Oil, Acrylic, and Wax. Oh My! – Artist Insights from Maine Art Hill

Posted on by Maine Art

No matter the medium, there is something for everyone. First, enjoy Liz Hoag’s acrylics as you walk through her woods. Next, celebrate using wax and a blow torch with Kathy Ostrander Roberts’s encaustics. Finally, relax and breathe deep with Jill Matthews and her ethereal oils.

First, the ethereal oils of Jill Matthews.

“I admit to being afraid of bold brushwork. I always blend out and get angry when I have overworked something,” says Matthews. “The next day, I return and try to regain some of that texture and movement. Ideally, what I go after in my pieces is a mood. Overall they have an ethereal feel to them.”

Matthews gravitates toward misty, foggy mornings with very simplified compositions that are calming.

“It is who I am, so I stay with it. Tranquility and peace are what I look for. They are the reasons I paint,” shares Matthews. “This isn’t just a job for me. Painting grounds me and is therapeutic. I am so fortunate this is my job.”

Next, you will wander through the woods with Liz Hoag’s acrylics.

Hoag has always enjoyed the act of painting itself. The physical craft of it is soothing. She focuses on what is in front of her and doesn’t worry about what is outside her studio.

“People talk about flow. When I get there while painting, I produce my best work, making my entire day better,” shares Hoag. “I move along without overthinking. The results are beautiful.”

Lastly, take a long look at what a bit of wax, 60 layers, and a blowtorch can accomplish. Kathy Ostrander Roberts works magic with her encaustics.

For Kathy Ostrander Roberts, each painting is unique. She can rarely create the same effect twice. It is nearly impossible to control how the wax will blend.

“Oil stick pigments, combined with the wax and resin, add depth to paintings and make it look as though you are looking down into the water and into what’s below it,” explains Roberts. “Various wax additives allow paintings to have a shiny surface. Collectors can even be polished like you would polish a car if you prefer that shiny surface.”

Remember, this show can be seen in person at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk at Shows on Maine Art Hill. Visitors can also view it virtually by clicking the link below. This show will run until July 28. Open every day at 10 AM.

Click here to see the show virtually.

To read more about these talented women, click the links below.

Jill Matthews

Liz Hoag

Kathy Ostrander Roberts

To see our present collection from each artist, click the links below.

Jill Matthews

Liz Hoag

Kathy Ostrander Roberts

We hope to see you at some point during what is slated to be truly fabulous.

The Dory – Artists Insights from Craig Mooney

Posted on by Maine Art

Growing up in Manhatten, one wouldn’t think scenes of boats and the ocean would be what a young aspiring painter chooses as a theme, but for ten-year-old Craig Mooney, that is exactly what he did.

I painted this dory in third grade,” laughs Mooney. “It’s funny that I am still painting it. I am always trying to reimagine or revisit it.”

“As far as themes are concerned, one of the popular ones for me has been revisiting something I used to paint, sometimes almost forty years ago. For example, this little dory washed up on a beach, just a little skiff,” explains Mooney. “When I was a child growing up in an apartment in midtown Manhattan I had very little access to the beach. However, for some reason, this little boat was something I used to paint often.”

If you are interested in any of Craig Mooney’s work, please check us out virtually or, even better, in person. Call or email for more information. 207-967-2803 or info@maine-art.com.

Click here to see the 2022 show virtually.

To read more about Craig’s process and past – Craig Mooney – Artist Insights.

To see Craig’s entire collection – Craig Mooney – Artist Page.

Change – Artist Insights from Three Local Artists

Posted on by Maine Art

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

We change as time moves, as people grow, and places adapt. As this change moves through our country, community, and ourselves, people often find that change is a way to see more of yourself and what you love.

This is true for all three artists currently showing at Shows on Maine Art Hill. When asked about this new body of work, Jill Matthews, Liz Hoag, and Kathy Ostrander Roberts use the word change in their description of how and why this work was created.

Trying something new is always a risk for an artist especially when the “old” is working well.

“Over the year, I have concentrated on adding more layers and experimented with encaustic oil sticks and new colors,” shares Kathy Ostrander Roberts. “I have stepped out of my comfort zone on a few pieces.”

