We couldn't be more excited to be participating for the first time in Artwalk Waldoboro, held on the second Saturday of the month, June-October, from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. The first walk is June 9th and we'll be stop #12 of 13 on the map.

For more information about Artwalk Waldoboro, including a map of the route, visit artwalkwaldoboro.com.

The walk includes galleries, studios, shops with featured artists, and the Waldoboro Historical Society. We'll give tours of the theatre, host a children's activity outside, and be featuring some very cool local artists on our walls (the ones still in good condition, anyway!) 

Our featured artists for June 9th will be Mary Boothby and Erica Qualey. Their artwork will be on display during artwalk only. Both artists have a connection to theatre: Boothby has worked on and off stage at Heartwood Regional Theatre, and performed at the Waldo in her youth, and Qualey has occasionally helped create sets for Heartwood. 

Mary Boothby is an illustrator and printmaker who grew up in Round Pond and now resides in Bremen. Her work was represented at Bayview Gallery in Camden, and she recently had her prints accepted into a juried group show at River Arts in Damariscotta where one print received the juror’s choice award. Her recent focus has been in mezzotints, which she describes as, “a multiple step process that can achieve an amazing range of tones including an intense, velvety black.” 

Mary describes her mezzopoint process:

Mezzotint is an engraving technique developed in the seventeenth century which allows for the creation of prints with soft gradations of tone and rich and velvety blacks. The process involves indenting the metal printing plate by rocking a toothed metal tool across the surface. Each pit holds ink, and if printed at this stage the image would be solid black. However the printmaker creates dark and light tones by gradually rubbing down or burnishing the rough surface to various degrees of smoothness to reduce the ink-holding capacity of areas of the plate.

Mary says her, "more recent prints have taken on a bit of the fantastic incorporating conversations with songbirds in a series of monotypes and drypoints."

 She describes the process of drypoint:

Drypoint is a printmaking process in which a design is drawn on a plate with a sharp, pointed needle-like instrument.  The process of incising for drypoint creates a slightly raised ragged rough edge to the lines, known as the burr. When ink that has been applied to the plate is wiped off both the incised line and specifically the burr receive ink when the plate is wiped, giving the printed line a distinctive velvety look. Owing to the delicate nature of the burr, drypoint is usually made in small editions, stopping before the burr is crushed by the pressure of the intaglio press. Drypoint is often combined with other intaglio techniques, such as etching.

Erica Qualey is a painter and illustrator residing in South Bristol. Her focus has been on watercolor painting and illustrations, and she recently finished a commission for a children’s book, A Little Bit Lost by Brenda LaFrance. The work she’ll be displaying will be a mix of traditional watercolor rag paper and watercolor batik on a translucent rice paper.

This forest painting is a sample of her batik work. Erica says, "It is a bit different style but it made with very similar process to traditional batik on fabric."

Her artist statement on the piece above reads:

In my work I strive to create a sense of space. Primarily painting memories that provoke strong feelings and emotions, I hope to create pieces that invite viewers to spend time in that space, connecting to those emotions, and traveling to a place in their own memory. In this particular piece, “Contentment”, I hope to convey the overwhelming sense of peace that one can find inside oneself when visiting someplace full of light and warmth. I love hearing about how people have connected with my paintings and the space within them. It is quite moving to create work that is so personal to me, but which someone else can approach with their memories and have a similar connection.

 Erica also paints on traditional watercolor rag paper.

More about Erica and her work can be found on her website and at Erica Qualey Fine Art & Illustration Facebook page. 

 We couldn't be more thrilled to feature both of these incredibly talented local artists. Please stop by on June 9th and say hello, maybe drink some wine and see some of this beautiful work!