“Lipstick,” by Lisa Mossel Vietze
The Damariscotta River Grill will welcome spring on Tuesday, March 21 with a profusion of colorful photographic flower and nature studies by Joan Atkinson, Kathryn Simpson Bean Davis, and Lisa Mossel Vietze. Each woman’s photographic style complements one another and makes an artful statement of observation, composition, and beauty. An opening reception to meet the photographers and sample delicious appetizers by Rick Hirsch and his staff will be held on Wednesday, March 22, from 4-5:30 p.m. All photographs will be for sale.
Joan Atkinson, of New Harbor, started her artistic explorations with an old film camera, transforming her photographs into watercolor paintings of Formula One race cars. “Transitioning to digital photography opened a new artistic door that allowed me to post-process the image to what ‘my’ eye sees and not the camera lens,” Atkinson said. “I enjoy photography and sharing my voice through my camera lens. I don’t restrict myself to one particular subject and I like trying new things. With my photography, I try to evoke a sense of stillness, a reminder that little moments are often overlooked.”
Kathryn Simpson Bean Davis, of Kennebunk, captures beauty in the everyday in her daily photographic practice. “This winter, I filled the house with cut flowers and photographed blooms from budding through flowering stages and think of these new works as ‘dreaming of spring,’” she said. A full-time artist, Davis continues to focus on impermanence and the flow of life in her artwork. In the last 10 years, she has logged hundreds, if not thousands, of hours exploring the places where beauty comes into being and passes away.
Drawn to the subtleties of petal and stem, accomplished photographer Vietze, of Appleton, creates intimate, powerful studies of flowers. “ I’m often in awe of the color, design, or expression of form when I’m in the company of flowers,” Vietze said. “My search for beauty in my surroundings is much like my own search for the Divine. A flower is the plant’s highest potential and promise of a new generation, giving of its energy for creating seeds. For me, it’s verification that goodness does exist and how spirit is tangible. Look deeply into a flower and you can see the birthplace of a new generation.”
Damariscotta River Grill is located at 155 Main St., Damariscotta. For more information about the show, contact Kim Traina at jumpstartcreative@gmail.com. For more information about the restaurant, go to damariscottarivergrill.com or the Damariscotta River Grill Facebook page.
