Radio Maine with Dr. Lisa Belisle

Fall in Love with the Charming Interiors and Still Lifes by Artist Martha Burkert of Maine and Texas

Martha Burkert’s successful career as a photography stylist taught her much about perspective, subtracting from a scene, and proper lighting--each of which has been important to her art.  Martha attended the Maine College of Art in Portland later in life, at the suggestion of several artist friends. One of her early influences was artist and author Alfred “Chip” Chadbourn, with whom she shares a connection to Yarmouth, Maine. She brings her knowledge of photography and art forward into her pieces, many of which incorporate elements that are reminiscent of home life, including ceramics and garden flowers. Martha currently divides her time between her Texas home and her family cottage on Cousins Island in Maine.  Watch, or listen, to this episode of Radio Maine to learn more about artist, Martha Burkert.

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.

After Earning an MBA and a Career in Banking, Dick Alden Chucked it All and Became a Sculptor

An undergraduate finance major at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Dick Alden did not anticipate that he would enjoy his ceramics class as much as he did. In contrast to work he did in his other classes, he found that the process of doing something “not exact” was very appealing.  Putting his interest in art on hold, he went on to pursue a career with State Street Bank in Boston, while raising a family and studying for a master’s in business administration over many nights and weekends. Then, after taking a wood carving course in his mid-forties, Dick began creating stern boards for his friends’ sailboats. A museum exhibit based on the influential Black Mountain College in North Carolina started him down the path of stone sculpting. Learn more about Dick Alden’s artistic endeavors, lovingly undertaken with the support of his wife Priscilla and the stone sculpture community, 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.

One to Watch: J. Rodney Dennis, a Contemporary Painter Making Waves in Classical Realism

Rodney Dennis is committed to his craft. For months, he took a late flight out of Washington DC bound for Boston every Thursday night after his compressed 4-day work week had ended. He did this so that he could spend weekends attending the Academy of Realist Art. As a result of his continuing commitment to serious academic pursuit, and countless hours of painting, his pieces display a level of precision that appears almost photographic in quality. After sharing Academy classes with him, artist and Portland Art Gallery staff member Missy Dunaway was so impressed with his talent and work ethic that she advocated for him to join our Maine-based gallery. We are fortunate that he agreed. Learn more about artist Rodney Dennis, and his exceptional realistic style, 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.

A Candid Conversation with Musician and Painter Jodi Edwards, a Maine Artist with Many Talents

In the field of computer science, abstraction refers to the process of taking away, or removing less relevant characteristics, in order to get to what is most essential. Using that definition, Jodi Edward’s life, like her art, has been a process of abstraction, leading to her current existence on a bucolic family farm in Surry, Maine. Jodi traces her journey from an education at the  Parsons School of Design in New York City, across a trajectory of varied experiences, including waitressing, singing, teaching and posing as an art model. The energy of her courage, and willingness to engage and take risks, shines through her colorful, ebullient pieces, creating a manifestation of abstraction that is entirely her own. Join our conversation with Jodi Edwards 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.

Maine Artist Uses Recycled Acrylic Paint to Create Stunning Abstract Paintings: Meet Brenda Cirioni

For Brenda Cirioni, art has provided an opportunity for both catharsis and joy. While attending a retreat as an adult, she reconnected with feelings around a fire that destroyed her family’s home when she was 16-years-old--an event that was found to have been caused by arson. This emotional touchpoint became the impetus for a body of work that spanned several years, and eventually provided her with a sense of closure around the tragedy.  More recently, she countered the challenges of COVID by finding joyful inspiration in her gardens, creating a series of floral abstracts. Learn more about Brenda’s experience with the interplay between art and emotion 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.

Brenda Cirioniis represented by the Portland Art Gallery of Maine. Click here to view their art.

