The Wrack

This week, July 20-24, Artist-in-Residence David Allen of Stone Point Studio will be creating various works of art throughout the Wells Reserve, as well as giving demonstrations and tutorials on stone balance and arch building.

Last Thursday, I was fortunate to be among about 75 people who gathered at the Footbridge Beach parking lot in Ogunquit to unveil a rock dedicating the estuary in memory of Isabel Lewando who died in 2011. Isabel came to Ogunquit in the 1950's and established herself as a model, artist, writer, and photographer. She was also a life-long defender of the environment, particularly the Ogunquit River and beach.

A beautiful handmade decorative piece... or something more?

The following was published in the Biddeford-Saco?Journal Tribune Sunday edition, 9/1/13:

More than 100 artists will converge on the Wells Reserve at Laudholm next weekend for our 26^th annual Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival. Theyre all very talented, and if you attend, I promise youll find some unique, beautiful, and affordable Christmas gifts months ahead of schedule.

But exceptional as these local New England artists are, I think their finest work meets it match up against the other nature crafts show put on by the animal kingdom on a daily basis.

On Sunday, August 26^th, I attended an afternoon concert at The Colony Hotel. One hundred fellow music lovers and I enjoyed a dozen classical piano duets by maestro Warren King and his college roommate, recording artist David Pihl. Ticket proceeds came to the Laudholm Trust  it was music played for the benefit of science. What better accompaniment to our special nature at the Reserve than the seashell symmetries of Bachs cantatas or the sunflower melodies of Mozart?

In late May, the Reserve was thrilled to host three Berwick Academy students for a two-week senior project. Devon Wood, Nicole Kleinmann, and Ellie Penati each painted large habitat murals with acrylics on canvas. Following a day of walking the Reserve's trails and sketching, each student chose her favorite habitat to depict. These murals will be used extensively in programs and at events throughout the year.

When Punkinfiddle started out in 2003, we sponsored an art competition to find a logo that would tie pumpkins and fiddles together in a festive way. We had several worthy entries, but the standout was from Joseph Havens, a skilled graphic designer living in Kennebunk. Joe evoked our anticipated feel for the event before we had even nailed down the day's details!

Our friends at Dietz Associates digitized the art and featured it on our first poster. The logo jumped off the page, attracting lots of attention and helping to make our event wildly successful.