Cheney Financial Group is hosting the second of three fun summer events Thursday, Aug. 15, from 4:30-6 p.m. The events support and showcase local artists, local musicians, local food, local brews and wine.

Artist Susan Bartlett Rice will exhibit her paintings and live music will be performed by Chris Hight and Annette Rundall. Hors d’oeuvres and tastings of local beer and wine will be provided by Lurie Sprague-Palino of Seacoast Catering and Lobsterbakes and Damariscotta River oysters will be supplied by Pemaquid Oyster Co. We invite the community to join us in supporting local businesses, art and music at Newcastle Realty, 87 Main St., Damariscotta.

Walpole artist, Susan Bartlett Rice, earned her BA in studio art and art history from the University of Vermont, followed by further studies at the California College of Arts and Crafts and the Rhode Island School of Design. Her oil paintings are autobiographical and reflect the contrasts, challenges and comforts of living year-round on the Maine coast. Through her paintings of local architecture, the working waterfront and family farming, she colorfully represents long-standing traditions in contemporary times.  

Her paintings have been exhibited and collected nationally. Susan shares, “I am most inspired by the simplicity of my everyday life, living on a family farm on the Maine coast and the space that gives me to create. My current work follows in real time the change of seasons and the people and places around me. I enjoy painting in my own small town and  immediately notice when someone re-shingles their roof or paints their house, because I have painted the same places from different angles so many times. I like to capture places before they are gone or changed. My hope is that my work looks like it was painted in my own time, but captures the places and traditions that make my home of Maine ‘Maine.’”

Susan’s paintings will be on exhibit until Sept. 9. The last Local Flavors Summer Series events will spotlight different artists and food vendors and will be held Thursday, Sept. 12.

Cheney Financial Group is comprised of Cheney Insurance, Newcastle Realty and Newcastle Vacation Rentals. Our locally grown, locally owned companies have a strong commitment to supporting local businesses and bringing together community.  

For more information, contact Kristy Battles at 563-1003 or follow us on Facebook.