Project views Star City through artists’ eyes
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
CAPTURING THE CITY LANDSCAPE — Beth Brown, of Washburn, was one of 17 artists who recently participated in the fourth annual “Paint Presque Isle: A Fresh Paint Event and Auction,” a fundraiser for the Aroostook Partners in the Arts.
Brown set up her easel on south Main Street and painted the University of Maine at Presque Isle windmill and nearby fields. This was Brown’s first year participating in the annual event.
PRESQUE ISLE — Beth Brown, of Washburn, said you know you’re driving into the Star City when you see potato fields, the University of Maine at Presque Isle, and now, the windmill. That’s why she decided to capture those images on canvas as she recently participated in the fourth annual “Paint Presque Isle: A Fresh Paint Event and Auction.”
Seventeen artists set up around the community Aug. 27 and created original pieces that were auctioned off later that night with proceeds benefiting the Aroostook Partners in the Arts, an organization whose mission is to bring more art enrichment to area schools.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
SHELBY WILCOX, left, of Presque Isle, who was positioned on the corner of Church and Second streets, uses a drawing pencil to sketch out the Bethany Baptist Church, as well as the other buildings opposite the old fire station, as part of the recent fourth annual “Paint Presque Isle: A Fresh Paint Event and Auction.” She later filled the outlines in with watercolors. Keeping her daughter company is Mary Wilcox, of Easton, who is shown sketching a nearby house.
“I thought this would be something that no one else would be painting, and I think I’m right,” said Brown of her south Main Street inspiration. “First and foremost I’m a Mom to my two kids, so I paint whenever I can. I’m kind of a hobby artist.”
This was Brown’s first year participating in the annual fundraiser.
“I’ve wanted to do this since they first started but I had a little baby so it didn’t quite work out time-wise,” she said, noting that she took art lessons as a child and minored in art at UMPI. “It’s fun. This is the first time something I’ve painted has been auctioned off. I’ve had people offer to buy my work before, but I’ve never done an auction. It’s exciting.”
Brown set up her easel at 9 a.m. and began working on her acrylic piece.
“Usually I do paintings that are a lot bigger and they take about 30 hours, so I do a couple hours a night when I can,” she said. “I usually paint my kids or animals. I don’t usually do a lot of scenes, so this is fun and it seems to be going well. I’ll probably do this again next year.”
This was also Shelby Wilcox’s first time taking part in Paint Presque Isle. Wilcox was positioned on the corner of Church and Second streets and painted the Bethany Baptist Church, as well as the other buildings opposite the former fire station.
“This morning I just traveled around and didn’t really have any idea of what I was going to paint. I looked at a couple of different places, and ended up here. I just wanted to find something that I would enjoy doing and I feel like I would enjoy doing these three buildings,” she said. “Usually people look at the other side of the road and the old firehouse, but I feel like these are some nice old buildings that are part of Presque Isle that a lot of people don’t notice.”
Wilcox sketched out her work first with a drawing pencil and then filled it in with watercolors. She said it was a little stressful having to meet the 3 p.m. deadline, at which time the work had to be turned in to Morningstar Art and Framing to be matted and then displayed in the Northeastland for the auction that evening.
“At 10:30 a.m. I was actually thinking to myself, ‘Am I going to do this? I don’t have a lot of time here and I haven’t even decided on a place?’” she said. “I just had to pick a place and sit down and do it. I’m feeling OK. I know I could do this in an hour if I had to. The deadline is a bit of a motivator.”
Wilcox said she has done a lot of human forms in the past.
“Through all of that, I’ve always just wanted to capture things that aren’t regularly noticed,” she said. “I’ve always been like that … even when you pour cream into coffee, I want to take pictures of that because I think it’s really pretty.”
Wilcox said she hopes to recruit some of her friends to participate in the fundraiser next year.
“I’ve wanted to do this for many years. I just moved back to the area after finishing my master’s degree in art therapy and I have a bachelor’s in fine arts from UMPI, so I’m wanting to get involved in the art scene around here and bring arts to the Presque Isle area,” she said.
“There’s an art community here with a lot of potential,” Wilcox said. “I want to help that community thrive a little bit more and bring art to everybody.”
Keeping Wilcox company was her mother, Mary Wilcox, of Easton.
“I’m not an artist formally, but I always drew and painted when I was younger. I figured since I’m here I’d sketch a nearby house. I’m just sketching with pen and ink because it’s quick to me. Rough sketching is what I really love. Maybe Shelby and I will register for this event next year.”
Heather Harvell, one of the participating artists and a member of the Aroostook Partners in the Arts, said more than $7,000 was raised through this year’s fundraiser.
“Paint Presque Isle 2011 exceeded expectations again with more artists participating in the live fresh paint event and we just about doubled our silent auction pieces. The number of artists and crafters, as well as the enthusiasm in this event, grows each year,” she said. “For some artists, creating a piece of work in one day can create anxiety, but I think once they come out and try it, they find it to be inspirational and for some it can push them to invent a new style of creating that leads to successful work.
“This year the live work was absolutely amazing and the silent auction produced everything from hand knit scarves to rustic handmade wooden sculptures. This year, two gentlemen carried out two large wooden sculptures both with huge smiles on their faces after winning the art pieces in the bidding process, the art created by Edwin Charette, a logger turned artist who is ready to hit the art scene in Aroostook County with his work,” said Harvell. “We have artists come from up in the Valley down as far as Houlton and we also have an artist who comes across from Canada to participate. There are so many very talented artists who live in the area. This event gives them a reason to come out, join together, and create wonderful artwork for a worthy cause.”
Harvell said the Partners hope that area school system administrators and teachers will take advantage of the funds raised.
“This event takes some hard work but now the funds are there and it is simple to apply for them. If someone working in the school system has the need for funds to support an artistic endeavor, they would just need to approach us for a form,” she said. “We meet each month and decide if the request fits our criteria. If so then we vote to give the necessary funds to help that event, visiting artist, or sponsorship to take place.”
Aroostook Partners in the Arts, which organized in 1995 to work cooperatively with local schools to develop, support and sponsor high quality performing arts, visual arts and humanities experiences for school age children, typically meets at 11:30 a.m. on the second Wednesday of each month in the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library community room.
Teachers looking to fill out a funding proposal to bring artistic opportunities to their classrooms are asked to contact Martha LaPointe at 768-6311.