The recently renovated farmhouse at Oak Point Farm, which serves as Boothbay Region Land Trust’s (BRLT’s) visitor center and headquarters, has a new attraction for public enjoyment. Renovations to the farmhouse included the creation a large gallery room with wonderful natural light and views overlooking the freshwater pond, as well as the shore of Hodgdon Cove beyond. This multi-use space enables the land trust to host events on the connecting deck as well as lectures and select educational programs. During the summer months, it will feature seasonal exhibitions by local artists. BRLT is thrilled to inaugurate the new gallery room this summer with an exhibition of paintings by the supremely talented, Brad Betts.

Betts has been an artist for over 25 years and is a Signature Member of the American Society of Marine Artists. His paintings have appeared in solo and group shows throughout New England. His inspiration to paint all things nautical is an outgrowth of his youth, which he spent around the waters of the Gulf Coast. Now living in East Boothbay, Betts draws from the area’s rich maritime history and active working harbors to create paintings that reflect his lifelong appreciation of the sea as well his desire to capture the stories of Maine throughout its diverse seasons. Since 2014, Betts has owned and operated Down East Gallery in Edgecomb, Maine, where over 250 of his works are exhibited in a historic farmhouse and barn, along with sculptures, tapestries, wood, and glasswares by a selection of Maine’s finest artisans and makers.

“I am very proud to be the first of many artists to show in the Boothbay Region Land Trust’s new farmhouse gallery at Oak Point Farm,” Betts notes. “BRLT played a significant role in my family’s decision to buy property in the region over 22 years ago. As a family of hikers, we would commonly make trips to the area to seek out the various land trust trails. Each with its own qualities, we valued experiencing so many sides of Maine on one peninsula: ocean, islands, marshes and fields, all with their own ecosystems and habitats. Those experiences opened our eyes to just how diverse the natural resources are in the Boothbay region.”

Betts’ current exhibition includes a selection of paintings inspired by nature and particularly Maine’s scenic shore. Several pieces in the exhibit were created on scene (en plein air) during the first week of the exhibit. As this exhibit was opening, Betts decided to immerse himself on the property for the better part of the week. “The Oak Point Farm preserve is a gem,” he notes. “It holds a little piece of all the preserves put together. Each day, I was more inspired by the variety of subject matter I had to choose from on this 32-acre saltwater farm. Ponds with lily pads, ducks, geese, and songbirds, woodland groves on freshwater ponds, an orchard of apple trees, rolling fields with wild flowers, and of course the pine trees rambling down to the rocky saltwater coastline. I hope it inspires others to visit and spend a few hours in front of each scene.”

This exhibit is currently open for public viewing Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This exhibit will be up through the end of September. Brad Betts has generously pledged to donate 20% of all sales from this show to Boothbay Region Land Trust. For more information, contact Brad Betts at DownEastGallery.com or Skye Wood, Development Director, at vwood@bbrlt.org.