The Sohns Gallery in the Rock & Art Shop at 36 Central, Bangor, will present the work of Daryne Rockett from Sept. 22 through Nov. 9. The opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 3 as part of the Bangor First Friday Art Walk series and in coordination with the Bangor Art Society’s 150th Anniversary Gala.
Rockett is a self-taught painter and mixed-media artist in Orono. She began her foray into visual art after sustaining a brain injury while playing roller derby in 2014. Unable to play music or work in her career as a trauma therapist for over a year, she turned to art as a means of expression. The symmetry and repetition of patterns were a balm to her foggy brain. What began as an internal therapeutic process of doodling on small squares of paper evolved into an outward expression of deep feelings and complex beliefs.
Daryne has brought art-making into community settings with fellow veterans, healthcare providers and social justice advocates creating collaborative works for display and engagement. Her work has been exhibited from the Maine Statehouse to the Cedar Ridge Creative Centre in Toronto and earned Best in Show twice in 2024 with the Bangor Art Society and a gold medal in the 2024 National Veterans Art Competition.
ARTIST STATEMENT
In times of crisis or trauma, people often measure themselves against historical figures in terms of their capacity to survive, overcome, and even thrive in the wake of suffering. We want to believe in a brighter future and in our own resilience and capacity to arrive there. We long for a felt sense of balance and the secure knowledge of our place in a natural order.
My abstract paintings, monotypes, and mixed-media works use color, contrast, movement and texture to convey the energy encompassed by the struggle and the beauty sought as its reward. The wholeness and symmetry of circles give a foundation of stability. Bright, fully saturated color announces life’s tenacity and sheds light in the darkness. Deep canyons, sparkling nebulae, and mountainous landscapes offer a view of our relationship with the universe, while botanical elements reflect our biological essence. I want my work to inspire people to persevere through hardship and recognize their purpose for doing so.
More of Rockett’s work can be seen at www.doodlerex.com.
Dowling Walsh Gallery Opens 2026 Season with Solo Exhibitions by Artists Lauren Fensterstock and Jacob Bond Hessler
Sidle House Gallery in Freeport opens its 2026 season with “Anne Hebebrand: A World That Is,” a solo exhibition of cold-wax and oil paintings on view May 1 through June 13. An opening reception is May 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibition draws from seven years of Hebebrand’s work, which she describes as […]
Waterfall Arts in Belfast is showing “Make Your Mark,” an immersive, community-driven exhibition in the Clifford Gallery through May 29. The opening reception was held April 18. Conceived by program director Amy Tingle, the show draws inspiration from street art and the call-and-response nature of public creative expression. The exhibition features participatory installations including doodle […]
Centre Street Arts Gallery in Bath will hold its spring reception May 15 from 5 to 7 p.m., featuring work by the gallery’s 22 member artists. Centre Street Arts Gallery is at 11 Centre St., Bath. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Email centrestartsgalleryllc@gmail.com or call 207-442-0300 for more information.
Artemis Gallery in Northeast Harbor opens its 15th season with a group exhibition and reception on May 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. The show features work in stone sculpture by Obadiah Buell, woodblock print by Nicole Herz, oil paintings by Liddy Hubbell and David LaPalombara, photography by Parker Stewart and bronze sculpture by Rebekah […]
The Kittery Art Association, in collaboration with the York Public Library, presents “Eleven Views from Here,” on view May 2 through June 30 at the York Public Library, 15 Long Sands Road, York. An opening reception is May 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibition features selected works by 11 KAA artists representing the […]
The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland will open “By Design: The Worlds of Betsy James Wyeth” with a public reception on May 1 from 4 to 6 p.m. The exhibition runs May 2 through Oct. 16 in the Hadlock and Wyeth Study Center Galleries, with additional programming in the Wyeth Center from June 13 through […]
Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland is showing “5AM in the Pinewoods,” a solo exhibition of paintings by Joanna Logue, through May 9. Logue, a native of Australia who has lived on Mount Desert Island since 2017, takes inspiration from daily hikes in Acadia National Park near her home in Somesville. The changing colors of the […]
The Maine Crafts Association will present STITCH: Runway Show + Style Market on June 4 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Maine Studio Works, 170 Anderson St., Portland. The annual fundraising event celebrates Maine’s slow fashion designers, textile artists and makers. Six Maine-based designers will present original handcrafted wearable work in a live runway show […]
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