Debra Woodward

Dine

We dine out not because we are necessarily hungry for food. We are hungry for the experience. Usually this means sharing the experience with others.  Since we are not cooking, serving, or cleaning up, we can focus on our tablemates.  Dining alone can also be a rewarding and meditative experience though, not having to engage in anything but enjoying every bite.

Here you will see Seacoast NH and one from the legendary Taos Diner which I was sad to hear closed last year. I have special memories from all of these places.  I gravitate toward making art with stories, like the Dad having lunch with his daughters at one of my favorite cafés in Kittery and another in Paris where I was watching from the street and it appeared that even though this fellow had apparently been stood up, he moved to a table and allowed the waiter serve him his meal alone. 

During lockdown, not being able to meet friends for a meal out was one of the greatest longings for a lot of us.   It was especially devastating for the restaurants and their workers, which makes it even more satisfying to see them come back from this and to see even more eateries open in this town.  So, get out there and support them!

Gwen Morgan

In creating a body of works for this exhibit I struggled over finding a theme, but my subjects are varied. I hope that the joy I find in creating shines through in these pieces and those who view them find joy.

My favorite medium is watercolor. The wonderful colors, the way the paint and water move on the paper and the joy of negative painting bring life to delicate flowers, rusty old vehicles, special locations and whimsical ideas. Recently I have found a new enjoyment and challenge in creating collages. I never know the direction a piece might take. I usually start with pieces from my gelli prints and arrange them into colorful pieces of art.

I began my studies in art with Elna Delson in Durham followed by a few classes at Plymouth State College and later with Elinor Vaughan, Doris Rice, Jan Kilburn and Danielle Genovese. I have painted with Doris Rice at local venues such as Strawbery Banke as well as Monhegan Island, Provence and Brittan in France, Tuscany in Italy and Ireland and Spain. My paintings hang in collection in New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, New York Pennsylvania and Texas.

I am currently retired and am enjoying newfound time to continue to create.

Maryclare Heffernan

Tangled Together 

We are all tangled together. The blackberry brambles, miles of wildflowers, grasshoppers, crows, field mice, us. Not a single one of us will survive alone. 

This exhibit is my attempt to capture tendrils of grass around a bird’s nest, a baby lamb waiting for mother’s lunch, the lake harboring fish, frogs, snakes, waterlilies, teeming with life. The evergreen and apple trees, the briny ocean full of creatures. Such simple magnificence in our lives.

I paint what I love to look at, working in oils, watercolors, pencil and ink. I see the world around us filled with untold mystery in the sprays of sea salt, on fat ripe pears with their silver leaves attached, miniature bird nests and delicate lavender violets in the grass.

I arrived late to the creation of art. My learning has been inspired by working with master artists, my two brilliant artist sisters, and by myself.

 My art has been juried into numerous exhibits and displayed in galleries in Portsmouth, and Exeter NH, Ogunquit, Maine and Newburyport, Massachusetts and found in private collections throughout the United States and abroad.  

Kevin Talbot

Life in the ‘Shire

Kevin Daniel Talbot is a local nature photographer and avid hiker who uses his photography to share his love of nature. The photos in this show are the creatures that share this beautiful State of New Hampshire with us.  Over the past thirteen years Kevin  has taken photographs every day and posts on Facebook and his website. He has made eight-day long trips to volunteer at the summit of Mt. Washington (in all seasons) as a cook and housekeeper for the weather station crew.

“Many facets of nature are too small to see clearly. Through the camera lens I can zoom in and stop time to reveal the minute details that would otherwise be missed by the casual observer” states Kevin.  Through his photos he hopes one person might say, “I need to care more about the lesser creatures and the preservation of our world.”

