The “10 x 10” Art Exhibit featured at the Thompson Free Library this September showcased the creative work of art educators Jane Blay and Martha Ladd, who teach in Dover-Foxcroft. According to Jane, “The idea was to create art within a 10 by 10-inch area. Any medium could be used to fill the dimensions. Any style could be incorporated, from realism to abstract and any area could be investigated such as landscape, photography or even mixed media.”
About the Artists:
I have been successful as an artist since 1991, with art shows in Bangor, Belfast and Dover-Foxcroft. I exhibited artwork in shows at the Ames Gallery in Belfast and the Danforth Gallery in Portland. I received awards for my artwork in 2002, 2003 and 2004 at the Central Maine Open Juried Art Show located in Waterville, Maine. I have exhibited at the Bangor Art Society Annual Open Juried Art Show from 1999 until 2007 and received several awards for mixed media and pastel. My triptych of a local Orono business hangs at the town hall in Orono, Maine. Over the past several years, I have devoted myself to my classes and students, although I am now promoting my own art again.
I am an Art Educator at Foxcroft Academy since 1998. I have also offered evening art lessons in Orono, Maine for several years. I taught weekend classes at Hampden Academy for several years for the Maine College of Art in Portland. I offered summer art camps at Foxcroft Academy since 2003 to 2018 for younger artists, evening pottery classes, and pastel classes for adults.
I received my Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art and in Communication Disorders at the University of Maine at Orono. I am also certified in Maine for Art Education. Many of my paintings are of Maine’s beautiful landscapes and shorelines. Others reveal the true beauty found in and near Dover-Foxcroft while some are created from unexpected passing moments. Recently I have also been exploring abstract art and photography. ~Jane Blay
Martha Ladd, a Maine artist, graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a Bachelors of Fine Art Degree in 1997. She currently lives in Sebec, Maine with her husband and two children. Martha paints with watercolor, oil and acrylic paint. She is also passionate about photography, an interest she gained from her grandfather as a child. She loves to garden, be around water (lakes, rivers, ocean), and spend time with her family. She is inspired by the beauty around us, and the feelings with those experiences.
Martha has been the elementary visual arts teacher at SeDoMoCha for the last seven years. She also has taught summer art camps at Foxcroft Academy for the past six years. Recently her artwork was in the Monson Arts Gallery for an exhibit “Art All Around Us” which featured work from local art teachers in the area.
“In this exhibit ‘10×10’ I wanted to focus on feelings and experiences. I wanted to explore the 10×10 restriction with color and light. This forced me to experiment and really feel the colors and shapes. In my photographs the color orange and white seemed to prevail with the feelings of joy and loss. While in the paintings, I explored with color and movement that formed shapes and emotions for me.” ~Martha Ladd