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!