Art Opening Features Landscapes, Woods & Birds

Maine Coastal Islands Art Gallery welcomes three artists at an art opening and reception on Friday, June 9 from 4-6 PM, at Maine Coastal Islands NWR Visitor Center, 9 Water St. in Rockland.  The public is invited to meet the artists and see the new commissioned piece of art by Jill Pelto incorporating scientific data into the painting: The Seabirds of Seal Island.

Cindy House was born in Rhode Island, and went to school at the University of Maine for a B.S. in Wildlife Biology and now resides in New Hampshire.  Her show reflects her passion to portray the beauty of familiar landscapes while capturing special encounters with common birds. The paintings were all inspired by her experiences in New England as a birder and naturalist.  She works exclusively in pastels on archival sanded pastel paper.

Susan Beebe of Rockland, has been painting in one spot in the deep spruce woods of Friendship Long Island, Maine, for the past three years.  Her sixteen paintings are about all the life in a forest:  moss and lichens growing on an old stone wall; the decay and life among the roots of the forest floor; seedlings to saplings to tall, mature trees to snags to fallen logs; and hints of animal and bird life.

Mary Gaudette of Spruce Head, who has worked as a researcher, cartographer, environmental consultant and science teacher, finds her passion in nature photography.  When looking through a camera lens, Mary sees the world in different ways, slowing down to notice and appreciate details. This show is a collection of images from the mid-coast region, taken as she “takes her camera out for walks and rides in her kayak” at local preserves and among the islands along the coast.

This summer show will be up through August.  The Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM, except holidays and on Saturdays, 11 AM – 4 PM.  For more information, visit the website at www.mainecoastislands.org.

Photo: Snowy Egrets, Late Summer, Weskeag Marsh by Cindy House