To help ring in the New Year, Richard Boyd Art Gallery opens an annual exhibition of paintings in a range of mediums and styles from traditional realism to surrealism.

The exhibit features over twenty-five original painting depicting scenes from exquisitely detailed maritime oil paintings to amazing photo realistic dry-brush watercolor paintings created by a group of highly regarded and nationally renowned artists' Deena S. Ball - watercolor, C. R. Bryant - oil, Patricia Chandler - oil, Richard Eyster - watercolor, and H. M. Saffer II - oil.

The exhibit is open free of charge every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and to 3:00 p.m. January 5th through January 28th, 2024. Additional days and times by chance or appointment.

About The Artists

Deena S. Ball

Deena S. Ball is a nationally renowned landscape painter, known for her innovative use of watercolors in combination with textured ground and specialized surfaces. Her love of nature, science and art comes together when she paints en Plein Air.

Deena strives to create simple expressive paintings inspired by nature which capture a moment in time and strike an emotional chord with the viewer.

An active teaching artist for both adults and children, she is regularly invited to conduct workshops and presentations for artist’s organizations.  She holds a BA in Art History and Studio Art from Colby College in Waterville, Maine and continued her studies at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and Tyler School of Art. 

Deena is a past president of the Philadelphia Watercolor Society, co-founder and Artistic Director of the non-profit LandArt Events, a signature member of Philadelphia Watercolor Society, Baltimore Watercolor Society, Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, and is a Pennsylvania Guild Master Craftsman.

Her paintings are exhibited throughout the Northeast and can be found in “Watercolor Artist” and several annual publications of “Splash.” 

C. R. Bryant

Internationally renowned Maine artist C. R. (Bob) Bryant has created Maritime art for more than 60 years. Following his service in Southeast Asia, his understanding and appreciation of visual arts was enriched while living in Europe and devoting considerable time in the world’s great art museums, living and painting in the footsteps of the old masters. 

Working primarily with oils he is a master of realism and well known for his realistic depiction of sailing vessels and water. He has a working knowledge of sailing ships and today is recognized as a leading international marine artist.

Relocating to the Pacific Northwest in 1988, his focus centered on preserving the rich Marine history of Puget Sound and his passion for classic sailing yachts. His love for the sea evolved through his considerable sailing experiences, and he has never strayed far from the water.

Now living on the East coast Bob continues to create maritime paintings from his studio in Cape Neddick, Maine. He is a member of the Copley Society of Art Boston, the Copley Society Portrait Registry, and the Founder of PRIMA the Pacific Rim Institute of Marine Art.

His work is in the permanent collection of the United States Coast Guard, maritime museums, national, and international corporations and private collections in Europe, Asia, the West Indies, and the Americas.

Patricia Chandler

An amazing visual artist Pat Chandler’s career as a commercial and fine artist span six plus decades. She earned a BFA in Illustration from Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island and MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York.

After several years of working in the commercial field creating illustrations she moved to Minnesota, where she renewed her interest in printmaking and painting at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, moving back to Maine in 1971, later becoming an Adjunct Professor of Painting and Drawing at the University of Maine from 2005 to 2014.

When I asked about her creative process and style Pat said, “My creative process and production inevitably refer to my geographic roots. Maine’s more remote regions inspired much of my artwork to the same degree that its landscapes informed my early life. Ever since I can remember, the trees and woods, mountains, lakes, and fields of Maine have been where my mental, physical, and emotional balance could be restored.

The influence of those sensual memories emerges strongly when I work in the studio. My work includesrealistic paintings that seek to record places and certain senses of space and color in sites more visited in the summer by people from other places. Those are more meditative in practice–exercises. The expressionistic, semi-abstract images touch the feeling associated with those wilderness regions of forest and ocean. The variety of Maine’s natural environment is sufficient for many lifetimes of an artist.”

Pat’s paintings are widely collected and held in numerous private and corporate collections across the US.

Richard Eyster

Massachusetts based artist Richard H. Eyster is a highly regarded fine artist, retired educator, and noted author whose medium of choice is watercolor. 

Eyster’s paintings are created using a dry-brush technique with an absolute minimum of water. Working with Kolinsky sable brushes and an absolute minimum of water, the pigment dries quickly and deeply on heavy archival French paper, allowing layers of luminous color to emerge through the image.

The finely detailed work invested in each painting often consumes three to five months.  A single leaf might take a week for the precise layering of color.  Whether celebrating the lush ripeness of summer berries or conveying a shell scape on the ocean floor, the work is built on a deep and evocative power. Eyster’s technique is primarily photo-surrealistic, illuminating the most personal explorations in carefully detailed imagery.  There is no ostensible “meaning” to his paintings…the symbolism, if any, is unintentional and, at best, subconscious.

Now living by the ocean on Boston’s North Shore, he finally leaves his education career behind in 2015.  He founds Time Let Me Play and Uneasy Truce Studios and devotes his energy and imagination full-time to the pursuit of his art.

Richard's paintings have been shown in the National Arts Club (NY), the American Watercolor Society at the Salmagundi Club (NY), and National Academy of Design (NY).  His paintings are exhibited throughout the Northeast and held in numerous private and public collections. 

HM Saffer II

HM Saffer II is a pointillist artist with a focus on landscapes. His paintings are a combination of Western techniques with those from the Orient, such as sumi-e, and the use of Japanese and Chinese colors creating a unique path towards the visual expression of his personal and emotional views.

A multi-talented visual and performing artist HM graduated from Temple University in 1965, and traveled to Paris, France to enroll in graduate economics courses. While in Paris he performed with many notable French stars including Hugues Autray, Jacques Brel and many other. Later hired by Barclay Records as a producer and he had hit records in 1968 and 1969.

Saffer returned to the United States in 1971 and continued on with his music career at Warner Brothers Productions. He later established HMS Two Music Ltd. and spent his time writing and producing music for films, commercials, recordings, and Broadway productions. HM’s work in the commercial field includes creations for Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Ford Motor Company, and Michelob, among others.

Through this period he continued to paint. In 1981 he began to study the art of Japanese brush painting, Sumi-e. HM traveled to Japan in 1983 to study with Japanese masters and was represented by Galerie Musee and the Artbridge Gallery in Japan, and in Hong Kong by Alisen Gallery and the Kaai Fung Hin Gallery as a resident artist where he enjoyed many successful solo exhibits.

HM reentered the United States in 1994 and took residence in Upstate New York. He instructed at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA, Berkshire Community College, and Columbia-Greene Community College. His works are in numerous corporate and private collections around the globe.

About Richard Boyd Art Gallery

Richard Boyd Art Gallery, an owner operated fine arts gallery represents a diverse group of nationally renowned and established artists. The gallery exhibits original paintings in a range of styles from multiple genres, limited edition bronze sculptures, and a select offering of works in clay. Exhibitions change monthly so clients and visitors always discover something new and exciting when visiting the gallery.

The gallery is open year-round. From the first of April through the end of October the gallery is open between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. daily. From the first of November through the end of March the gallery is open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Additional days and times by chance or scheduled by appointment.

For more information contact the gallery by phone at (207)-712-1097, email info@richardboydartgallery.com or visit the gallery’s website at www.richardboydartgallery.com .

For exhibit updates follow the gallery on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardBoydArtGallery and on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/richardboydartgallery9327 .