Photographs of the New England hikes he took with his wife and dogs and his Mt. Washington photos can be found at: Ghostflowers.com

 Jane Copp

New England Boats 

New England harbors with their ever-changing tides, seagulls, salty air and working boats have always delighted me. Painting the reflections of these vessels upon the ocean and their details has been a source of visual interest. Within these compositions, I endeavor to have some aspect of mystery…whether it is a shape that disappears or a shadow in the distance. I want the viewer to travel through the painting and enjoy the uniqueness of these boats in their locations.

The paintings of the Hudson River School of Art have always been an inspiration …the work of Albert Bierstadt and Martin Johnson Heade in particular. Fitz Henry Lane’s luminous marine paintings are a favorite as well as contemporary painters of boats – William Davis, Todd Bonita, Robert Bolster and Joseph McGurl.

The artworks you see here are done in acrylic paint with either a gloss or matte varnish and have custom made frames. I find acrylic paint to be conducive to the rendering of the fine details seen on boats. Because of the quick drying time of this medium, the many layers of paint can be accurately maintained. I also like the saturated colors and clean edges that can be achieved with acrylics.

Annie Brown                                 

Reigniting The Spark

I was trained as a painter, but six years ago, I picked up a camera and discovered landscape/wildlife photography. While practicing my newfound craft, painting took a back seat, but was always in my heart. Since I found myself spending an abundance of time sitting at beaches, marshes and swamps waiting for wildlife, I began to really study, photograph, and sketch the surrounding landscapes. 

Then after experiencing some health issues last year that left me unable to hit the trails to search for wildlife, a spark of familiarity grew inside me, and I found myself putting paint to canvas once again. But rather than go back to my classical oil painting training, I decided to venture into the medium of acrylics and palette knives!  This body of work is the result of that spark.

It is hard for me to put thoughts about my work into words, but if pressed, I would have to say that painting is closest to my heart, and photography is closest to my soul!  Both are important to me and have played different roles in my life. Capturing my surroundings when all is quiet as the seasons have changed and the visitors have all gone home. These works embrace my love of texture, light and serenity!

 Marlene Zychowski

The Joy of Still Life 

My painting style is ever evolving, leaning from realism to impressionism. I work in oils and pastels, painting subjects that make me happy in hopes they will please others as well. My work tends to be “tight” and I am trying to loosen up my approach. Still life (food, florals, found objects) and landscapes are the subjects that interest me, especially the variety of flowers and peonies I grow from my gardens. I enjoy color and use it freely.

I work from life using my own setups and from photos I have taken. I also paint in plein air with local groups and in competitions but prefer the solace and comfort that my well-lit home studio provides. I utilize warm and cool lighting with which I am still experimenting.

As I learn and grow, my still life paintings will become more complex. I have 5 shelves in my studio with interesting objects I’ve collected including colorful glass, pitchers, plates and mugs. I strive for the greatness of Sargent and Hopper and am influenced by contemporaries such as Daniel Keys, Kathleen Dunphy, Alex Kelly and Kathy Anderson.

Carol Powley                                 

Trees, A Sense of Wonder

I am thrilled that the Seacoast Artist Association Gallery, in Exeter, N.H., has presented me with the opportunity to show my 2023 Body of Work: Trees, A Sense of Wonder.

Trees are unique drawings of nature. Each individual branch maintains its own shape, color and design. By machine drawing with silk thread on my painted cotton fabric I am able to express that trees are a harbinger of spring, their buds bursting open with lovely greens and glorious pastels. During the summer you can hear the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze. You are rewarded with blazing color in autumn. In winter the trees lift their limbs up to God to pray. “Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.” Kahil Gibran

My free motion machine embroidery on cotton is a spontaneous response to the color, texture, and design of the trees that thrive in our natural environment here in New Hampshire and Maine. I hand paint the surface of white cotton panels with transparent water color paint made specifically to be used on cotton and silk fabrics. My sewing machine is placed in front of my second floor studio window which overlooks a forest of Pine, Oak and Birch trees. The seacoast shore and Great Bay area serve as a background for my tree drawings. I have discovered an art form that I love and am able to apply my education as an artist in order to create beautiful landscapes.