Courthouse Gallery Fine Art presents ‘William Irvine: Soundings’

Courthouse Gallery Fine Art is pleased to present “Soundings,” the 13th solo show for painter William Irvine, which will be on view from July 5 to Aug. 4.

This year, Irvine, who recently turned 94, produced a remarkable 30 oil paintings, as well as eight porcelain plates and vases he created with Blue Hill potter Mark Bell.

An artist reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. July 9.

Seascapes and boats are an integral part of Irvine’s oeuvre. Never satisfied by depicting just what he sees, Irvine continually reinvents this traditional motif as he did in “Two Flags” and “Reconstruct Seascape” by deconstructing the elements of a seascape.

In the catalog, Irvine states, “Recently, I have been looking at the objects that make up a seascape, deconstructing its parts—sails, gulls, ropes, flags, clouds — and rearranging them to keep the feeling of that place without the barrier of visual recognition. Objects are out of place; lines suggest a boat which could never float except on my canvas. I want the final presentation to have an emotional truth.”

Twelve new paintings from Irvine’s ongoing “At Home” series are included in the show. These delightful narrative paintings capture the grace and delight of people going about their daily activities. Irvine says he paints them his own personal satisfaction, which is probably why they are so popular among collectors. This show includes a Scottish church, sheep, a shepherd, a sleeping fisherman, boats, horses, cats and six paintings with dogs being walked by men and women, and dogs waiting at the door, in the yard, or on the dock. As always, soaring overhead are the gulls, whose cries and calculated stillness are captivating.

Irvine is also one of four authors in a newly released book titled “Four Old Men Writing Together.” Courthouse Gallery will host a Book Launch & Reading at 5 p.m. July 23. Four old men — William Irvine, Marc Pelletier, Len Charney and Kevin Fahey — have gathered together the best of their true and true-enough stories. The perspective that age has given the four imbues these tales with wisdom, clarity and humor. Two of the old men are from are from Maine, an architect and an artist; two are from Massachusetts, an architect and a college administrator. They met remotely for three years under the guidance of Margery Irvine who was happy to lead from behind. Irvine’s painting “Evening Walk,” which shows a man and his dog looking out to sea, graces the cover of the book.

Irvine is a Scottish/American painter, whose impressive oeuvre spans nearly eighty years. He is best known for his seascapes, still lifes and enchanting white-house narratives depicting people going about their daily lives and chores. Irvine was born in the town of Troon on the Scottish coast. After graduating from the Glasgow School of Art and serving in the Scottish army, Irvine came of age in London where he was a part of a lively avant-garde art scene. In 1968, Irvine moved to downeast Maine, and was immediately drawn to the fishing villages of Corea and Jonesport, whose tidy houses reminded him of the white farms dotting the green hills of Scotland. Here, harbors, islands and boats, the sea and the sky, inspired bold work based on a life lived by the sea. His pictorial concepts are fueled by two driving forces: abstraction and representation. Irvine brings these antithetical elements into balance with his poetic sensibility and the richness of his textural compositions.

Courthouse Gallery is at 6 Court St., Ellsworth. For more information, call 207-667-6611 or visit www.courthousegallery.com.