Painter Alison Rector celebrates the beauty of Maine’s libraries
Painter Alison Rector celebrates the beauty of Maine’s libraries
Written by Bob Keyes
Appearing in Maine Today
“The Eyes Are the Window to the Soul,” 2017, oil on linen, 48 by 48 inches.
Photo by Jay York, courtesy of Alison Rector
In 2010, painter Alison Rector settled in at the Blue Hill Public Library and beheld the sweep of light falling across the floor. She imagined the decades past, when generations of readers relished the calm and quiet of the space, just as she was doing.
Soon after her visit to Blue Hill, Rector heard a story on National Public Radio that described how Andrew Carnegie turned his fortune into a library legacy. She learned there are nearly two dozen Carnegie libraries in Maine, and set out with a painter’s eye to visit them all. Along the way, library enthusiasts suggested others, and Rector visited them too.
Rector, who lives in Monroe and South Portland, has painted the interiors of 42 libraries in Maine, celebrating their beauty and cultural connections to the communities they serve.
Read the rest of the article here: https://mainetoday.com/maine_art/art-exhibits/painter-alison-rector-celebrates-beauty-maines-libraries/
“Down East,” 2017, oil on linen, 40 by 40 inches.