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Art and Culture

Searching for a Safe Harbor

Twentieth century folk artist Earl Cunningham’s colorful vision was shaped by his early years along the water in Maine.

Virginia “Sally” Brun: Everything To Do With Art

Artist Sally Brun has met and befriended legendary figures in literature and art. At the same time, she represents that artist one finds in so many corners of Maine. Personal renown is less important than friends and family.

Artist of the Outdoors

Inspired by a love of Maine and the outdoors, painter Jessica Ives records outdoor experiences—swimmers cutting across the water, a surfer bearing his board toward the waves, snowboarders resting on the slopes, a man casting a fly over a river.

From Awkward Spaces to Glorious Vistas

Artists Fred and Hope Angier use murals and other painted touches to add life to otherwise empty spaces.

From Boats to Art

Artist Dan West has taken skills he learned as a boatbuilder to make whimsical and timeless sculptures.

Playing By Heart

In an era of YouTube music videos and dwindling public school arts budgets, Farmington, Maine, teenagers are lining up — and auditioning — to play the jigs and reels heard at 19th century barn dances. Part of the credit goes to a rural tradition of family and friends playing music together. The catalyst, though, is Steve Muise, the orchestra teacher at Mt. Blue High School.

Tollef Runquist: A Painter Follows His Bliss

Painter Tollef Runquist’s colorful canvases draw on place and experience. Recently he has been inspired by his son’s playthings.

Stellar Art

She may be 99, but Stell Shevis, master enamellist and life-long artist, continues to look for new experiences and creative outlets.

Marine Art from the New York Historical Society

The New-York Historical Society has sent an impressive array of its marine and maritime art holdings, mostly 19th century, to the Portland Museum Art for the 2014-2015 winter season. “The Coast & the Sea: Marine and Maritime Art in America” offers an excellent opportunity to take in a clutch of sea-going artifacts, plus ships, seascapes, and portraits by a top-notch lineup of painters.

A Ticket to Ride, the Boston Whaler

Why does every teenager want a Boston Whaler? Freedom, adventure, and fun play a big part.

Thoreau in the Maine Woods

Although Henry David Thoreau published his book about the Maine woods 150 years ago, his vision and words still resonate today. Thoreau’s experience of the Maine woods was a confrontation with himself, with humans’ place on the planet, and with the meaning of civilization.

Adventures in a Boston Whaler

Adventures in a Boston Whaler shaped an artist’s world vision

Jon Imber and Jill Hoy: Finding Bedrock

The creative journey of two painters, through health and sickness.

The Fixers - Fred Murphy, Waterville's Cobbler

By Greg Rossel One man’s hands-on approach promotes quality over quantity.

Yurt - William Coperthwaite

William Coperthwaite may have the answer to the mortgage market troubles—build a yurt.