Photos are in Mothership/Special Sections/CitizenVisitor9/25
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Cutline: The store at Run Run Studios features sculpture and textile prints by owners Rob Motes (in mirror) and his wife Alice, as well as vintage aluminum pieces and other works of art. Staff photo by David Harry
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Cutline: Elna Stone has been exhibiting and selling her watercolors at the Gallery 302 in Bridgton for three years. Staff photo by David Harry
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Cutline: Rebecca (left) and Brad Fuller greet visitors at the opening of the Edge of Maine Gallery in Brownfield. Staff photo by David Harry
Autumn visitors to western Maine will quickly discover that the season is colorful indoors and out, as local art galleries rival turning foliage shade for shade.
In a wide arc from Cornish to Bridgton that gives visitors the chance to enjoy the explosion of reds, oranges and yellows in the maples, birches and oaks, there are also three galleries where the vision of local artists bursts forth.
In Cornish, nestled between a lumberyard and restaurant, Robert Motes and his wife Alice own Run Run Studios. Here they create furniture and textile prints while also selling sculpture, vintage aluminum pieces and other antiques that make great housewarming or wedding gifts.
Rob Motes is Alabama born and a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Md. Alice attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the New England School of Photography.
“We started slowly working our way up York County,” said Rob Motes about their move to Cornish. The couple had looked for a home on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, but because they have family in Massachusetts, Maine became a better choice.
In Cornish, they found what was once called “Pike’s Cottage,” built more than 160 years ago. In restoring the house, they saved materials to build the store in front, and a garage next to that became the studio where Rob Motes shapes steel into chairs, tables and divans.
Much of the furniture and prints are sold through their catalog or at shows in New York, but the rural store and studio are gaining popularity with summer homeowners in the area and day-trippers from Portland.
Driving north from Cornish from either Route 160 or Route 113 leads visitors toward Brownfield, a quiet town tucked away from the beaten track, but vibrant in beauty and art.
At the Edge of Maine Gallery on Main Street (Route 160) in Brownfield, those visitors can find a mix of locally produced art created by owners Brad and Rebecca Fuller and the artists they invite to exhibit their work.
The gallery space has been through several business incarnations for the Fullers, who have found this to be by far the most satisfying venture for them.
While the store and gallery provide a place to exhibit and sell Brad’s photographs and Rebecca’s custom frames, their vision for the Edge of Maine included gallery space for local artists.
Brad Fuller has photographed the natural wonders around Brownfield, including daily pictures of the Brownfield Bog taken every day since February. Rebecca Fuller has been making picture frames for 25 years.
In six months, the gallery has hosted four exhibitions lasting six to eight weeks, including paintings by five Brownfield artists who had rarely showed their work.
Those exhibitions were followed by a joint show by Peter and Joyce Blue of Eaton, N.H., a three-dimensional show based on Peter’s mobiles and Joyce’s “miniature real estate,” intricate dollhouses that were decidedly not for play.
With the August opening of the Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield, the Edge of Maine Gallery became the place to buy show tickets locally, bringing more visitors who discovered art in varied forms and media.
Visitors to the gallery and store will now see 20 watercolors by Ron White, a member of the Ossipee River Artist’s League. White’s scenes are complemented by work from three potters and one jewelry maker, all sold on consignment.
A trip east and north along Route 160 from Brownfield will guarantee mountain views, abundant splashes of gold and crimson color, and an eventual arrival in Bridgton.
Turn left where Route 160 meets Main Street, and it is easy to find Gallery 302, where members of the Bridgton Art Guild show and sell their work.
The guild, founded in May 2003, is an artist’s cooperative boasting more than 60 members. The gallery space opened in July, 2003.
Inside the carpeted, well-lit gallery are paintings, sculptures, furniture, jewelry and photographs, rotated every month by the artists so the exhibited work stays fresh and the spaces are always shared.
Becoming a member of the cooperative at the gallery requires approval from a jury of artistic peers, but the process is hardly egalitarian, according to watercolorist Elna Stone.
A former board member of the cooperative, Stone has been showing and selling local scenes she has painted since the gallery opened, but still considers her work a hobby.
After working as an accountant and bookkeeper for her husband’s construction company in Miami, Stone and her husband retired to Bridgton, the home of his ancestors and wellspring for Stone’s artistic muse.
Stone was a member of the Miami Watercolor Society, but the South Bridgton Church and Shorey Park in Bridgton are favored scenes for her. She has also contributed her work to the church for their yearly calendar.
Such is the nature of the cooperative, whose members compete among themselves with a poster contest each year. They also open the gallery for a student show each year, donating their space so promising students can show their work.
Students are further helped by a scholarship fund the cooperative. This year, $750 was award, next year cooperative members hope to award two scholarships.
Gallery 302, at 112 Main Street, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday through Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
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