WALDOBORO — The Waldo Theatre, located at 916 Main Street, opens its June art gallery show with two accomplished artists who have created a life-long dialogue through their exploration of handmade paper, printmaking, painting, and the natural world.

Diana Arcadipone of Otisfield and Susan Hostetler met in art school in Michigan years ago and remain close friends today. This exhibition is a testament to the staying power of this deep creative bond that is formed through the making of paper by hand. A lively exchange of ideas has woven in and out of art and life over years of developing an art practice, travel, and family.

After graduate school, Arcadipone moved to Boston and secured a position at the Portland School of Art (now the Maine College of Art and Design) in the mid-1980s while Hostetler traveled to Germany, set up a hand papermaking mill, and after 4 years moved to Spain while retaining the paper mill in Germany. While based in Europe, Hostetler hosted Arcadipone in her papermaking studio and invited her to participate in exhibitions Hostetler was curating.

Back in Maine, Arcadipone commenced to build her studio and home in the Oxford Hills while Hostetler returned to the states to live in NYC, and later, the Washington DC area. Throughout this span of time, these women have maintained active communication through letter writing and frequent visits.

Parallels between their artwork center around the natural environment for subject matter, mixed media, and the handmade paper technique. While early training for each was in painting and printmaking, Hostetler excels in drawing and 3-D installations, while Arcadipone merges traditional crafts (embroidery) with image-making.  Both women have artwork displayed in public and private collections, as well as featured in film, print publications, and television.

Habitat (Diana Arcadipone)

Diana Arcadipone’s passion for making art with natural materials and mixed media emerged from an early devotion to craft techniques such as papermaking, book arts, basketry, embroidery, and textiles. Arcadipone’s work is informed by folk art, anthropology, traveling, and an obsession with nature and spending time outdoors. It is the intersection of these influences that defines her work.

Sunbird (Susan Hostetler)

Susan Hostetler:

Whether working in gouache and mixed media on handmade paper or with clay sculpture, Hostetler has always been inspired by the natural world and habitats of various countries and climates, thus earning her the moniker, Eco-Artist. Hostetler’s work has evolved to include large wall installations of clay sculptures, specifically birds. Her fascination with murmurations, flight patterns, and patterns in bird songs has inspired her latest works in graphite drawings and sculptural room installations.

This show will be on display from May 31 to June 30, and all art pieces will be available for sale – a portion of which benefits The Waldo programming. Viewing hours for this Waldo Gallery exhibition will include time during and before scheduled theater events, during the Waldoboro ArtWalk on Fourth Fridays (June 28), and by appointment. To schedule an appointment, please email info@thewaldotheatre.org. For more information, visit www.thewaldotheatre.org.