Margaret Gerding Outside in Maine

Posted on by Maine Art

For artist Margaret Gerding, the work for her solo spring show was like creating a portrait of a region. When an artist can live, work and explore this beautiful Maine landscape, it is an inspiration and challenges no matter the season.

“Some winter days, I stood in my Carhartt’s, painting the marsh, hoping to get something down on the canvas before the paint froze. Then there were sunrise walks on the summer beach,” says Gerding. “Every season, every day, holds a surprise.”

“This year, I have spent more time plein air painting,” explains Gerding. “There have been days I have produced multiple paintings and days where I have returned to my studio only to wipe the canvas down. However, every day outside is considered a success.”

Gerding’s work celebrates the classic summer scenes we all love from the area and truly captures Maine’s beauty all year long, especially during the quiet seasons so many miss.

“Each time I observe and brave the elements, I learn to see something new,” she smiles. “These fleeting moments are what I try to convey through my work.”

Gerding has many unique spots that are hidden away. These spots are where she secrets away from painting. The quiet and peace of Maine seem to seep into her canvas along with her oils. Color Play is an example of a fleeting moment captured.

“One plein air day wasn’t going well until I was about to leave. It was then that I saw this wonderful group of budded trees. Pushing the colors and marks, the painting took on a life, allowing me to play. This is the day Color Play was born.”

Every painting in this show captures a small moment in Maine.

The show opened Saturday, May 21, and continues through June 9. The Gallery at Maine Art Hill is located at 14 Western Ave and is open every day from 10 AM to 6 PM. The show can be viewed online at www.maine-art.com/shows. FMI call 207-967-2803.

To see our complete collection of Gerding’s works, click below

Margaret Gerding –  Artist Page

Click below to read more about her process, inspiration, and background.

Margaret Gerding – Insights and Stories

 

David Witbeck – 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 David Witbeck had to say about his part in this amazing show.

Geoff

“I chose a basic guy-holding-a-fish painting because that’s what I first became known for, and I wanted to show a bit of progression over the years. When I first started painting them, I never imagined they would strike a chord with many people. I’ve lost count, but I’ve done well over four hundred of them. When I think I’ve said everything I have to say about a guy holding a fish, I manage to crank out another couple. After a couple of years of showing them in Maine, it was suggested that I do a similar thing with lobsters.  I was resistant at first. It’s easy to make a simple generic shape that people will accept as a fish, but a lobster has particular anatomy. I didn’t want to make a silly cartoony lobster like you sometimes see on tee shirts and lobster bibs. But, over the years, I’ve gotten so I can fake an acceptable lobster that’s not too silly looking and is about as anatomically “correct “ as my lobstermen.”

Burning Off, Morning

“There is a misty painting with some buoys in the foreground in this piece. Bouys are one of the staples of Maine clichés. It’s impossible to avoid clichés, but I think if I’m going to succumb to them, I should try to improve on them. The first buoy-in-the-foreground-boat-in-the-background painting I did was 72 x 48 and was the client’s idea. I thought she was nuts at first, but she was insistent. I was surprised how well it came out.”

Red Boat

“What can I say? I love small, sometimes shabby workboats. I need to make them sometimes ridiculously small, so the human elements in them don’t get lost. Like almost all my work, the relationship between the human element and an object interests me most. So that’s the first red boat I’ve done. Usually, I don’t even have bright red on my palette. Usually, my boats are white, with most bright colors concentrated on the lobsterman to make him the center of attention even when he’s pretty small.”

 

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.

 

Thirty Years in the Making – Summer Show Opener 2022

Posted on by Maine Art

30th Anniversary

3 Views of ME

June 4 – June 30

The Show Gallery

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

Maine Art Hill is a collection of galleries draped over Chase Hill in Lower Village Kennebunk. It is a one-of-a-kind art-centric destination just steps from the bustling harbor of Kennebunkport. However, like many small successful businesses in Maine, it started small and long ago.

Owner John Spain first arrived in Kennebunk to open a small print and frame shop. After thirty years, countless hours, and an abundance of good fortune and good people beside him, Maine Art Hill became what it is today,

“We knew we had to do something big to celebrate thirty incredible years of growth and success,” shares Spain. “How about bringing ten of Maine Art Hill’s well-loved artists together for one show that is sure to be fabulous? Yes, let’s do that.”

With that, the thirtieth-anniversary show was born. Three Views of Maine is a culmination of ten artists submitting three pieces each and giving us thirty reasons to celebrate.

