Artist Rick Hamilton and his studio mates will hang their art outside for a pop-up art exhibition and sale at 82 Parris St. in Portland from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday. The same group of artists hosted a pop-up outdoors exhibition last month. It proved popular enough to do it again, Hamilton said.

“We’ve done other events like this for First Friday, but pre-COVID. We were itching to getting back to doing things, so we said, ‘Let’s do an outdoor event.'”

About 70 people showed up over the course of several hours on a Sunday in late June. The artists are expecting more people this time. They will hang dozens of pieces of art for Sunday’s show, from paintings the size of index cards to others much larger. In addition to Hamilton, also showing work will be Sarah Winslow, Leah Cross and Rebecca Klementovich.

Collectively, they will populate the street with paintings that are full of light, energy and whimsy.

During the June event, some visitors followed the artists indoors into their studios. That won’t happen this time, Hamilton said. “This is definitely an outdoor-only event, and we will make more of an effort this time to make sure people don’t go inside. We’ll be more ready this time,” he said. “We might even close the studio doors.”

Hamilton, who lives in South Portland and is represented by Maine Art Hill in Kennebunkport, has had a studio in Bayside for about four years. His building used to be a dry cleaners, and he appreciates the industrial feel of the place with its patchwork of brick and cinder block and leftover apparatuses. He’s there 80 hours a week, often with the doors open and salsa music and jazz playing loud enough that it can heard in the street. He loves the neighborhood and what it’s becoming.

“There are so many changes these last couple of years – restaurants and condos being built on both sides of us. There is a lot happening here, and it’s fun to be a part of it,” he said.

Copy the Story Link