Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland highlights Hamilton, Sears and Hayes

Three artists are currently featured at Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland, spanning painting, assemblage and works on paper.

Robert Hamilton (1917-2004) thought of his paintings as “a place for something to occur — little pictorial events, little plays.” In “Come Back Sweet Mama (Boy in Museum)” (1990), the avid recreational tennis player imagined a museum scene featuring paintings of Suzanne Lenglen (1899-1938), the pioneering French Wimbledon champion and first global tennis superstar, suspended in mid-volley. “The match here is ‘refereed’ by a masked museum guard, theater usher, train conductor, or bank robber, who is of course, Robert Hamilton,” writes Chris Crosman in “Taking the Train: War, Memory, Museums and Cats in the Art of Robert Hamilton.” “Robert Hamilton: Paper Moon” was on view at the gallery through March 28.

Will Sears works with nuanced bands of color and subtle textural shifts to create perceptually dynamic assemblages, paintings and murals. His assemblages are composed of small, carefully cut, hand-colored blocks of wood pieced together in mosaic-like fashion — linear abstractions he likens to musical compositions ranging from jazz’s syncopation to a nocturne’s quietude. “Will Sears: The Third Field” is on view at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art through Sept. 6.

Connie Hayes is widely regarded for color-rich paintings emphasizing light and shade within harmoniously balanced compositions. For more than 25 years she has returned to Vinalhaven Island, where the working waterfront has provided an endless source of inspiration. Hayes’s work is included in the group exhibition “The Shipping Forecast,” which was on view at the gallery through March 28.

Dowling Walsh Gallery is at 357 Main St. in Rockland. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and by appointment on Sundays and Mondays. Visit www.dowlingwalsh.com, or call 207-596-0084 for more information.