Color these landscapes luminous

Landscape paintings by Philip Frey and Christina Heiniger, through September at the Wine Cellar Art Gallery at John Edwards Market, 158 Main St., Ellsworth.

Anyone who lives near the Maine coast looks at September with a mixture of relief and sadness. You can finally get a reservation at your favorite restaurant. The traffic starts to thin out. But summer’s smorgasbord of entertainment options starts to thin out, too.

Many galleries have already closed for the “winter,” leaving fewer destinations for art lovers. But the venues that stay open year-round often make up for the seasonal slowdown.

Such is the case at John Edwards Wine Cellar Art Gallery, where paintings by Christina Heiniger and Philip Frey portray familiar landscapes in uncommon ways.

Heiniger’s work takes two distinct tacks: her watercolors bring to mind stained-glass windows, with their clear, luminous color, while her acrylics are bold and abstract, with a nod to Vincent van Gogh and Jasper Johns. It sounds like an unlikely combination, but it works, especially in “Haying, Summer Night with Fireflies,” with the glowing, circular “fireflies” against a deep blue sky. The moon hangs like a target over bales of hay and thick, cabana-striped grass.

The watercolors are as soothing as the acrylics are bold. Gentle washes, glimmers of gold leaf, and delicate, precise patterns in the flowers and grass lure the viewer in for a second look. Her use of color is unexpected, but never jarring. Even a fuchsia tree trunk looks right in her thoughtful compositions, which seem more like still lifes than landscapes.

There’s nothing still in Frey’s portrayals of Mount Desert Island. The colors crackle on his canvases. His urgent brushstrokes capture the scene in transition. He understands that the landscape changes from moment to moment – the light, the wind, the water – and conveys that endless motion.

His watercolors are bold and saturated with color, yet they feel more tranquil. Frey draws inspiration from Asian calligraphy, which is apparent, but they also reference Maine painters John Marin and Neil Welliver.

Especially captivating is his “Full Moon Hike, Cadillac Mountain.” What looks like breaking waves at first glance is actually a snow-capped mountain, glimmering with gold leaf where the light hits the snow.

Frey and Heiniger show the landscape in all seasons – as something that stays beautiful long after the tourists go home.

ArtNotes

. Calling all artists: If you’ve ever contemplated joining the circus, now’s the time. Organizers of the inaugural Cirque Du Poulet, an arts festival scheduled for Oct. 19 and 20, are looking for visual and performing artists to participate. The site of the Cirque, a former chicken farm in Frankfort, will feature a gallery with plenty of space for installations, paintings, sculpture or interactive work; a stage for music and spoken word performances; and a circus – if you can swallow swords or ride a unicycle, so much the better. The event will also cater to filmmakers interested in screening their work. A planning session followed by a potluck will be held Sunday, Sept. 22, at 49 West Hill Road, in Frankfort. For more information or directions, contact David Allen at 223-4155.

. The Art Now Gallery has opened on Route 1 in Bucksport, next to Dunkin’ Donuts – look for the chainsaw sculpture, a new addition by Ron Cowan. The cooperative gallery represents 13 local artists and artisans and is accepting new members. For more information, call Patricia Hurd at 469-3900.