Liz Hoag and Eagle Lake – An Artist’s Choice

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

During a visit over New Years, Hoag was cross county skiing here with friends and family. View from the Trail was inspired from a photograph taken on the shores of Eagle Lake during this trek. It is her Artist’s Choice piece for the Choice Art Show here at Maine Art Shows.

“I chose this painting because I believe it is far and away the best painting of the group. Period,” says Liz about her unwavering Artist’s Choice decision.  “The two-dimensional balance worked out perfectly. The afternoon yellow light works flawlessly to create depth and quiet. The overall color combination gives the exact feel I wanted of a cool, but not cold, quiet winter afternoon.”

Hoag was not the only one that made this choice. A very happy customer, just hours after the show opened, chose it as well. Not to worry. If you love View from the Trail or have an soft spot for Eagle Lake, there are a few more pieces from Liz Hoag that you need to see.

Eagle Lake Reflection is Hoag’s Editor’s Choice piece, and another that features this national treasure. “Considering each piece in the context of a larger, related body of work brings an extra layer of meaning to the work,” says Susan Grisanti, the editor of Maine Home + Design, “but one piece usually rises to the top pretty quickly for me.” Grisanti has been the eye behind the Editor’s Choice since the show’s conception five years ago.

We also have a large collection of Hoag’s work at Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture at 14 Western Ave. in Kennebunk.  It is here you will find Eagle Lake Revisited, a small acrylic with a view through the branches to the lake in the distance. The rest of Hoag’s collection may not have the name “Eagle Lake” in their titles, yet it is a strong possibility that several others came to be due to this remarkable place.

For anyone that loves the woods, or has a spot on the lake, this collection of work from Liz Hoag is sure to awaken your own memories. For this artist, it is all about what her work brings to the viewer, what they feel, what they see. “I personally do not think of the ‘story’ or ‘narrative’ of my paintings,” says Hoag.  “That being said, these paintings truly reflect the feel of the moment that I was in this beautiful place.”

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The Choice Art Show will continue at Maine Art Shows at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk though June 30.  We are open everyday from 11am – 5pm.  Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture at 14 Western Ave. is also open every day from 10am until at least 6pm, with later hours starting today for the summer.

As always, all of our artists and their work can be seen online at www.maine-art.com. Some specific links to check out:

Liz Hoag –  Artist Page

Choice Art Show

Maine Art Blog- Liz Hoag

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Ellen Welch Granter on Begin and End- A Choice Show Piece

“I’m off to go birding.”

This is how Ellen Welch Granter ends most of her correspondence.  Each time, we never know if she is heading outdoors with binoculars or to her studio with a brush.  Regardless, Ellen spends a great deal of her time with her birds.

“There is an excitement while watching birds in the wild,” says Granter. “My paintings are an expression of my desire to create beautiful and pure images of my favorite subjects.” When viewing her works, that same excitement comes through. There are many layers to her work which create interesting depths and shadows that change depending on light. “They are the textures, shapes and patterns of daily life. This work is all about that constant motion of the birds, their particular gestures and way of walking in the shallows.”

Granter has a large collection between Maine Art Shows and Maine Art Paintings and Sculptures.  Her work in the Choice Art Show features three pieces. Begin and End was the Editor’s Choice. We owe thanks to Susan Grisanti from Maine Home + Design for her choice. This piece showcases Granter’s love for the sandpiper and incorporates her signature gold leaf, as well. “The gold shape is a sort of calligraphic stroke that represents the water’s edge and reflected sunlight,” says Granter. Her gold leaf is found in many others works hanging at our sister gallery, Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture, down on Western Ave. in Kennebunk.

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The Choice Art Show will be on display at Maine Art Shows at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk until June 30th. Please stop in any day from 11am – 5pm to see the show in its entirety. It is also available to view online by clicking here; Choice Art Show.

To see our complete collection of Ellen Granter’s work visit her Artist Page. Also, if you are interested in reading more about Ellen and her work with Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture click here. Maine Art Blog – Ellen Granter.

Jill Valliere on Wanderlust – An Artist’s Choice

For some artists, their inspiration comes from within. For some, it comes from their surroundings. For many, it is a blend of both. For Jill Valliere, one of our artists from Rockland, Maine, it is found everywhere, and occasionally, quite by accident. Such is the case regarding the story behind Wanderlust.

