Beginning Thursday, June 28, Monhegan painter Kevin Beers joins Roque Bluffs, Maine, ceramicist Tim Christensen for two new shows at Gleason Fine Art's Boothbay Harbor gallery. For Beers, this will be his 11th solo show at the Gleason gallery, and for Christensen, his first solo show in Boothbay Harbor. A public reception for both artists will be held at the gallery from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 30.

Kevin Beers

Kevin Beers returns to the rock-bound island of Monhegan each summer to paint for four to five months. Being away from his beloved island for the long winter months allows Beers to return each year with fresh eyes and rejuvenated energy. "Monhegan is a dazzling place with incredible, beautiful light. I love to paint the buildings on the island—the color and structure of weathered buildings, the patterns of sunlight and shadow, and the sharp contrast between a red roof, white clapboards, and bright blue sky," says Beers.

Beers has received increasing attention for his work, with articles in major magazines, such as American Art Collector East and American Artist, and glowing reviews by arts writers. Even Beers' collectors rhapsodize about his paintings: "Kevin Beers has a genuine affection for the people and places he paints. Combine that with his love of slanting light and you get a rare magic that is as honest and genuine as it is beautiful," collector, actor Remak Ramsay.

Tim Christensen

In May 2008, ceramic artist Tim Christensen made one of those life choices that many dream of, but few accomplish—he and his girlfriend moved to a patch of land near the far-down-east village of Roque Bluffs. Armed with a pile of wood cut from the land and a building permit, the couple set about creating an off-the-grid homestead. By July, they had a small but passable house and knew that life in the woods was for them. Christensen was surrounded by the very things he wanted to incorporate into his pottery—otters, foxes, seabirds, dragonflies, salamanders—in other words, the great, big natural world which is there if we but take the time to look and listen. Tim "draws to illustrate the wonder and mystery of living in the world we share."

Christensen was a potter before he made the move to Roque Bluffs, but the move allowed him to focus on his art in a way he never had before. Call it total immersion. The result has been some of the most arresting, and complex, pottery to have been made in Maine.

Christensen's pieces are nearly always black on white. A little hint of color sneaks in now and then. He applies a layering of black slip into which a design is scratched. The technique is called sgraffito, an Italian word from which "graffiti" is derived. The scratching is free-hand, an astonishing fact when considering the intricacy of Christensen's designs. Up until a year or so ago, most of his pieces were vessels, boxes, and plates. More recently, Christensen has started making sculpture—three-dimensional forms in the shape of an otter or seal, for example, with a surface that is fully covered with the artist's drawing.

Both "Kevin Beers: New Paintings" and "Tim Christensen: Drawing on Porcelain" open Thursday, June 28, and run through July 28. Please join us for an opening reception for the artists on Saturday, June 30, from 5 to 7 p.m. Savories and pastries from Boothbay Harbor's newest café, Island Cow Organic Ice Cream and European-style Pastries, will be served.

For more information call the gallery at 207-633-6849. Island Cow is located in the Gleason Building at 31 Townsend Avenue in the former Aura Salon space.