Tom Paiement, Audience, 24 x 24 inches, mixed media
Tom Paiement, Audience, 24 x 24 inches, mixed media

Tom Paiement’s Dance of the Tribes is an exhibition of mixed media pieces inspired by his winter visits to Venice Beach, California. In 1965, Tom Paiement and 2 of his friends from college drove from Maine to California in his brand new convertible Corvair, across the Rockies, through Vegas, away from the east coast into the sunshine and space of California.  They landed in Venice Beach.

In the winter of of 2013, Tom returned to Venice Beach and spent a month living one block from the famous boardwalk where everyone is there to see and be seen.  When he came back to Maine he started his Venice Beach series using collage, paint,  graffiti, tight drawing, woodcuts, metals, to manifest the energy and complexity of Venice Beach and the sensual and titillating dance of the “tribes”.  His palette changed radically.  

As the late Phil Issacson once stated, “Tom Paiement’s paintings are always moving, always on the go.  They are powerful and masterly….so infused with energy.”

Alison Rector, "Bend in the River"Oil on linen21 x 24 inches
Alison Rector, “Bend in the River”Oil on linen21 x 24 inches

Side Gallery exhibit Alison Rector Shared Quiet:  In Celebration of Libraries

Since 2010, Alison Rector has visited and painted many of Maine’s public libraries.  There are 18 Carnegie libraries in Maine and Alison has set out to visit them all. This exhibition includes 13 of her library paintings.  The Rector painting of the Rockland Public Library now hangs in their foyer.  Alison Rector along with Kirk Mohney, Director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, will present a collaborative talk about the art and architectural history of purpose built libraries in Maine at the Portland Public Library on Thursday July 14, 2016 5-7pm.  They have presented this talk at four different venues around the state.

When asked about her process, Rector states “All of my paintings start with a pencil drawing, and then a grisaille underpainting (a black & white value study, the term grisaille coming from the French word gris for grey).  On top of this monotone underpainting ground, I add layers of color.  The luminosity of the oil paint builds, layer upon layer, sculpting the texture of the painting.”

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