Maine Art Hill Blog

Dinghy – Alex Dunwoodie, Artist Choice

June 7, 2019 by Maine Art

“I know I’ve found a subject that I want to paint when I’m stopped in my tracks.”

Whether it’s stopping to take in the impact of a sunset or to sit and study the interesting rocks that characterize areas of the New England shoreline. Dunwoodie enjoys the stillness in nature, the solitude, and the chance to explore and contemplate simply.

“My subject is often the water and beach stones. My eye travels over all of nature’s patterns similarly, stopping for a moment, but drawn away again over the surface,” shares Dunwoodie. “I find this especially with water, as its continually changing. A wave is only there for an instant.”

It is for these reasons, Dunwoodie chooses Dinghy as her Artist’s Choice.

“I love being close to the water’s surface. I love the bright white of noon sun on boats. My eye moves over the water, not stopping on any one area for very long,” explains Dunwoodie. “I want to spend time in that place and take in the details, remember them and take them with me.”

Alex Dunwoodie has become more and more detailed in her work. The realistic composition demands close inspection and attention to detail.

“When I ‘stopped,’ it is because I need to see something truly,” says Dunwoodie. “I spend time and enjoy quality — colors, light effects, textures.”

For her painting process, she always tries to have a camera at hand. Never knowing when she will see something that moves her. She quickly takes some photos that she refers to in the months-long process of completing an oil painting.

“It’s essential for me just to be still and take in as much as I can at the moment, to consciously study the colors, sensation, light, textures, and to enjoy what I’m seeing,” explains Dunwoodie when asked about using photography. “It’s the sensation I want my work to record, so I focus my energy there.”

Dunwoodie has three works at Shows on Maine Art Hill for the 8th Annual Choice Art Show. The Choice Show can be seen every day from 10 am to 5 pm at the 10 Chase Hill Road address, as well as online at The 8th Annual Choice Art Show.

To learn more about this artist follow the links below

Alex Dunwoodie’s Artist Insights and Stories

Alex Dunwoodie’s Complete Collection at Maine Art Hill

Goat Island Lighthouse Reverie – John Lecours, Artist Choice

June 7, 2019 by Maine Art

“This is the favorite of my new paintings for the Choice Show. All of my brushstrokes and mark making in this painting really pull at me. It just flew out of me intuitively,” says John LeCours one of thirteen artists in the 8th Annual Choice Art Show.

This is Lecours second Choice Art Show, and once again he was amazed. His landscapes have a mysterious and thought-provoking feel with views that are hard to resist. His love of local vantage points allows a look at familiar places but allows each a more ethereal appearance. Goat Island Lighthouse is the subject of many of LeCours pieces for the Choice Art Show and with good reason.

“Back in February I went to Cape Porpoise during a significant snowstorm,” shares LeCours. “I was there for the entire afternoon and absorbed as much as I could to see and feel the essence of the view towards Goat Island Lighthouse.”

Goat Island is often visited during the summer months but then forgotten when the snows come. LeCours explains perfectly, in paint, why this southern Maine landmark is a year-round beauty.

“I took many videos and well over fifty photographs. Cape Porpoise was quiet and peaceful, and I had the entire place to myself,” says LeCours. “I could sense the solitude, the tranquility, and peacefulness of this spot.”

Once home, LeCours spent time reading and studying the history of the island. When combined with the visit, Goat Island Lighthouse has been captured with skill, inspiration, and the love of a local.

John LeCours has three works at Shows on Maine Art Hill for the 8th Annual Choice Art Show. The Choice Show can be seen every day from 10 am to 5 pm at the 10 Chase Hill Road address, as well as online at The 8th Annual Choice Art Show.

To learn more about this artist follow the links below

John LeCours’s Artist Insights and Stories

John LeCours’s Complete Collection at Maine Art Hill

Thirteen Artists. One Show. Their Choice.

June 6, 2019 by Maine Art

Even though the Friday, June 7 opening will only be a preview, it will be the first time the 8th Annual Choice Art Show will be seen in its entirety. As part of The Kennebunkport Festival, we love being able to give you the first peek during the Maine Art Hill Block Party, a fundraiser for Kennebunk High School Arts Scholarship. Know, however, that the show opens officially Saturday, June 8 at 10 am.

Many of the participating artists have long been a part of this fabulous opening show. Artists like Ellen Welsh Granter and William B. Hoyt set the bar high for what is expected at this one of kind show. They know this is their grand reveal for all their hard work this winter and can’t wait to showcase it with us.