For Kathy, it was color and more layers. Of course, color also came into play with Jill Matthews, but for her, there was more than that. She found an excellent way to work the new in with the old, providing a little “push” of the classic Jill Matthews work we all love.

“This show is full of new work. I did work with bolder colors celebrating fresh spring greens and vibrant clear blues seen on those clear days. However, there are still many foggy classic Maine vibes,” shares Matthews. “It may be a direct result of the talented women I knew I would be sharing this space with, but this is the first time I have pushed my work a bit more. I found myself testing my limits and baby-stepping out of my comfort zone. These are the first steps toward a new, evolving Jill Matthews. I have just scratched the surface with this body of work. There will be more.”

While Matthews stepped out of her comfort zone, Liz Hoag snuggled into hers.

“I’ve been taking more and more long walks this spring, and many of my new paintings have come out of these walks,” says Hoag. “Walking gives me time out of the house, time with my thoughts, and time to look around at the simple beauty around me.”

Regarding change, Hoag is finding the change outside the world has reminded her that she can retreat to herself and her craft to find the peace she needs.

  

“Presently, there is quite a bit of change in my world. However, painting as a job is perfect because it’s one of the few things not changing. Due to this, I can keep growing and evolving with what I produce but still rely on my ability to go to the studio and create. It helps balance me,” says Hoag. “Painting has helped keep me balanced during change.”

For all three women, their jobs have provided a vehicle for what they need to grow and learn and find peace. This show exudes these feelings as one walks through each room. Whether you do this physically or virtually, this is a show not to be missed.

Click here to see the show virtually.

To read more about these talented women, click the links below.

Jill Matthews

Liz Hoag

Kathy Ostrander Roberts

To see our present collection from each artist, click the links below.

Jill Matthews

Liz Hoag

Kathy Ostrander Roberts

We hope to see you at some point during what is slated to be truly fabulous.

Three for Three – Local. Female. Artists.

Posted on by Maine Art

Three Rooms. Three Local Female Artists.

One Fabulous Show

Liz Hoag, Kathy Ostrander Roberts, and Jill Matthews 

This is their first time showing together under one roof. Each celebrates Maine but features different aspects in different way mediums.

It‘s going to be three for three at Shows on Maine Art Hill in Kennebunk. Three local female artists are featured in this upcoming show. The works of Maine painters Jill Matthews, Liz Hoag, and Kathy Ostrander Roberts are opening on Saturday, July 2 at 10 AM with a reception for the artists from 5 to 7 PM at 10 Chase Hill Rd in Kennebunk. All are welcome.

“These three talented women all have strong ties to Maine and capture the true essence of our diverse state,” says gallery owner John Spain. “Between Matthews and her ethereal oils, the wonders of Hoag’s acrylics, and the stunning encaustics of Ostrander Roberts, all of Maine is celebrated well.”

The first artist, Jill Matthews, was born and raised in Vermont and studied Fine Art at The University of Vermont. Upon graduating with a B.S. in Art Education, she moved to San Diego, California, where she continued studying painting at The University of California, San Diego. After a brief career as a fine art educator, she realized her true passion was being more hands-on in creating, and what better place to do this than Maine. Mathews has now called Kennebunkport home for several years. Like many artists who find themselves encompassed by the beauty here, Matthews is inspired and influenced by her surroundings.

“I am struck by things visually in an instant. Be it the way light plays off something or the color interactions on a clear blue day. But my favorite days are foggy. They force my eye to see the beauty in simplicity. I strive for this in my pieces, strong uncluttered compositions,” shares Matthews. “I always edit as I work, stripping away details, leaving a strength to what remains.”

Artist Kathy Ostrander Roberts also calls Kennebunkport home, but unlike Matthews, she brings a particular part of the landscape to this show, water, encaustic water, to be exact. Encaustic paint is created by combining beeswax, resin, and pigment with heat. This ancient medium has existed since the fifth century, with a renaissance of followers in the last decade. It is unlike any art ever experienced. It can be carved, polished, raised, or smooth. It is delightfully dimensional.

