Visit Blue Raven Gallery to see the following artists in the stunning curation of “Art from the Sea,” a collection that focuses on art made from materials found in Maine waterways.
Carter Shappy
Shappy’s screenprinting series Ghost Gear is a body of work highlighting the growing abundance of littered and abandoned consumer and industry plastic waste in the ocean. The plastic bags, films, ropes and nets featured in these prints became a focus not solely for their visual characteristics but because the litter has become so abundant, so commonplace, that it has become (with extremely detrimental repercussions) part of the “natural” landscape. This series consists mainly of screenprints, some with hand-colored elements.
Shappy is a prolific and multi-skilled visual artist based in Portland. His work is inspired by his ordinary, everyday experiences, as well as extraordinary natural phenomena, flora and fauna, perception, and psychedelia. He says, “By embellishing and transforming mundane elements of our lives, I strive to offer a reevaluation of peripheral or commonplace things and experiences.”
Robert Dowling Jr.
Dowling transforms driftwood, with meticulous attention to detail, into lifelike representations of animals that emerge from their wooden forms. The textures and colors evoke the beauty found in nature, inviting viewers to connect with each sculpture. Dowling’s paintings explore similar themes with dynamic and whimsical compositions, encouraging observers into a world of imagination.
Dowling is a gifted artist from Bangor, whose passion captures the spirit of wildlife through sculptures and paintings. His newest creations are now on display at Blue Raven Gallery
Brad Choyt
Choyt is an artist primarily working with found wood, fiberglass, metal, and other materials washed up on the shoreline. Choyt’s art analyzes the influence of people on the natural world; he examines the interactions between human beings and the organic patterns and geometric shapes found in nature. Based on Spruce Head Island in South Thomaston, Choyt says, “When I walk Maine’s rocky coast or along the bank of a forest stream, I search for relationships between the forms, colors, and textures created when stones, water, trees, and other organic elements intersect with remnants of human activity such as abandoned boats, scraps of painted wood, rusted machinery — forgotten materials often cracked and pitted by wind, ocean, and time.”
Villard Studios
Each Villard Studios print is a gem of detail steeped in Maine culture. The prints’ vibrant colors draw viewers attention to their beautifully composed subject matter of fisheries and nature. Kim and Philippe Villard are the only couple in the world to collaboratively create highly collected white-line woodblock prints. As both French and American artists, the Villard Studios prints bridge artistic traditions from both cultures. When in America, they work in Boothbay Harbor and use material exclusively found in Maine. Villard Studios’ white-line woodblock prints are exclusive to Blue Raven Gallery. So, stop by the gallery to see the vibrantly colorful and poignant prints that strike a chord with Mainers.
Blue Raven Gallery is at 374 Main St., Rockland. Call 207-466-7799, email jodie@blueravengallery.com, or visit blueravengallery.com for details.
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