A moody oil painting of a double-masted schooner at rest near a wharf under a sunset sky of orange and yellows broken up by dark clouds ... Another takes the viewer into a lighter scene, perhaps from the viewpoint of the sailor(s) just behind the rocks being sprayed by ocean water. You can hear the soft sound of the water lazily lapping against the sides of the sailboat as your eyes drift across the ocean to the homes on the island beyond …

These are just two of the new 4” x 6” paintings by Kathleen Billis – yes, she’s back – some of the new work included in her first new show in many a year at Calypso, opening on Sept. 5, also First Friday. The show includes fine jewelry designed and made by Jennifer Matthews, Kathleen’s sister.

I had the good fortune to spend a delightful evening with them and actually get an interview accomplished about said show! Here are some facts and highlights!

This dual show evolved out of talks Jennifer had been having with Calypso owner Lindy Bragg about her chances of getting her jewelry in a show there. Then, the sisters came up with an idea: Why not have a dual show: jewelry with Kathleen’s new paintings? Lindy was game.

"Calypso is excited to share the beautiful, original creations by sisters Kathleen and Jennifer!" Lindy said, "Come, bring your sister(s) and help us celebrate the power of sisterhood!'

So, where does this “sister power” come in? For starters, these two women are strong and resilient in addition to being creative. Three years ago, after many conversations, Jennifer agreed to move from Arizona to Boothbay Harbor to live with her sister. It took Jennifer a while to sort out her life there, sell her condo, and set out for Maine to begin yet another new chapter in her life; in both their lives.

“When Mitch died I went into a really deep depression for almost three years,” Kathleen said. “When Jennifer came, it just changed everything. It got my focus back, but I hadn’t painted since before he died so I didn’t know if I could paint anymore …”

The adventures began with renting electric trike bikes (they dubbed themselves the "biker sisters"), however, a subsequent trike mishap for Kathleen was followed by Jennifer breaking one of her feet. It was some Christmas! Yet, both of them still laugh about it all in retrospect, and as they say they did then.

“So there I was, like a Tyrannosaurus Rex, my arms pulled in close to my chest taking care of Jenny ...” shared Kathleen. Then Jenny interjects, “So, instead of me taking care of her, because I was not allowed to walk at all, she was taking care of me … Oh, the irony, I know!" 

Folks around here who know Kathleen, and who had begun to know Jenny, knew better than to expect those two would just be sitting around drinking tea and playing Parcheesi.

But one day they both decided perhaps it would be better if they started making art ... put their spirited "adventures" on hold for a bit.

"But we came back from it all,” said Kathleen. Enter sister power. “We just look at each other and say “sister power” – bump fists, do that explosion thing and draw our arms back!" And with that they give me a joyous demonstration.

But it does always come back to art, doesn’t it? Now, what I haven’t told you all is that for various reasons many years ago, back in Arizona, Jennifer was forced to sell her kiln. So, for that first Christmas together Kathleen surprised Jennifer with a new one. “I thought, what would Jennifer really want. She sure doesn’t need another (expletive) cashmere sweater or two ...she needs a kiln!”

Jennifer jumped in and began enthusiastically talking about her jewelry, including making silver. Yep, making silver with a metal clay, invented by Mitsubishi, that when fired, turns into pure silver. No kidding. Pure silver. Who knew?

“You can draw designs on it, use tiny cookie cutters to make it into shapes ... Then you just fire it and burn away all the clay. What's left is silver, like magic!" Jenny said. “I also add gemstones malachite, turquoise, tourmaline, jade, pearls, lapis lazuli ... wood and seed beads. Bead work is backed by a piece of leather and I use needles (to attach) beads.”

I notice the intricate Mexican design seed bead cuff bracelet Jenny's wearing. Just thinking about adding each of those tiny seeds I feel on the verge of crazy ... She said their mother always tried to get both of them involved in crochet or knitting, but they just never took to it. "Well," Jennifer said, "I'm using needles now."

But I had to ask: “Doesn’t it drive you crazy? The beads are so tiny and all that threading onto a needle … And before Jennifer can answer Kathleen pipes up, “Well, she's got ADHD ... it comes in handy, sometimes.” (Insert more laughter here).

Says Kathleen, leaning forward, in a hushed tone, “It’s alchemy. She's been making beautiful things: Art Deco designs, to heavier jewelry, to just very fine, almost like Victorian things; Jenny’s made Mexican things. She'll go through periods. It's like, painting.”

Painting is what Kathleen's been doing quite a lot of. Although she can no longer create paintings plein air or, on the larger canvases, she can paint those land and water scapes that have charmed so many of us for decades. Those I described earlier in this column and others will be either gold-framed or presented on small black easels. 

Meanwhile, upstairs most days the sisters creative are in their studios – Kathleen in Mitch’s former one (thanks to help from his daughter who helped clean it out), and Jennifer in Kathleen’s former space – doing what they love, fired up for the show opening at Calypso at 50 Commercial St. on Friday, Sept. 5, which just happens to be the date of this month's Art Tour.

Insert Sister Power fist bump here.