Past and Future:
Eric Hopkins-: August 2008
Emily Leonard-paintings: Sept 2008
Martin Kremer-Glass: Oct 2008
Ben Coombs-Glass: Nov 2008
Tracy Johnson-jewelry: Dec 2008
Benjamin Lambert-ceramic sculpture: Jan 2009
Arthur Fink-photography: Feb 2009
Glassmasters: June 2009
A House of Glass & Mirth: July 2009

August 7 - 30, 2009
Hours by chance & Appt: 11 am – 5 pm Thurs - Sat

Seascapes & Vessels (various artists)

Public Reception for First Friday Art Walk, August 7, 5 - 8 pm
There will be live glassblowing demonstrations during the opening reception.

Opening on the August First Friday Art Walk, the exhibition Seascapes & Vessels features glass sculptures and paintings by gallery artists from Maine and across the nation. The exhibition title is a play on the nautical aspect of the term “vessel” – as well as the broader craft notion of “vessel.” The exhibition includes seascape images, coastal landscapes, nautical and sea-themed glass, including: clay sculptures by Benjamin Lambert; glass by Richard Remsen, Ben Coombs; photography by Craig Becker; and paintings by Brigitte Keller, Roy Germon, Daniel Kany, and (introducing) Cumberland encaustic painter, Rick Green.

The term “vessel” has several meanings: in Maine, the default meaning is most likely a ship or a boat; in the art or fine craft worlds, the default meaning is a hollow utensil (though often merely sculptural rather than utilitarian). The connection between the meanings is less abstract than it might appear at first glance and is ultimately pulled together through the notion of content. Maine has a great history of landscape painting, but with a subtle twist: a huge percentage of the landscape works are related to the sub-genre of seascape. Seascapes & Vessels seeks to throw some playful light on the subject by pressing an expansive understanding of the cultural imagery in question.

As one of the major identifiable regions of art production in the United States, Maine has largely been branded by its coastal imagery: lighthouses, crashing waves, lobsters, seagulls, sailboats and so many scenes of its craggy coastline. Yet within this coastal vocabulary of images are a few ideas closer to broader notions of art, the most notable of which is genre. The unthreatened king of which is landscape: the Monhegan school, the Wyeths, the Zorachs, Hartley, Bellows, Sargent, Porter, Welliver, etc. As well, however, lies a deep commitment to craftsmanship: from shipbuilding to fine furniture to the fine craft productions of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts or the clay machinations of Watershed. Maine is a major player in the history of craftsmanship and vessels.

“My understanding is that Seascapes & Vessels seeks to be more of a fun show than anything else,” notes Portland clay artist Benjamin Lambert: “My work in this show is about our human interaction and effect on marine life. It can have a tough message at times, but I always want it to be playful and witty. A biting joke, maybe, but a joke nonetheless. This will be a very colorful show in every sense of the word.”

The gallery space is located at the Portland Glassblowing Studio at 24 Romasco Lane – behind the old Nissen factory building a block from Washington/Cumberland Aves. The Portland Glassblowing Studio houses the hot shop of glass artist Ben Coombs who will be giving glassblowing demonstrations during the exhibition opening on August 7th during the First Friday Art Walk.

For more information and publication-quality images, please contact Daniel Kany.