Public Wax Painting Art Exhibit Opens At Norway Savings Bank Operations Center
SUBJECT: Two Western Maine Artist Forge Innovative
Collaboration, featured in Norway Savings Bank Exhibit
NORWAY – An multi-media exhibit of encaustic wax painting
by Western Maine Art Group Members Zoe Newton (a/k/a Heather Westleigh) and
Daniel Rennie opens this week in the windows of the Norway Savings Bank
Operations Center on Main Street.
Created in collaboration is entitled "Inaurare"
and is about process, how the artists interact, overlap, integrate and
individualize. This collaboration, also reflects the spirit of partnership
between the Norway Saving Bank and Western Maine Art Group which also forged a
collaboration to create monthly public art exhibits on Main Street.
“As if each human interaction is a microcosm of all human
interaction, we have encompassed the spectrum of possibility in this body of
work. We never began a painting with an outcome in mind, thus the outcome is
the product of our contributions in a way that is raw, emotional, organic. We have reacted to each other, sometimes
strongly, other time subtly. We have
reworked and overwritten each other. We
have been admired and awe struck. We
have never taken it for granted. This
work is truly the art of phenomenology.
As such, the goal was to reach conclusion by way of experience. This is our experience of each other,” said
Newton who has been teaching encaustic, pigmented wax painting in for several
years in Western Maine.
“After meeting Dan and seeing his work, it only seemed
natural to me that he should experiment with encaustic painting. Dan uses
bold colors, amazing textures and intriguing abstraction. The next logical step was collaboration. He
is often beginning paintings or taking those we've begun together in a new
direction. An exceptionally dedicated artist, Dan uses every spare minute to
paint. He has taught me how to integrate
artistic practice into daily life; that it is vital to do this. Not only is art how he understands life, it
is how he understands others, and himself,” added Newton.
Rennie was looking to move into a new direction with his
work when he and Newton forged this artistic partnership: “She is a creative,
motivated, inspiring force who agreed to meet me half way and enter into
collaboration. She ‘sees’ the painting, and knows how to move it along. Very often she is the finisher. Many of the
pieces in this body of work were started by myself or by both of us, but it was
Heather that decided when a painting is really done. I have such enormous
respect of this woman. Her art, her
convictions, her vision. I am
consistently moved and inspired by her,” said Rennie.
FMI: www.TheWMAG.org or call 207-739-6161.