“Full Moon Fox,” by Susan Bartlett Rice.
Cheney Financial Group is hosting the second of three fun summer events in its Local Flavors series Thursday, Aug. 15 from 4:30-6 p.m. The events support and showcase local artists, local musicians, local food, and local brews and wine. Artist Susan Bartlett Rice will exhibit her paintings and live music will be performed by Chris Hight and Annette Rundall. Hors d’oeuvres and tastings of local beer and wine will be provided by Lurie Sprague-Palino of Seacoast Catering and Lobsterbakes and Damariscotta River oysters will be supplied by Pemaquid Oyster Co. The community is invited to support local businesses, art, and music at Newcastle Realty, 87 Main St., Damariscotta.
Walpole artist Rice earned her bachelor’s degree in studio art and art history from the University of Vermont, followed by further studies at the California College of Arts and Crafts and the Rhode Island School of Design. Her oil paintings are autobiographical and reflect the contrasts, challenges, and comforts of living year-round on the Maine coast. Through her paintings of local architecture, the working waterfront and family farming, she colorfully represents long-standing traditions in contemporary times. Rice’s paintings have been exhibited and collected nationally.
Rice said, “I am most inspired by the simplicity of my everyday life, living on a family farm on the Maine coast and the space that gives me to create. My current work follows in real time the change of seasons and the people and places around me. I enjoy painting in my own small town and immediately notice when someone reshingles their roof or paints their house, because I have painted the same places from different angles so many times. I like to capture places before they are gone or changed. My hope is that my work looks like it was painted in my own time, but captures the places and traditions that make my home of Maine ‘Maine.’”
Rice’s paintings will be on exhibit until Sept. 9.
Cheney Financial Group comprises Cheney Insurance, Newcastle Realty, and Newcastle Vacation Rentals. Its locally grown, locally owned companies have a strong commitment to supporting local businesses and bringing together community. The last Local Flavors summer series events will spotlight different artists and food vendors and will be held Thursday, Sept. 12. For more information, contact Kristy Battles at 563-1003 or follow the group on Facebook.
