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.
Cove Street is honored to present a virtual exhibition of work by Harold Garde (June 7, 1923 to Oct. 11, 2022), featuring a focused selection of his strappos alongside examples from a career that spanned seven decades and made a significant, if often under-recognized contribution to Post-War American art. All works featured in the virtual […]
“‘Under a Swift Sunrise’ is less about arrival than about the yearning to arrive; to glimpse, if only momentarily, a far green country that exists somewhere between what is remembered and what is imagined.” — Nathaniel Meyer “Under a Swift Sunrise” gathers a series of island paintings that hover between memory and invention, myth and […]
CMCA’s 2025 Biennial will be on view from Oct. 4 through Jan. 11, continuing a tradition that dates back to 1978 and stands as the longest running survey of contemporary art by artists with ties to Maine. This edition features 29 artists selected from a pool of more than 450 applicants by jurors Keith Fox, […]
Deena Ball will lead the workshop Watercolor Meets Wood: Painting on Birch Panels from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 31. In this innovative workshop, students will learn to combine traditional watercolor techniques with modern watercolor grounds on birchwood panels. Begin by applying watercolor grounds to create a richly textured underpainting that serves as the […]
Local Color Gallery is pleased to welcome back guest artist Sandra Huck whose work will be on display from Jan. 21 through Feb. 21 at the gallery in Belfast. Huck will talk about her work, “Conversations with Found Objects,” at this month’s Art Walk reception, which runs from 4 to 7 p.m. Jan. 23. Huck […]
“What Came Before: The Power of Forgotten Artworks” is on view from Dec. 3 to Jan. 10 at Courthouse Gallery in Ellsworth. A reception was held on Dec. 3. “What Came Before” offers a rare glimpse into the formative stages of an artist’s creative journey. The exhibition highlights early artworks by a diverse group of […]
Dear Friends, we loved sharing our 2025 Season with you. It was filled with wonderful art, engaging conversation and special events. We continued our community outreach with our Annual Student Show in May and the Open Regional Juried Show in July. Our lively Ogunquit Art Association Auction was held, as usual, on the first Saturday […]
Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland will be closed Dec. 24 and 25, as well as Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. The group show “Offshore Winter” runs Nov. 7 to Dec. 27, featuring work by Tollef Runquist, Scott Kelley and Anna B. McCoy. Painting, for Tollef Runquist, is an undertaking of appreciation and inquiry, a means […]
George Marshall Store Gallery will host an Open House on Dec. 5, 5-7pm and December 6, 10am-4pm to kick off the holiday season. Join us for festive sips & snacks, lights twinkling, tunes spinning, and original works by more than 30 New England artists (most under $500.) Come to shop or just gather in good […]
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