Radio Maine with Dr. Lisa Belisle

This Maine Artist Is Painting Every Bird Mentioned by Shakespeare: Meet Missy Dunaway

Artist Missy Dunaway has the unique ability to be both far-ranging and deep in her approach to her work. While attempting to convince a fellow college student of the ongoing relevance of William Shakespeare several years ago, she gave his contribution to language as one example. A known ‘word chemist,’ The Bard not only engaged in the creation of new vocabulary, he also extensively used the known vocabulary of the time: his collected works include more than 30,000 different words. Among these are descriptions of 64 separate species of birds that eventually became the inspiration for Missy’s current series of paintings–which also include applicable and historically accurate plants. With the help of an ornithologist, a botanist, and a Shakespeare scholar, Missy is remaining true to her intention of “using a visual form to communicate information to make Shakespeare accessible to everybody.” Join our latest conversation with Missy Dunaway on today’s episode of Radio Maine.

Every week, Dr. Lisa Belisle brings you an interview with a member of Maine’s community, including artists, designers, and more. Subscribe to Radio Maine on YouTube, so you never miss an episode.

Missy Dunaway is represented by the Portland Art Gallery of Maine. Click here to view her art.

 

Editor-in-chief of Culture Magazine on Writing and Journalism: Meet Susan Sherrill Axelrod

Susan Sherrill Axelrod is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers. A former restaurant owner, she is now the Editor-in-chief for Culture (“the ultimate publication for those who love cheese”). Her love of culture goes beyond the culinary: she has an undergraduate degree in French and Italian literature, and has traveled all over the world. Now a Maine resident with a strong connection to the Boothbay region, she shares her talents with the Portland Art Gallery community via “Art Matters,” a weekly web and email column featuring interviews with our artists. Learn more about Susan Sherrill Axelrod on this week’s episode of Radio Maine.

Every week, Dr. Lisa Belisle brings you an interview with a member of Maine’s community, including artists, designers, and more. Subscribe to Radio Maine on YouTube, so you never miss an episode.

Check out Susan Sherrill Axelrod's blog, Art Matters, here: https://portlandartgallery.com/art-blog

Hope Moves Her Forward: Artist Joyce Grasso on her Journey, Inspirations, and Career.

Joyce Grasso’s life experiences, and adversities, have been quietly informing her art for many years. A native of Portland, Maine, her family had a shoe store on Congress Street–across from what is now the Maine Historical Society’s Wadsworth-Longfellow House–for more than half a century. She had a front row seat to the cultural diversity of Munjoy Hill, and enjoyed weekend forays to Cape Elizabeth and Old Orchard Beach. She also felt the limitations of career choice, as did many women of her generation. Despite these limitations, and significant health challenges, her art reflects the abundance and hope that she has steadfastly drawn from her life. Join our conversation with Joyce Grasso on today’s episode of Radio Maine.

Every week, Dr. Lisa Belisle brings you an interview with a member of Maine’s community, including artists, designers, and more. Subscribe to Radio Maine on YouTube, so you never miss an episode.

This artist is represented by the Portland Art Gallery of Maine. Click here to view their art.

Greg Day’s Art Draws on his Background in Architecture and Passion for Cartography

Greg Day has always had an interest in lines and intersections. Early in life, Greg would lay out and draw intricate city maps at his kitchen table. After graduating from a small high school in rural Maine, Greg went on to study architecture. While his work in this profession was brief, both this and his fascination with cartography would eventually influence his art. Learn more about artist Greg Day on today’s episode of Radio Maine.

Every week, Dr. Lisa Belisle brings you an interview with a member of Maine’s community, including artists, designers, and more. Subscribe to Radio Maine on YouTube, so you never miss an episode.

Greg Day is represented by the Portland Art Gallery of Maine. Click here to view his art.

Maine Artist Julia Einstein Finds Inspiration in the Most Delightful Subject: Flowers

Julia Einstein’s art is all about the details. She  seeks “gestures” in her subjects - most often flowers from her garden, or the farm where she is currently an artist in residence - and takes great care to arrange and paint them at precisely the right time of day. Previously a resident of Kennebunk, Maine, Julia made use of her extensive art history background when she worked as an educator at the Portland Museum of Art. Now a resident of Raleigh, North Carolina, where she moved to be near her family, Julia maintains her connection to the Pine Tree State through her affiliation with the Portland Art Gallery. Join our conversation with Julia Einstein on this episode of Radio Maine.