This year, we also have a few artists for whom it will be their first go at CHOICE. Artists like Rick Hamilton and Kathy Ostrander Roberts, who are new to the gallery, have brought the best of their best and are sure to wow visitors to the gallery.

Strolling through the show, either physically or virtually, please note each piece has a label to let you know who made “the choice” to add it to the show. Designer’s Choice, People’s Choice, and of course, Artist’s Choice are all clearly marked.

It is a rare occasion when we are able to stand next to an artist and have them share what they were thinking and feeling during the creation of a painting or sculpture. Luckily we have the inside track and all of our artists love to share their stories with us.

With that said, each artist has taken the time to put together a few words, insights, and sometimes whole stories about their “choice” piece and/or their body of work as a whole. Often times this allows us to understand the work better or glimpse a detail that would have gone unnoticed.

So enjoy, and welcome to the 8th Annual Choice Art Show.

To read what each artist had to say about their Artist Choice and in some cases, all of their Choice Show work, click each name below.

Claire Bigbee, Charles Bluett, Alex Dunwoodie, Jeffrey T. Fitzgerald, Ellen Welch Granter, Rick Hamilton, Liz Hoag, William B. Hoyt, John Lecours, Kathy Ostrander Roberts, Janis H. Sanders, Bethany Harper Williams, Elizabeth Ostrander

Heather Blanton – New Artist

June 1, 2019 by Maine Art

Artist, Heather Blanton joins Maine Art Hill. Read on to learn more about her inspiration, her process, and her work.

Known for her graphite and acrylic works depicting the art of motion while celebrating competition and the human spirit, Heather Blanton is an American painter and photographer living and working in St. Augustine, Fla. Her latest series, “Sports,” depicts a wide range of subjects from golfers in mid-swing to cyclists pedaling toward the finish line to hundreds of marathon runners racing to glory.

Born in Jacksonville, Fla. in 1973, Blanton studied art at the University of North Florida and The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. She spent three years living in New York City exploring hand-manipulated and distressed Polaroid SX-70 film images. As analog film teetered on the edge of extinction, Blanton turned to fine art painting as her next medium. Today, she has created hundreds of large and small sports paintings influenced by Abstract Expressionism and conflicted by a blend of animation and whimsy.

“My works are focused on the energy of the race,” Blanton explains of her “Sports” series. “They are easily distinguishable by compositional elements of color and form. By creating a dialogue between the viewer and the subject matter, this series is a cohesive collection of flat images with a chaotic, pattern-like style where the lines and negative spaces are almost as important as the subject matter.”

A professional artist since 2004, Blanton has successfully shown in nearly 50 exhibitions and her work can be found in public and private collections around the globe from Amsterdam and Atlanta to Manhattan and Miami. She has been featured in numerous publications and media outlets and continues to work as the conduit to capture her client’s passions of skiing, cycling, golfing, horse racing, and everything in between.

To see our entire collection of Heather Blanton’s work by following this link. Heather Blanton – Artist Page

8th Annual Choice Art Show and Block Party 2019

May 30, 2019 by Maine Art

Maine Art Hill opens the summer season with the 8th Annual Choice Art Show. Like last year, we are offering a sneak peek into the show on Friday, June 7 during the Maine Art Hill Block Party. The show will officially open at 10 am on Saturday, June 8. Not only will you find many of this year’s Choice Show artists at the Block Party, but several will also be sticking around to welcome the first visitors to Shows the next morning.

This year we began with seventy-eight original works from thirteen artists; six pieces each. Then, as most of you know, this is where the process began. Between the artists, local designer Louise Hurlbutt from Hurlbutt Designs, and you the voters, the show was curated down to three pieces from each artist. These three works from each artist were carefully “chosen” to be featured in the show, and we so appreciate all the help we had making these difficult decisions. The three choices for each artist were just as arduous this year as in the past.

On Monday, June 3, we will announce the “People’s Choice” winners.

If you haven’t already, we suggest you go to thekennebunkportfestival.com and buy your tickets for our Block Party to be one of the first to see these selections in person. Remember this is a ticketed event. The site will give you all the details.

BUY TICKETS HERE.

On Saturday, June 8, the 8th Annual Choice Art Show opens at Shows at Maine Art Hill on 10 Chase Hill in Kennebunk. Will your favorite piece make it to the walls of the gallery? Come in and find out. The show is open for three weeks, closing Thursday, June 27. Remember – if you can’t find the piece you fell in love with, visit the artist’s page on our website or visit The Gallery at 14 Western Ave. All the works are far too beautiful not to be showcased somewhere at Maine Art Hill.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

**To see the People’s Choice winners. CLICK HERE

To read more about the Artist Choices and insights into each artists’ submissions for this show, click each name below.