 

“Each artist has delivered three pieces of never before shown work,” explains Natalie Lane, Gallery Director at Maine Art Hill. “We received a 36 x 48 vertical or horizontal, a 30 x 30 square, and a 24 x 24 square from each artist. With these guidelines in place, there is something for everyone.”

To add another twist and honor the spirit of our traditional Choice Show, usually held at this time of year, we decided to keep the “voting” aspect of this opening event. 

“We asked each artist to select a Maine charity to support during this show,” says Abby Daggett, Marketing Director. “By following us on Facebook, clients, friends, and artists were able to vote for their favorite works. The painting with the most organic votes earns $1000 for that artist’s favorite local charity.”

Beginning June 4 at 10 am, Three Views of Maine opens at  Shows at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk, Maine. This show will run for four weeks, ending on Thursday, June 30. The gallery is open every day from 10-5. FMI call 207-967-0049 or visit www.maine-art.com/shows. Artist reception Saturday, June 4, 5 PM -7 PM.

Participating artists and their charities include:

 Craig Mooney  —– Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

David Witbeck—– Good Shepherd Food Bank

Margaret Gerding  —– Community Outreach Services

William B. Hoyt-—- Maine Conservation Alliance

Bethany H Williams.  —– Camp Sunshine at Sebago Lake

Janis H Sanders —– Good Shepherd Food Bank

Ellen W Granter —–  Maine Audubon

Liz Hoag —–  Animal Refuge League

Claire Bigbee —– Muscular Dystrophy Association

Ingunn M Joergensen —– Animal Welfare Society

TO SEE THE SHOW VIRTUALLY, CLICK HERE

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

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

 

Isn’t It Grand – A New Show Gallery on Maine Art Hill

Posted on by Maine Art

One of our favorite parts of summer on Maine Art Hill is the opening of our Show Gallery at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk. Over the past year, we have brainstormed numerous ways to make this experience bigger and better. Then, thanks in part to the Kennebunkport Resort Collection and the Grand Hotel, we did.

This June, we are opening a second show gallery, Shows at The Gallery at The Grand.

What better way to fill a “Grand” gallery than with solo artists like Craig Mooney, Ellen Welch Granter, Ryan Kohler, and Janis H. Sanders. Four solo shows in one fabulously redesigned gallery at 1 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk. 

  

As luck would have it, we also have found a familiar face to greet you on most days when you visit. Many of you will recognize her from The Sharpe Gallery, and she is a local Kennebunkport resident as well. With many years of gallery experience, her knowledge and skills are bar none. We consider ourselves fortunate to have Tracey at the helm of this new endeavor.

This addition allows us to bring more of the shows you love to Maine Art Hill. With group shows at the top of the hill and solo shows at the bottom every two weeks, a new show is opening as we alternate the excitement between Shows on Maine Art Hill and the Gallery at The Grand. 

Check out our Save the Date Calendar, and be sure to visit Maine Art Hill this summer. FMI www.maine-art.com/shows or 207-967-2803.

Margaret Gerding on her Beach Walk Series

Posted on by Maine Art

Many of Margaret Gerding’s works look familiar if you have spent any time in and around the Kennebunks. For example, if you have spent any time on Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport, her Beach Walk series is very familiar.

“The Beach Walk series is all done from Goose Rocks Beach,” shares Gerding.  “As the sun sits low in the sky and strikes the water’s edge, the colors spread and saturate, and all I have to do is paint.”

Gerding has enjoyed the Kennebunk area for many years, but now she calls it home. Her love of where she lives emanates from her canvases.

“We all love these quiet walks and hold them in our memories. But, it has taken me a while to start the Beach Walk series. Now I never mind painting the multitude of subtle colors that quietly happen as the water approaches the sand.”

If Goose Rocks hold memories for you, these pieces will capture your heart. But, if you have never stepped foot on Goose Rocks, they will encourage you to wander the sands yourself.

The show opened Saturday, May 21, and continues through June 9. The Gallery at Maine Art Hill is located at 14 Western Ave and is open every day from 10 AM to 6 PM. The show can be viewed online at www.maine-art.com/shows. FMI call 207-967-2803.

To see our complete collection of Gerding’s works, click below

Margaret Gerding –  Artist Page

Click below to read more about her process, inspiration, and background.

Margaret Gerding – Insights and Stories

Margaret Gerding Solo Spring Show at The Gallery on Maine Art Hill

Posted on by Maine Art

A show of new works by Margaret Gerding opens at The Gallery at Maine Art Hill in Kennebunk Lower Village on Saturday, May 21. There will be an Artist’s Reception from 5 to 7 pm.

