POP UP at Chill at the Hill

Posted on by Maine Art

Vinegar Hill Music Theater & Pop-Up on Maine Art Hill

CHILL AT THE HILL

Sundays from July 15 to August 26

Enjoy live acoustic music and cocktails while sampling fare from local Maine food trucks in Vinegar Hill’s rustic Garden Bar, every Sunday from 3-6 pm. July 15th -August 26th.

We here at Maine Art Hill are lucky enough to be the Presenting Sponsor and have been invited to spotlight our weekly Pop-Up artists and showcase their work each week.  Come and meet the featured artist, see a few pieces of work and chat with them about their work and their process.

Each Sunday Chill at the Hill will be followed by an early curtain call at 6:30 for a bigger name act.

July 15

Acoustic in the Garden – The Quiet Riot Act

Artist in the Garden –  Phil Laughlin

Food trucks –  El Rodeo and Mainely Burgers

6:30 Curtain Show – Lee rocker

 July 22

Acoustic in the Garden –  Eric Fernald

Artist in the Garden –  Cynthia Woehrle

Food Trucks -Texas Grace and TBA

6:30 Curtain Show – The Gatlin Brothers

July 29

Acoustic in the Garden –  Never Been to Tennessee

Artist in the Garden –  Erika Manning

Food Trucks –  El Rodeo in Richie’s Jamaican

6:30 Curtain Show –  Ronan Tynan

August 5

Acoustic in the Garden –  TBA

Artist in the Garden – John LeCours

Food Trucks – Richie’s Jamaican and TBA

6:30 Curtain Show – Annie Royer

August 12

Acoustic in the Garden – Max Ater

Artist in the Garden – Robin Swennes

Food Trucks –  Fish and Ships and Richie’s Jamaican

6:30 Curtain Show – Jason Spooner and Friends

August 19

Acoustic in the Garden Eric Fernald

Artist in the Garden Rachel Altschuler

Food Trucks – Texas Grace and Mainly Burgers

6:30 Curtain Show – Juanito Pascual Trio

August 26 

Acoustic in the Garden Max Ater

Artist in the Garden – Kristine Biegal

Food Trucks –  Fish and Ships and El Rodeo

6:30 Curtain Show – Maine Youth Orchestra and Friends

To read about all of the visiting Pop Up Artists click below

To see all events at Vinegar Hill Music Theater click below

 

2018 7th Annual Choice Art Show on Maine Art Hill

Posted on by Abby Daggett

Maine Art Hill opens our summer season with the 7th Annual Choice Art Show.  We are offering a sneak peek into the show Friday, June 8 during our Block Party, and then the show will open at 10 o’clock Saturday morning. Not only will you find many of this year’s Choice Show artists at the Block Party, several will be sticking around to welcome the first visitors to Shows the next morning.

We began with eighty-four original works from fourteen artists; six pieces each.  It was 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.

This year we have a new choice, The Designer’s Choice, chosen by none other than Kennebunkport’s own Louise Hurlbutt from Hurlbutt Designs. The next piece the artist chooses. This sounds easy, but they have such difficulty with this. Then finally there is the third piece for each artist, the People’s Choice, and that choice was up to you. By casting your vote for your favorite piece by each artist, you decided the last twelve paintings that will be featured.

Monday, June 5th we announced 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 9th, the 7th Annual Choice Art Show opens at Shows at Maine Art Hill on 10 Chase Hill in Kennebunk.   Will your favorite make it to the walls of the gallery?  Come in and find out. The show is open for three weeks, closing Thursday, June 28th.  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.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

**If you cannot make it to Kennebunk to see the show in person, the full catalog will be available for online viewing. CLICK HERE

To read more about each artist by clicking their name below. To see other artwork from each artist, click here.

Claire Bigbee

Charles Bluett

Alex Dunwoodie

Jeffrey T. Fitzgerald

Margaret Gerding

Ellen Welch Granter

Liz Hoag

William B. Hoyt

Ingunn Milla Joergensen

John LeCours

Jill Matthews 

Craig Mooney

Susan Wahlrab

Bethany Harper Williams

 

White Light – Liz Hoag, Artist Choice

Posted on by Maine Art

White Light

In the fall of 2015, artist Liz Hoag joined Maine Art. She filled our gallery space with her classic Tangle series and the rest is history.  With Acadia National Park as one of her favorite wandering sites, this Portland-based artist finds the quiet and classic Maine and replicates it in a way we all can enjoy.