“There is something magical in the movement of wax and resin. It replicates the movement of Maine waters to which I am inexplicably drawn,” says Ostrander Roberts. “There are sometimes as many as twenty layers of wax in each painting. I use pottery tools to carve into the surface to lend a 3-D effect. I also try to embed a vintage piece of ephemera, ship captain’s letters, photos, mica, bark, or whatever inspires me into most paintings.”

Completing this trio of Maine women is artist Liz Hoag. While she has a studio in Westbrook, her work begins behind her camera. After taking photographs on walks around her Portland-area neighborhood or the many trails around the state, Hoag goes to work in her studio. This is where the magic happens. Usually starting with a dark canvas or negative space, she builds up by adding light. The result is both abstract and representational.

“Each of my paintings has a starting point for an abstract idea. By intentionally cropping the view, I consciously retain a substantive structural focal point within the composition,” shares Hoag. “I use other elements that guide the audience to look around the space and return to the focal point. The forms from nature I choose to retain are weighted and colored in a way that makes the viewer feel sure of their footing, balanced, and comfortable.”

 Again, this show begins on Saturday, July 2 at 10 AM with an opening reception with the artists from 5 to 7 PM at 10 Chase Hill Rd in Kennebunk. All are welcome. Shows are open daily, 10 AM to 5 PM. FMI maine-art.com or 967-0049.

 

Click here to see the show virtually.

To read more about these talented women, click the links below.

Jill Matthews

Liz Hoag

Kathy Ostrander Roberts

To see our present collection from each artist, click the links below.

Jill Matthews

Liz Hoag

Kathy Ostrander Roberts

We hope to see you at some point during what is slated to be truly fabulous.

Discovering Mooney – Artist Insights

Posted on by Maine Art

As the summer of 2022 gets underway, we are thrilled to showcase Craig Mooney and this amazing collection of work.  As always, his skies and landscapes are brilliant and beautiful.

“I’m trying to work both sides of the room for this series of work. Some of the work is more detailed than I typically do, and some are more abstract,” explains Mooney. “What ties them together is the need for the painting to have some drama and mystery.”

Mother Nature has supplied Mooney with a great deal of drama and mystery in her New England skies. Mooney has captured this light with his new colors bringing depth and excitement to his newest work.   

“I’ve been experimenting with more color. I am not a creative colorist. I’m a bit more tonal and reserved when it comes to coloring. I prefer a little more of the contrast between light and dark, which is about the value, not the hue,” says Mooney. “So, in a way, it’s more impressionistic for me.”

Each of Mooney’s works for this show is compelling. Each contains something compelling about the structure of the composition. The play on light is essential in these pieces, as well. No matter the color at the end of Mooney’s brush, he applies it with confidence and a sweeping stroke.

“As far as the brushwork is concerned, it’s very immediate. I don’t take too much time to process what I am painting. It is almost automatic. I find another gear to go in, and the paint is immediately applied to the canvas in a stream of consciousness. I don’t have a chance to refine and shape it until the next time I look at that painting,” shares Mooney. “Sometimes it is a slow process, but many times it’s incredibly quick.”

Mooney’s 2022 Solo Show Mooney runs through Thursday, July 14. The Gallery at the Grand on Maine Art Hill is at 1 Chase Hill Road and is open from 10 AM to 5 PM daily. FMI visit www.maine-art.com or call  207-967-2803.

Click here to see the 2022 show virtually.

To read more about Craig’s process and past – Craig Mooney – Artist Insights

To see Craig’s entire collection – Craig Mooney – Artist Page.

Artist Craig Mooney at The Gallery at the Grand 2022

Posted on by Maine Art

Craig Mooney

June 18 – July 14

The Gallery at the Grand at Maine Art Hill, Kennebunk. Maine

“My new show was created as a large body of work related to new directions and areas of inspiration,” says artist Craig Mooney. “Borrowing from themes of British romantic seascapes- I’m working to recast them as a northern New England idyllic coastal piece.”

The Gallery at the Grand at Maine Art Hill is hosting Craig Mooney’s one-man show beginning June 18. This show will run for four weeks and contain his classic semi-abstract seascapes and landscapes and a look into the romance he has found in the quiet of the last year. 