Claire Bigbee, Charles Bluett, Alex Dunwoodie, Jeffrey T. Fitzgerald, Ellen Welch Granter, Rick Hamilton, Liz Hoag, William B. Hoyt, John Lecours, Kathy Ostrander Roberts, Janis H. Sanders, Bethany Harper Williams, Elizabeth Ostrander

To see our entire collection from each artist click below.

Claire Bigbee

Charles Bluett

Alex Dunwoodie

Jeffrey T. Fitzgerald

Kathy Ostrander Roberts

Janis Sanders

Bethany Harper Williams

Pop-Up Heather Blanton

May 26, 2019 by Maine Art

Featured Artist, Heather Blanton is the guest artist for Pop-Up beginning Tuesday, May 28 to Monday, June 10. Read on to learn more about her inspiration, her process, and her work.

May 28 to June 10

Known for her graphite and acrylic works depicting the art of motion while celebrating competition and the human spirit, Heather Blanton is an American painter and photographer living and working in St. Augustine, Fla. Her latest series, “Sports,” depicts a wide range of subjects from golfers in mid-swing to cyclists pedaling toward the finish line to hundreds of marathon runners racing to glory.

Born in Jacksonville, Fla. in 1973, Blanton studied art at the University of North Florida and The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. She spent three years living in New York City exploring hand-manipulated and distressed Polaroid SX-70 film images. As analog film teetered on the edge of extinction, Blanton turned to fine art painting as her next medium. Today, she has created hundreds of large and small sports paintings influenced by Abstract Expressionism and conflicted by a blend of animation and whimsy.

“My works are focused on the energy of the race,” Blanton explains of her “Sports” series. “They are easily distinguishable by compositional elements of color and form. By creating a dialogue between the viewer and the subject matter, this series is a cohesive collection of flat images with a chaotic, pattern-like style where the lines and negative spaces are almost as important as the subject matter.”

A professional artist since 2004, Blanton has successfully shown in nearly 50 exhibitions and her work can be found in public and private collections around the globe from Amsterdam and Atlanta to Manhattan and Miami. She has been featured in numerous publications and media outlets and continues to work as the conduit to capture her client’s passions of skiing, cycling, golfing, horse racing, and everything in between.

For more info about Blanton and her work, follow this link to her website.

https://www.heatherblanton.com/home/

Let us know if you’re coming to Heather Blanton’s show on Facebook!

Capturing Maine – A Jill Matthews Solo Show

May 23, 2019 by Maine Art

It was just a little over a year ago that local artist, Jill Matthews joined us here at Maine Art Hill in Kennebunk. Now she is not only celebrating that year anniversary but also the opening of her first solo show at The Gallery.

On Saturday, May 25 Matthews is featured on the first floor of our 14 Western Avenue gallery with all new works. Please join us in celebrating her and her work at the Artist Reception at 5:00 pm on Saturday.

When a beautiful local girl opens in a beautiful local gallery, the theme of the show is undeniable, beautiful and local.

“This time around I focused on themes I feel the most comfortable with,” says Matthews about her most recent body of work. “Maine landscapes, most of the ocean and marshes, appear and reappear.”

Matthews works mostly in oil and is known for her peaceful recreations of the seaside area. The difference for her this time around is her focus. The close examination of a moment when looking at a scene brings her to the heart and core of her subject. Natalie Lane, our Gallery Director, says, “Jill is exceptional at capturing the tone and color of our Maine coastal waters. Kennebunkport is her home, and she makes it personal.”

Whether you are a local or a visitor, spending time in this area produces an emotional connection and energy. Be it in a single wave or an entire span of beach, Matthews captures that connection, and it brings her work to life.

“No matter the place, or how many times I have been there, I continually find something that strikes me. Then it’s my job to reproduce it,” says Matthews. “The weather this winter was constantly changing. It seemed always to happen quickly, a break in a rainstorm or a dense foggy day. It was a challenge to portray these various points of time in this body of work.”

Matthews, like many artists, allows her real life to filter through her brush strokes. With this, she has begun to explore a new subject matter- people. It is still essential, even more so in her figurative work, that nothing is staged. If the moments are something ordinary, she finds the feeling hidden within.

