‘Caren-Marie Michel: Maine’s Four Seasons’ opens at Littlefield Gallery

“Maine’s Four Seasons,” a solo show of seascapes by Caren-Marie Michel, is on exhibit at Littlefield Gallery from Sept. 14 through Oct. 13.

Caren-Marie Sargent Michel was born in Portland and is a lifelong Maine resident. Michel’s work explores the urban, industrial and pastoral images of Maine and documents the ever-changing landscape in paint. Michel is a devoted plein-air painter working in acrylic and pastel on locations all over Maine and New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada. Michel often portrays a location through series capturing different seasons or times of day with changing light and color. Michel is treasurer and past president of Westbrook Arts & Culture (Maine), past president of the Pastel Painters of Maine and past treasurer of the Union of Maine Visual Artists. Michel is treasurer of the Warren Memorial Foundation and a Director of the Cornelia Warren Community Association.

Michel studied painting with Esther Barney in Portland for six years and earned a BFA in painting from Portland School of Art in 1978 (now Maine College of Art), where she studied with Bill Collins, Ed Douglas and Johnnie Ross. Michel returned to painting and exhibiting in 2000 after a 16-year banking career. Michel’s work has been selected for juried shows in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Colorado and Washington.

“The Downeaster” and “Got Paint” were included in “2018 Paintings of Portland,” by David Little and Carl Little (Down East Books). Michel’s work “Bangor and AR” was included in David Little’s book “Art of Katahdin” (Down East Books, 2013) and “A Mountain Rises: The Art of Katahdin” at the University of New England Art Gallery (2013).

In 2015, Michel’s work was on display in the Maine State Capitol in Augusta as the Artist in the Capitol solo exhibition through the Maine Arts Commission. Her first international solo exhibition, “New Brunswick Panorama” was shown in 2013 at the Saint John Arts Centre, St. John, New Brunswick, Canada.

In 2008, Michel was commissioned to paint three large landscape paintings for the new Mercy Hospital Fore River building’s main lobby in Portland, Maine and has been commissioned for work at Maine Medical Center and other Maine Health Care facilities.

Dan West’s bronze and driftwood-inspired sculpture will also be featured at Littlefield Gallery in this celebration of the ever-changing beauty of Maine’s coast.

Littlefield Gallery is at 145 Main St., Winter Harbor. Call 207-838-4174, or email [email protected] for more information.