The Woman’s Hospital Association (WHA) Rotating Art Gallery will feature paintings by Linda DeSantis and Sheila Patrick through the month of August. The gallery is located at 60 High Street in Lewiston, the main entrance to Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC).
DeSantis, a New Jersey native, attended Trenton State College where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology with a minor in music and a master’s in teaching. For 34 years she worked in the Auburn School District as a secondary school art teacher. Her courses covered fundamentals of art, drawing, painting, 2D and 3D design, collage, and art history. Even in retirement DeSantis found time to teach, including a past course offering of observational drawing at the Senior College through the University of Southern Maine Lewiston-Auburn College.
Though her current work focuses on watercolors and fluid acrylics with elements of collage, DeSantis also enjoys paper sculpture and draws her inspiration from nature.
“One of the great pleasures of being retired is having the time to pursue my love of the visual arts and in developing my own personal artistic style. I have studied with Linda Murray, an artist in Bath. She has helped me learn how to access the power of imagination and how to trust one’s inner voice,” said DeSantis.
Patrick began her art journey in Brookline, Mass. through an adult education course featuring oil painting. Many of her works are inspired by her home country, Newfoundland, featuring sweeping coastal landscapes and ships conquering stormy seas. Many of her paintings also hold stories from her family’s seafaring history, including one of Iceburg Alley (pictured left) where her grandfather pulled the last debris from the wreck of the RMS Titanic in 1912.
“I love our universe and, especially, our Earth,” said Patrick whose paintings cover seascapes, landscapes, and every day moments. She enjoys sharing her gift of art and connection with the world.
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.
