Cathie Stebbins Peterson and her Starry Night wall hanging inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s iconic painting The Starry Night. It is unframed and hangs from a
beaver stick, as Peterson calls it.
Cathie Stebbins Peterson is a fiber artist from Freeport who is sharing her works at the Pemaquid Watershed Association office-gallery for its final show, “Woolscapes.”
Fiber is Peterson’s medium of choice right now, including hand-dyed wools and various fibers such as alpaca, merino, cashmere, angora, silk, and nylon, which are needle-felted onto a piece of felt. Peterson loves the feel of fiber in her hands, how forgiving it is, and the colors created by blending or layering it. Most of Peterson’s woolscapes are created with lots of emotion about the subject, helping her feel how she needs to work with the fibers, which seems to her and viewers like painting with wool. The detail she creates is delicate and amazing, creating depth that can only be truly appreciated seeing the art in person.
There is quite a range of art in Peterson’s show, from incredibly realistic detailed pieces to more abstract colorful pieces filled with imaginative symbolism.
In the “middle room” beyond the kitchen is a table full of smaller pieces, including heirloom handspun, handbraided reversible dollhouse rugs, “cuffers,” art “half-mits,” necklaces, bracelets, shoulder wraps called “Hugs,” and baby booties. Peterson’s “Hugs” shoulder wraps are still on holiday special for 25 percent off.
Peterson is a member artist at River Arts in Damariscotta and the Harlow Gallery in Hallowell. She has also been juried into shows at Boothbay Regional Arts and Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, in Rockland. Peterson has had solo shows at the West Gallery at River Arts, the Freeport Community Library, Old World Gourmet in Freeport, and Alpaca Naturals, in Portland.
The exhibit can be viewed weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. by visiting PWA’s office-gallery, at 584 Main St. in Damariscotta, which is across from Young’uns. The show will be up through Friday, Jan. 18. One should take time to enjoy the beautiful large mural on north end of the garage while there, painted earlier last year by Susan Bartlett Rice.
Peterson is donating 35 percent of proceeds from sales of her fiber art to support PWA’s mission-driven work.
Since 1966, Pemaquid Watershed Association has been a member- and volunteer-supported nonprofit land trust. PWA’s mission is to conserve the natural resources of the Pemaquid Peninsula region through land and water stewardship and education. For more information on PWA, call 563-2196 or go to pemaquidwatershed.org.
