Courthouse_Ives_MovingMeditation_10x22
Jessica Lee Ives, “Moving Meditation,” oil on panel, 10 x 22 inches

Courthouse Gallery Fine Art in Ellsworth will host an Artist’s Talk for Jessica Lee Ives on Friday May 27 at 4pm. Ives will speak about her work and how the following philosophies influence her personal and artistic life: kinesthetic intelligence and imagination, mirror neurons firing in the brain, and the healing properties of water. The event is free and open to the public.

Ives’ work is currently included in Fire and Water: Janice Anthony and Jessica Lee Ives, a two-person exhibition that explores each artist’s interpretation of two opposing natural elements. The shows will be on view from May 20–June 18. There will be an artist’s reception immediately following the talk.

In 2016, Swans Island Company released Water Colors, a special edition throw, which is being presented in collaboration with Ives, who created The Colors of Water, an original painting inspired by this throw. The throw and prints will be available at the gallery talk.

Ives uses paint to explore and experience her adventure filled relationship with the landscape of Maine, her home state, and beyond. Ives paints out of love—love for the world, and for the capacity of humans to know the world through movement, recreation, and adventure. Kinesthetic intelligence and imagination form the foundation of her personal and artistic life. Ives is astounded by how a small brush stroke can capture a large body moving through water, and how these actions describe the world’s beauty.

Ives received her BFA from The Cooper Union School of Art. She was named one of the Top Ten College Women of 2003 by Glamour Magazine. Ives was awarded the Clark Foundation Fellowship for her work as an artist-in-residence at Ground Zero. She used the fellowship to pursue a master’s degree at New York University, combining work in the fields of art, religion, and public service.