Nancy Keenan Barron and Hélène Farrar
CONSIDERING PLACE –
an exhibit of paintings.

Exhibit: June 28 – July 30, 2018
Artist’s Reception: June 28, 2018, 5-7 PM

Nancy Keenan Barron

“I feel that art has something to do with the achievement of stillness in the midst of chaos. A stillness which characterizes prayer, too, and the eye of the storm. I think that art has something to do with an arrest of attention in the midst of distraction.” -Saul Bellow

As early as I can remember art has been part of my life. I didn’t call it art, maybe coloring, or drawing, yet the presence was there. Later it was labeled photography, sculpture or painting, but it was still there, a constant. I consider myself a student of the arts, with classes starting in the closet walls of my childhood bedroom. A formal education followed with classes in Mrs. McGrail’s basement. For two hours on snowy Saturday mornings we would chat happily while painting in her musty “art space.” Eventually, course work at the University of Southern Maine would be where I learned that all the fun I was having for years drawing and painting had its own language. Gesture, mood, line, color, contrast, play and undulation are some of the words I see in art, as well as ideas I try to convey through my art. As an adult I still find a certain peace while making art and gather inspiration from many arenas. Nature, music and my daughters, with their sense of whimsy and endless energy, are my main inspiration. I currently practice my craft – painting, drawing and making assemblage sculptures – in my home studio just off the banks of the mighty Kennebec River where I live with my husband, Bill, and my three lovely daughters: Willa, Laura and Maggie.

Hélène Farrar

Artist Hélène Farrar was born in the suburbs of New York City in 1974, to an extended family of artists, musicians and designers. On one heavy winter snowfall in 1979, Farrar settled into the sleepy town of Hallowell, Maine, with her optimistic parents and older brother. It was a far departure from her young childhood and family lifestyle of local trains, authentic Italian Deli, and frequent trips to the MOMA. But after many years away, Maine has happily become her home. Farrar lives and works in Manchester, Maine, with her inventor husband Stan, energetic daughter Olympia and dog “Buddy.” She operates her own private art school under the subname “Catch the Artbug” in her farmhouse studio. To read a recent article on Helene, click HERE.

Farrar’s approach to art-making is one of experimentation and momentum. The scale of her paintings range from 3 inches square to 5 feet square and are executed in oils, encaustics and watercolors on varied supports including: canvas, panel, paper and found objects. In recent years, she painted a permanent installation in a private home measuring 24 by 40 feet. Farrar’s artwork has been exhibited widely in Maine and has been accepted into numerous regional and international juried exhibitions featuring her encaustics, watercolors, and oil works.

Farrar has taught and worked in the visual arts for twenty years while actively exhibiting in commercial, nonprofit and university galleries in New England, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Italy, and England. Farrar has a Masters of Fine Art Degree in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College in Vermont, a Bachelors of Art from University of Maine with concentrations in painting and printmaking, and holds a Maine State Teaching Certificate for Art K-12. She is a professional art educator and has taught in a variety of capacities including as an adjunct faculty at university level to preschool classroom instructor. She has most recently been on the faculties of the University of Maine and Thomas College. Farrar is also a member of the prestigious group, New England Wax.