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Francis Hamabe
The Hamabe estate has a collection of drawings, collages and paintings. A portion of proceeds from the sale of the estate go to the Maine Community Foundation, a vehicle that supports the Maine. Expansion Funds (mainecf.org), whose mission is promoting the arts in rural Maine. His widow, Phyllis Hamabe, is working on a monograph about Hamabe’s work with author Carl Little. Publication is scheduled for 2011. |
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Vincent Hartgen
Vincent Hartgen was a legendary figure and pioneer in the development of the visual arts in Maine. As an artist, Hartgen exhibited at the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design, the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the De Cordova Museum, and the Chase Gallery in New York, among many other venues. His work is in major public and private collections. Perhaps more importantly, in 1946 Hartgen developed the visual arts program at the University of Maine, Orono. Soon after, Hartgen was the director and curator of the University’s Art Gallery. Hartgen was a trustee of the Haystack School, the commissioner of Maine State Commission of Arts & Humanities, and the recipient of numerous awards including the University of Maine Alumni Association’s Black Bear Award, the University of Maine Distinguished Professor Award, and the Arts and the Humanities Governor’s Art Award. |
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Margaret Straus
I can’t remember when I started painting. It was always something I enjoyed doing, long before I thought of it as “Art”. In time, when I realized I had to support myself, I thought that doing something in art would be the most pleasant way. That was when I went to Cooper Union Art School. I had the idea of becoming a textile designer, but found that working as a colorist for architects paid better. Painting was an accepted thing to do in my family. My uncles, Eliot and Fairfield Porter, encouraged me; my mother studied mushrooms and made paintings of them. However, spending summers on an island in Penobscot bay with its wonderful views that could not be denied was perhaps my strongest influence, and it is still where I do my best work. |
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Louise Bourne A few years ago, Jennifer Mitchell visited my studio. At that time, I was showing only my oil paintings. Jen discovered the stacks of watercolors and pastels I make whenever I take a break from oil paint. I’d never considered showing them. They are works in their own right, and also provide information for larger oil paintings. My paintings are responses to stunning experiences of color and light. I work both outdoors and in the studio, from direct observation, memory, drawings, and in response to the painting itself. My fascination lies with color progressions and intricacies, and the juice of life. Nature calls our attention like a magnet; I try to make my paintings have a similar pull, not as description, but as visceral experience. |
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Jennifer Mitchell Watercolors What interests me are the patterns I observe in my subject, whether it is nature, still life or people. The work can be complex, tightly rendered or loose. While painting, my process is not to replicate, but to capture the atmosphere of what I see. The ultimate joy is watching the fluid transparency of watercolors, how the pigments touch at the edges mixing and finding other colors. I like the specificity of a pencil line woven through the color. When I paint people, I try to represent their essence, rather than their likeness – their presence is the gift that continues to intrigue. |
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Jennifer Mitchell Needle Point I stitch belts and book weights in geometric, free-form designs. Each piece evolves spontaneously as the work progresses, with little preconceived planning. However, if a project is designed specifically for someone, I personalize the needlework with symbols and patterns associated with the client. The textile artist, Delores Dembus Bittleman, described her weaving method as ” the fibers show you the way”, which is how I proceed, by stitching through the canvas, I form connected shapes and lines along the length of a functional object. |