Sue Heil Kibbe has been in love with Maine and New England since her first visit to her grandparent’s home on Southport Island. She has pursued her artistic license in virtually every media while both painting and teaching, with her specialty being portraiture.

“The more you experience the thrill of painting from life, the more addicted you become,” Kibbe said. “I try to let my enthusiasm translate into both my painting and teaching. Classic romantic realism with a healthy serving of impressionism has become for me the best way of extolling the beauty of God’s world.”

The artist attended the Carnegie Institute of Fine Arts and Western Reserve University. As a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art, Kibbe is an active member of the Portrait Society of America, the American Society of Marine Artists and the Boothbay Region Art Foundation. She chaired Maine’s First Annual Plein Air Show of 2012 and Second Annual Plein Air Show of 2013 for the Art Foundation. Kibbe has been the recipient of numerous awards and her paintings, particularly portraits, grace many homes and businesses.

Lois Kramer

A small collection of Lois Kramer's fiber folk art is on exhibit at the library for the months of July and August. Kramer calls her pieces “needle tapestries” as they are handmade, using simple crewel stitches, which cover the entire canvas.

These pieces are a continuation of past folk art made of clay. During that period, Kramer was a member of two ceramic guilds, and for some years co-ran their gallery at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Va. Her clay work is on permanent display at the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress. Kramer has also exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution.

Her fiber work is full of vibrant colors, influenced by her love of Maine. Kramer's joy is in the design work, selection of colors, changing many stitches in “midstitch” and finishing the designs with beadwork, feathers and cloth.

The Southport Memorial Library is located at 1032 Hendricks Hill Road in Southport. The library is open Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.; Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, call 207-633-2741.