Each piece of Hoag’s features nature and light interacting in a way that provides a new and different perspective on the normal surroundings of the natural world. Mother Nature often illuminates her creations in a way only few stop to notice.  Liz Hoag is one of those few.

“In all of my work the light is critical to the feeling, but in this one, the light itself is the focus,”  shares Hoag on White Light, her Artist Choice piece. “I focused on balance and composition like I always do. The late afternoon glare on the water, however,  is what struck me when I made the decision to paint it. The rest became secondary.”

To read more about Liz Hoag and her work follow this link.

Liz Hoag– Stories and Insights

To see our complete collection of Hoag’s work follow this link.

Liz Hoag – Artist Page

To see more from Hoag and the other fourteen artists from the 7th Annual Choice Art Show in-person visit Shows on Maine Art Hill from June 9 to June 28. We are located at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk. The gallery is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm. FMI, please call at 207-967-0049 or email at info@maine-art.com. As always you can view the entire show and see the virtual tour by clicking here.7th Annual Choice Art Show.

The Morning After – William B. Hoyt, Artist Choice

Posted on by Maine Art

William B. Hoyt is one of Maine Art Hills iconic artists. Many travels to see his new works and never are they disappointed.  We always love when he joins us for the Choice Show. He represents our gallery and all we hold dear, so well. His love of Maine, his need for quality art, and his ability to celebrate the little things in life make him a perfect match for Maine Art and the 7th Annual Choice Show.

When Hoyt chose The Morning After for his Artist Choice, there was no surprise for those of us who know and love him. This piece encompasses a small moment of happiness and contentment we often overlook. Memories were made at this table.

“This dining room is in a house perched overlooking the “thread of life” near Christmas Cove on Rutherford Island in Maine,” shares Hoyt. “My wife’s brother Tom had hosted a lobster dinner for friends from Gould Academy the night before.”

The detail and color are so perfect you can feel the contentment of a night well spent with family and friends. “The room faces east,” says Hoyt. ” It was just after sunrise and this poignant vision greeted me on my way to make tea.”

See…celebrating the small stuff.

To read more about Hoyt and his work follow this link.

William B. Hoyt – Stories and Insights

To see our complete collection of Hoyt ’s work follow this link.

William B. Hoyt – Artist Page

To see more from Hoyt and the other fourteen artists from the 7th Annual Choice Art Show in-person visit Shows on Maine Art Hill from June 9 to June 28. We are located at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk. The gallery is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm. FMI, please call at 207-967-0049 or email at info@maine-art.com. As always you can view the entire show and see the virtual tour by clicking here.7th Annual Choice Art Show.

Nederzee Daydream #16 – John LeCours, Artist Choice

Posted on by Maine Art

Nederzee Daydream #16 by John LeCours

John LeCours joined Maine Art Hill in the fall of 2017.  Known for his  “Turneresque” style, he immediately found success and quite a following.  Keeping with that same style, LeCours submitted six pieces to the 7th Annual Choice Art Show. These were curated down to three, one of which is Nederzee Daydream #16, his Artist Choice piece.

“These Nederzee Daydream paintings are like a ‘meditation’.  They are where I meld the old Dutch Seascape traditions with modern painting and modern color concepts,” explains LeCours. “This series of paintings evolve organically and intuitively.”

Nederzee Daydream #16 truly envokes that dreamlike quality LeCours describes.  With misty skies and foggy colors, seafarers and coastal dwellers have seen this scene before and know it well.

“These images flash before my eyes as if I am in a dream state,” shares LeCours.

To read more about LeCours and his work follow this link.

John LeCours– Stories and Insights

To see our complete collection of LeCours’s work follow this link.

John LeCours – Artist Page

To see more from LeCours and the other fourteen artists from the 7th Annual Choice Art Show in-person visit Shows on Maine Art Hill from June 9 to June 28. We are located at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk. The gallery is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm. FMI, please call at 207-967-0049 or email at info@maine-art.com. As always you can view the entire show and see the virtual tour by clicking here.7th Annual Choice Art Show.