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

Jill is lucky enough to have her studio in her home. She enjoys her time there tremendously, normally accompanied by her dog.  “I immediately started the painting the next day,” says Valliere. “Not all of my paintings end up how I originally imagine them. This one did.”  She wanted to capture the way autumn colors look behind the cover of a thin fog.  It was the perfect morning and the perfect frame of mind for it.  A thin filmy veil of fog covers the bright colors of fall. It increases the sense of peace without hiding the beautiful tones Mother Nature provided. “While I enjoy all the seasons, autumn is my favorite time of year. That love is captured in this work.”

This piece, along with two others from Valliere, are part of the Choice Art Show going on now through June 30 at Maine Art Shows. The gallery is located at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk and is open from 11am – 5pm daily. You can view the show in person or online by clicking here.  Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture’s complete collection of work from Valliere can be found at the group gallery at 14 Western Ave. in Kennebunk and on her Artist’s Page.

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Click this link to read more about Jill Valliere and her work at Maine Art. Valliere and Maine Art.

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Janis H. Sanders on Headlight and Shadows – An Artist’s Choice

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Monhegan Light is an inspiration as a symbol, as well as a physical structure from many views and perspectives.  As visitors, we often come by day to view the lighthouse and the stunning coast surrounding it.  Rarely does the iconic place have guests in the evening. Except maybe for one of our artists, Janis H. Sanders.  Head Light and Shadows is the result of one of these visits.

“The very bright, nearly blinding, light casting across the facade of the buildings and boat contrasted with unequivocal shadows immediately caught my attention and imagination. I then had to translate the scene into paint,” says Sanders. “The vision is to portray a particular, singular moment of light on a surface.”

This is an experience for Sanders that is never to be repeated. The continually changing atmospheric conditions, light, humidity, cloud cover and myriads of other factors will not allow it.  “Of course, my own perception, mood and interpretive state of mind comes into play,” he says, “as well as, my color palette selections.”

“With any endeavor, my aim is emotional; I want, and the mechanics determine, the shifting process to an outcome,” says Sanders. It is not always necessarily to a conclusion. The completion and achievement of a target finishes one phase, and simultaneously sets the groundwork and stage for the next. “To relish the surprises that happen along the way, in both color and compositional interactions, is a pure delight. If I let it be, if I let the painting paint itself, I become merely a guide, the conduit.”

In the beginning of his excursion into paint years ago, Sanders tried to steer the paint throughout the experience. “I had in mind a destination at the outset,” he says. Yet, the more he painted the more he realized the objective in paint is only a vague ephemeral outline. Sanders finds connection with Edward Hopper, a prominent American realist painter. “It is more about the interaction,” says Sanders. “If I allow myself to go for the ride, I always find satisfaction in the journey itself.”

Head Light and Shadow is the Artist’s Choice piece for Janis H. Sanders in the Choice Art Show, and will be on display at Maine Art Shows at 10 Chase Hill in Kennebunk until June 30th. Please stop in any day from 11am – 5pm.  The Choice Art Show is also available to view online by clicking here; Choice Art Show.

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If you are interested in reading more about Janis Sanders and his work at Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture on our blog, click here. You can also visit his Artist Page at www.maine-art.com to view our entire collection of Sanders work.

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Susan Wahlrab on Sanctuary – An Artist’s Choice

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As a true introvert, Susan Wahlrab has always found her sanctuary in nature. “It is where I go to be recharged, nourished and inspired,” she says. “However, I purposely choose this place as one that is universal. It could be anywhere. It’s not important to me if anyone knows where Sanctuary  is. Yet, it is my hope it will help in creating someone else’s.”

Susan finds herself particularly drawn to where land and water meet – more specifically, the coast of Maine. Her paintings come from a real place, for who is she, in her own words, “to create something that is already so perfect?” “Nature is so much more creative with variety of shape, color, texture and atmosphere. It is not something to make up. It is something to observe, to reflect and to connect. The pulse of nature has no boundaries. It is interconnected.”

Over the years, Susan has explored many techniques of mark making in an attempt to describe the sensation of her dialogue with nature. “Over time I notice and feel more and more. It’s an ever maddening process of attempting the impossible,” she says in reference to capturing nature. “It’s the artist’s journey to ‘the crazy.’ Sometimes I just cannot stop,” she laughs. “I’m an addict.”

The last year has brought some breakthrough with a process Wahlrab has essentially invented through her own experience and experiments. “I’ve used the information I gained from my MFA in printmaking, my investigating with monoprints and my practice in layered watercolor on paper.”  All this led to the discovery of painting watercolor on clay panels that can be varnished. This is uncharted territory. “Well, lets just say it could fit back it the crazy category,” says Wahlrab. Since she started this adventure about 5 years ago, every day has been a dance between materials and vision. “One day I am in love, the next – well, it’s time to take a walk.”

