Local Color Gallery reception, open house welcome three new artists 

BELFAST — Three new year-round artists join Local Color Gallery, in Belfast, on Tuesday, April 23. On Friday, April 26, from 4 to 7 p.m., a reception and open house will offer the public an opportunity to meet the artists, with artist talks at 5 p.m.

Ruth Heffron, Belfast, works primarily in oil, often with cold wax added. She enjoys collage and printmaking as well. She views her paintings as poems, shining a light on the ordinary and highlighting the complexity of nature. Heffron attended Agnes Scott College majoring in Political Science and Psychology with several art courses along the way. After careers in teaching and 20 years working in community foundations in South Carolina and Maine, Heffron and her husband owned and operated Compass Rose, a bookstore/café in Castine, Maine. Following retirement, Heffron returned to her love of painting. She has studied with artists across the US and Italy.

Susan Smith, Dover-Foxcroft, is an artist, activist and educator. As faculty and coordinator for the graduate art program at the University of Maine, she is deeply committed to work that reflects stewardship of land and water. Her work begins with visits to a site, a witnessing of place and the forces that shape it. She often uses foraged materials: earth becomes pigment; plants become dyes or egg tempera; and textiles become imprinted with botanical traces. Smith is an art extension director for the Urban Soil Institute, collaborating with soil scientists, botanists, and earth keepers.

Shelley Breton, Freeport, has been painting in oils for over 14 years. Although her education and career are science-based, she has always had a love of the arts. Breton is a juried member of the Oil Painters of America and the American Impressionist Society. She was named one of “Maine’s Most Collectible Artists” in ArtMaine Magazine, 2019. Breton’s work was included in “All About Oils” in the October 2021 issue of American Art Collector magazine. A Maine native, she takes inspiration from the effects of early and late-day light on the local landscape and seascape as well as florals and figurative subjects. With her expressive-representational style, she strives to evoke a sense of mood, light, and place through depictions of sunlight and shadow.

Printmaker David Morgan, Bath, continues as Local Color’s guest artist through May. He will teach a printmaking workshop on Saturday, May 4, “Print Day in May.” More information will be available soon on the Local Color website: www.localcolorgallerymaine.org.

Local Color Gallery is located at 135 High Street in Belfast. Open Tuesday through Saturday 11 to 5 and Sunday 11 to 4.