Member artists at the Pemaquid Art Gallery, Lighthouse Park, Bristol, Claire Hancock and Hannah Ineson have been showing their work at the Gallery for many years. Both artists, Damariscotta residents, are largely self-taught, with early training by other Maine artists.

Claire Hancock has no trouble finding inspiration to nurture her lifelong love of painting. Currently working primarily in soft pastel, her signature style takes two paths, still life and landscape. The “Simple Pleasures” series evokes nostalgia with the subject material - natural materials such as flowers, combined with vintage objects such as lace, antique vases and pitchers, found in almost every home and antique shop. Hancock’s landscapes feature the most beloved of natural Maine scenes - coastal views, sunsets, lakes, forests, depicted with an obvious joy in her environment. Her paintings are celebrations, whether of beloved objects or familiar landscapes.

Hancock’s work has been recognized with many awards, including Best in Show at the statewide, highly competitive, ARTinME, at the Boothbay Region Art Foundation in 2012, among others.

Hannah Ineson, known for many years for her watercolor and oil paintings, has been showing her “Works in Clay,” functional art pottery and sculpture, for the past four years at the Pemaquid Art Gallery. After fifteen years of working with clay, including teaching in Florida, while also painting and teaching Watercolor Journaling, she decided to focus on exploring three dimensional arts. She still teaches for the Marco Island Center for the Arts in Florida during winter months.

A restless artist, Ineson is always exploring new ideas and techniques, with a special interest in surfaces, from complex glazing to sgraffito and stenciling on her clay pieces, before the final firing. Her subject material also ranges widely, from rabbits, owls and other creatures to more useable art pottery such as platters and vases. Her work is found at www.hannahineson.com.

Both artists’ work can be found on www.pemaquidgallery.com The other 2023 Pemaquid Gallery Artists include: Bobbie Applegate, Debra Arter, Stephen Busch, John Butke, Dianne Dolan, Gwendolyn Evans, Peggy Farrell, Sarah Fisher, Claire Hancock, Kay Sawyer Hannah, Kathleen Horst, Hannah Ineson, Will Kefauver, Jan Kilburn, Barbara Klein, Patti Leavitt, Sally Loughridge, Judy Nixon, Charles Nowell, Alexandra Perry-Weiss, Paul Sherman, Gary Smith, Cindy Spencer, Val Thomas, Kim Traina, Liliana Thelander, Val Thomas, Barbara Vanderbilt, Bob Vaughan, Candace Vlcek, Carol Wiley.