Gleason Fine Art opens three new shows on Thursday, July 31: "Tom Curry: Islands,” “Boats and Harbors: Paintings by William Irvine, Henry Isaacs, and David Witbeck,” and “George Pearlman: Pottery.”

All three shows run through August 30, with a public reception for the artists on First Friday, Aug. 1, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Tom Curry: Islands. Monet had his haystacks and Brooklin artist Tom Curry has Chatto Island. Rising 26 feet above the sea, Chatto is a dot in Blue Hill Bay. Yet it is this island, with its rising and falling tides, dramatic cloud formations, and ever- changing seas, that captivates Curry and provides an inexhaustible resource for his art. Curry's tiny island is a constant in his compositions of two-thirds sky and one-third island.

“When we moved to Maine 20 years ago, I was blown away by so much sky,” Curry said. “I started right in on the idea of space. I began trying to get that feeling of the power of the sky and to get that sense of space.”

Curry's painstaking technique begins with an oil or pastel sketch he makes in the field. In the studio, he translates the sketch onto a gessoed board, upon which he establishes the complementary colors he wants. Then he sands the entire surface. After the sanding, he using a palette knife to apply paint, softening the edges with paper towels. The finished painting possesses startling depth and transparency.

Considered one of Maine's most important contemporary artists, Curry has recently been the subject of several articles, including one in the August issue of American Art Collector, and a book published by Down East Magazine. With “Islands,” Curry has given Gleason Fine Art, his primary New England gallery, a dozen new paintings, several of them monumental in size.

Two other shows opening are Boats and Harbors: Paintings by William Irvine, Henry Isaacs, and David Witbeck” and “George Pearlman: Pottery,” opens July 31.

The public is cordially invited to a reception for the artists on Friday, August 1, from 5 to 7 pm. Gleason Fine Art is located at 31 Townsend Avenue in the center of Boothbay Harbor. The gallery is open daily during the summer.

For further information, call the gallery at 207-633-6849, email the gallery at info@gleasonfineart.com or visit www.gleasonfineart.com.