The Woman’s Hospital Association (WHA) Rotating Art Gallery will feature paintings by Ian Ormon and photography by Mike Casey through the month of June. The gallery is located at 60 High Street in Lewiston, the main entrance to Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC).
A Maine resident for over 50 years, Ormon taught art in public schools for 39 years, including 15 years as the head of the Fine Arts Department at Edward Little High School and a Fulbright year in England. In addition to his work in schools, Ormon taught classes in drawing, design, printmaking, silversmithing, and art history. He considered himself a plein air landscape painter, someone who paints outside instead of in a studio, and drew inspiration from his home at Coffin Brook Farm in Leeds.
During his life, Ormon described the inspiration for his work by saying, “Coffin Brook Farm is surrounded by fields, pastures, woods and wetlands, all of which provide much of the subject matter for my work. A particular attraction is this seemingly commonplace material that is suddenly transformed by seasonal changes, time of day or merely through paying attention. My work is an attempt to share what has attracted my attention by selecting and heightening the aspects that have provided visual pleasure through the elements and principles of design.”
For Mike Casey, photography is a life-long hobby that allows him to capture moments. His upcoming exhibit will feature the theme of “color.” Though he acknowledges that the vibrant colors of autumn in Maine are great, sometimes a “lazy summer river scene” can provide color and movement to a photo. He also will “make color” through sepia toned black and white photos.
“I shoot pictures because I enjoy capturing the moment. The interplay of light and form; of shadows and lines; of color or even the lack of color, these are the elements I look for when I capture the moment,” said Casey of his photographs.
The artists’ work may be purchased through the WHA Gift Shop, located adjacent to the main lobby at Central Maine Medical Center. A percentage of sale proceeds benefits CMMC.