PRESQUE ISLE, Maine —The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Art Gallery will present Thérèse L. Provenzano’s artwork The Lay of the Land Reconsidered, showing paintings of Maine farmlands and agriculture, from Oct. 23 through Dec. 15, 2017.
The public is invited to view the exhibition throughout the show’s run and attend the Gallery Reception on Friday, Nov. 3, from 5-7 p.m., which is being held in conjunction with the First Friday Art Walk. The Reed Gallery is located on the second floor of the University’s Center for Innovative Learning.
Originally from New York, Provenzano moved to Northern Maine to her great-grandfather’s homestead in 2002. She began working on pastel paintings, which conveyed Northern Maine through its landscapes and farmlands.
She uses her inspiration from Maine itself and Acadian culture to paint. Acadians are descendants of French colonists who settled in Canada and small parts of Maine during the 17th and 18th centuries.
“The Maine landscape and farm objects inform my work. My biggest influence is life itself. There comes a point in your career when you let the work reveal itself and don’t overthink it,” said Provenzano, who talked with downeast.com for her Artist Profile. “There is no one else at the helm or forefront. It is just you and the work. Trust where it is headed.”
Provenzano earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from University of the Arts, a Certificate of Fine Arts from the National Academy of Design School of the Fine Arts, and a Master of Fine Arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She currently teaches visual arts and history of art at the University of Maine at Fort Kent.
Provenzano has previously been awarded an artist residency at the Joseph Fiore Art Center at Rolling Acres Farm in Jefferson, Maine. She has also had her work exhibited at the Harlow Gallery in Hallowell, Maine in 2016.
All are invited to view the show between October and December and to come out to the First Friday Art Walk on Nov. 3 and take part in the free reception. Light refreshments will be served. In addition, The Lay of the Land Reconsidered will be open during the First Friday Art Walk on Dec. 1 from 5-7 p.m. Please follow gallery happenings on the Reed Gallery Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ReedArtGallery.
The Reed Fine Art Gallery is located on the second floor of UMPI’s Center for Innovative Learning and is open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and is closed on Saturday. The gallery is closed during University holidays. FMI, contact Hyrum Benson at (207) 768-9441 or hyrum.benson@maine.edu.
