Dianne Smith Dolan enjoys spending time in her home in Round Pond. She shares, “Spending time in Maine affords me frequent opportunities to observe the play of light and shadow on the landscape surrounding me. I never tire of painting  scenes close to my home.  The change of season brings shifting light and new colors, which present endless challenges for plein air painting. The weather can completely change within minutes. The many islands that litter the peninsulas vanish and recede along the horizon at any given moment of the day. One learns to think quickly when trying to capture these vistas. I enjoy and experiment with painting the same scene repeatedly, like Monet. I never seem to see the same view in the same way. Many of my paintings are finished on site, but I also work from other resources in my studio. This current body of work encompasses my recent experiences and newest challenges.”

 

Sarah Fisher retired to Damariscotta 11 years ago from a career in museum painting conservation at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. She was steadily exposed to the masters of great painting over many years, informing her work and stimulating her to experiment and try new directions. “I am never at a loss for subject matter for my paintings as I process the amazing beauty around us in Maine.  A focus on oil painting in recent years has allowed me to study the abstract dynamics of perspectival views of local buildings as they relate to the rectangle of a painting’s shape, with all their potential for creating tensions within that framework.  My love of forms in the natural world, especially the writhing, moving trunks of trees and their branches against and within the space around them challenges me to study them closely in paint.  The watercolor medium, my first love, continues to provide joy with its unexpected and often mysterious effects that can pull the viewer into a different visual and emotional world.”

 

Gary Smith  moved to Round Pond from Juneau, Alaska in 2019. “For me, painting is about capturing the atmosphere in a scene as much as the scene itself.   I began taking classes at the Alexandria Art League in Virginia in the 1990s, and I still attend workshops by artists I admire. With my prior career in shipbuilding I changed locations several times, and my painting would go with me. I enjoy painting plein air in a location that connects with me.  I paint urban subjects, landscapes and seascapes, but my favorites are waterfront scenes. The local scenery here, the harbors, the lobster boats, and the old homes are wonderful subjects. This is a great place to retire and to paint.”

 

All three artists are members of the Pemaquid Group of Artists, and in season, their paintings can be seen at the Pemaquid Art Gallery at the lighthouse. 

 

The Grill, located at 155 Main St., Damariscotta, is now open seven nights for dinner, starting at 4 p.m. Brunch is offered Saturday and Sunday. To make a reservation, please call 207-563-2992. FMI:  www.damariscottarivergrill.com