A once ‘plein air only’ painter, Gerding’s oils embody the natural landscapes of coastal Maine. Her realistic interpretation of these unspoiled settings reflects a single moment in time. Her warm palette and textured brushwork, for which she is known, capture subtle changes of light and fleeting moments of color.

Gerding says, “Each piece is based on a real place, a moment I have experienced and been inspired by. There is something about being alone with nature—a quiet that connects me like no other. Only this solitude, whether outside or in the studio, allows the landscape to reveal itself.”

Plein air painting is how Gerding began, and it is still very much a part of her process. But with the birth of her daughter, the need for studio time became necessary, and changes began. Now she has the best of both worlds. Her plein air painting keeps her work loose, while her studio time allows her to refine her art to a more finished state.

“My studio gives me more time to examine my work. It’s more intellectual, and the final pieces are polished. I work en plein air; it is fast and intuitive and exploratory,” says Gerding. “Now, with both spaces as part of my process, I have the time to develop a piece and push my understanding of atmosphere and abstract simplifications in the landscape.”

It is not uncommon to find Gerding along the Kennebunk Bridle Path sketching the marsh grasses or wetland waterways. She has called Cape Porpoise home now for several years and spends most of her time surrounded by the area’s natural beauty.

“I am immersed daily in the area of my greatest inspiration. It is a place where nature provides a lifetime of exploration and study.  I had the good fortune of vacationing here every summer as a child. I grew up wandering in the marshes, exploring the greenness and the vast skies. It was a puzzle to traverse the waterways, an escape,” says Gerding. “Now, it’s home.”

Gerding, a graduate from UMass, Dartmouth, had her first major show at twenty-five on Newbury Street in Boston. Her early success and continued hard work led to her paintings being included in the book 100 Artists of New England by E. Ashley Rooney and New England Paintings, Edition 14, published by The Open Press.  Many private and corporate collections also contain her work, including L.L. Bean in Freeport, Maine Medical Center in Portland, Fidelity Investments in Boston, and the Westin Hotel in Boston.

The show opens Saturday, May 21, and continues through June 9. The Gallery at Maine Art Hill is located at 14 Western Ave and is open every day from 10 AM to 6 PM. The show can be viewed online beginning Wednesday,  May 18, at www.maine-art.com/shows. FMI call 207-967-2803. 

To see our complete collection of Gerding’s works, click below

Margaret Gerding –  Artist Page

Click below to read more about her process, inspiration, and background.

Margaret Gerding – Insights and Stories

Janis Sanders 2022 Solo Show – Save the Date

Posted on by Maine Art

 Janis H. Sanders 

Sept 10 – 29

Maine Art Hill,  Kennebunk

Janis Sanders is rounding out the end of the summer season on Maine Art Hill. Some will come searching for his classic blue and yellow palette, and others will be searching for the surprises Sanders always delivers.

No matter what you are hoping for, this show will be a beautiful summer finale.

“One dominant theme growing up was a tremendous, mainly unspoken, sense of bonding and loyalty,” says Janis Sanders. “My blue skies are not just a pretty thing, but for me, come from the need for a place to escape and also soar. I take pleasure in small, everyday things: what I paint and what I say. what I think, what I feel, who I am.”

Be sure to add this new show to your summer calendar and wander up to Maine Art Hill in Kennebunk, Maine. As expected, we always have new works from Sanders year-round. So if you are out and about, please stop by and visit or check them out on our website.

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL AVAILABLE WORK FROM JANIS SANDERS

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT JANIS SANDERS

 Jeffrey Fitzgerald & Mark Davis 2022 Show – Save the Date

Posted on by Maine Art

 Jeffrey Fitzgerald & Mark Davis

Sept 24- Oct 13 

THE GALLERY

 14 Western Avenue, Kennebunk

“I have a love affair with canvas, color, and brushstroke,” says Jeffrey Fitzgerald. “Sand, branches, rocks, and tiny colors of new spring life proposed by brushstroke activate and energize the canvas, but at the same time hold it together.”

“It took me many years to think of myself as an artist. For 15 years, I was a high fashion jeweler, which was more of a commodity and less intimidating to me,” shares Mark Davis. “I had a moment when I was 14 years old when I was in the library and found a book on Alexander Calder. Opening that book was like a shock wave going through my system. I went home, studied the book and its images, then went to the hardware store and bought sheet aluminum and steel wire.”

