Gleason Fine Art’s first show of the season, “Dorothy Eisner (1906-1984): The Cranberry Island Years,” opens Thursday, May 25. An opening reception will be held on (First) Friday, June 2 from 3-5 p.m.

Dorothy Eisner's artistic career spanned seven decades. From her Greenwich Village studio, she traveled widely, including to the American West, Mexico, and Europe. However, it was her discovery in 1960 of Cranberry Island, an enchanting small island off Mount Desert and its vibrant community of artists, that was the beginning of Eisner's passion for Maine – a passion that lasted for 24 summers, until the very end of her life.

Eisner relished involving herself in the local art scene. In New York, she exhibited broadly and worked tirelessly to further the careers of her fellow artists. Eisner's time on Cranberry was no different. She befriended and worked with many artists, including William Kienbusch, Carl Nelson, and John Heliker, all of whom summered on Cranberry Island.

We are grateful for the work of Dorothy’s daughter Christie McDonald, and to dealers David Cowan and Jim Bennette of ACME Fine Art and Design of Boston, for reinvigorating the reputation of Dorothy Eisner through a book, catalogs, and museum and gallery exhibits, and for selecting Gleason Fine Art to represent the estate of Dorothy Eisner in Maine.

We hope you enjoy these sumptuous paintings as much as we have. Eisner's mastery of color will brighten your day - and perhaps your life.

“Dorothy Eisner: The Cranberry Island Years” runs through June 27. Spring/early summer hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For further information, call Gleason Fine Art, located at 31 Townsend Avenue, at 633-6849, email the gallery at info@gleasonfineart.com, or view the show, and our entire inventory of contemporary and estate art at gleasonfineart.com.