This weekend I was in Rockland, Maine and saw some gorgeous art on the more traditional side at the beautiful Dowling Walsh Gallery. Three artists really stood out to me: Stephen Hodecker, Bo Bartlett and Scott Kelley. These three realists paint prototypical American subjects that exemplify core American ideals of hard work, simplicity and natural beauty. Unfortunately, these paintings are beyond the reach of most modest art buyers.
Stephen Hodecker, who paints primarily with oil and egg tempura, was influenced by European and American realists, in particular Homer, Hopper, Sargent and Wyeth.
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Bo Bartlett has been compared to American realists Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth, whom the artist filmed for a documentary in the late 80’s. Bartlett splits his time between Pennsylvania, an island in Maine and Washington State. The stunning brunette in many of Bartlett’s paintings is his wife, Betsy Eby.
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Scott Kelley lives on an island off the Coast of Maine and earlier in his career worked for the artist, Julian Schnabel. He grew up in a rural camp in the Adirondack Mountains and was inspired by the remaining isolated communities in the area. He paints with watercolor and gouache.
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