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| Patsea Cobb - Moon Mother, acrylic on board. |
The Union of Maine Visual Artists
presents “The Divine Feminine,” a group show at the UMVA Gallery, 516 Congress
St., Portland Maine. Artists are Patsea
Cobb, Roberta March, Christine Morgan, Ellen O’Donnell, Judy O’Donnell, Gary
Perlmutter, and Rhonda Pearle. These
seven artists interpret themes such as: paying tribute to Gaia, the Goddess of
Earth, and mother of life and all its natural beauty; exploring female energy
in balance with male energy; and, a reach for divine enlightenment, compassion
and love through the ever present beauty in nature and as expressed through the
grace of the female form. An Artists’
Reception is scheduled for the First Friday art walk, September 1, from 4 to 8
pm. This event is free and open to the
public. Gallery hours will be Fridays
from 4 to 8 pm, Saturdays from 1 to 4pm, and most Sundays from 1 to 4pm. The show continues to September 29th.
Patsea Cobb says when her hand is on a
paintbrush, her spirit is tuned in. She
has, at times, had the privilege of participating in the women's spiritual
movement helping the return of the Goddess archetype as women’s spirits have
strengthened and risen.
She’s been working with the goddess in
her art for over 40 years, says Judy O’Donnell.
She feels a close connection to the divine in the female persona. This
theme has be a constant inspiration. The power of Isis, Sophia, Mary, Mary
Madeline, and Morgan and well as indigenous people’s belief in the Goddess is a
balance to the male aspects of God and resonates with her on a powerful
unconscious level. This is her tribute
to the Goddess.
The essence of the divine feminine is
spiritual and sacred, according to Ellen O’Donnell. It is often seen as a force of nature –
embodied in the woods, oceans, moon, and stars. In this body of work, she
strives to illuminate the beauty and magic connecting people to that
nature. Capturing the quiet, contemplative moments of communing in these
sacred spaces, she feels this energetic connection is imperative to
restore balance between masculine and feminine elements of the divine. It
is her hope that regaining that balance will provide a foundation for the
collective expansion aligning with peace, love, and compassion.
Roberta March creates art responding
to the five elements of nature: earth, air, fire, water and space. She looks to
nature to create paintings with the intention to inspire the viewers to look
inside themselves and reconnect with nature.
The celebration of the
otherworldliness of the feminine body is what drives Christine A. Morgan, CAM
the artist. With cold wax she creates free-flowing compositions, balancing
bright hues and texture that move the figurative form into our world.
Gary Perlmutter’s work as a
painter is constantly balancing soft and hard edges, which is a metaphor in
many ways for femininity and masculinity.
The “Divine Feminine” refers to the
spiritual energy that resides in each of us says Rhonda Pearle, whose paintings
capture the energy that the individual radiates, their inner light and
resilience.
The Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA) is a non-profit organization that promotes and advocates for the visual arts, artists, and all arts supporters. UMVA publishes the Maine Arts Journal, an on-line quarterly publication (https://maineartsjournal.com/); the New England Emmy Award-nominated film series Maine Masters, 19 compelling profiles of some of Maine’s most distinguished and often less recognized artists; and the UMVA Gallery, at the Portland Media Center, 516 Congress St., Portland, Maine, which features new shows every month by a wide variety of local artists and invited guests. An artists’ reception is generally held on the First Friday of every month. A new Midcoast Chapter has been formed to better serve artists in the Midcoast region and it has produced two shows this past winter at the Camden Public Library and Waterfall Arts in Belfast, as well as the exhibit, Waterways, currently showing at the Damariscotta YMCA.
https://www.theumva.org/
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