“Just Past Sunset,” by Barbara Applegate (Courtesy photo)
The paintings of Barbara Applegate and Sally Loughridge, two member artists at the Pemaquid Art Gallery, have strong impact on the viewer, although in very different styles. The two painters are both prolific and accomplished, creating scenes of the Maine coast where color and composition are vital.
Applegate presents acrylic paintings of landscapes and harbors in a contemporary, angular style using bright color combinations of strong yellow, orange, blue and purple. Her work is often in a long, horizontal format from a bird’s-eye view, emphasizing other-worldly universality. She is a studio painter and her abstracted scenes emphasize shape, value, and color that create striking compositions.
Loughridge’s landscapes and seascapes in oil and pastel are also striking but more soft edged, with evocative colors and simplified shapes; often incorporating the colors of sunrise and sunset contrasted with dark trees and land masses.
Loughridge paints plein air in the summer and in the studio in winter and is especially drawn to the beauty and power of Maine’s natural world and her own emotional reaction to it.
Applegate is an art school graduate with a Bachelor of Arts from Dickinson College. Her earliest art training and painting experience were in Pennsylvania, influenced by the great painters of Bucks County and the Brandywine Valley. She relocated to Maine in 1996 and now maintains her studio/gallery in Bristol.
“Late Winter Snow,” by Sally Loughridge (Courtesy photo)
Applegate has exhibited widely, receiving many awards. Her work is found in many museums’ permanent collections and it has appeared in various art publications. To view her work, go to barbaraapplegate.com.
Loughridge moved to Maine in 1999 and focused on her art after a 27-year career as a clinical psychologist. She continued her art training through a “rich patchwork” of workshops and classes. Loughridge also works in watercolor and jewelry, and she has authored two self-illustrated books. She has shown extensively in the Midcoast, most recently participating in a three-person show at the Damariscotta River Grill.
To view her work, go to sallyloughridge.com.
Located in Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park in Bristol, Pemaquid Art Gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Monday, Oct. 9. For more information, go to pemauidartgallery.com or call 677-2752.
