July 6 - July 20, 2007
Artist's Reception: July 6, 4 - 7 p.m.
Ames Pond.
On an island, it is understandable that much of the art is the result of looking outward, toward the sea. Thoreau made a similar observation on a mountaintop: “it is remarkable what haste these visitors make to get to the top of the mountain and then look away from it.”
The same is true here, on Deer Isle, but Ames Pond, just over a rise from the Deer Isle Thorofare, presents an opportunity for artists to look in, rather than out. Most people call it the Lily Pond. At the height of summer, the pond blooms. Lilies dot the surface with color, while the shoreline along Indian Point Road grows lively with painters, photographers, and walkers who make the pond the destination for their daily stroll.
The pond was created when the the Ames brothers dammed the creek. Ice was harvested and shipped to the West Indies, packed in straw. In 1932, lilies were planted, and the pond’s primary function - if a pond could have such a thing - became inspiration. Neighbors Emily Muir and Stephen Pace count among the many who have painted here. A walk along its shores on any summer day reveals that this tradition only grows and evolves as more artists are drawn to the pond. Here is the work of eighteen of those people, some who have drawn from Ames Pond for years, others approaching it for the first time. We’ve gathered work from many persuasions, but beneath all of it, Ames Pond is the source of inspiration.
On an island, it is understandable that much of the art is the result of looking outward, toward the sea. Thoreau made a similar observation on a mountaintop: “it is remarkable what haste these visitors make to get to the top of the mountain and then look away from it.”
The same is true here, on Deer Isle, but Ames Pond, just over a rise from the Deer Isle Thorofare, presents an opportunity for artists to look in, rather than out. Most people call it the Lily Pond. At the height of summer, the pond blooms. Lilies dot the surface with color, while the shoreline along Indian Point Road grows lively with painters, photographers, and walkers who make the pond the destination for their daily stroll.
The pond was created when the the Ames brothers dammed the creek. Ice was harvested and shipped to the West Indies, packed in straw. In 1932, lilies were planted, and the pond’s primary function - if a pond could have such a thing - became inspiration. Neighbors Emily Muir and Stephen Pace count among the many who have painted here. A walk along its shores on any summer day reveals that this tradition only grows and evolves as more artists are drawn to the pond. Here is the work of eighteen of those people, some who have drawn from Ames Pond for years, others approaching it for the first time. We’ve gathered work from many persuasions, but beneath all of it, Ames Pond is the source of inspiration.