Thu, 01/10/2019 - 7:30am

JIll Rice

Cathie Stebbins Peterson and her “Starry Night” wall hanging - inspired by Vincent van Gogh's iconic painting “The Starry Night.” Courtesy of PWA

Cathie Stebbins Peterson is a fiber artist from Freeport who is sharing her works at the Pemaquid Watershed Association office-gallery for its final show called "Woolscapes."

Fiber is Peterson’s medium of choice right now, including hand-dyed wool and various fibers such as alpaca, merino, cashmere, Angora, silk, and nylon, which are needle-felted onto a piece of felt. She loves the feel of fiber in her hands, how forgiving it is, and the colors created by blending or layering it. Most of Peterson’s woolscapes are created with lots of emotion about the subject, helping her feel how she needs to work with the fibers, which seems to her and viewers like painting with wool. The detail she creates is delicate and amazing, creating depth which can only be truly appreciated seeing the art in person. There is quite a range from incredibly realistic detailed pieces to more abstract colorful pieces filled with imaginative symbolism.

In the "middle room" beyond the kitchen is a table full of smaller pieces, including heirloom handspun, handbraided reversible dollhouse rugs, cuffers, art half mits, necklaces, bracelets, shoulder wraps called “Hugs," and baby booties. Her “Hugs” shoulder wraps are still on holiday special for 25 percent off.

Peterson is a member artist at River Arts in Damariscotta and the Harlow Gallery in Hallowell. She has also been juried into shows at Boothbay Region Art Foundation and Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Rockland. She has had solo shows at the West Gallery at River Arts, the Freeport Community Library, Old World Gourmet in Freeport, and Alpaca Naturals in Portland.

The PWA exhibit can be viewed weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 584 Main St. in Damariscotta, across from Young’uns. The show will be up through Friday, Jan. 18. Peterson is donating 35 percent of proceeds from sales of her fiber art to support PWA’s mission-driven work.

While you’re there, check out the large Susan Bartlett Rice mural on north end of the garage painted earlier last year. For more information on PWA, call 563-2196 or go to pemaquidwatershed.org.