Inspired by water and subjects found near the water, Will Kefauver painted Nocturne, New Harbor.”
In its 90th year of continuous seasonal operation, Pemaquid Art Gallery in Bristol features the work of many local resident artists. Bev Walker, who lives in Chamberlain in the summer and Topsham in the winter, and Will Kefauver, of Damariscotta, are two whose fine oil paintings attract visitors.
Walker holds degrees in art design and painting. Although she started her painting career in watercolor, her medium now is oil and her subject is landscape. She also enjoys painting abstract works for the personal challenge and artistic growth it provides.
Walker’s early years in Rangeley were followed by adult life in Michigan, where she participated in competitions and received many awards. Since 2016, back in Maine, she has shown her work at River Arts, the Topsham Public Library, and often at the Highlands in Topsham.
Inspired by the ocean, Walker is interested in intense color. “I believe art should heighten the experience of the actual,” she said. Some of her finely executed coastal scenes can be seen at her website, bevwalkerart.com.
Kefauver also studied art and was an instructor at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His art career included years as an illustrator, a graphic designer, an art director, and an executive in the publishing industry. Kefauver has an extensive bio with many shows, galleries, and awards to his credit. Today, he shows his work and teaches private lessons at his studio in Damariscotta. Kefauver is president of the Pemaquid Group of Artists.
Kefauver, like Walker, is particularly inspired by water and subjects found near water; “Boats, Buoys, and Dinghies” was his aptly named solo show in Damariscotta in 2015. He is equally skilled at portraits of animals and people, but his primary interest remains the coastal Maine landscape, which he paints both on location and in the studio. Kefauver welcomes visitors to his studio gallery at 144 Bristol Road, Damariscotta. See his website, kefauverstudio.com, for more information.
The intense color of Pine Branch, by Bev Walker, is typical of the artists oil paintings of coastal scenes.
One can visit Pemaquid Art Gallery this season to see the work of the following member artists: Barbara Applegate, Debra Arter, Bruce Babb, Julie Babb, Stephen Busch, Midge Coleman, Trudi Curtis, William Curtis, Dianne Dolan, Peggy Farrell, Sarah Fisher, Bill Hallett, Claire Hancock, Kay Sawyer Hannah, Kathleen Horst, Hannah Ineson, Kefauver, Jan Kilburn, Barbara Klein, Patti Leavitt, Sally Loughridge, Marlene Loznicka, Nancy MacKinnon, Judy Nixon, Paul Sherman, Cindy Spencer, Liliana Thelander, Ernest Thompson, Bob Vaughan, Steve Viega, and Walker, and guest artist Jane Bowman.
The artists all reside within the Lincoln County area. The gallery is situated within Lighthouse Park at Pemaquid Point, Bristol, and online at pemaquidartgallery.com. The gallery is open daily through Columbus Day, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
