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Sugarloaf Art Show - The show takes place October 7 and 8, 2023!
Uniquely Maine Art and Craft During Peak Foliage
Sugarloaf Mountain, Carrabassett Valley
Susan Hellewell
P.O. Box 384
Solon, Maine
Although not formally trained as a painter, I have enjoyed painting for relaxation and visual pleasure since childhood. In the early 1980s, I became fascinated with Chinese calligraphy and carefully practiced brushstroke techniques. My paintings combine the transparency usually achieved with watercolor and the dance-like quality of Chinese calligraphy.
Earlier abstract pattern paintings were more in the color field tradition and are the result of practicing individual brushstrokes in transparent layers of dilute acrylic paint on canvas. Recent work represents a continued effort to develop more literal images, backgrounds and landscapes. The transparent layers in the Aleppo and Migration series reflect the superimposed media images of unimaginable suffering in the world which we carry in our hearts and minds, juxtaposed to the reality of our (by comparison) seemingly tranquil lives, which carry on moving forward.
I was introduced to central Maine and many of the artists that live here in 1978. I was amazed at the number of talented individuals nestled in the woods inspiring and supporting each other while sharing their art, theater, and community. In 1990 I finally moved here from the Boston area leaving my job in biochemical research to teach high school science and paint. As the demands of teaching high school science for twenty-five years left minimal time for painting, I am now thrilled to be retired and painting full time.
Exhibits 1990-Present in Maine
Canaan Farmers Hall
Canaan, ME October 2018
2017 Open Studio Tour
Wesserunsett Art Council
August 2018
Monson Art Gallery
Monson, ME
July-October 2018
Central Maine Artists Gallery
Skowhegan, ME
May 2018
Railroad Square Cinema Art in the Lobby
Waterville, ME
July 2017
Skowhegan Free Public Library
Skowhegan , ME
May 2017
New Portland Library
New Portland, ME
May 2011
Central Maine Artists Gallery
Skowhegan, ME
1998 1980-1990
Various Exhibits
Cambridge & Boston, MA
Bel Canto Restaurant
Cambridge, MA
Boston YWCA Dining Room
Boston, MA
Brinkerhoff Gallery
Cambridge , MA
Cambridge Savings Bank
Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA
Gallery East,
Boston, MA
Mount Auburn Hospital
Cambridge, MA
