Barn Gallery shows regional art in Ogunquit

The art in this year’s open, juried show at the Barn Gallery in Ogunquit, Maine, was selected by Stephen Halpert, curator of the University of New England’s Gallery of Art. “The difficulty is to narrow it down to a third of the entries,” Halpert said.
Earlier exhibitions had themes such as red or night, but now artists are simply invited to enter their best works. “Regional Artists” is the Barn Gallery’s 12th annual juried show. Each show is different since, as Halpert says, “The juror’s choice is subjective and personal.”

More than 100 artists entered and the juror selected 77 works by 50 of the artists, 16 of whom are members of the Ogunquit Art Association. The resulting exhibition, on display through Sunday, July 27, has a wide variety of mediums and subjects in a gallery that has a lot to offer.

Photography by Lauren Gillette is hung in 25 small, square frames, forming one large square. The black and white portraits show people with stickers from a label maker that describe them, with lines such as “I woke to find myself,” “I work with my hands” and “I am God.”

Susan Guthrie’s aerial view of two green pears side by side, one upside-down, in a stress-cracked bowl with yellow border, is simple and sweet. Mark Rockwood’s nearby photo called “Nuclear Bath” is hip; a shower glows yellow from a window revealing skyscrapers. 

Other photographs include Jim Nickelson’s “Moon at Sunrise,” a wide and mostly dark sky with a thin sliver of moon at the top corner. Nina Bisognani has two digital photographs depicting colorful homes crowded in waterfront villages, and Paula Singer has two photos of docks in Australia. Arla Patch presents two photos of women’s torsos with green vegetation projected onto them, while Steven Holt’s infrared photo called “Nape” has the shadow of leaf on a woman’s neck.        

An oil painting by Madeleine Hopkins called “Ocean Blue” is a refreshing, abstracted expanse of water. “The Bridge,” by Ree Katrak, is an abstracted mono-print that appears to optimistically link the west and east of a sketchy globe. Caitlin Deppe’s somber painting, “School Street,” is of a girl who glances behind her while walking alone. Tanya Fletcher’s painting of a nude bending forward is on four surfaces combined with plump lips dominating one of them. Marjorie Rizzo’s watercolor painting,

“Reflections,” is of a pensive couple sitting in a restaurant with a large bouquet of flowers behind them and, surprisingly, smaller ones on their laps.

Other artists have unique styles. Jim Kelly’s contemporary mixed media “Tracks” has green vein-like lines and a few letters and numbers, and “Charles” has checkers and looks oil-stained. Diane Bowie Zaitlin’s “Land Formations” encaustic collage has topographical map details under the surface. R.B. Lethem gathered sawed-up wood, a worn glove and other materials in a shadow box called the “Carpenter’s Drawing.”

Several sculptures are displayed on pedestals near the center of the room. There are figures in Vermont marble by Peter Blanchard, one in bronze by Ed Krukonis, and a curled up cat in pink stone by Sally Blanchard. More sculpture by New England artists is in an impressive outdoor exhibit that wraps around the back of the spacious gallery.

Prints by Amparo Carvajal-Hufschmid hang in another room. The weave-like patterns in expressive color combinations are given Spanish titles such as “Return to the City.” The exhibit is part of a rotating showcase of Art Association members.      

Regional Artists is on display until Saturday, July 26, at the Barn Gallery, 1 Bourne Lane, Ogunquit, Maine, 207-646-8400.