Descending Sun – Margaret Gerding, Artist Choice

Posted on by Maine Art

Descending Sun by Margaret Gerding

Margaret Gerding is celebrating summer with Maine Art Hill and the 7th Annual Choice Art show.  A resident of Kennebunkport, she has the inside scoop on all the most beautiful places.  It’s not abnormal to find Margaret perched in her own natural retreat alongside a forgotten trail or secluded waterway.  Not only does she capture our little town, she has become a recorder of all Maine’s beauty. In the case of her Artist’s Choice for 2018, she traveled up the coast just a little bit.

“There is a hill in Damariscotta, Maine that only once you reach the top can you see the salt bay on the other side,” shares Gerding.  “I often feel like the trees found here are sentries keeping watch over both sides of that hill, one visible and one a secret that needs to be guarded.”

The stories Gerding tells through her work capture the peace and serenity found off the beaten path in most of Maine.  Even after graduating from UMass, Dartmouth with a printmaking degree, she still found her passion in paint. She has been painting for thirty-two years. It is in her blood, and now, so is the Maine coast.

To read more about Margaret Gerding and her work follow this link.

Margaret Gerding – Stories and Insights

To see our complete collection of Margaret Gerding’s work follow this link.

Margaret Gerding – Artist Page

To see more from Margaret Gerding and the other fourteen artists from the 7th Annual Choice Art Show in-person visit Shows on Maine Art Hill from June 9 to June 28. We are located at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk. The gallery is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm. FMI, please call at 207-967-0049 or email at info@maine-art.com. As always you can view the entire show and see the virtual tour by clicking here.7th Annual Choice Art Show.

Warm Sand Salty Air – Bethany Harper Williams, Artist Choice

Posted on by Maine Art

Warm Sand Salty Air by Bethany Harper Williams

Last fall Bethany Harper Williams joined the Maine Art Hill family.  Her work is a perfect fit for our lovely beach community.  She celebrates the summer, the ocean, and the sea with fun and color. This is her first Choice Art Show, and happily shares her reasoning behind her Artist Choice piece, Warm Sand Salty Air.

“I am having fun with the Beach Days series, especially the long horizontal format. It works so well for a long stretch of a sunny beach that feels like it goes on forever,” shares Bethany.

With this series, she is exploring the concept of less is more. Painting figures with simple strokes but still capturing the movement and interaction of the individuals.

“The sand provides an area to have fun with shapes and textures and subtle colors.  I enjoy playing with palettes and patterns in the umbrellas and bathing suits,” says Williams. “It creates a lively composition with the figures. As I paint these beachgoers, I imagine scenarios of how they are interacting and enjoying the moment.”

For both artist and viewer, these works bring back warm memories of summers on the beach with family and friends.

To read more about Bethany Harper Williams and her work follow this link.

Bethany Harper Williams – Stories and Insights

To see our complete collection of Bethany Harper Williams’s work follow this link.

Bethany Harper Williams – Artist Page

To see more from Bethany Harper Williams and the other fourteen artists from the 7th Annual Choice Art Show in-person visit Shows on Maine Art Hill from June 9 to June 28. We are located at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk. The gallery is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm. FMI, please call at 207-967-0049 or email at info@maine-art.com. As always you can view the entire show and see the virtual tour by clicking here.7th Annual Choice Art Show.

Blue Current – Ellen Granter, Artist Choice

Posted on by Maine Art

Blue Current by Ellen Welsh Granter

Ellen Granter is an iconic Maine Art Hill artist. Many travel each summer in hopes of finding that special piece of her work that completes, enhances, or sometimes, even starts a collection. The Choice Show has always provided this opportunity first thing, every summer.

“I’m so delighted to have been asked to be in the Choice Show again. It is always an honor to be represented alongside the wonderful artists who also participate,” shares Granter, “and with this year’s Maine Art Hill Scholarship fundraising component, it makes it a winning combination in a new way.”

Every year, Ellen delights and surprises us with her new work. With a focus on what lies, or in this case floats, on this side of the horizon, we are treated to colors and subjects the welcome summer to our walls.

“This year, my submissions for this show are an extension of last year’s strand of ideas, boats, sailboats mostly,” shares Granter. “The new compositions, however, are skewed toward a more geometric grid I see when I start painting the sailboats; masts, booms, cross braces, waterlines, horizon lines, and reflections. These form the regular straight-line patterns, but then the organic parts, the color gradients of clouds and water currents add an irregularity which messes up the static pattern.”

