Maine is famous for seascapes, skies, and sunlight. No visit to the coast is complete without them. To start our summer, Maine artist Holly Ready celebrates all three in her upcoming show at The Gallery on Maine Art Hill, 14 Western Avenue in Kennebunk. This is a one-woman show of Ready’s most recent work. It runs from Saturday, May 26 through Saturday, June 16.
Ready grew up in Massachusetts but summered here in Maine. As so many do, she fell in love with the state, and it wasn’t long before she began calling it home. In the middle of raising her family, Ready decided to take her painting to a new level and began classes at Maine College of Art in Portland.
“I have always painted. I come from a long history of painters with a grandmother who fostered that growth with gifts of canvas and color,” says Ready. “My first painting was a seascape. I loved painting the water. There were times I made the canvas sing. The problem was I didn’t know how I made it sing. It was intuitive. It wasn’t until art school that I began to understand the process behind the magic.”
“Art school was later in life, but not a career. I only went part-time, but it was my escape. The early classes were sometimes frustrating, and I questioned why I was there. I was a painter. I wanted to paint. By the time I declared my major, it all came together like a puzzle,” says Ready. “On top of classes and skilled professors, I had an incredible cohort. I learned so much from them.”
John Spain, owner of Maine Art Hill has been an admirer of Holly’s work for several years. “In the past, I had happily included her in multiple shows. Finally, I convinced her to join us two years ago. This is Holly’s second solo show with us, and we are excited to share her new work.”
The sky is a strong feature in much of Ready’s work. The play of light and shadow grabs the viewer’s eye. She prefers working from warm to cool to produce the ‘sing’ she refers to often. The composition is key, and she is very aware of her percentage of earth versus sky. After that, she claims the paint dictates and the color happens. With her landscapes and seascapes, the colors flow beautifully.
“It’s all about the feeling. It’s a serenity. It changes, but each of them has a peace,” says Ready. “I like when art doesn’t give all the answers. These works have a time and a place. They are grounded, but the details are for the viewer to fill in.”
Holly Ready’s show will open at The Gallery on Maine Art starting Saturday, May 26 with an Artist’s Reception that evening from 5-7pm. The Gallery, at 14 Western Avenue, is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM. FMI call 207-967-2803. Ready’s show can be viewed online starting today.
www.maine-art.com/shows.
To read more about Holly Ready, her work and her process click here.
Holly Ready Artist Insights and Stories.
To see our entire collection of Ready’s work click here.
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