Hoofs, Roots and Wings at Maine Farmland Trust Gallery

Maine Farmland Trust Gallery appropriately rings in the month of May with blossoms – and roots, and buzzing wings. From May 15 through June 19, the exhibit Hoofs, Roots and Wings will be on display at the gallery, with a public reception during Belfast’s first Art Walk of the year, Friday May 22nd from 5:30-8pm.

On the ground floor, Sheep Jones takes center stage with her playfully executed oil paintings. Her rich pictoral language, as the title of the show suggests, speaks of roots and wings, blossoms and soil. Jones is a Maine native whose art work has made a mark both in Northern New England as well as in the DC area. While her subject matter is earthy and often references our connection to nature, Jones does not shy away from using decorative, imaginary elements: plant forms evocative of indigenous tribal masks; views underground which suggest a cohabitation of soil, bugs, roots. The layering of paint, the loose execution with pallet knife, the scratching and scraping create a visually exciting landscape in which bold color interplays with illustrative imagery. Jones has achieved a freedom in her work where the viewer is tempted to think that “anything goes” – yet this statement does no justice to the careful composition and Zen-like harmony of each painting.

Christopher O’Connor’s blossom paintings – light petals against a bright blue sky traversed by two imposing dark branches – immediately elicit a flashback to Van Gogh (how could they not?). Yet O’Connor’s daring composition, contrasting the delicate blossoms with their almost oriental sensibility against the branches’ stark, bold marks, conveys a mature, modernist eye. To Maine, the Irish O’Connor is a new painter, but his command of his medium shows a noteworthy sophistication.

Jones’ oils and O’Connor’s acrylics are paired with work by three other Maine artists: Jimmy Creighton, Susan Camp and Elizabeth Ostrander.

Creighton’s work consists of large, elegant silhouettes of trees, created with silver leaf on glass. He states: “”I am interested in looking closely at what is common and even mundane. I would like for my work to talk about the act of slowing down to observe. Objects of art become records of this process of scrutiny. Ultimately, I am reminded of the ubiquity of beauty and the multiplicity of forms in nature.”

Susan Camp created her series of small pieces by working with plants cultivated and gathered in the fields and woods near her home. The artist explains: “The images are etched into the surface of recycled copper, which is then inked and patinaed. I use a non-toxic printmaking process and natural patinas.” The result is an exquisite mix of pleasing, earthy copper tones and lace-like plant imagery.

Elizabeth Ostrander’s sculptures match the playful tone of Sheep Jones’ imagery. Rabbits born from ceramic clay and finished with acrylics are given near-human facial expressions, showing off their individual personalities. Says Ostrander: “This spring show awakened my felt connections to the critters – how their participation in my life bonds me to all encircling life and stimulates my soul.”

On the second floor viewers will discover the “Hoofs” of the exhibit: a collection of horse paintings by Kathryn Shagas, new to the Trust’s Gallery, and new to the art scene in Maine. The first thing one might notice about Shagas’ work is an exciting sense of rhythm – one can practically hear the horses as they gallop across the plane of the painting.

Says Shagas regarding her choice of subject matter: “As a former musician I’m fascinated to watch horses in fields on the outskirts of Baltimore. The contrast of sensitive, quiet companionship, graceful movement, and the force of a 1,200-pound horse thundering down a hill has the energy and rhythm of music.”

In this continuing series Shagas paints en plein air and from memory, happily crossing the border between realism and abstraction to express the feeling of a particular moment.

Maine Farmland Trust Gallery is located at 97 Main Street in Belfast and open Monday through Friday (not on holidays) from 9-4. More information on MFT Gallery can be found atwww.mainefarmlandtrustgallery.org.

Maine Farmland Trust is a statewide non-profit organization working to keep Maine’s farms farming. Maine Farmland Trust created its gallery to celebrate agriculture through art, and to inspire and inform the public about farming in Maine. For more information about the Trust, visit www.mainefarmlandtrust.org.