“SORRY I HAVE TO WORK IN THE MORNING” BY MATT DEMERS, LEFT, AND “MIXED MEDIA” BY ALLISON MCKEEN.
Gardiner artists Matt Demers and Allison McKeen invite the public to help them kick off 2017 with their first open studio of the year on Sunday from 1-5 p.m. Join them for an afternoon of art, antique and vintage objects, food, drinks and live music by The Sweet Beets of Harpswell.
Demers and McKeen are both primarily self-taught mixed media artists working in their shared studio and gallery space located on the third floor of 327 Water St. in Gardiner.
Growing up in rural Maine, Demers has been creating artwork his entire life. He uses a wide variety of mediums and techniques, often on non-traditional surfaces such as tin ceiling panels or refrigerator doors. His background as a graphic designer, sign maker, embroiderer, screen printer, gravedigger and antiques dealer influences his work visually and conceptually.
“The biggest stylistic influences in my work come from my love for graffiti art and the old objects that I grew up surrounded by,” Demers said. “I love the bold colors and forms of graffiti and the character and textures of old weathered items.”
McKeen’s work is largely inspired by the rural environment of her upbringing along the Kennebec River. She equates her creative process to the themes experienced while playing outdoors: observation and adventure.
“The less I plan my artwork, the more room there is for spontaneity, resourcefulness and problem-solving,” she said. “Each modification is contingent on the last while informing the next. The subject matter gravitates toward themes of stillness, comfort and familiarity while the process provides the opposite experience.”
The open studio will take place from 1- 5p.m. at 327 Water St. in Gardiner.
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