44" x 36" x 1.5" oil on hand-stretched extra-heavy canvas. Painted en Plein Air at Thompson's Point before the construction of the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine.

Artist Statement:

Erin McGee Ferrell is an internationally celebrated artist renowned for her innovative fusion of classical oil painting techniques with cutting-edge technology. Ferrell's work gained global recognition following her solo exhibition in Bahrain during the esteemed Annual Spring of Culture, where she showcased a captivating series of paintings inspired by two years at the Formula 1 Grand Prix. In February 2024, Ferrell further distinguished herself as a speaker in Saudi Arabia, representing the US State Department on the integration of AI and art in non-artistic domains. As an educator, Ferrell has imparted her knowledge and skills to students at The University of New England in Maine for the past four years. Her academic background is as diverse as her artistic practice, holding degrees from Mount Holyoke College and the University of the Arts Philadelphia, and further enriched by studies at Pennsylvania School of Fine Arts, Maine College of Art, the Art Students League of NYC, and the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Ferrell's work not only traverses geographic boundaries but also blurs the lines between traditional art forms and modern technological advancements, making her a pivotal figure in the contemporary art world.

28" x 36" x 1.5" oil on hand-stretched extra-heavy canvas. Painted en plein air at Thompson's Point before the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine was built.

Artist Statement:

Erin McGee Ferrell is an internationally celebrated artist renowned for her innovative fusion of classical oil painting techniques with cutting-edge technology. Ferrell's work gained global recognition following her solo exhibition in Bahrain during the esteemed Annual Spring of Culture, where she showcased a captivating series of paintings inspired by two years at the Formula 1 Grand Prix. In February 2024, Ferrell further distinguished herself as a speaker in Saudi Arabia, representing the US State Department on the integration of AI and art in non-artistic domains. As an educator, Ferrell has imparted her knowledge and skills to students at The University of New England in Maine for the past four years. Her academic background is as diverse as her artistic practice, holding degrees from Mount Holyoke College and the University of the Arts Philadelphia, and further enriched by studies at Pennsylvania School of Fine Arts, Maine College of Art, the Art Students League of NYC, and the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Ferrell's work not only traverses geographic boundaries but also blurs the lines between traditional art forms and modern technological advancements, making her a pivotal figure in the contemporary art world.

32" W x 32" H x 3" D glass wall sculpture.

Artist statement:

This sculpture aims to capture the intricacies of woven fabrics through the delicate yet rigid feeling of glass. While fabrics and glass both have a flow, they tend to be polar opposites. The metal and glass wall sculpture explores the idea - “How would you weave glass?” Each intersection in this wall sculpture creates a moment of tension and beauty, while holding strong. Materials are important, but so is design.

**This piece has a visible crack in one area.****

34"x 34" oil on panel, 2016.

Artist Statement:

Born in Michigan's Upper Peninsula in 1974, Craig Voligny has since lived and worked widely in both the United States and East Asia, where he lived and worked for 20 years. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Columbus College of Art and Design and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Arkansas. He has been a Fulbright Research Scholar of Painting, an Artist-in-Residence at Taiwan's National Tsinghua University, and has exhibited internationally and nationally for over 25 years. At present, he lives in Rockport, Maine and spends each summer in Alaska, where he has a commercial fishing operation.

Craig is primarily a "landscape painter" whose work aims to portray landscape as mystical experience. The forms and intangible elements he paints are extracted from his surroundings by direct observation; he then uses these as a point of departure to build his work through dichotic concepts of observation vs. imagination, object vs. image, simplicity vs. complexity, etc. This conflict is what drives his creative process and results in layered imagery of dense energetic mark making that portrays "landscape" in flux. Craig's work draws inspiration from Modernist and Classical East Asian painting traditions, as well as historical readings, fishing lures, stained glass windows, retail merchandising, and maps.

34" x 34" oil on panel, 2016.

Artist Statement:

Born in Michigan's Upper Peninsula in 1974, Craig Voligny has since lived and worked widely in both the United States and East Asia, where he lived and worked for 20 years. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Columbus College of Art and Design and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Arkansas. He has been a Fulbright Research Scholar of Painting, an Artist-in-Residence at Taiwan's National Tsinghua University, and has exhibited internationally and nationally for over 25 years. At present, he lives in Rockport, Maine and spends each summer in Alaska, where he has a commercial fishing operation.