Be sure to add this new show to your summer calendar and wander up to Maine Art Hill in Kennebunk, Maine. As expected, we always have new works from Davis and Fitzgerald year-round. So if you are out and about, please stop by and visit or check them out on our website.

To see our complete collection of these artists’ works, click below.

Jeffrey Fitzgerald

Mark Davis

Click below to read more about each of these artists, process, inspiration, and background.

Jeffrey Fitzgerald

Mark Davis

Spring Arrivals 2022 – Alex Dunwoodie

Posted on by Maine Art

Alex Dunwoodie

2022 Spring Arrivals

These are the three newest spring arrivals from artist Alex Dunwoodie. We feature these three unique paintings this week, from May 9 to May 15. Click the link below to find the details on each of these pieces. Any or all of these paintings purchased this week are subject to free shipping*.

“I’m painting what I love; what grabs my attention and makes me pause. Mornings and evenings are particularly inspirational because colors can be intensified, and light can make the ordinary interesting. Boats, whether for work or play, merge with the seascape. And coastal trees stand out like resolute figures, and I appreciate their determination. “

 

To see all available work from Alex Dunwoodie, click the link below.

Alex Dunwoodie –  ARTIST PAGE

To read more insights from Alex Dunwoodie, click the link below.

Alex Dunwoodie – INSIGHTS AND STORIES

*Shipping is free in the contiguous United States. There may be occasions where delivery may be a more viable option.

 

 

Favorite Things – Our Staff Shares

Posted on by Maine Art

FAVORITE THINGS

CURATED BY THE MAINE ART HILL STAFF

A NEW POP UP AT STUDIOS ON MAINE ART HILL

May 5-18

We, the staff, have written a brief description of why a particular piece of work is our favorite. Some of us chose works for personal connections, others for color palette or composition, and others for technique and skill.

We have curated these pieces into a week-long show at the Pop-Up Gallery at 5 ChaseHill Rd in Kennebunk. We welcome all to come in and visit and check out the show online.

The Pop Up Gallery is open every day at 10 AM. FMI call 207-204-2042 or email info@maine-art.com

SCROLL TO SEE THE FAVS

Pablo

 Boys of Summer by William B. Hoyt  The experience of the beautiful relies on the notion of susceptibility to the world, a sensitivity that we cannot always contain, and a relationship with others that we cannot break. Sometimes you cannot find it. Sometimes, you can see it in the enigmatic portrait of two men gazing at each other. Beauty is a puzzle for all of us. But, for me, Boys of Summer puts all the pieces together.

Day’s End by David Witbeck It is in its simplicity that I find the perplexing meaning of life. A Day’s End displays the beauty of nature and our use of natural resources based on our greater power. It is a reminder to acknowledge our casual role in the changes happening to the earth and understand that nature can strive for what is good for life as a whole. A day is an end and also the beginning of another. It is the fate of the new day we can work on.

Nate

Picture Perfect Day by Margaret Gerding Simply because it depicts my Maine experience. Seasons are changing on the marsh. Not too bright. I feel that I’m looking I’mough a window and onto one of my favorite places (even though I don’t know where the painting represents). Margaret always has a way of making me wish there was more painting to be enjoyed. I almost wish all her paintings had no edges and continued to infinity.

Remote Cove by Craig Mooney  I chose this one for the same reason as Picture Perfect Day. There was a spot I used to visit regularly in Ogunquit before Marginal Way was redone. that I’m reminded of when looking at this painting. I can still hear the sounds of the rocks moving with every wave.

Natalie

Morning Still by Liz Hoag I imagine that a quiet walk along this wooded path opens an unexpected scene as I look at this painting. The tone and hues of Liz’s color instill a sense that the promise of spring is just under the surface.

Day Break, Parson’s Beach by William B.Hoyt I enjoyed the time capsule feeling this painting presents. A day in the life of Summer. You can imagine the feelings, sounds, and smells of a day well spent through your memories. I am wondering what tomorrow will bring?

Fidae by Ellen W. Granter We’ve all done it. We’ve. We’ve all felt it. Everyone, young and old, finds joy in discovering a shell at the beach, and to find that one perfect shell is sublime. 

 Blue Skies by Alex Dunwoodie The color gradient of the water is so delicious! Simple elements on display, Air and Water.

Alex

Making My Music by Ellen Welch Granter Granter’s woGranter’stantly striking with its radiant golden leaf branches set against a pale sky. The small bird perched is wonderfully rendered, full of life. The music it’s making must be as beautiful as the painting itself.

