NORWAY — Visitors to the Norway Memorial Library can enjoy an art exhibit in the reference room. “Seizing the Moment: 12 Landscapes” features paintings by Kevin Daley. Kevin lives in West Paris and maintains a studio there as well as his camp in Hartland, Maine. He works primarily in oils and is an avid plein-air painter in places like Monhegan Island, Newfoundland, Cape Cod, and elsewhere.
Plein-air painting, derived from the French phrase “en plein air,” means “in the open air.” It is the practice of painting outdoors directly from nature and capturing the light, atmosphere, and natural details of a scene while observing it firsthand.
He writes, “If I had my college years to do over again, I think I might choose art school as an option. But I never had any art instruction at all, not even in middle school or high school, and thought it was something you were born with (and I didn’t seem to have been born with it at all!). When I was 42, I signed up for a workshop with Patricia Chandler, a very talented artist, who was at that time living in North Norway.
“I was blown away by what she was able to get me to do in one three-hour lesson, and I was hooked. I worked with Pat for a couple of years and took a few other classes along the way with some other established artists, who helped me develop further. It’s been a great experience. Lots and lots and lots of practice – wasted paint and embarrassing results at times – but sometimes I feel as though maybe something was there, but someone needed to give me the tools to get started.”
He has shown his artwork at various locations around New England, including McLaughlin Garden & Homestead in South Paris; the Frost Farm Gallery in Norway; Maurice’s Restaurant in Paris; and is a regular artist at the Richard Boyd Art Gallery on Peaks Island, where more of his work is currently on exhibit. Images of his work can be seen at www.kevindaleyart.com and www.richardboydartgallery.com.
This display is on view whenever the library is open during June and July. Visitors may enjoy an artist reception on Wednesday, June 18, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Norway Memorial Library is located at 258 Main Street, Norway, Maine.