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.
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Women Eco Artists Dialog (WEAD), based in Berkeley, California, is accepting submissions for its 2027 members exhibition, “Prototyping Futures of Making: Water, Data, and Living Systems.” The exhibition will explore the relationships among water, data, ecological systems and emerging technologies, asking how artists can engage with living systems as sites of collaboration, construction and consequence. […]
Triangle Gallery in Rockland is presenting three exhibitions through Oct. 31, including an extended solo exhibition by Carter Wentworth, a group fiber arts show and a fall exhibition of work by gallery artists. Wentworth’s “Sound of Rain Crossing the Lake” will remain on view in the upstairs gallery through the end of October. “Interwoven,” a […]
Waterfall Arts in Belfast will present “Found in Translation,” a mixed-media exhibition featuring Maine artists Deborah Jellison, JoAnne Houlsen and John LeBlanc, from Oct. 23 to Nov. 28. An opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 23. The exhibition brings together three artist friends whose work explores familiar Maine landscapes, objects […]
Courthouse Gallery Fine Art in Ellsworth is presenting “Form Meets Surface,” an exhibition highlighting porcelain ceramics by potter Mark Bell and collaborative works created with painter William Irvine. The artists, both established in their respective fields, have worked together since 2015 to create porcelain vases and plates that combine Bell’s ceramic forms with Irvine’s painted […]
Barn Gallery in Ogunquit concluded its 2026 exhibition season Oct. 12, but the venue will continue to welcome visitors for two performances in the 19th annual Elizabeth Dunaway Burnham Piano Festival. Pianist, composer and vocalist Zahili Zamora will return to Ogunquit with her Afro Cuban Jazz Trio for a performance from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. […]
The Brunswick Guild Fine Craft Show will return to the historic Fort Andross Mill in Brunswick on Oct. 24 and 25, celebrating its 10th season with work by 40 juried Maine craft artists. Presented by Shop Maine Craft, the indoor show will feature basketry, ceramics, decorative and wearable fiber art, furniture, glass, jewelry, mixed media, […]
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