Fortunately, she has time and place for these walks. In addition, she relies on a yoga and meditation practice to keep her balanced, and family to keep her grounded. Then, of course, there is her sanctuary.

Sanctuary represents one of those days, really months, of the pure bliss of connection. Every step I felt guided and clear,” says Wahlrab.  Not only did this piece come together, the process just let go. “I was in a relationship with how paint describes how nature is our resource to recharge full lives.” This sensation has stayed with Susan with her work even on the challenging days. “I am able to just let go and allow the painting to come in its own time. The whole process has become my Sanctuary.”

Sanctuary is part of the Choice Art Show, and will be on display at Maine Art Shows, 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk, until June 30th. Please stop in any day between 11 am  and 5 pm to see the show in its entirety.  The show is also available to view online by clicking here; Choice Art Show.

Susan Wahlrab

If you are interested in reading more Susan Wahlrab and her work at Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture click here. You may also visit her Artist Page to see our entire collection of Susan Wahlrab paintings.

William B. Hoyt on Sunset at Cuttyhunk – An Artist’s Choice

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William B. Hoyt is an artist. He has always been an artist. He works with his hands and with his eyes and with his heart. His medium may change from the paint and brush we know and love, to film or digital photography, or even to a hammer and wood as he built his home and studio in Vermont. He has been fortunate in his life to be able to find and create and reproduce the beauty in the world around him.

Hoyt is a wanderer and an adventurer. He has more stories to tell than most, and he remembers in details as vibrant as his canvases. It is rare to find him without a camera around his neck snapping these moments that just cannot be forgotten. An artist sees the world through different eyes, and Hoyt has trouble not stopping to capture each scene he may someday commit to paint. “Images are everywhere,” says Hoyt with a grin. As an outsider, it is difficult not to wonder if his need to stop and snap ever gets in the way. However, Hoyt laughs when asked about it. “It never gets in the way,” he says perplexed. “It is the way.”

And so it was the way when the idea for Sunset at Cuttyhunk was born. ” I took a number of photographs on a friend’s boat last summer at the island of Cuttyhunk.”  Cuttyhunk is the westernmost island of the Elizabethan Islands that stretch from Woodshole, Massachusetts.  “We were relaxing in the harbor as the sun set after a day of boating.  Shouts of joy, excitement, and surprise came from young islanders jumping off the town pier into the refreshing salt water,” Hoyt remembers.  “They stood as if mounted on the pilings. They struck me as being like Greek statues of idyllic youth.”

This one painting is a combination of many photographs from this trip. Hoyt takes the best details of each, combines and overlaps until they become one memory, one work of art. “When the sailboat actually did glide past this scene in front of the old coast guard station,” says Hoyt, “it certainly was a time to be remembered.”

Sunset at Cuttyhunk is part of the Choice Art Show and will be on display at Maine Art Shows at 10 Chase Hill in Kennebunk until June 30th. Please stop in any day from 11am – 5pm to see the show in its entirety starting Saturday, June 11th.  The show is also available to view online by clicking here. Choice Art Show.

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To read more about William B.Hoyt and his work at Maine Art click here.

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Craig Mooney on Trade Winds – An Artist’s Choice

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“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” – T.S. Elliot.

Craig Mooney has been exploring.  Not in a sailboat. Not out on the sea. He has been exploring in his studio in Stowe, Vermont, and he has invited us to join him.

“Ironically, I’m not a seafarer. My knowledge is from reading and skirting the coastline,” says Mooney. As a kid, he lived on a dead end street in Manhattan that overlooked the East River. He watched huge freighters and barges pass by en route to some unknown location, with the help of tugboats in many cases.  “My father took me to the piers on the west side, and we visited the huge ocean liners,” says Mooney.  On a good day, he and his father were allowed to step on board. Sometimes it was only for an hour as passengers readied to disembark. “It was exciting to me, even if I wasn’t really a passenger. It stirred something in me.”

In part and in pieces these memories resurface in Trade Winds. Daydreams of what it is like out at sea and wishes of travels that may one day come.  Craig Mooney is proof  you don’t have to experience the open ocean first-hand to find that connection and fall in love.

“I didn’t want to create a cloyingly sweet vignette of a romantic sailing voyage, but in some cases, ironically, it is where I ended up,” says Mooney. On a deeper level, he connects with the quote above he shares from T.S. Elliot and arrives back at the beginning with new eyes. “When I started this series based around Trade Winds, I was unsure what my motivation was. I do know it was a journey for me. The immense power of the sea, the endless heavens above and the lone vessel carried me along.”

