LEWISTON — The Atrium Art Gallery opens with a reception from 5-6:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, with the exhibition “Tell Me a Story: About Maine” highlighting the work of 14 artists who have illustrated children’s books about Maine. The exhibition continues through Nov. 23.
The subjects are all familiar Maine themes with a few unexpected ones. There are illustrations of boats of all sizes and shapes, ponds, harbors, ocean views, fields and forests, snow and beach scenes, from real to imagined. Others are about treasured Maine topics such as beach glass, Maine coon cats, and dumps, now referred to as “transfer stations.”
Many are inspired by true stories and some are pure fun and fantasy. Their differences aside, all of these artists tell compelling stories through their work, going beyond illustration to highly accomplished and evocative works of art.
The exhibit includes watercolors, ink drawings, gouache, acrylic and collage. Many of the works come from treasured classics such as “Dahlov Ipcar’s Maine Alphabet” and “The Little Fisherman” written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Dahlov Ipcar.
Kevin Hawkes’ “The Wicked Big Toddlah” is a clever and funny story about a very large, but otherwise perfectly normal baby and the adventures and challenges he gives to his Maine parents.
Chris Van Dusen’s beautifully detailed works from “The Circus Ship” and others from his Mr. Magee series are also contemporary favorites.
Illustrations from board books include Charlotte Agell’s work, whose colorful and fluid style appeals to both children and parents.
Artists in the exhibition are Charlotte Agell, Jeannie Brett, Kelly Paul Briggs, Mimi Gregoire Carpenter, Cathryn Falwell, Nicole Fazio, Kathleen A. Fox, Gordon Hammond, Kevin Hawkes, Jamie Hogan, Dahlov Ipcar, Mary Beth Owens, Laura Rankin and Chris Van Dusen.
The exhibition also features the work of Maine sculptor Nathan Nicholls who works with scrap metal, recycling old garden tools, hand tools, snowmobile mufflers and just about anything that can be welded or bolted.
The reception is free and open to the public. The Atrium Art Gallery is at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn campus, 51 Westminster St. For art gallery hours, visit www.usm.maine.edu/atriumgallery or call 207-753-6500.
-
- Submitted image Kevin Hawkes from “The Wicked Big Toddlah.”
-
- Submitted image Chris Van Dusen from “The Circus Ship.”
-
- Submitted image Dahlov Ipcar, “Ruffed Grouse” from “My Wonderful Christmas Tree.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.