Craig is primarily a "landscape painter" whose work aims to portray landscape as mystical experience. The forms and intangible elements he paints are extracted from his surroundings by direct observation; he then uses these as a point of departure to build his work through dichotic concepts of observation vs. imagination, object vs. image, simplicity vs. complexity, etc. This conflict is what drives his creative process and results in layered imagery of dense energetic mark making that portrays "landscape" in flux. Craig's work draws inspiration from Modernist and Classical East Asian painting traditions, as well as historical readings, fishing lures, stained glass windows, retail merchandising, and maps.

32" round, acrylic with all wood inlay.

Artist Statement:

Just like a scene from a romantic movie, John Bisignano fell in love with Bettina Swirkal (the artist behind "Carousel," item number 129 in this Auction) when he first laid eyes on her at the Art Student’s League in New York City. Soon the two were inseparable. Each helped promote and encourage the other’s art. Together they photographed beautiful flowers or carousels, two of Bettina’s favorite subjects, or they would hike into the Maine wilderness to capture images for John’s works. They eventually gave up city life to settle into the Maine way. The rugged beauty of the Maine Coast and the freedom from distractions allowed them to live as creative partners. While their styles are very different, their support and love for each other made them a modern Romeo and Juliet in the art world. Both of their works are as relevant today as they were in the last few decades.

Donated by the Estate of John Bisignano and Bettina Swirkal. The commission from the sale of this work will go to support a scholarship fund for an upcoming Maine Artist.

Oil on Linen framed in a gold frame size 37" x 43".

Artist Statement:

Just like a scene from a romantic movie, John Bisignano (the artist behind "Boat 5724," item 19 in this Auction) fell in love with Bettina Swirkal when he first laid eyes on her at the Art Student’s League in New York City. Soon the two were inseparable. Each helped promote and encourage the other’s art. Together they photographed beautiful flowers or carousels, two of Bettina’s favorite subjects, or they would hike into the Maine wilderness to capture images for John’s works. They eventually gave up city life to settle into the Maine way. The rugged beauty of the Maine Coast and the freedom from distractions allowed them to live as creative partners. While their styles are very different, their support and love for each other made them a modern Romeo and Juliet in the art world. Both of their works are as relevant today as they were in the last few decades.

Donated by the Estate of John Bisignano and Bettina Swirkal. The commission from the sale of this work will go to support a scholarship fund for an upcoming Maine Artist.

30" x 30" acrylic on canvas.

Artist Statement:

M.J. Benson (b. 1967) creates abstract work inspired by the wild and moody beauty of the Maine coast. Working plein air, as well as in her studio, she creates non-representational pieces which seek to ground the viewer in the world, but leave room for shifting imagination. Her work has been exhibited internationally, and is included in many corporate and private collections. She has a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and an EdM from Harvard University. She is represented by Portland Art Gallery. Learn more at her website: www.mjbenson.com.

“I begin with the horizon, its ever-steady line of delineation between the spaces of land, sky, sea. In between are layers and layers of light and color, sprung from my memory but unbound by realism. I use a framework, a few rules around composition or color, but it’s the tension between what I expect and what the painting is telling me that dictates the flow and finish. I work, and wait, until the profound shifting between place and memory stills itself harmoniously.”

28" x 22" x 1.5" oil and mixed-media on canvas.

Artist Statement:

What Annie wants in life, is what she paints. There are two sides to her personality: one that is precise, detail-oriented and refined, and the other that is wild and free; a rebel of sorts. Marrying these two sides of herself has been the foundation of her “work” and creative process over the past two decades. Aristotle suggested that art imitates life, but it is Annie's experience that art creates life. 

32" x 10" x 10” ceramic sculpture.

Artist Statement: 

Charlie Nordstrom is a sculptor living in Portland, ME. His work explores geometries in nature, perception, and the enigma of living in a universe that is seemingly both orderly and chaotic.