Eye-Catchers: Colorful, unusual, thought-provoking
David Witbeck’s woodblock prints, like the one above entitled, “Jesse,” are a popular item in Gleason Fine Art’s “Eye-Catchers” exhibition for holiday giving.
Jeff Barrett’s “Tommy the Turtle,” 12 by 12-inch carved mixed media is but one of the fanciful offerings of the Belfast-based artist.
Michael Vermette’s “Surf at Washer Woman, Monhegan,” 8 by 10-inch oil.
“Schoolhouse Sunset” Kevin Beers
“Christmas Cove” by John Neville
Sharon Townshend’s pot buoy “Trout.” The artist has a black counterpart swimming above.
4 by 4 oils on board by Jessica Ives
“A Touch of Red,” 8 by 10-inch oil by Helen St. Clair
Andrea Peters’ “Summer Sails” oil on panel
Paul Plante’s “Red Winged Blackbird.”
One of Susan Belten’s 12 by 12-inch pop culture offerings, oil on board. Painting title, guess!
Heidi Daub’s “River Runs Through” 10 by 10-inch acrylic on linen.
“Harbor Near Crail, Scotland” by William Irvine.
“Teeny Ted & Tim,” wood construction, Jeff Barrett.
“Grandpa’s Tall Tale” is a real eye catcher by Jeff Barrett.
David Witbeck’s woodblock prints, like the one above entitled, “Jesse,” are a popular item in Gleason Fine Art’s “Eye-Catchers” exhibition for holiday giving.
Jeff Barrett’s “Tommy the Turtle,” 12 by 12-inch carved mixed media is but one of the fanciful offerings of the Belfast-based artist.
Michael Vermette’s “Surf at Washer Woman, Monhegan,” 8 by 10-inch oil.
“Schoolhouse Sunset” Kevin Beers
“Christmas Cove” by John Neville
Sharon Townshend’s pot buoy “Trout.” The artist has a black counterpart swimming above.
4 by 4 oils on board by Jessica Ives
“A Touch of Red,” 8 by 10-inch oil by Helen St. Clair
Andrea Peters’ “Summer Sails” oil on panel
Paul Plante’s “Red Winged Blackbird.”
One of Susan Belten’s 12 by 12-inch pop culture offerings, oil on board. Painting title, guess!
Heidi Daub’s “River Runs Through” 10 by 10-inch acrylic on linen.
“Harbor Near Crail, Scotland” by William Irvine.
“Teeny Ted & Tim,” wood construction, Jeff Barrett.
“Grandpa’s Tall Tale” is a real eye catcher by Jeff Barrett.
Gleason Fine Art’s ”Eye-Catchers” holiday exhibit focuses on smaller, generally more affordable art and paintings with holiday gift giving in mind.
Marti Gleason came up with the name for the show.
“Paul Plante’s paintings of bird eyes gave her the idea,” Dennis Gleason said. “Eye-Catchers seemed a clever title for smaller works that packed a lot of punch and things that caught the eye.”
Works in this show run from $80 to a couple hundred, and are created by Gleason’s stable of artists.
Artists featured as “Eye-Catchers” include Jessica Ives whom the Gleasons have known since the artist was a student at Camden High. Ives has created several 3 by 3-inch scenic sketches for the show, which colorfully depict kayaking, sailing and docks.
Father Paul Plante’s bird eyes — those of goldfinch, red winged blackbird, cardinal and others are offered framed or unframed. Plante has a way of conveying personality in his closeup profiles of some of nature’s feathered beauties.
David Witbeck, known for his paintings of larger-than-life fishermen and their catches, has several framed woodblock prints in the show. Dennis noted these have been popular items.
Kevin Beers of Monhegan Island and Rockland has created smaller framed paintings including the semi dark, “Schoolhouse Sunset.”
The overwhelming stillness captured in this piece draws the viewer in encouraging him or her to travel within the walls of the schoolhouse and what may have transpired there before leaving out the back of the building and into the glow of the almost set sun.
Michael Vermette of Old Town is a favorite at Gleason for, as Dennis described, “his rich, thickly painted” coastal scenes and those of Mount Katahdin. In “Surf at Washer Woman, Monhegan,” the textures created by his heavy use of oil paint creates depth and motion in the water. This painting actually breathes, it’s so alive!
Bill Irvine (Er-vin), a Scotsman and Maine resident these past 50 years, has one in particular, “Harbor near Crail, Scotland,” which is a charming, with houses that seem to bend, to yield to the elements of a densely cloudy sky and imposing mountain behind.
John Neville’s fanciful clouds in one of his works, “Christmas Cove,” with brightly colored boats evokes a sunny, happy feeling.
Andrea Peters’ colorful, smaller offerings of coastal Maine scenes and florals are always a crowd pleaser.
The folk and wood construction art of Monroe-based Jeff Barrett appear in the show. His carved, whimsical pieces for the show include “Tommy the Turtle” and “Teeny Ted and Tim.”
Other pieces by this extremely creative artist that are not in the show bear mentioning. “Fiddler Crab,” a carved crab in a, you guessed it, fiddle case; one of my favorites, a framed 53 by 30-inch wood construction entitled, “Granpa’s Tall Tale,” a stunning three dimensional piece! Barrett’s work is all over the gallery.
To see the world through the eyes of Mitch Billis is to exist, if only momentarily, in a world of beauty that leaves one with a yearning to experience it for real.
Other artists include: Helen St. Clair’s lovely florals and scenes with a distinctly French quality; the colorful and large florals of Jean Swan Gordon; and Henry Issacs’ impressionistic works ranging from 8 by 10-inches to 40 by 50-inches.
From the abstract to the real to the whimsical in oil, acrylic, wood and pot buoys, the Eye-Catcher’s exhibit — and other antique to modern day works that are of Gleason’s staples — are of the stuff to marvel over, explore and daydream about.
The Eye-Catchers exhibit of visual holiday gift-giving delights will remain up through the new year.
Gleason Fine Art is located at 31 Townsend Avenue in Boothbay Harbor. For more information: 207-633-6849 and www.gleasonfineart.com.
Event Date
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31 Townsend Avenue
Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538
United States
