The Eisner sisters and Kevin Beers

Boothbay Harbor’s First Friday Art Tours kicked off on June 7 and the turnout was fantastic – as was the art! Participating with receptions, some including artists with a new show opening, were Boothbay Region Art Foundation, Gold/Smith Gallery, Gleason Fine Art, Studio 53 Fine Art, and Joy to the Wind.

Over to the Gleason gallery two shows, well, technically, three shows were happening. The first show featured the work of Dorothy and Anne Eisner that included many of Anne’s paintings created during her nine years in the Democratic Republic of Congo, then known as the Belgian Congo (more on that later) and NYC, and Dorothy’s paintings created on Cranberry and Monhegan islands; and new work by Kevin Beers of his “favorite place on Earth,” Monhegan.

I had the opportunity to talk to Dorothy’s daughter, Christie McDonald, during the First Friday reception. Christie is a Smith Professor of French Language and Literature and chair of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard. She has written books about her aunt and mother.

I asked Christie what it was like growing up with two such creative, experimental, adventurous women. “Art was everywhere and all the time; it was like there was nothing else, in a way. It was wonderful to have these women who were artists in my life and they had friends who were artists – it was, a world of artists.”

When they lived in NYC, Dorothy’s studio was outside of the apartment. Every day, Christie went to school and Dorothy to her studio. “When we lived in Montana she had a room in the house,” shared Christie. “I did go into her studio there once in a while, but you couldn’t see them (paintings) all, not like this (gestures around the gallery space). But, on Cranberry Island her studio was a boathouse and I might go in there while she was painting, but I don’t think she wanted anyone to watch her.”

Christie said the one thing she knew was she couldn’t compete. She had to learn her own language. Certainly she not only found her creative outlet, and became extremely successful, Christie found a way to blend her creativity with that of her mother and her aunt bringing Christie into their private world … “I didn’t become an artist the way my mother would have liked me to, I’ve spent a lot of time with her art, and Anne’s, and I feel like I’ve closed the circle in some way,” Christie said.

One of my favorite Anne Eisners in the show is entitled, “African Beauty Salon.” The rich, bold colors and the two women – one braiding the hair of the other. The woman whose hair is being done is in a very relaxed position, crossed arms resting on knees drawn up to her chest, the hair stylist very focused on her work … the painting exudes caring, nurturing … and connection. The colors and patterns of the clothing are other elements drawing you inside to share their moment.

Another of Anne’s is the huge painting of Washington Square Park (1935) – so much to see and so much detail! Kids running, mothers admiring their sleeping babes, others in the pool within the park fountain, kids riding bikes, adults sitting under trees … the activity within leaps off the canvas. Love this one, too.

Dorothy’s “Preble Beach” is awash with color, yet the energy you feel from the bold colors and brush strokes subsides after the initial gazing and you relax into it, becoming one of the sunbathers enjoying a laid-back summer day. “Lawn Chairs.” I kept coming back to this one, which at first glance may not compel you to linger, but return and linger I did. There’s a charm about this image of “his” and “hers” white lawn chairs, one a rocker, in a garden. Again, relaxation, contemplation, and gentle, rhythmic rocking are all that you have to do. Just be. Breathe.

If you missed this show, you can still see the work on the gallery website under exhibitions: www.gleasonfineart.com

Monhegan Island. The place most every artist, and non-artist, is drawn to at one time or another. Who among them hasn’t painted in that incredibly magical place? For plein air artist Kevin Beers, in particular, there’s nowhere better, nowhere else he’d rather be. And when you look into his paintings, you sense his connection to it – a connection that has endured for 40 years. Kevin’s “On My Own” show is running through July 9.

“Lobster Boats Off Monhegan.” What pulls me in first is the water. In contrast to the sky, it is welcoming and teeming with life; you can see fish and seaweed in there, particularly in the bottom right corner. The lobster boats float at rest. At home. Peaceful. And then there’s Manana Island over on the right beckoning you to explore.

And that’s what art does, isn’t it? Art beckons us to explore what is seen and not seen. 

The next First Friday in Boothbay Harbor is July 5. Check out the listings and article in the July 4 edition of the Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper for details from the participating galleries.