“My favorite pieces are individuals playing in the surf. It is something I see all the time, but it still brings joy just by watching. It is that joy I always strive to capture in my work,” says Matthews. “I want each piece to trigger something. When seeing that something through my work, it should connect. Whether it be late evenings on the marsh or when the sun has that beautiful light after a perfect beach day. It’s the emotion I’m trying to capture.”

For Matthews, this is what her life is. She is continually exposed to these scenes and is always in these elements. Each time, however, is different and new.

“I am truly excited about this round of work. It is still very Jill Matthews-ish,” she explains. “There are many marshes and oceans, but I dig a little deeper. In a way, it is a record of my life, and I hope people can connect it within their own lives, as well.”

The Jill Matthews Solo Show opens at 10 am on Saturday, June 25 at The Gallery on Maine Art Hill on 14 Western Avenue. The public is welcome to the Artist Reception from 5 – 7 pm. The show itself runs until July 25. All galleries on Maine Art Hill are open every day at 10 am. FMI call 207-967-2803 or visit www.maine-art.com.

Pop-Up Artist L.K. Sleat

May 19, 2019 by Maine Art

Featured Artist, L. K. Sleat is the guest artist for Pop-Up beginning Tuesday, May 21 to Monday, May 27. Read on to learn more about her inspiration, her process, and her work.

May 21 to May 27

I have spent my entire life by the sea, whether it’s Kennebunk/port Maine, Provincetown Massachusetts, Cape May New Jersey, or the North Sea in the Netherlands. My happiest memories and moments are drawn from these times. The sea and its surroundings have become my muse. I typically work in gouache, oil pastel graphite and cut paper with a primarily bold and light palette as an abstract way of conveying feeling while leaving space for viewer interpretation.

My work is inspired by the great organic sculptures built by the elements – rain, water, wind, and fire. It also draws heavily from the natural shapes and forms we see in nature such as the shapes of river rocks worn down by waters gentle persistence, shadows cast by the moon, and the unpredictable movement of nature.

I work mostly on location and then move the works into my studio where I will work until completion. The scenes in coastal Maine have catapulted my vision to an abstraction of everyday imagery into whimsical scenes played out on the beach, in the dunes on the rocks, to sailing on Casco Bay, and many more, salt-water sanctuaries.

LK lives and paints in her studio on Goose Rocks beach with her labradoodle mix Sadie!

Let us know if you’re coming to L.K. Sleat’s show on Facebook!

LETS VOTE! 8th Annual Choice Show Voting

May 16, 2019 by Maine Art

For the last few years, Maine Art Hill has opened their summer season with the Choice Art Show. This year is no different. The 8th Annual Choice Art Show will officially open on Saturday, June 8 at Shows on Maine Art Hill. It, along with the Maine Art Hill Block Party, will help to culminate The Kennebunkport Festival. However, we all know the Choice Art Show really begins on May 1st.

For those of you new to Choice, and a recap for the veterans, we begin with seventy-eight original works from thirteen artists; six pieces each. It is then narrowed down to three pieces from each artist. These three are carefully “chosen” to be in the show. This is where it gets fun. One piece, The Artist’s Choice, the artist chooses. One, The Designer’s Choice, is chosen by the designer, and local celeb, Louis Hurlbutt of Hurlbutt Design. chooses. And then there is the third and final choice, The People’s Choice.

The People’s Choice is all up to you. By casting your vote for your favorite piece from each artist, you decide the last thirteen paintings that will be featured in this kickoff show. Each and every artist represented in the show is one of the very best in the area. You can trust that no matter which piece you choose, many others will be in complete agreement.

VOTING IS OVER. STAY TUNED FOR THE RESULTS

Upon clicking, you will be directed to the 7th Annual Choice Art Show page. Here you begin voting. Each screen shows the six paintings each artist has submitted. All you have to do is tell us which one you love most by clicking it and then clicking VOTE. Once you decide, the site will show you what other voters liked and then move you forward to the next artist.

Watch for our Facebook, Instagram, website, and email updates on Sunday, June 1 for the announcement of the People’s Choice winners.

For those of you that just can’t wait to see this beautiful work in person, know that we will be opening a SNEAK PEEK of the show during the Maine Art Hill Block Party on Friday, June 7. No sales will be possible on this day, but you can get a first look. Then on Saturday, June 8, at 10 o’clock sharp the 8th Annual Choice Art Show officially opens at Shows on Maine Art Hill at 10 Chase Hill Rd in Kennebunk.

