MARGARET GERDING
WILLIAM B. HOYT
June 24 – July 19
Artist Receptions June 24, 5–7 pm
5 Chase Hill Rd. Kennebunk, Maine 04043
“A power couple is an unbeatable force. When two independent, intelligent, and hard-working people come together, nothing can stop them.”
On Saturday, June 24, two artists come together in side-by-side shows at Maine Art Hill in Kennebunk, Maine. The galleries at 5 Chase Hill Rd are hosting a dual showcase of two amazing artists, Margaret Gerding, and William B. Hoyt. The show opens at 10 am with an Artists’ Reception from 5–7 pm on Saturday, June 24
At Maine Art Hill, we know the power of dynamic duos. Scheduling two different but truly talented artists together simultaneously was purposeful.
“We have observed over the past few years that many of our collectors are enamored with the works of both of these artists,” says owner John Spain.” With that, this is the second time we have paired these two together not only for the enjoyment of our clients but also for the artists themselves.”
Margaret Gerding, an artist who calls Kennebunkport home, is thrilled to fill the walls with all her favorite places near and around the area. With broad sweeping strokes and soft, captivating colors, Gerding’s works are memories and moments captured in paint.
“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,” shares Gerding about her oil paintings. “Only this solitude, whether outside or in the studio, allows the landscape to reveal itself to me.”
Gerding, a graduate of UMass, Dartmouth, had her first major show at age 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 (14th ed.), 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.
Alongside Gerding is artist William B. Hoyt, known for his realistic works of New England coastal and inland. With realism, a style in which the subject of the painting looks much like the real thing, it is only when examined close up do what appear to be solid colors reveal themselves as a series of brushstrokes of many colors and values. It is during this examination that the “wow” moments happen.
“I took two trips to museums, the first to an exhibit of John Singer Sargent at Washington’s National Museum, and the second to Amsterdam’s Rijks Museum exhibition of Vermeer. I painted some before going to Amsterdam and then a few as soon as I got back, utterly inspired by Vermeer,” shares Hoyt.
Sargent and Vermeer embody the horns of a dilemma Hoyt lives with. On the one hand, Sargent is loose and virtuosic with his painting, a quality, and mastery he aspires to. On the other hand, Vermeer, whose seamless rendering of light on his subjects defies belief and whose nearly photographic depictions inspire in a tighter, more controlled direction: Hoyt finds himself going back and forth.
Whether you are a lover of fine art or just beautiful things, this show is a can’t miss. Doors open at 10 am on Saturday, June 24, and run until July 19 at Maine Art Hill at 5 Chase Hill Rd. Kennebunk. Margaret Gerding and William B. Hoyt will both be in attendance at the Artists’ Reception from 5–7 pm on Saturday, June 24. This is a free public event.