A show of new works by Margaret Gerding opens at The Gallery at Maine Art Hill in Kennebunk Lower Village on Saturday, May 21. There will be an Artist’s Reception from 5 to 7 pm.
A once ‘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.
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. Only this solitude, whether outside or in the studio, allows the landscape to reveal itself.”
Plein air painting is how Gerding began, and it is still very much a part of her process. But with the birth of her daughter, the need for studio time became necessary, and changes began. Now she has the best of both worlds. Her plein air painting keeps her work 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. I work en plein air; it is fast and intuitive and exploratory,” says Gerding. “Now, with both spaces as part of my process, I have the time to develop a piece and push my understanding of atmosphere and abstract simplifications in the landscape.”
It is not uncommon to find Gerding along the Kennebunk Bridle Path sketching the marsh grasses or wetland waterways. She has called Cape Porpoise home now for several years and spends most of her time surrounded by the area’s natural beauty.
“I am immersed daily in the area of my greatest inspiration. It is a place where nature provides a lifetime of exploration and study. I had the good fortune of vacationing here every summer as a child. I grew up wandering in the marshes, exploring the greenness and the vast skies. It was a puzzle to traverse the waterways, an escape,” says Gerding. “Now, it’s home.”
Gerding, a graduate from UMass, Dartmouth, had her first major show at 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, Edition 14, 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.
The show opens Saturday, May 21, and continues through June 9. The Gallery at Maine Art Hill is located at 14 Western Ave and is open every day from 10 AM to 6 PM. The show can be viewed online beginning Wednesday, May 18, at www.maine-art.com/shows. FMI call 207-967-2803.
To see our complete collection of Gerding’s works, click below
Margaret Gerding – Artist Page
Click below to read more about her process, inspiration, and background.
Margaret Gerding – Insights and Stories