printmaking will introduce participants to the technique of carving one wood or linoleum block, using subsequent carvings to print three distinct colors. Participants with all levels of experience are welcome, and a press will be available to pull prints. The class will, limited to eight participants, will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 4. Register at merrymeetingpress.com.

Local Color Gallery is at 135 High St., Belfast. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Learn more at localcolorgallerymaine.org.