Wrong date, great visit just the same in York, Maine

I always love going to the George Marshall Store.  Last week I got an email saying that an acquaintance of mine was having some pieces shown there and that there was to be a reception.  I didn't really want to go for the reception, but got delayed and casually arrived in York, Maine at about 4:50 pm.  Ten minutes before the reception and ten minutes before "normal" closing when there is NOT a reception.

Well, I was there on the wrong weekend.  So I zipped through, had a friendly chat with curator Mary Harding and took as many pictures as I could*.

At the front of the gallery were the whimsical constructions of Michael Stasiuk.   Once you have seen his work, you recognize his new pieces.  Many of his pieces had sold.  I want to try to make "Ping Pong Guys for our workshop which MIGHT even have room for our ping pong table!  (That would be fun exercise!!)

 I have no idea where he FINDS these things!!

A Family Matter

The Doctor

Symbols of Success

Dog, Cat, Mouse

Dog, Cat, Mouse, detail

Woman in green dress with husband

Bird with Egg

Well dressed bird

The Ping Pong Guys

Great Bear

Jump Rope Bunny

Donald Saaf   is influenced by  outsider/primitive art and has been painting local scenes from Vermont for 20 years.   He says he looks for composition first and then adds details.  I If you look closely, you can see that he's collaged multiple layers of paper and paint  imagery as well as cut shapes of fabric into his paint and mediums.

The River

Conversation with Trees

The Ladder

Woman with Watering Can 

 

 

 

 

    Jan ter Weele most recent, abstract pieces are apparently a departure for him.  He is also a regional painter (from Falmouth, Maine).  I love the way he gets the colors to practically jump off the canvas!

From Portsmouth to Brooklyn

Title unknown

There's a separate gallery downstairs that always has treasures as well.  This time it was ceramics by Boyan Moskov.  He is from Ruse, Bulgaria and has been living and working in the United States since 2007. I was impressed at how related his thrown pieces AND his slab-built pieces were.  Not doubt part of that is because of the very limited range of glaze he uses.. but there is a mysterious quality to the shapes and structure that under-girds them all.

You can find him on Facebook, too.

The view next Saturday (the 22nd of November) will probably be slightly different.  THAT's the evening of the next show's opening.  Annually there is a show of regional artists (emerging and established).  This year's is called Change of Season and features 18 artists.  There will also be a showing of Kathleen Galligan's work in the downstairs studio.  You can download a PDF copy of the invitation from the George Marshal website.

Driving away, I saw this double garage which was serving as a gallery, too.  Since it was pitch dark and I had already overstayed official hours at George Marshall, I only snapped this photo.  Maybe I'll check it out on a day time visit!

Serendipitously, as I was heading for the Interstate and back through York, I saw another store front which was totally illuminated.   York Village Gallery  has been open since late Spring and also shows regional artists, but of a slightly more traditional style than George Marshall Store Gallery.  I had the pleasure of watching a young woman, named Robin, hang her first partial exhibit.  Her delight and enthusiasm was contagious!  Her husband was cheering her on as were the proprietors of the gallery, Art and Gail Claes.

Michael Dow's wood carvings and turnings were amazing.  One large turned bowl (approximately 15 inches in diameter) was lighter than air AND lined with burnished gold leaf.  Spectacular!

Yin and Yang

The gallery also sells prints and giclees.  It didn't take me long to recognize the work of Barbara Doolittle.   Hide and Seek is a composite of many images that stand on their own... but when combined spell "hide and seek."  It sells for $1200 on her website!  and if she sells all 25,000 of them....

* Sorry that so many photos are a bit fuzzy.  My "big" cameras had used its batteries, so I relied on my phone.  But most any image on any of my blogs can be right or double-clicked on to embiggen the image!