For the Love of Family and Food: North43 Restaurant Founder and Owner Stephanie Brown

Stephanie Brown understands that food and family are foundational elements of a life well-lived. Trained as a chef at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, her professional pursuits are the continuation of a personal legacy reflected in memories of homemade pasta drying in the bedroom of her grandparents’ four story walk-up in Boston’s North End.  Her decades-long career encompasses a love for food and people that has most recently manifested in co-ownership of North 43 Bistro in South Portland, Maine. Stephanie is beloved for the joy she brings to catered events, from intimate weddings to corporate events--not to mention pre-COVID art openings at our own Portland Art Gallery.  Learn more about Stephanie’s commitment to building community through breaking bread 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.

Fred Williams Joins Two Diametric Interests --Finance and Art-- into One Fascinating Life

Fred Williams traces his love for art back to his childhood, when he accompanied his parents on a visit to an artist’s studio located on Hancock Point in Downeast Maine. From a longstanding Maine family, his parents met at the University of Maine in Orono, and bought their first piece of art from one of their professors. Fred says that connecting with artists is something that he treasures to this day, as he continues to surround himself with art at his home in Portland, Maine. The founder of the well-respected investment management firm, Old Port Advisors in Portland, Fred has been in the financial services business for four decades. He has supported non-profit organizations--many of them with an art focus--equally as long. Joining Radio Maine from his Munjoy Hill home, Fred shares his deep respect for and admiration of artists William Crosby, Joyce Grasso, Fred Lynch, Missy Asen and many more. Listen in to learn more about Fred’s art collecting, philanthropy and professional transition, this week on Radio Maine with Dr. Lisa Belisle.

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.

Interview with a Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Painter in Portland, Maine: Cooper Dragonette

By his own admission, Cooper Dragonette “could not tell the bow from the stern,” when first hired as a sailing instructor by Maine’s Hurricane Island Outward Bound School in Penobscot Bay. Raised in Easton, Connecticut, he spent several years in landlocked Arizona working toward a degree in education, and had come away longing for the coast. His unanticipated Hurricane Island experience initiated an interplay between art and the outdoors that continues in his life to this day. Now a resident of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Cooper balances raising his young children with plein air painting, and teaching workshops in this genre.  Get to know Cooper and better understand the influences that contribute to his much sought-after Maine landscapes in today’s Radio Maine interview with Dr. Lisa Belisle.

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.

Maine Art and Culture: A Conversation with Artist Matt Chamberlain of Portland

Artist Matt Chamberlain has always felt an urge to paint. Although he pursued his passion at the Maine College of Art (MECA) in Portland, he initially felt uncertain about how to make a living through his art. With this in mind, he picked up a “real” job as a prep cook at Portland’s venerable farm-to-table restaurant, Fore Street.  The experience, a total immersion into foodservice, set Matt on another creative path as a chef, which eventually led to his owning  a Portland-based catering business. It wasn’t until years later, when the stress of operating a food business reached a peak, that he returned to the art studio. To his surprise, there was much for him to say on the canvas, and a group of art collectors who were more than willing to hear it. Now, Matt makes his living creating art as one of the most recent additions to the Portland Art Gallery. Hear more about Matt’s story on this episode of Radio Maine with Dr. Lisa Belisle.

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.

Interested in Maine artists? Check out the Portland Art Gallery of Maine.

Ann Trainor Domingue’s Artwork Captures New England in a Patchwork of Color, Pattern, and Story

Artist Ann Trainor Domingue, and her eight siblings, grew up in the oceanside community of Barrington, Rhode Island. There is little doubt that her relationship with the coast and devotion to family have informed her artwork. Ann’s paintings are unmistakable, offering her own distinctive depiction of family and working life on the New England waterfront. In this free-ranging interview, we talk about her childhood camping trips, her husband’s childcare business--and the impact of COVID-19 on that business--and pay homage to children’s book authors Eric Carle and Tomie Paola, as well the poetry of Mary Oliver. You’ll learn why Ann is beloved by collectors and Portland Art Gallery artists alike in today’s Radio Maine Interview with Dr. Lisa Belisle.

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.