Behind the Painting – Custom Stretchers from Brickyard Enterprises

Brickyard Enterprises is located in Ferrisburgh, Vermont in the beautiful Champlain Valley. They are a small company run by Mike Poskas and his wife, Ann. They are also live about a half mile from Rebecca Kinkead.

Mike and Rebecca’s husband, Jaime hunt together. Knowing Mike was on furrow from his job as a commercial airline pilot, Jamie tossed a very random idea his way.

“When Jamie asked about making stretchers for Rebecca’s canvases, Mike was all in,” says his wife, Ann. “Then he promptly came home and researched what a stretcher was and how to make one.”

Abbie Williams on Summer Chairs – An Artist’s Choice

For Abbie the “choice” this year was an easy one. The small white house and the adirondack chairs are idyllic. “They just drew me in. Those colors and how they weave together; it is why I paint,” says Williams. “They are so luscious and inviting.” The brilliance of the sun practically sets fire to the sky, and Williams recreates it perfectly in oil. “I love how this piece turned out. The colors just work,” says Williams. “Besides that, I simply feel good when I look it.”

Daniel Corey on By January – An Artist’s Choice

By January is Corey’s Artist Choice piece for the Choice Art Show at Maine Art Shows in Kennebunk. It is one of three pieces of his work in the show. “This painting represents me and my work to the best of my current ability. Everything I have went into it,” says Corey. “The Belted Gateways are one of my favorite subjects when I’m looking for a challenge. For such big animals they don’t seem to stop moving. This makes it tough when trying to paint them.”

Liz Hoag and Eagle Lake – An Artist’s Choice

Once again, one of our artists has found inspiration in Acadia National Park. The only National Park in Maine, Acadia boasts beautiful ocean views, cliffs that tower over rocky coasts and even their own Sand Beach. Yet, for Liz Hoag, it is the freshwater of the park that lures her in. At 436 acres, Eagle Lake is the largest fresh water lake in Acadia National Park. Whether traveling the carriage roads or exploring the trails that encircle it, it is nearly impossible not to let the magic of this place slip into your soul.

Jill Valliere on Wanderlust – An Artist’s Choice

“I had decided to take a drive on a slightly foggy day last fall. I was in search of inspiration,” says Valliere. “I drove around to my favorite haunts for a few hours, but I didn’t find anything that made my ‘painting fingers’ twitch.” After giving up for the day, she headed toward home and began to daydream. Of course this led to a wrong turn, not an uncommon turn of events for Valliere. “When I tuned back into my surroundings I found myself in Lincolnville. In front of me was the scene that later became Wanderlust.”