Stop in Richard Boyd Art Gallery during the month of February to see a great annual exhibition of American landscape paintings. Visual art portraying landscapes has been around for centuries and remains one of the most collected. Whether created en plein air to capture the natural light and color in the area or in a studio setting using a sketch or photograph as a reference, each painting represents the artist’s vision of that place in time.

The exhibit is comprised of paintings depicting the artist’s interpretation of a specific scene or a detailed rendering of the landscape before them and features over twenty-five paintings by a group of highly regarded, award-winning, and established artists featuring paintings by Deena S. Ball – watercolor; Patricia Chandler – cold wax medium and oil; Carrin Culotta – oil; Kevin Daley – oil, Jane Herbert – acrylic; Kenneth Mancini - oil; and HM Saffer II – oil.

A Walk in the Woods is open to all ages free of charge from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from February 2nd through February 25th, 2024. 

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. She 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.” 

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 private and corporate collections across the US.

Carrin Culotta

A Biomedical Engineer in the medical imaging field by training, Carrin Culotta has created visual art on and off again for years. Her current portfolio includes paintings from multiple genres including landscapes and figurative works in a range of mediums and styles created en plein and in her home studio in Townsend, Massachusetts.

Carrin grew up in New England and acquired an appreciation for its unique beauty and seasons. “My adventurous spirit and love for untamed natural settings inspires me to paint on location in and around northern New England.

I use art to channel my creative focus on natural subjects and to evoke the emotion I feel while experiencing it. Art allows me to immerse myself in the beauty of nature and the mystery of a moment in time. This gives me great satisfaction and is what I enjoy most in my life.”

Carrin is a member of the Princeton Art Association, Princeton Portrait Group, Massachusetts Plein Air Artists Group, Central Massachusetts Plein Air Painters, Plein Air Painters of Maine, Plein Air Painters of New Hampshire, Gardener League of Artists, Leominster Art Association, and an Associate Member Oil Painters of America. Her paintings are exhibited regionally and held in private collections.

Kevin Daley

An educator and established fine artist, Kevin Daley creates paintings on location and in his studio in West Paris, Maine. Whether depicting a forested landscape or a quiet cove, Kevin’s traditional style paintings are a visual and poignant portrayal of that place in time.

Kevin is often drawn to subjects that evoke either a sense of peace or a sense of loneliness or isolation. “Maine, particularly, offers an abundance of landscapes and buildings that catch my attention. I love the process of discovering a subject that interests me and then digging in to see what exactly will happen. Will the creation of this painting be smooth, or will this new work generate unforeseen problems and become a learning experience? What emotions do I have about the subject as I spend hours studying it or working with it? Can I communicate some of these emotions to the viewer?

My most successful paintings are those that seem to “paint themselves” from the moment I begin them. These are particularly joyful occasions when I feel both totally relaxed and completely focused. The final products of these nearly mystical experiences are always paintings that I value greatly. I have found, over time, these are also the works that other people like the best.”

Jane Herbert

A year-round resident of Damariscotta, Maine highly regarded noted fine and commercial artist Jane Herbert’s exquisitely detailed traditional style paintings are a visual expression of life along the coast and reveal observations of the picturesque landscape and seaside charm of Maine’s coastal communities.

A gifted fine and commercial artist, Jane’s paintings capture the ever-changing colors, life, and mood of coastal Maine. Her unstructured approach to art and life has served her well. “Instead of earning a formal education I gathered my paint brushes and toured Europe in a micro-bus, painting and learning as I went.

Through the years, I have been inspired by the beauty I find in nature. Recently I have taken a wider view of the landscape and the strong and reassuring sense of unity I feel in it. I want to draw people into that kind of healing space.”

Jane’s beautifully rendered landscape paintings are widely collected and held in private and public collections.

Kenneth Mancini

Kenneth Mancini is a retired President of Cornerstone Bank in Moorestown, New Jersey and established fine artist whose medium of choice is oil.

A self-taught artist, Ken returned to creating fine art seven years ago. He is known for his portraits and traditional style landscape paintings which are the key component of his portfolio.

Each landscape painting is based on experiences and conveys his connection to the ever-changing colors, light, and emotions experienced at that place in time. His painting style is inspired and influenced by 19th century Hudson River School American landscape artists like John Kensett.

Whether conveying calm water at the edge of a coastal marsh or horses grazing in a field, Ken’s paintings have an amazing level of depth, detail, and realism.

His paintings are exhibited regionally and held in private collections throughout the Northeast.

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 notable French stars including Hugues Autray, Jacques Brel, and others. 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 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 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 .