This is a doorstop idea that I had based on my painting, The Secret Life of Walter Kitty.

A Male embellished upon from a dover celtic book, on a pottery tile.

“Salty Dogs” Exhibit, a Summer Send-Off

Painter Elizabeth Stewart considers her “Salty Dogs” exhibit of pet portraits a celebratory “last hurrah” for the dogs of Seapoint Beach, Maine, before the popular spot limits canine traffic for the “dog days” of summer.

The exhibit will be shown as part of a group show tentatively titled “Salt of the Earth” at Kittery Art Association, April 30 to May 24. An opening reception with live music will be held Sunday, May 3, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

The “Salty Dogs” series features oil on canvas and clayboard animal portraits, most of them private commissions. Seapoint Beach is still open to dogs in summer’s morning and evening hours (before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m., if on a leash). But the more carefree days of running the pebbly beach and swimming in the sun come to an end for our furry friends on June 15. With that timing so close to the exhibit, Stewart thought a dogs-only selection of her work would be a perfect send-off for the season.

“What is it about these animals that are worth so much to us?” Stewart asks herself, and explores the answers in her custom pet portrait series. Observing people-pet relationships through the lens of art, she’s concluded that it’s about healing.

“Our pets remind us of our simpler nature; a part of us that enjoys a good meal, a loyal friend and a refreshing walk or run on the beach. In our busy lifestyle, we all benefit from the reminder to allow ourselves to enjoy these basic pleasures and be grateful for the simple things in life.”

Stewart’s unique style uses traditional Celtic design as a visual language, often revealing and amplifying complex patterns in an animal’s fur or surroundings. The result is sytlized and layered, and creates a new “conversation” between viewer and subject. These animals have stories to tell.

The “Salt of the Earth” reception on May 3 will include light refreshments and live Irish music by the local band Toad in the Road. Stewart-a trained Irish folk singer as well as self-taught painter-will likely sing a few numbers, as will her fiance, Steve Carrigan. He and Stewart’s son, Noah McCormick, will also exhibit their own original art. Dean Diggins and Anastasia Maertens round out the group show.

Gallery hours are Thursdays, 3:00 – 6:00 p.m.; Saturdays, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m.; and Sundays, 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. KAA is located at 8 Coleman Ave., off Route 103/Pepperell Road, just south of the now-closed Cap’n Simeon’s Galley in Kittery Point, Maine. The gallery can be reached at (207) 451-9384.

Stewart’s work was featured in a solo exhibit in March at the Elysium Arts Folk Club in Rollinsford, N.H., and has earned awards including the “Alpha Dog Award” at the 2006 “Who Let the Dogs Out?” show at Heartwood College in Kennebunk, Maine; “Honorable Mention” in the Omer T. Lassonde Juried Competition at the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery in Portsmouth, NH; and “Most Original” in the Maine Women in the Arts’ 2006 Fine Art Competition in Kennebunk, Maine.

Giclee prints and greeting cards are available at her Web site, www.elizabethstewart.com.

This interview was conducted right after Ethel opted not to have a long and complicated surgery, and to have hospice care instead.  I  brought her her favorite Chinese food, we had a wonderful meal together, and then we recorded this interview.  The first few minutes were somehow lost.  She talked a bit about her family and relatives and painted a scene of what it looked like growing up.  The remainder has been split up into the four parts below.  Also, there is a link to her obituary inn word document form.  Thank you Ethel for sharing these stories with us.

Ethel Stewart Interview Part1

Ethel Stewart Interview Part2

Ethel Stewart Interview Part3

Ethel Stewart Interview Part4

Ethel Mae Stewart Obituary