When two artists come together to celebrate summer in Maine, the sky is the limit, or in this case, the subject.
Maine Art Hill is thrilled to announce the arrival of a mid-August show featuring favorite artists Margaret Gerding and Craig Mooney. The show opens at 10 AM Saturday, August 14, with an Artist Reception from 5 PM to 7 PM at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk.
Summer skies are a stunning part of Augusts in Maine, and no two artists recreate them better than Craig Mooney and Margaret Gerding.
Gerding, a resident Kennebunker, spends a great deal of her plein air time in the marshes surrounding her home. Easel, canvas, and oils will travel for this lovely local artist, and the results are the spectacular skies surrounding her.
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. It is only this solitude, whether outside or in the studio, that allows the landscape to reveal itself to me.”
A once an en 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. When she paints on location, her work is 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. When I work en plein air, it is fast and intuitive and exploratory,” says Gerding. “With both spaces as part of my process, I have the time to develop a piece and push my understanding of the atmosphere and abstract simplifications in the landscape.”
The second half of this duo is all about big skies and sweeping landscapes. Artist Craig Mooney is internationally known for his big beautiful renditions of our memories. With a sweep of his brush and a blending of oils, Mooney captures the memory of all the places we said we would never forget.
Mooney says, “I have been lucky enough to experience places where skies change from orange to pink to blue in the course of a day; where seas reflect dark and grey, and in just a moment change to crystal blue; where land, sky, and ocean converge to produce a perfect contrast of nature. These places are familiar to all of us. We live here. We created memories here.”
Mooney’s paintings make people felt connected to the sky and the sea. He creates new and original pieces that hold a familiar feeling – a feeling we are just not quite ready to let go of.
“For me, my paintings are places only I have been. They are the epitome of New England’s perfection. There is a piece and part of each beach, mountain, or ocean I have visited, and they represent somewhere I found peace,” Mooney says. “But for you, it is a memory from a place you remember with a smile.”
Owner John Spain says, “Maine Art Hill is so much more than the traditional Maine gallery, and this show has so much more than the classic Mooney landscape and a perfect Gerding marsh. Be sure to take some time to visit this all-encompassing display of art.”
This show runs from Saturday, August 14, to Thursday, September 2. Shows on Maine Art Hill opens at 10 AM every day. Don’t forget the Artist Reception from 5 PM to 7 PM opening day at 10 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk. Both Margaret Gerding and Craig Mooney will be in attendance. FMI call 207-967-0049 or visit www.maine-art.com/shows.
To see the show in its entirety, including the 360-degree virtual tour, click here.
Preview opens Wednesday, July 21. Virtual Tour is available on the evening of Friday, August 13.
To see our complete collection of both artists’ works, click below
Margaret Gerding – Artist Page
To read more about the process, inspiration, and background of each artist, click below.
Margaret Gerding – Insights and Stories
Craig Mooney – Insights and Stories