As of this moment, no one knows exactly what the show will look like. Will your favorite make it to the walls of the gallery? Come in and find out. The show is open until Thursday, June 27. Remember – if you can’t find the piece you fell in love with, visit the Artist’s Page on our website or The Gallery at 14 Western Ave. All the works are far too beautiful not to showcase somewhere at Maine Art Hill, so they will be on display at one of our locations once the show opens.

The Maine Art Hill Block Party is a Kennebunkport Festival event and is a ticketed event. We welcome you to join us from 5-7 p.m. for an amazing street party full of art, music, food and the opportunity to meet the artists who created the work you voted on.

We look forward to seeing you soon and happy voting!

To see more work from each artist click their name below.

Claire Bigbee

Charles Bluett

Alex Dunwoodie

Jeffrey T. Fitzgerald

Kathy Ostrander Roberts

Janis Sanders

Bethany Harper Williams

All of our artists share insights about themselves and their work. To read more about any of the CHoice Show artists you can click their name below to be forwarded to our blog and their stories.

The Artists: Claire Bigbee, Charles Bluett, Alex Dunwoodie, Jeffrey T. Fitzgerald, Ellen Welch Granter, Rick Hamilton, Liz Hoag, William B. Hoyt, John Lecours, Kathy Ostrander Roberts, Janis H. Sanders, Bethany Harper Williams, Elizabeth Ostrander

Please share this on your own social media by clicking the icons below.

Artist Christopher O’Connor

May 8, 2019 by Maine Art

Ever since I was a child I wanted to be an artist. There was always something magical, alchemical about the process of conjuring up an image with the simplest of means. I loved how colors could be mixed and in the process create new colors. How brushes and pens could be wielded to create whole new worlds. How when you didn’t have the words to express yourself you had color and shape and light and shade. Drawing and painting seemed like the most natural thing in the world to do.

Over the years I have found myself drawn to a diverse range of artists and styles. I have played and experimented with many and in the process I have come to understand that the artworks that I am most captivated by all have similar qualities – a strong compositional sense, layered coloring, a vibrant surface quality, restrained intensity – add to these the dogged determination to work on a piece until it is finished and you have works of art that are enduring and endlessly engaging. It is with these considerations that I approach my practice of making paintings.

With my current body of work, my intention is to create works that elicit a quiet sense of balance and calm in the viewer. Pictorial compositions that contain a solid architectonic syntax have always made an impact on me. Through the use of vibrant coloring and rigorously constructed compositions, I strive to compose paintings that conjure up an immediate visual impact, one that slowly gives way to engage with the detail and structure implicit in each painting. It is through the surface quality of the paint and within the distilled composition of the painting that the intention of my work is revealed.

O’Connor will be showing his work at The Gallery on Maine Art Hill at 14 Western Ave. in Kennebunk. The gallery is open every day at 10 am.

To see all available work from Chris O’Connor click below

CHRISTOPHER O’CONNOR ARTIST PAGE

Blog

Dinghy – Alex Dunwoodie, Artist Choice

Goat Island Lighthouse Reverie – John Lecours, Artist Choice

Thirteen Artists. One Show. Their Choice.

Heather Blanton – New Artist

Artist, Heather Blanton joins Maine Art Hill. Read on to learn more about her inspiration, her process, and her work.

8th Annual Choice Art Show and Block Party 2019

Pop-Up Heather Blanton

Featured Artist, Heather Blanton is the guest artist for Pop-Up beginning Tuesday, May 28 to Monday, June 10. Read on to learn more about her inspiration, her process, and her work.

May 28 to June 10

Capturing Maine – A Jill Matthews Solo Show

Pop-Up Artist L.K. Sleat

Featured Artist, L. K. Sleat is the guest artist for Pop-Up beginning Tuesday, May 21 to Monday, May 27. Read on to learn more about her inspiration, her process, and her work.

May 21 to May 27

LETS VOTE! 8th Annual Choice Show Voting

Artist Christopher O’Connor

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Artist, Heather Blanton joins Maine Art Hill. Read on to learn more about her inspiration, her process, and her work.

Featured Artist, Heather Blanton is the guest artist for Pop-Up beginning Tuesday, May 28 to Monday, June 10. Read on to learn more about her inspiration, her process, and her work.

May 28 to June 10

Featured Artist, L. K. Sleat is the guest artist for Pop-Up beginning Tuesday, May 21 to Monday, May 27. Read on to learn more about her inspiration, her process, and her work.

May 21 to May 27

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