“When you put three beautiful, gifted and local female artists together for one show there is bound to be magic,” says John Spain, owner of Maine Art Hill in Kennebunk.
Celebrating the allure and charm of southern Maine, the talented trio of Margaret Gerding, Julie Houck, and Ingunn Joergensen are taking over Shows on Maine Art Hill at 10 Chase Hill Road. Doors open June 29 at 10 am. There is also an Artist Reception to follow that evening from 5-7.
After years of just visiting, Artist Margaret Gerding is thrilled to have her studio in Kennebunkport permanently. She divides her time between plein-air and studio painting, which has allowed a balance between study and refinement. The freedom of grabbing brushes when the moment and the light strike let her oils come alive in the salt air.
“I love the quiet early morning with the sound of the birds awakening, the light setting the scene, the stillness in the air. There is a solitude being in the marsh. It is the time when I feel most in tune with nature and who I am,” says Gerding. “It’s important for me to work directly observing nature, the struggles along with the successes.”
Finding time outside is also vital to artist Ingunn Milla Joergensen, another Kennebunkport resident. Likewise, Joergensen works in oils but focuses more on old structures and the landscapes she finds them in. She captures a different side of Maine, and its allure inviting Mother Nature to fill her canvases in unexpected ways.
“It is the little things that catch my attention, a piece, a fragment, a texture, a thought, a word. Sometimes taking it all in is so much, it is almost overwhelming,” Joergensen shares. “One little shell tells the story of the ocean. A piece of wood tells the story of lived life. Beauty is found in the most unexpected places.”
The last of the three artists in this show is Julie Houck. A newcomer to Maine Art Hill, but not to the Maine art scene. Living in North Yarmouth, Houck has been painting full time since 1995. A contemporary landscape painter working in oils and encaustics, she rounds out this show perfectly.
“I am drawn to coastal wetlands and the ever-changing patterns of clouds as they dance across the sky,” says Houck. “The unpredictable and ethereal nature of the sky, juxtaposed with the calmness and serenity of the marshlands provide an infinite source of inspiration.”
This show opens on Saturday, June 29 at 10 am. The public is invited to come and meet these three amazing women on Saturday, June 29 at our Artist Reception from 5-7 pm. Art, music, and yummy bites from the chef at Tides Beach Club. The show itself runs until July 18, and the gallery is open every day from 10 am – 5 pm. FMI call 207-967-0049 or visit www.maine-art.com.