Review: Damariscotta-Newcastle ArtWalk: Three Down, Two to Go

The third of five 2016 Damariscotta-Newcastle ArtWalks took place on Friday, Aug. 19. The ArtWalk – in its fourth year – offers attendees 17 stops at which they can peruse some of the abundance of high-caliber art that the Twin Villages area has to offer. Sixteen of those stops are in Damariscotta and one, The Lincoln Home, is in Newcastle. Some of the venues, which are listed on the ArtWalk maps available in stores throughout Newcastle and Damariscotta, offer music and/or light snacks and beverages. Artists are on hand at a number of the venues as well. ArtWalk attendees can visit as many or as few venues as desired, and venues can, of course, be visited in any order, even though they are numbered.

The River Arts gallery, at 241 Route 1 in Damariscotta, is listed as stop No. 17 on the ArtWalk map. On Aug. 19, it was home to two exhibits: “The Maine Scene,” a multi-artist show that runs through Thursday, Sept. 1 in the venue’s main gallery, and a solo show by Walpole painter Sarah Wilde in the River Arts West Gallery.

Wilde’s installation is notable for its eye-pleasing acrylic depictions of features of the Maine landscape; her “very small paintings,” as she terms them, of islands are delightful.

Bath artist Pamela A. Allen’s exhibit, “Mainely Color Play,” at the Pemaquid Watershed Association office, at 584 Main St. in Damariscotta, is worth taking time to view. The watercolor exhibit will remain on PWA’s walls through Friday, Sept. 30, which means it will be viewed at the next ArtWalk, from 4-7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 16.

The PWA office is a pleasant place to take in art during ArtWalk as it offers hors d’oeuvres (including gluten-free versions) to snack on as one looks at the art in two rooms of the building. Additionally, Allen was on hand at the Aug. 19 event to chat with ArtWalk guests – always a nice touch.

Japanese-inspired hand-embroidered “paintings” by Newcastle artist Megan Lillie were on the walls of the cafe at Rising Tide Community Market, at 323 Main St. in Damariscotta. Lillie’s “sashiko-technique” pieces are viewable during Rising Tide business hours through Friday, Aug. 26.

Friendly and talented artist Kathleen Horst greeted ArtWalk guests at Kathleen Horst Gallery, at 179 Bristol Road, Damariscotta, while Italian mandolin music played over a sound system in the background. Her cozy, bright studio space is a pleasant stop on the ArtWalk tour. Horst paints house portraits in addition to her other artwork, which includes a particularly lovely, large watercolor of an oyster. She was more than happy to show how she is coming along on her current work-in-progress, a watercolor painting of S. Fernald’s Country Store in Damariscotta and the white wooden house next to it.

Across the road and down the way a bit from Horst’s studio-gallery are Sinclair Gallery, at 172 Bristol Road, and Jan Kilburn Art Studio, at 168 Bristol Road. Both venues were open for ArtWalk on Aug. 19, though both were unmanned. Each offers a lot to see. Little Sinclair Gallery is packed with a variety of artwork, from whimsical wire sculptures to a nice photo of sheep titled “The Girls.” Kilburn’s studio is loaded with colorful watercolor paintings and notecards based on her artwork.

Kefauver Studio & Gallery, at 144 Bristol Road, rounds out the quartet of Bristol Road Galleries. Featuring the paintings of talented landscape artist Will Kefauver, as well as pieces in a variety of mediums by guest artists, the warm, inviting Kefauver Studio & Gallery is a must-see stop on the ArtWalk.

Practically around the corner are two more must-see art stops – the gloriously jam-packed Stable Gallery, at 26 Water St., and Savory Maine Restaurant, at 11 Water St., which always seems to have good art on its walls.

And the Damariscotta River Grill, at 155 Main St., must be included in the list of reliably top-notch places to view art. Its current show, featuring the beautiful summer-themed work of Susan Tilton Pecora, Susan Zimmerman, and Kimberly Skillin Traina, will run through Monday, Sept. 12.

Painter Pam Hansen’s one-night-only ArtWalk show at The Lincoln Home was well-attended – and well-supplied with food and drink, as seems to be the custom with art shows at this venue. Look for the appealing artwork of charming Venezuelan-turned-Mainer Liliana Thelander at The Lincoln Home’s next third-Friday ArtWalk event on Sept. 16.

Yummy food was on hand, too, at Matthew Russ’ exhibit at Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty, at 170 Main St., Damariscotta. Russ’ series of Monhegan Island oil paintings, featuring huge skies above low-lying land on the horizon, were interesting to look at.

Studio Roz, at 147 Elm St., is not to be missed. The home and art studio of jewelry-maker and painter Rosalind “Roz” Welsh is thoroughly inviting, from the playful, colorful No. 8 sign announcing the studio’s presence on Elm Street (Studio Roz is stop No. 8 on the ArtWalk map) to the intriguing stitched-canvas paintings and jewelry that are on display throughout her house. Add to that Welsh’s affable personality and willingness to talk about how she creates her artwork and the delicious treats she offers.

The busiest place by far during the Aug. 19 ArtWalk was Gifts at 136, at 136 Main St. One had to be careful not to bump into either a person or a piece of art when making one’s way through the delightfully crowded venue. A number of artists featured at Gifts at 136 were in attendance. The event had the feel of a party, a who’s-who gathering of local artists and art aficionados. Definitely a fun stop.

Curiously, three venues – River Gallery Fine Art, Newcastle Realty, and The Shady Lady – were closed before the ArtWalk was over, so those who saved them for the later part of the evening were unable to view what they had to offer.

Two more third-Friday ArtWalks will be held, on Sept. 16 and Oct. 21, from 4-7 p.m.