Commanding a room, this six foot by six foot piece has a life of its own. It fills a space with a blend of the luminescent light of the sun and the deep blue shadows of the ocean. It pulls the viewer in yet still leaves enough space to enjoy one’s own personal journey.

As beautiful as the images are on the website, this piece is worth a visit to Kennebunk. Trade Winds was Craig Mooney’s Artist’s Choice for the Choice Art Show and will be on display at Maine Art Shows at 10 Chase Hill in Kennebunk until June 30th. Please stop in any day from 11am – 5pm.  The Choice Art Show is also available to view online by clicking here; Choice Art Show.

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If you are interested in reading more about Craig Mooney and his work at Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture on our blog, click here. You can also visit his Artist Page at www.maine-art.com to view our entire collection of Mooney work.

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Maine Art Shows Opens June 11th

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On Saturday June 11, Maine Art Shows will start the season, and continuing with tradition, will open with the Choice Art Show. This is the fifth year for the Choice Art Show, and as always, the art itself stays true to the charm and appeal of our area. All twelve artists have submitted works celebrating every aspect of Maine life. From the shores, to the forests, to the farms, this state is incredibly diverse, and all of its beauty is represented here.

The People’s Choice, the Editor’s Choice, and the Artist’s Choice have been voted on and selected, and we are ready to toast the curation of this one-of-a-kind show. With over six-hundred voters this year, the People’s Choice decision was overwhelming and exciting. “It’s the best way to start out the season at Maine Art Shows. To have the public be a part of the curation is rare. We enjoy the entire process more and more each year,” says Amy Lewia, Maine Art’s Gallery Director. “This year’s twelve artists submitted stellar pieces. It was a challenge for our voters. Happily, it was a fun challenge.”

Susan Grisanti, Editor-In-Chief at Maine Home+Design/Maine/Old Port Magazine and the woman behind our Editor’s Choice, also loved the challenge. “I always enjoy the process of selecting a favorite piece of artwork from each of the artists in the Choice Art Show. Considering each piece in the context of a larger, related body of work brings an extra layer of meaning to the work, but one piece usually rises to the top pretty quickly for me,” says Grisanti. “I’m always interested to see, after my vote, how my choice compares to the majority of voters. Weeks later, it’s fun to see the show in person and reconsider my choices, but I cannot recall ever changing my mind.”

Grisanti is not alone in her curiosity about the choices for this show. Many customers are incredibly anxious to see which three of the six pieces from each artist made it to the walls. For those who cannot wait until Saturday, the online preview can be seen here.  To find out the Artists’ and Editor’s Choices, you will have to visit Maine Art Shows starting at 11 a.m. on June 11th. But wait! Maine Art Shows will be open for a sneak peek of the final pieces during the Village Art Walk on Friday, June 10th from 5 to 7 PM.  This event is for viewing only, no sales will happen until Saturday morning.

Don’t forget – the opening reception for the Choice Art Show is Saturday, June 11, from 5 to 7 PM, as part of the Kennebunkport Festival. There will be many of our artists attending and available to talk more about their work. This catered reception is a ticketed event for the Festival, with the proceeds to benefit Full Plates Full Potential. Tickets are $40, and can be ordered online at www.kennebunkportfestival.com. For more information about tickets and the show, visit www.maine-art.com, or call the gallery at 207-967-0049.

Click here to see the online show now.

The Artists in the Choice Art Show: Daniel J. Corey, Jeffrey T. Fitzgerald, Philip Frey, Ellen Welch Granter, Liz Hoag, William B. Hoyt, Henry Isaacs, Craig Mooney, Janis H. Sanders, Jill Valliere, Susan Wahlrab, and Abbie Williams.

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The Witbeck Boys of Summer


Amos, Wade, Lumper, Newman, Eliot, and Barry. They work the local docks. They are Mainers, born and raised. They are coastal life personified. They are the iconic fisherman of David Witbeck. And from now until June 16, you will find these boys on the walls of Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture.

Through the years we have become quite familiar with Witbeck’s fishermen. Still, questions remain. Where did they come from? And more importantly, how did they find their way into Witbeck’s studio? Lucky for us, Witbeck is not only an artist but a storyteller.

As a freelance photographer, he used to love to go out on commercial fishing vessels when he had free time. Often, he toyed with the idea of doing an extended photo-essay, but he could never justify the amount of time away from ‘paying jobs.’ “Truth be told, I usually had more fun talking with the crews and helping to sort fish than making pictures,” says Witbeck, thinking back on the memory.

