Springing to life Rockland art gallery awakens after long hibernation

loading...

Outside Elan Fine Arts in Rockland, hunks of snow melt away into the street, leaving patches of trodden grass exposed to the afternoon sun. Inside, the landscapes on the walls show a softer side of spring – daffodils blooming on a snow-dappled lawn, roaring streams breaking through thick layers of ice, a barren hillside blanketed in white.

For Elan’s inaugural exhibition, “Winter Into Spring,” gallery owners Andrew and Ellen Eddy chose to focus on rarely-shown facets of the Maine landscape – the long, cold winter and the exuberance of the thaw. In a way, the artwork mirrors the Elm Street gallery’s awakening from a long hibernation.

“We see this opening in March as really a way of giving back to the community,” Andrew Eddy said recently while touring the bright, white building. “Once we’re into mud season, everybody’s ready to go out and see something new and stimulating. This is a way to get the space open and get the energy flowing again.”

In its previous life, the building housed Between the Muse gallery, a former private home torn down and rebuilt to museum standards in the mid-’90s. Its soaring ceilings, state-of-the-art lighting and airy construction made it an ideal place for exhibits. When the gallery closed, the local arts community wondered what would happen.

In the two and a half years it sat vacant, rumors circulated about a hair salon moving in, or possibly a restaurant, but last summer, the Eddys bought the building with the intention of opening another gallery.

“There aren’t that many galleries, and when one closes, it has an impact,” Belfast painter Alan Fishman said by phone. “It was always what I considered to be the most beautiful gallery, physically, in Rockland.”

Though Fishman never showed at Between the Muse, his work was the impetus behind Elan’s early opening. The Eddys had planned to open on Memorial Day weekend, along with the rest of Rockland’s galleries. When they saw Fishman’s kinetic winterscapes paired with a series of vibrant paintings depicting the transition into spring, they changed their minds.

“He’s not the only artist who’s painting this, but who’s going to show winter paintings in the middle of the summer?” Andrew Eddy asked.

The answer is no one. Though Fishman had painted many winter scenes, inspired by the changing ice forms on the Passagassawakeag River near his home, galleries preferred to show his warm-weather landscapes.

“Here I have this rich series of paintings, and I can’t figure out where to show them,” Fishman said. “I was happy to be included. Not only did it give me a chance to be in Elan’s first show, but also to show these paintings that have never seen the light of day.”

Opening a year-round gallery allows Elan a bit more flexibility than many of the region’s seasonal galleries. It also gives the Eddys a chance to showcase the work of more artists, both emerging and nationally known.

“We’re focusing on artists who have a close association with the state of Maine,” Andrew Eddy said. “There is so much wonderful work out there. In some ways, it’s frustrating to see what’s out there and realize you can’t show everything.”

In addition to Fishman’s paintings, “Winter Into Spring” features the work of Louise Bourne, Lydia Cassatt, John Dehlinger, Monica Kelly, Vaino Kola, Greg Mort, Cindia Sanford, John Schmidtberger, Joanne Wilson, Will Barnet and Neil Welliver.

Though the Eddys have never owned a gallery before, they both have an arts background. Andrew, 48, earned degrees in studio art and art history from Bowdoin, while Ellen, 45, was a theater and English major at Bates. The two met in the 1980s in the greater Boston area and started a bindery that specialized in custom leather cases and presentation folders for rare autographed material.

“As our business got going, every year we’d seem to make a little more money, but every year the cost of living would go up,” Andrew said. “With the types of clients we were serving we didn’t need to be in Boston.”

In 1994, the couple moved to Camden and became friends with several gallery owners, including Dennis Reno, a partner in Between the Muse. The Eddys both had dreams of opening their own gallery, but when the building came on the market in 1996, it was out of their price range. Over time, the price went down, and last summer, the Eddys bought the building.

Ellen tended to the bindery until last October, and Andrew immersed himself in the New England art scene, traveling to studios, introducing himself to local artists, putting out calls for portfolios and contacting New York dealers who show Maine artists. For “Winter Into Spring,” Elan was able to consign prints by Barnet and Welliver from Alexandre Gallery in Manhattan.

“We’re familiar with the space and Andrew comes highly recommended by his neighbors at the Caldbeck gallery,” the gallery’s owner, Philippe Alexandre, said by phone from New York. “Based on that we made the decision to cooperate with him.”

Elan’s affiliation with the Caldbeck – Elan stands where Caldbeck owners Jim Kinnealey and Cynthia Hyde used to live, and the two galleries share a sculpture garden – has been a boon to the Eddys.

“It’s well-established, they have a tremendous reputation, and they show fabulous artists,” Andrew Eddy said. “They have been really a great support for us, very generous in their encouragement. We couldn’t have better neighbors.”

After years of watching and waiting to see what would happen next door, Hyde is thrilled to see a gallery moving in. She is confident that the high level of quality that the Eddys brought to the bindery will carry over into their new endeavor. And rather than see it as competition, Hyde says another gallery will mean more foot traffic for everyone.

“It’ll just be easier for all of us,” Hyde said. “I don’t think we could ask for anything better. We’re all going to have fun, too.”

The Eddys brought Dennis Reno on board to help with the gallery’s opening, and he couldn’t be happier. He had missed the gallery life – the camaraderie with other gallery owners, the social openings, and the chance to be surrounded by beauty every day.

“Opening artwork is like Christmas,” Reno said last Monday, after unpacking the work for “Winter Into Spring. “I love art, and being involved with the work again and meeting the artists, it’s fun. We go to the studios, see the art, meet the families. It’s just a great time. It’s not really like working.”

On Monday afternoon, paintings rested up against the walls and on the stairs, waiting to be hung. An electrician arrived to replace burned-out light bulbs. And in the main gallery, Andrew, Ellen and Dennis stood, looking at the white walls around them, talking about how nice it was to have the building open again.

“It almost became a restaurant,” Ellen said, laughing.

Dennis looked at her with a smile.

“It will always be a gallery.”

An opening reception for “Winter Into Spring” will take place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. today. The show runs through May 18. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday or by appointment, through Memorial Day. The gallery is located at 8 Elm Street. For information, call 596-9933.