RANGELEY – The Rangeley Friends of the Arts will host a reception for “Wilderness” – Paintings by Judson Pealer at the Lakeside Contemporary Art Gallery, located in the lobby of the RFA Lakeside Theater, on Monday, June 1, from 5:30 – 7:00 PM. Enjoy complimentary snacks and cash bar (beer/wine) and meet the artist. This event is sponsored in part by Oquossoc Grocery.  The Exhibit continues through July 7, 2020. This event is also a chance to view the vast improvements to the lobby and theater area that have taken place due the Covid-19 restrictions in April and May.

The RFA historically has had a maximum of 40 attendees at art openings. We will have hand sanitizing stations and offer free masks to anyone that does not have one, so please feel free to come and view the art while feeling comfortable to be able to maintain social distancing. The Gallery and facility will also be open to the public in an open-house format from 10 AM – 2 PM Tuesday through Saturday, June 2-6. General Gallery hours are Mon-Thurs, 10-2.

Pealer has been showing his paintings on paper and canvas in Maine for a couple of years revealing a variety of art in watercolor, ink and acrylics.  His pieces tend to be bold colors that capture your eye and invite the viewer to explore.  He claims nature is his inspiration and that he works intuitively. Sometimes a landscape with water can be perceived or a glimpse of the rich world under a microscope is suggested.  The viewer will inevitably finish the work in their mind. Pealer finds this fascinating: that each painting reveals something about himself and thus each piece is self-revelatory and each viewer will take something they create in their own mind to interpret it.

The artist has a Bachelor of Fine Art in studio work from Ohio State University and a Masters of Divinity from Seabury Western in Chicago. Both are a result of deep personal searches to understand and express this world and experience. He is retired priest who served as rector at Church of the Good Shepherd in Rangeley from 2009 through 2015.  He lives on a ‘micro farm’ in South Paris with his wife, Sandra Pealer, who is an accomplished painter.  He is a signature Member of Vermont Watercolor Society and an active member of The Western Maine Art Group and The River Arts Gallery in Damariscotta.

For the RFA’s complete schedule of events and programs, visit rangeleyarts.org.

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