“Lillies by the Cove” by Susan Bartlett Rice. (Photo courtesy Rutherford Library)
The South Bristol Rutherford Library is excited to announce its first-ever group art show to be held at the library during the month of August.
The opening will take place from 4-5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 3. Light refreshments will be served and artists’ works will be offered for sale. Participating South Bristol artists include Steve Busch, Sally Loughridge, Kay Miller, Susan Bartlett Rice, and Joy Vaughan.
Busch’s paintings are often in an imaginative, narrative form incorporating maritime themes that invite the viewer to consider possibilities within, such as his “Shipwrecked on Monhegan”, which is on display at Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. He paints with oils both in his South Bristol studio and in plein air.
Loughridge is a year-round resident of South Bristol who describes her art work as reflecting her attraction to the juxtaposition of natural elements – sky, sea, and land – and the rich contrasts in color, value, texture, and temperature these intersections bring. Her artwork can be seen at Pemaquid Art Gallery, Archipelago in Rockland, and One Sixty Five, The Inn on Park Row in Brunswick, as well as solo and juried shows along the Midcoast.
Miller began her formal art exploration, primarily watercolors, by taking adult education classes in Concord, N.H. A teaching career took her traveling throughout the world, and she took her art interest with her.
“Art has always been with me, it connects all the places I’ve been. Walking outdoors brings me closer to nature and makes my botanical monotypes come alive,” Miller said
Bartlett Rice’s oil paintings are autobiographical and reflect the contrasts, challenges and comforts of living year-round on the Maine coast. Her modern work reflects a time almost gone by. Through her paintings of local architecture, the working waterfront and family farming, she colorfully represents long-standing traditions in contemporary times.
Vaughan is an artist and a teacher of the creative process. She has lived in South Bristol for exactly 50 years having arrived here in 1972. Her paintings, although mostly abstract, take inspiration from the Maine landscape and weather.
The library is pleased to sponsor this show of very talented artists and plans for it to be the first of many such events in the future. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
The library is located at 2000 Route 129 in South Bristol. For more information, call 644-1882.
