Marked by a Dali-esque blue violin melting off the side of the building, a new gallery has opened in the Waldoboro Village.
Artist Philippe Guillerm recently relocated to Waldoboro with his wife, Jacqueline. The couple live and work in the in the former bank building near the corner of Main Street and Jefferson Street, where they operate the Phillip Guillerm Gallery.
Philippe focuses mainly on making the art in a studio just off from the exhibition space, while Jacqueline creates the exhibits and does public relations and sales. “It’s a pretty good balance,” Jacqueline said.
Previously Guillerm’s work was carried locally at the Carver Hill Gallery in Rockland, and the new location is the first time he has had a gallery of his own, Jacqueline said.
The opening for the gallery was held on Aug. 10, in conjunction with the opening of a new exhibit at Tidemark Gallery.
“[It was] definitely a very emotional moment, because it has been a dream for Philippe for a very a long time,” Jacqueline said.
A common motif throughout many of the sculptures in the new gallery is that of a violin. Philippe said he once had around two or three good ideas for violin sculptures, and as he started making the first and then another, the ideas continued to flow. Now, he has been been oriented on musical sculptures for over 10 years, and has created over 300 violin and string instrument pieces.
“I love music,” Philippe said. “For me, it’s life.”
Philippe said he used to do a lot of pieces based on wildlife and the human form, but was always enamored of the carving work done by violin makers.
“It’s a human shape, too,” Philippe said of the violin, and several of his sculptures reflect his perception in different mergings of the human and violin forms.
Moving forward with his ideas and concepts has not been a course of surety, though, since sometimes a given piece may sit for two years before it sells, he said.
One such piece, what Philippe called a “Swiss violin,” was like a big Swiss Army knife, with the various blades and tools swiveling out from the body of the violin.
“It was very, very humoristic,” he said, but despite the continued attention the piece received, no one bought it. So it was with a piece with an oversized hot dog bun and condiments, where a violin was substituted as the hot dog, he said.
“I don’t care, because I love these pieces,” Philippe said. Both surreal and humorous pieces are what he would prefer to work on, he said.
Such pieces may not be the best for someone’s living room, but would be great for museums because they draw people and are so funny, he said.
In order to help pay the bills, though, Philippe said he often repeats sculptures that sell well. Even though they follow the general design of such a piece, the later editions would usually be easily distinguishable if set side by side, he said.
“I think I get a very cool window,” since few other artists focus mainly on musical instrument pieces, he said.
Recently, Philippe has been able to do more painting, with most of the pieces in the gallery having been painted since the family’s move to Waldoboro. Unlike his sculptures, which tend to be very smooth, curvaceous and showcase a lot of natural color tones and wood grains, his recent paintings are brightly colored, more angular, and more textured. The paintings show movement, speed, work, activity, and change.
Painting with powerful colors such as orange can be beneficial for one’s mind, mood, and attitude, Philippe said.
“Just because we are in Maine, I think we need a little more sun sometimes,” he said of his color choices.
Philippe said he prefers movement in his pieces, which is why he does not usually enjoy landscapes, but some landscapes hang on the gallery walls nonetheless.
“I like the power of the sun and the heat; I love the contrast of the shadow and the light,” he said.
Painting is faster, but sculpting is easier, according to Philippe. A sculpture is something real that can be held and turned, and lighting and perspective do not play the same role that they do in paintings, he said.
“It’s very tricky to make a very good painting,” he said.
Mistakes and problems in a painting can be hidden in a painting, though, while with a sculpture “you can see all the problems right away,” he said.
Many of Philippe’s sculptures incorporate drift wood that he and Jackie collect while they are sailing in the Caribbean during the winter months. Because the couple is traveling for half the year, they have had to pack a lot of activity into the summer months to accommodate the move to Waldoboro, Jacqueline said.
“It has been a nice challenge,” she said.
Jacqueline described moving to Waldoboro as an achievement for them.
“The people of Waldoboro have really welcomed us, they’re really terrific people here, so we feel very proud to be here,” she said.
The Philippe Guillerm Gallery is located at 882 Main Street in Waldoboro, and is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekends by appointment. For more information, call 701-9085, find them on Facebook, or visit http://www.guillermsculptures.com.