Mosaic Forest by R. Scott Baltz In this piece, Baltz leads us through a forest of pleasing shapes and colors that fit intricately together. It creates a unique perspective and draws me deeper into the piece. 

Ali

Contented Dragon by Mark Davis Ever since I was a kid, metal and wirework have always fascinated me because of the many outcomes the artwork made from these materials could turn into. Davis’ mobilDavis’ metalwork throughout the gallery always leaves me in awe due to all the works’ fragility and balance. Contented Dragon is a favorite of mine because of the whimsicalness of the piece. While looking at the piece from a distance, you could assume that the work is just made of abstract shapes, but looking closer, it uncovers the wire outline throughout the metal shapes. Truly mystical and unforgettable. 

Tracey

Kaleidoscope #2 by Claire Bigbee When I’m viewing I’mody of artwork, my first view is a quick scan. I know a piece speaks to me when this quick scan is interrupted, and I want to look at it longer. I’m drawn to the artist’s bold attitude – whether a permanent one or a moment in time – in the use of large brushstrokes and a bright palette. The lack of fine detail in this piece is eye-catching, allowing me to bring my interpretation of detail to it.

Boys of Summer by William B Hoyt Again, my quick scan of a body of artwork was interrupted by Hoyt’s Boys Hoyt’smer painting for its theme rather than style. It’s my interpretation that these men are in a relationship, which speaks to my belief that love is love.

Louann

7 Triangles by Susan Bennett  This reminds me of my seven siblings and our strong connections. The delicate balance of the triangles imitates life.

Trisha

This Place Has Known Magic, Revisited by Ryan Kohler. As for the piece…art is about a connection, an immediate connection. This is it. I had that immediate wow factor with This Place Has Known Magic, Revisited. From the title to the subject to the pallet, remember this place, this time, this feeling. As for the artist, Ryan Kohler is not only one of our newest artists. He is one of our youngest. He is continually growing and changing and isn’t afraid to take risks, personally and professionally. His energy and enthusiasm are contagious and spill onto his canvas in a way that speaks volumes of his love for his art. 

Wind and Her Sister by Susan Bennett  Susan Bennett works magic with stainless steel. She creates softness and flow that is counterintuitive when thinking of this medium. Wind and Her Sister is a beautiful, simple, and balanced piece that fluently represents the invisible force Mother Nature creates. The details force the viewer to lean in and notice the tiniest of features and appreciate each for what they add to the whole.

Taylor

Set of 11 Flamingos by James Rivington Pyne As an enjoyer of both flamingos and creepy things, I love the dissonance present in this sculpture. Flamingos are generally associated with tropical vibrance, but this flock has more of a grungy, eerie feeling. 

April Softness by Margaret Gerding This painting does such an excellent job conveying the ambiance of a chilly April morning. The strip of land between the two pools gives the viewer an inviting path into the scene, and the misty atmosphere provides the piece with a sense of distance.

Loretta

Opening by Liz Hoag There are so many levels and values within this painting that invite the viewer into the woods. Using her brilliant technique, Liz has the ability to give us diverse aesthetics of both abstract and reality depending on the viewer’s distance to her work. This is Liz Hoag’s brilliant Zen quality that is quiet, contemplative, and magical.

Coast Cove by Janis Sanders A painting by Janis is instantly recognizable because of his “Janis blue” skies, painted smoothly at a distance with his palette knife. Then, the cool, distant blue contrasts with the foreground, which always has that sharp, warm yellow with hidden and blended palette values painted with a moving impasto to welcome us.  Janis’ unique painting quality creates that warm, welcoming place that is isolated but not lonely in the expansive universe. Beautiful balance.

Evening Hour by Karen McManus Evening Hours brings us closely into the intricate, delicate quality of one of the best watercolor artists here in Maine.  Her perfect brush strokes and applications are so masterful, and her applied vision of the actual locations gives them a jewel-like, intimate quality. But, then, the definitive light further separates her work from other watercolorists, allowing us to know the locale, the time of day, and the year.

December Afternoon by Karen McManus This is a prime example of how Karen McManus is able to adeptly translate her perfected medium into oil paints with perfection.  Karen is able to beautifully adapt to this unctuous medium while retaining the crispness and clarity of her watercolors, which is not an easy task.  Again, recognizable locals and specific times of day and time of year.

 

FAVORITE THINGS

CURATED BY THE MAINE ART HILL STAFF

A NEW POP UP AT STUDIOS ON MAINE ART HILL

May 5-18