Granter loves the colors of Maine harbors, muted blues, grays, and whites, then the pops of neon that come with the mooring buoys and lobster pots. “My Artist’s Choice is this year is Blue Current. It has the simplicity of design added to by the atmosphere of a blue on blue summer’s day, another winning combination,” laughs Granter. “I hope.”

To read more about Ellen Granter and her work follow this link.

Ellen Granter – Stories and Insights

To see our complete collection of Ellen Granter’s work follow this link.

Ellen Granter – Artist Page

To see more from Ellen Granter and the other fourteen artists from the 7th Annual Choice Art Show in-person visit Shows on Maine Art Hill from June 9 to June 28. We are located at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk. The gallery is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm. FMI, please call at 207-967-0049 or email at info@maine-art.com. As always you can view the entire show and see the virtual tour by clicking here.7th Annual Choice Art Show.

Cape Porpoise Morning – Ingunn Milla Joergensen, Artist Choice

Posted on by Maine Art

 Cape Porpoise Morning by Ingunn Milla Joergensen

Ingunn Milla Joergensen joined Maine Art Hill this winter. Being from Kennebunkport, she was thrilled to find representation so close to home.  She is an active member of the Kennebunk communities and loves the idea of working in a place she holds dear.

There is also an added benefit to having an artist who also lives here.  This benefit looks much like Cape Porpoise Morning, Joergensen’s Artist Choice piece for the show this year. To be able to share a piece of the place you call home in your home is truly a special treat.

“There is an entire collection of the emotions this beautiful spot represented here gives me,” shares Ingunn about this work. It is her goal to share these emotions with the viewer. “It’s my go-to when I need to recharge. It’s my place.”

Like many of our local artists, the environment that surrounds them is where their inspiration lies. To be able to step outside their back door and be surrounded by the beauty that is coastal Maine is a gift.

“The most incredible part of this scene, this place, is that it is always glowing,” says Joergensen. ” Even on a blistering cold day or in heavy fog, the illumination that seems to live in the air is present.”

To read more about Ingunn Milla Joergensen and her work follow this link.

Ingunn Milla Joergensen – Stories and Insights

To see our complete collection of Joergensen’s work follow this link.

Ingunn Milla Joergensen – Artist Page

To see more from Joergensen and the other fourteen artists from the 7th Annual Choice Art Show in-person visit Shows on Maine Art Hill from June 9 to June 28. We are located at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk. The gallery is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm. FMI, please call at 207-967-0049 or email at info@maine-art.com. As always you can view the entire show and see the virtual tour by clicking here.7th Annual Choice Art Show.

Self Heal – Susan Wahlrab, Artist Choice

Posted on by Maine Art
Self Heal by Susan Wahlrab

Susan Wahlrab’s work is all about nuance.  Each time she picks up her brush she is reminded that the variety of color in nature is endless.

“As I continue on my path, I notice color more and more.  This has led me to the flower as a representative of all of nature. Energy, spirit, beauty, story,  passion, reproduction and well, life!” shares Wahlrab.  “In taking a small piece of a large landscape, I notice and describe more and more intricate variations. And even though small, it certainly represents the whole.”

Self Heal, Wahlrab’s Artist Choice for 2018, is a flower that lives all around us, a wildflower. Its herbal properties are, as it says, heal all. “To me, it feels like the heart opening and the making of a deep connection,” explains Wahlrab. “we are all in this together.”

Self Heal is a small painting with a large presence. Wahlrab encourages us to get up close and spend some time. “It is just like in nature, the more you stop and truly see, the more you will notice, the better you will feel.”

 

To read more about Susan Wahlrab and her work follow this link.

Susan Wahlrab – Stories and Insights

To see our complete collection of  Wahlrab’s work follow this link.

Susan Wahlrab – Artist Page

To see more from Wahlrab and the other fourteen artists from the 7th Annual Choice Art Show in-person visit Shows on Maine Art Hill from June 9 to June 28. We are located at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk. The gallery is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm. FMI, please call at 207-967-0049 or email at info@maine-art.com. As always you can view the entire show and see the virtual tour by clicking here.7th Annual Choice Art Show.