Summer arts exhibition and extended hours at Sylvan Gallery

Fri, 08/08/2014 - 2:30pm

Story Location:
60 Main Street
Wiscasset, ME 04578
United States

Sylvan Gallery new exhibition “Summer Arts Exhibition,” brims with the amazing work of the galleryʼs 18 talented contemporary artists.

In addition to its regular summer hours, the Wiscasset gallery will be open until 7:30 p.m. every Thursday evening through August. The exhibition runs through September 21.

Some of the galleryʼs newest works to engage the mind and spirit are by Bath artist Tina Ingraham. Ingraham paints her local environs in “Excavation,” a striking painting of the Patten Free Library, and in “The Bath Bridges,” a more tonal painting with soft color harmonies. There is a marvelous attention to architecture in these paintings with Ingraham revealing the essence of her subject through the layering of broad planes of color and dynamic brushwork. Ingraham is a recipient of grants from The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and The Pollock-Krasner Foundation for her painting.

Stan Moeller of York is another artist who captures the essence of his subject through his understanding of shape, value and color. “Window Shopping” is a striking depiction of a Parisian street scene. A well-dressed woman is poised in the foreground staring intently at a storefront. Neighboring shops are skillfully simplified, and, in the distance, passersby are caught by dashes of color. A modern-day Impressionist, Moellerʼs works often have a narrative aspect as he skillfully brings our attention to those familiar moments that capture the feeling of a place, the movement of air and light, and the textures of the landscape.

Robert Noreika is an artist comfortable in all mediums — oils, watercolor and acrylics. His bold expressive brushwork captures the atmospheric mood and vitality of Maineʼs working harbors and scenes from the local villages. His newest oil paintings include “Summer Day in Friendship” and “Chasing the Light,” painted en plein air and are fine examples of Noreikaʼs ability to boldly convey the light and capture the brilliant color of a crystal clear summer day along the Maine coast.

New work by the gallery’s other contemporary artists include paintings by Wiscasset artists Susannah Haney, who finds inspiration in the beauty and simplicity of quintessential New England architecture; and Ann Scanlan, inspired by the 19th century European artists who depict farm life. In Scanlan's oil painting, “Strawʼs Farm, Mud Season,” the barn reflects the pinks and violets of early morning light, while our attention is held by the gentle countenance of the two cows in the foreground.

Also featured in the exhibition are the bucolic rural landscapes of Angelo Franco and Neal Hughes; atmospheric coastal views of Greg Laderer; pastels and oils of women and children at the water’s edge by Joann Ballinger and Shirley Cean Youngs; maritime paintings by Peter Layne Arguimbau, Victor Mays, and Polly Seip; plein air landscapes by Al Barker, Crista Pisano, and Trenton Forster Youngs. Classically inspired still lifes by Heather Gibson-Lusk and the rich evocative paintings of Charles Kolnik round out the exhibit.

The art in the exhibition may be viewed online at www.sylvangallery.com.

Sylvan Gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with late night Thursdays through August until 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The gallery is located at 60 Main Street (Route 1) in Wiscasset.

For more information, call 207-882-8290.