UMaine art faculty exhibition surprising artNow a break from the norm

artNOW, University of Maine art faculty exhibition, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays through Friday, Nov. 19, Carnegie Gallery, UM campus, Orono.

Sometimes a show comes along that shatters all preconceptions about a group of artists. For those who follow the work of the University of Maine’s art faculty, the current exhibition shows a side of their art that is at once surprising and familiar.

Who knew James Linehan, master of the controlled brushstroke, did bold, abstract pieces in his spare time? Or that Laurie Hicks, an art education professor, created such arresting color photographs?

For that matter, who knew that a shoulder and a lock of hair could be so provocative through the right lens? Alan Stubbs has created a sensual landscape in his photographs “From the Rorschach Skin Series.” It’s a departure from his earlier, architectural photographs, but equally rich. MaJo Keleshian’s works in watercolor and wax evoke her signature minimalist landscapes, but primal scratches in the surface add intrigue to the serenity.

Photographer Michael Grillo captures the essence of his subjects – people waiting in an airport, friends at the kitchen table, a man holding a photo of a young boy – in a way that is so touching, so revealing, that it causes the viewer to pause and catch their breath.

Watercolorist Michael Lewis, known for his fiery sunsets and big skies, unsettles viewers with the ominous “Threat of Rain,” while the neglected backyard in Judith Sasso-Mason’s photograph “Lakeland, Florida,” feels almost sinister.

Not quite as sinister, however, as Sam Van Aken’s toothy “Killer Tomatoes” installation, in which an army of denture-laden fruits snarls in a steamy terrarium. The sculpture and installation work in this show is especially engaging – from Owen Smith’s “Transitions” video piece to Susan Camp’s moldy, mossy book under glass and Stephen Porter’s sleek, modern sculptures in steel and wood.

Ceramics also shine. Dennis Harrington’s subtle raku pots are both earthy and ephemeral, while Constant Albertson’s “Medicinal Plants in a Fragile Landscape” combines the otherworldly with the ordinary in a treasure chest of ceramic pieces.

The pieces of interest are too numerous to cover, but suffice it to say you should go see them, quickly, before the show ends. You’ll be inspired by what these professors have to say – and what you can learn – outside the classroom.

Kristen Andresen can be reached at 990-8287 and kandresen@bangordailynews.net.