LOCAL COLOR Vegetable by Sheep Jones
“Vegetable 14” by Sheep Jones.

Throughout December, handmade Christmas ornaments are on display at Local Color Gallery in Belfast. Each one is made by a gallery artist from a variety of materials and is suitable for hanging. In return for a $50 donation, buyers can take their choice.

LOCAL COLOR angel
Paintbrush angel by Betty Schopmeyer.

The sale will benefit New Hope Midcoast (formerly New Hope for Women). New Hope serves Waldo County and several others and works to end domestic abuse, dating violence and stalking. Believing that a life free from abuse is a basic human right, they educate and empower communities to support a more just and effective response to misuse of power to demean or control others. New Hope operates a confidential 24/7 helpline, provides legal support to victims of violence, arranges emergency sheltering, and offers hospital accompaniment.

Local Color Gallery also welcomes popular Belfast painter Sheep Jones as its guest artist for three months. A mainstay of the Belfast art scene and beyond, Jones is known for her whimsical paintings featuring layers of color and texture, imaginative themes, and quirky figures of people, birds and bugs.

Commenting on her work, she says, “I am always looking for the puzzle pieces to suggest a narrative. Disparate images come together and start to hint at some kind of sense. The thing is, all people have stories. Often they look at one of my paintings and recognize in it their own story, their own past, and their own dreams.”

Jones’ work will be shown at Local Color from Nov. 19 through the end of February. Different works will be shown each month.

Local Color Gallery is at 135 High St., Belfast. Learn more at localcolorgallerymaine.com.