By Allison Knab
Each winter, the jury selection for the Art of Great Bay show and sale is a reminder of how much water means to area artists, and influences and inspires their works. A slideshow of the nearly 100 artists who applied this year reveals dazzling marshes done in pastel, watercolor, oil and acrylic; sailboats on their slow way somewhere; the way the light shines on water crashing on rocks.
The titles alone give their clues about the influence of our oceans, rivers, and bays: “Kittery Marsh,” “Marshland Sunset,” “Icy Bubbles,” “Star Island Jewel.”
As a committee, we also seek the unexpected art influenced by water but showing other sides of our seas and bays. There are Jennifer Bird’s “beach trash” pieces, the lobsters of Shawn Pelach, the bridges of Lenny Mullaney.
Below are some of the many amazing pieces inspired by our watersheds that will appear in Art of Great Bay, a show and sale put on by the Great Bay Stewards, which, this year, takes place from April 5-7 at the Hugh Gregg Coastal Conservation Center in Greenland, NH.
“Shifting water patterns and rising transient clouds reflect nature’s energy in my oil paintings,” says artist Daryl Johnson. “The views are familiar, but the subtext is the underlying chi, the sweeping momentum of energy.”
“I enjoy being out in the landscape, observing and interpreting what I see,” says painter Shawn Pelech. “I paint along the coast of Maine, New Hampshire, and Key West, outside in all kinds of weather.”
“I use a wide variety of materials in my work, including natural, foraged and found items such as sea glass, bone, driftwood and stone,” says Cassie Doyon. “I was born and raised in a seaside town, and the ocean has been a powerful, repetitive theme through most every piece of art I have made.”
Artist Tom Glover is influenced by the Seacoast and the islands where he has spent time: alone on White Islands of the Isles of Shoals with no potable water, electricity or communication; an Arts Week on Great Spruce Head Island; Appledore Island; and Prince Edward Island.
“After 50 years as a photojournalist, I’ve come to this – moving away from sports, moving away from race cars, moving on to a word of water and boats, shorelines and lighthouses right here in New Hampshire and Maine,” says photographer Bill Moore.
“Throughout my life I have been influenced by nature,” says Jules Robinson. “I spent my career as a wildlife biologist with the NH Fish and Game Department doing what I love and being able to observe the changes in seasons and the habitat every day. Using natural stones, plant material and treasures like sea glass found along the coast I create both jewelry and fiber items that mimic nature.”
“In painting, my focus is on building a dialogue between surface and depth, illusion and Reality,” says Beth Derby. “Many of my favorite subjects involve coastal waters. Recently, my focus has been on the richness of island coves, sea marshes, and tidal edges.”
This blog post was provided by the Great Bay Stewards, a proud partner of the Every Drop Alliance.
#EveryDropMatters
