Michael Reece and Phoebe Bly are in a two person at Caldbeck, May 25- June 23, 2024. Bly-Reece two person show June 2024
Michael Reece’s paintings “convey a strong sense of the kind of solitary winter life one dreams of developing in an exceptional and isolated place”, writes Alan Crichton. Reece, who has devoted himself entirely to painting since he moved to Maine in 1979, has created this “isolated place” for himself and his art. He has lived and painted in various towns around Maine, currently residing in Searsmont. Reece received his BFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His style has been described as “a subset of painterly realism I recently heard called clean regionalism,” by Edgar Allen Beem in the Maine Times. A friend of Welliver’s, Reece is known for his serene, rich landscapes. Almost entirely realistic, Reece’s canvases have a deceptive directness. Not that they are overly sophisticated or subtle, but that they have color and compositional nuances that are not evident at a cursory glance. Besides being represented by the Caldbeck, his solo and group exhibitions include Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Rockland, ME; Acacia Gallery, Gloucester, MA, Lincoln Library, Lincoln, MA, among many others. The Farnsworth Art Museum’s New Accquisitions Show let visitors see the Michael Reece painting in their permanent collection.