Mooney says, “It’s that feeling found when spending time with a painting, then suddenly it captures you. It holds on, and you are there, even if only for a while. It’s more than just seeing it. It is feeling it.”

Born and raised in Manhattan, Mooney left the city in 1988 to attend Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, where he received a fine arts degree in 1992.  He secured his first significant commissioned work from New York Hospital in 1995.

“I am inspired by all the places I call home, my native New York, the mountains and farms near my studio in Stowe, Vermont, and of course, the scenes that are purely coastal in Maine and Massachusetts, where I spend as much time as I can,” shares Mooney. “My work is semi-abstract renderings of these places blended with universal and timeless emotions.”

Mooney works almost exclusively in oil. His broad strokes and light and color make his work recognizable by his collectors and followers. The distant horizon, sky, or ocean gives the viewer the impression of walking directly into the scene.

“Sometimes, it is necessary to put distance between me and my work. I have to stand back,” explains Mooney. “Right up close, it just doesn’t make sense. It’s just blobs of paint. The distance is necessary to see the whole picture.”

Gallery owner John Spain says, “Craig Mooney’s Solo Summer Show is the first to open at our new show space at the Grand Hotel. The space itself has been transformed, and I can’t imagine any artist more perfect for kicking off this new endeavor. It is going to be spectacular.”

Mooney looks forward to discussing his work and process during his Artist Reception on Saturday, July 18, from 5 to 7 PM.  This show runs through Thursday, July 14. The Gallery at the Grand on Maine Art Hill is at 1 Chase Hill Road and is open from 10 AM to 5 PM daily. FMI visit www.maine-art.com or call  207-967-2803.

Click here to see the 2022 show virtually.

To read more about Craig’s process and past – Craig Mooney – Artist Insights

To see Craig’s entire collection – Craig Mooney – Artist Page

Janis Sanders – Three Views of Maine

Posted on by Maine Art

Ten Artists. Three Pieces Each. Thirty Reasons to Celebrate.

Ten of our well-loved artists delivered three pieces of never before shown work adding up to 30 paintings celebrating thirty years in the business.

Here is what artist Janis Sanders had to say about his part in this amazing show.

“Funny, you’re evolving even when you think you’re not. Each step is the destination. There is nothing bigger, grander. Color is the fundamental, basic, and utmost expression in the tangible visual form of emotion.”

Beacon Rocks

“Gentle waves roll and lap at the rocks where the lighthouse light, in peril itself, though standing firm, has illuminated homeward for countless seafarers in what can turn into a fearsome sea.”

Delicate Balance

“Watch sunlight yellow dance tango on an indigo wave.   Watch seagulls float free, suspended weightless on invisible air.  Hear the call on the wind. So wild. Maine takes me by the hand and gently, quietly reaches in, touches my heart, my soul, tantalizing, whispering, seducing.  She knows me, owns me.”

Farmhouse Lupines

“A pastoral seaside farm, fields laden with lupines, a low tide sand beach, and an open invitation for a warm summer afternoon stroll suggest an idyllic life, belie a knuckle-wrenching determination of will surmount the challenges and of survival at the coast.”

TO SEE THE ENTIRE SHOW VIRTUALLY, CLICK HERE

To see all of the available works for our artists, click here.

To read more about any of our artists, check out our blog by clicking here.

 

Bethany Harper Williams – Three Views of Maine

Posted on by Maine Art

Ten Artists. Three Pieces Each. Thirty Reasons to Celebrate.

Ten of our well-loved artists delivered three pieces of never before shown work adding up to 30 paintings celebrating thirty years in the business.

Here is what artist Bethany Harper Williams had to say about her part in this amazing show.

One Fine Day to Remember

“The beach is my happy place, and when I’m painting these beach scenes, it takes me right back there, in the zone, hearing the soothing rhythm of the waves, smelling the salt air, and feeling the laughter and joy of the figures as I apply the paint. People often comment that my paintings make them smile, and I have to admit that I smile when painting the beach.”