Every week, Dr. Lisa Belisle brings you an interview with a member of Maine’s community, including artists, designers, and more. Subscribe to Radio Maine on YouTube, so you never miss an episode.

This artist is represented by the Portland Art Gallery of Maine. Click here to view their art.

Deeply Rooted in Bailey Island Maine’s Community, Brett Johnson Makes a Life in Interior Design

The founder of Maine Street Design Co., longtime interior designer Brett Johnson has many loyal clients across the state. Raised on the Maine coast, he has a deeply rooted family and personal history on Bailey Island. Building on the success of his Portland design studio and design center, he opened a new retail location in Bath, Maine in the midst of Covid, and has continued to grow his business despite the globally-felt challenges of the past few years. In the process, he has also reinvented himself personally, venturing forth to parts of the world that simultaneously broadened his horizons, and reconnected him with his family legacy. Join our conversation with Brett Johnson today on Radio Maine.

Every week, Dr. Lisa Belisle brings you an interview with a member of Maine’s community, including artists, designers, and more. Subscribe to Radio Maine on YouTube, so you never miss an episode.

 

Dedicated to Healing Others Sally Thomas Earns Her Doctor of Ministry, Launches Wondering Together

Sally Thomas has dedicated her life to healing others, in myriad and evolving ways. Through her work as a nurse, and then a nurse practitioner, she came to understand the importance of emotional connection. With that in mind, she pursued a Doctor of Ministry, and initiated the “Wondering Together Project,” which brings families together through shared conversation. Learn more about Sally Thomas, and the importance of interrelatedness, today on Radio Maine.

Every week, Dr. Lisa Belisle brings you an interview with a member of Maine’s community, including artists, designers, and more. Subscribe to Radio Maine on YouTube, so you never miss an episode.

This Garden Designer Became an Abstract Painter Exhibiting in Maine: Meet Karen Blair

While drawing on historical ways of painting, Blair’s work explores the landscape in varying degrees of abstraction. As a gardener and student of garden design, she is fascinated with the idea of viewing the landscape from a high, sweeping vantage point. The marks on the paintings become a shorthand for the experience of being in the landscape. Along with plants, the sky, mountains, and water, the artist is recording the time of day and season of the year.

Every week, Dr. Lisa Belisle brings you an interview with a member of Maine’s community, including artists, designers, and more. Subscribe to Radio Maine on YouTube, so you never miss an episode.

Karen Blair is represented by the Portland Art Gallery of Maine. Click here to view her art.

The Maine Life and Career of Maine Health Pulmonologist Dr. Jen Palminteri

Maine native Dr. Jennifer Palminteri, a pulmonologist with MaineHealth in South Portland, recently discovered the joy of bringing original art into her home. Jen is no stranger to creativity, having–like most of her medical colleagues–engaged in this extensively while responding to the rapidly evolving virus that precipitated a global pandemic. She offers a balanced and reassuring perspective from the front line of medicine. Jen’s ability to engage in uncertainty enabled her to fully embrace the art buying process, despite having no background in this area, demonstrating the transferability of skills and mindset that artists in all fields (and professions) are known for. Join our conversation with Dr. Jen Palminteri on today’s episode of Radio Maine.

Every week, Dr. Lisa Belisle brings you an interview with a member of Maine’s community, including artists, designers, and more. Subscribe to Radio Maine on YouTube, so you never miss an episode.

You’ve Been Framed: Tony Cox of Casco Bay Frames on Owning a Framing Business in Maine

Tony Cox is a fixture in the southern Maine art community. He and his wife Heather have owned and operated Casco Bay Frames and Gallery in Portland for nearly two decades. Tony has combined an educational background in psychology and studio art with practical, hands-on experience working in human resources at LL Bean to create success for their Back Cove area business. Tony enjoys working with his staff – all artists – and with clients nationwide. Learn more about Tony Cox and what brought him back to his home state in this episode of Radio Maine.

Every week, Dr. Lisa Belisle brings you an interview with a member of Maine’s community, including artists, designers, and more. Subscribe to Radio Maine on YouTube, so you never miss an episode.