When he later started painting, fishing seemed to be the natural subject matter for him. “I wanted my paintings to be iconic rather than descriptive. For descriptive focus, photography would have been a better way to do it. I wanted to paint.” Initially, it was just for the fun of it, but then one morning about ten years ago, just before waking up, he found his inspiration.

“I had had one of those wonderful little REM sleep dreams. A guy was holding a fish. There just happened to be a sketchbook on the floor beside the bed, and I made this little ten-second doodle,” laughs Witbeck. “The rest is history.”

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They have certainly come a long way.

And so goes the story of how Amos, Wade, Lumper, Newman, Eliot, and Barry came to spend the first part of this summer at Maine Art in David Witbeck’s one-man show. We welcome you to come and meet these characters for yourself. They are even more spectacular in person. The gallery is open every day from 10am – 5pm at 14 Western Avenue in Kennebunk. If you aren’t able to make it in, view the entire show at www.maine-art.com. For more Witbeck, view our complete collection by clicking his Artist Page.

A David Witbeck Side Note –

“I also made another doodle, tentatively called, ‘The Last Fish.’ Yet, after ten years, and more than 300 fisherman paintings, I haven’t quite got to it yet.” For a few reasons we, as loyal Witbeck fans, hope the last fish never comes.

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To read more about David Witbeck on our blog, click here.

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David Witbeck – Celebrating the Start of Summer

On Saturday, May 28th, help us at Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture to celebrate the beginning of summer in the Kennebunks the best way we know how; with David Witbeck, New Work.

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Witbeck is an artist with a special talent, a unique eye and an unconditional love for coastal life. His canvases are full of characters from working fishing villages and harbor towns. He captures the fabulous personality of the lobsterman and the sarcastic sass of the seagull while maintaining the charm and appeal of New England. He has an appreciation for their hard work, but also for their humor. “I’m most pleased when my paintings evoke smiles. Humor is an element too often missing in art,” says Witbeck. Living and working the Maine coast takes a sense of humor.  This is evident in the subjects of his paintings.

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Witbeck is no stranger to the working man. From truck driver to school teacher, journalist to photographer, he held many a job before finding success as an artist. His path was not straight or easy, but lucky for us he found his way. “I never had a studio as a photographer, always working on location, but in 2003 I rented a mill space to paint in in my spare time,” says Witbeck. It wasn’t long before his spare time became full-time. “By 2007, I was selling enough art to turn down the occasional photo job that came my way… and the rest is history,” he says with a humility we have grown to love at Maine Art.

That same humility comes though when Witbeck speaks of his mentors and his development as an artist. “When I first started painting again in 2001, after not having painted since 1968, I painted watercolors,” he says. It started out as a practical decision. “I found painting en plein air with acrylics next to impossible. The paint dried so fast on hot windy days, and oils made a mess of the leather upholstery on my then brand-new Outback,” he laughs. All that was left were watercolors.

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It was then David discovered Edgar Whitney, a kind of guru for many watercolor painters. “The most important thing I took from him,” says Witbeck, “is his definition of an artist.” It was an epiphany of sorts to discover he didn’t have to change the course of Art History. He didn’t have to have something earthshaking to say. He didn’t have to alter the world. “According to Edgar Whitney,” David paraphrases, “an artist is simply a shape maker, a symbol finder and an entertainer.” This was Witbeck’s proverbial “ah-ha” moment. “Wow! What a relief. I can do that,” he laughs.

And that he can. His new show is full of interesting shapes and symbols that represent coastal life, and even a few rare pieces influenced by of his own life. Witbeck doesn’t often work from photographs. “Every once in a while,” he admits, “a photograph will trigger an idea.” Lobstah for Suppah and A Fine Catch are examples of these triggers; they were both inspired by a dory built by the Landing School in Arundel and a fond memory shared with his wife from the summer of ’88.

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This show is going to be a great deal of fun,” says gallery director Amy Lewia. “David is a character himself. Having him at the opening on the 28th will allow our customers an exciting chance to meet the man behind the work.” The Artist’s Reception will be held at Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture, 14 Western Ave. in Kennebunk, from 5-7 pm, and all are welcome to join.

These larger-than-life works and this incredibly talented artist need much more than just a night, so the celebration will last for three weeks. Through June 16th, David Witbeck’s show can be seen at Maine Art. We are open daily from 10 am to 5 pm. For more information please call 207-967-2803. The show can also be viewed online at www.maine-art.com starting today. Works will be available for purchase at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Come and celebrate summer on the coast of Maine. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the world.

Read more about David Witbeck and his work on Maine Art’s Blog.

See our entire collection of Witbeck work on his Artist Page.

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