Two Boats Riding with the Wind

“Being on the water with the wind in your sails, the sun on your back, listening to the water slapping the hull, and enjoying time with friends is magical. It also makes me appreciate the power of nature and the ocean’s vastness, which we are fortunate to enjoy.”

3 x 3 Boats Afloat

“I have always been captivated by lobster boats, and lobster boats are ubiquitous in Maine, providing me with lots of inspiration. There is a charm to the shapes and bright colors that give each boat a unique personality. I should call these collages portraits as I’m trying to portray the character of the individual boats.”

TO SEE THE ENTIRE SHOW VIRTUALLY, CLICK HERE

To see all of the available works for our artists, click here.

To read more about any of our artists, check out our blog by clicking here.

Liz Hoag – Three Views of Maine

Posted on by Maine Art

Ten Artists. Three Pieces Each. Thirty Reasons to Celebrate.

Ten of our well-loved artists delivered three pieces of never before shown work adding up to 30 paintings celebrating thirty years in the business.

Here is what artist Liz Hoag had to say about her part in this amazing show.

Yellows

“This painting is of a city path near my home in Portland.  I took the initial photo because I loved the late afternoon yellow high on the trees in the distance.  It was one of those days when I knew spring was coming because I could feel the sun’s warmth and smell the woods. I walk in these woods all the time.  There are hundreds of acres of woods behind the cemetery down the street from me. It’s a view of the woods that makes me feel small but comforted by them at the same time. Not far from this scene is my neighborhood. It’s an accessible path into quiet.  In terms of the structure of the painting, I loved the dark verticals in front that give you the feeling of the distant sunlit trees.”

Golds

“This piece is more of a study of undergrowth. But, again, it’s the late afternoon sun of late winter/early spring, which I love. The darks and the golds against each other are a great vehicle for showing depth in the seeming tangle of branches, and the dark greens offer a soft and subtle background to the brighter happenings in front. I enjoy the complex movement of the branches and how typical it is of what I see off to the side of any path I walk in Maine. There’s so much going on right off the path.”

Dappled Birches

“This painting focused more on the cool and clean look of birch trees.  There’s a gradation in the greys and greens from the cool dark to the warm light, while at the same time, the painting maintains an overall cool and clean feeling.  One of the reasons people love birch trees so much is the sharpness the whitebark gives the trees in the right light. It’s a different feeling from some of my paintings of wooded paths because I don’t have all the brown and gold variations usually found in the woods. It’s more of a study in blues and greens. The upfront warm sunlight almost made it look like there was a spotlight on the trees on this particular afternoon in Maine. The light was incredibly dramatic, and I wanted to catch it.”

TO SEE THE ENTIRE SHOW VIRTUALLY, CLICK HERE

To see all of the available works for our artists, click here.

To read more about any of our artists, check out our blog by clicking here.

Ellen Granter – Three Views of Maine

Posted on by Maine Art

Ten Artists. Three Pieces Each. Thirty Reasons to Celebrate.

Ten of our well-loved artists delivered three pieces of never before shown work adding up to 30 paintings celebrating thirty years in the business.

Here is what artist Ellen Granter had to say about her part in this amazing show.

“When choosing three images for this show, I thought of how variable any day in Maine can be. Crystal clear, sunny, and hot one day, then foggy and mysterious the next. So I decided all three of my submissions could be beach-based and still represent how I see Maine.”

Getting to the Point

“Getting to the Point is about that feeling I get when walking on the beach. When I am absorbed in my thoughts, the ocean becomes a field of blue, the sand just a field of gray, and the beach houses are little cubes on the horizon. The sun glints gold and the curve of the beach is the only geography there is. Heaven.”

Tonic

“In “Tonic,” I tried to capture a glimpse of the view I  get when approaching the beach. I tried to show the peaceful anticipation of the “tonic” of the ocean air.”

The Gab

“The Gab” shows my love for the vibrant colors and patterns of beach chairs, towels, summer clothes, and my crazy wonderful family trying to solve all the world’s problems at once.”

 

TO SEE THE ENTIRE SHOW VIRTUALLY, CLICK HERE

To see all of the available works for our artists, click here.

To read more about any of our artists, check out our blog by clicking here.