Holiday Party

December 6, 2011

Great things come in small packages, and just to prove it, Gleason Fine Art is hanging the walls for the holidays with fresh, new small works of art by the gallery’s roster of artists. “Eye Catchers” opens with a gala reception for artists and public alike on Saturday, December 10, from 5 to 7 pm.

Southport native Phil Barter is showing a brilliant group of wall carvings featuring trees. Barter’s strong, simple forms are painted in rich primary colors. In “Tree #1”, an emerald-green spruce tree is silhouetted against a buttery yellow moon and indigo sky.

Newcastle resident Jane Dahmen has tamed her urge to paint large and created a series of sunny river views that measure just 10 by 10 inches. Sinuous Queen Anne’s lace flowers posed against deep-blue skies are an elegant reminder of what Maine summers are all about.

River Road fabric artists Gayle Fraas and Duncan Slade have created a quartet of intricately painted gouaches that remind us of oriental carpets. Each is centered with a tiny Fraas-Slade landscape of an island dotted with spruce trees.

If you need a smile or two, try a Jeff Barrett carving or a David Witbeck woodblock print. Barrett’s “Larry the Lobster” makes an appearance in a 12-inch format, while Barrett’s jolly “Happy Fish” are content to swim in miniature kelp forests. Witbeck’s sturdy fishermen hoist giant tuna and codfish in striking back-and-white 9-inch squares.

Boothbay Harbor artists Helen St. Clair and Mitch Billis have both contributed small masterpieces:  St. Clair a bouquet of still-lifes including a vase of delicate, late-summer roses; and Billis a trio of dazzling landscapes painted en plein air around the harbor.

Join us on Saturday, December 10, from 5 to 7 pm, for “Eye Catchers: Artwork to Please the Eye and Tickle the Senses.”

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