Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

First Friday Art Walk

Go east, art lovers, for happenings around the hill

By AVERY YALE KAMILA Staff Writer

This month our selected walking tour takes us out of the Arts District and to the creative enclave of the East End.

click image to enlarge

Detail of an untitled mural created by Pat Palmer on view at the Arm Factory.

click image to enlarge

“Untitled” mug shot of a former restaurant worker from the collection of Lou Jacobs on view at Rabelais.

Select images available for purchase in the
Maine Today Photo Store

IF YOU GO

FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK

WHEN: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Throughout Portland

INFO: www.firstfridayartwalk.com

We start our tour at the Arm Factory (200 Anderson St., No. 8), in an industrial section of town quickly being taken over by artist studios. Here the show "Multifarious" offers up a range of cutting-edge work, including a live painting performance by Eyeformation, Pat Palmer and Team Space Pirate; a display of new work by Misl, J of TSP and Pat Palmer; a video installation by VJ Foo; and a performance by musical collaborative Group Hug.

Should it take you longer than expected to lace up your art walking shoes, you'll be happy to know this venue stays open beyond the official 8 p.m. close.

You'll be thankful you picked out your most comfortable shoes, because we've got a hike ahead of us.

We take Fox Street up the hill to Washington Avenue and then head to Congress Street, where we take a left and continue up Munjoy Hill.

We stop for a break once we reach Hilltop Coffee Shop (90 Congress St.), where we can catch our breath, grab a refreshment and check out the oil pastels of Karen Tucker.

Next we head across the street to Fraser Art Studio (81 Congress St.) to view the work of prolific artist Elizabeth Fraser. She creates a small oil painting every day and they often feature local scenes or big-eyed pets.

Her prices are affordable too, with most pieces selling for $75.

Continuing up the street, we stop at the St. Lawrence Arts Center (76 Congress St.) and take in a solo show of Michelle Leier's watercolors and oils. Her plein air landscapes explore the expressive possibilities of her expansive outdoor subject matter.

We're now going to retrace our steps back down Congress Street.

At the base of the hill we enter North Start Music Cafe (225 Congress St.) and view the photography of Will Wohler. This Portland-based photographer focuses on the details of life, which translates into macro close-ups and abstract imagery.

We hit the street once again and make our way down India Street to Coffee by Design (67 India St.), where the work of husband and wife Peyton Higgison and C.K. Higgison is on view.

Peyton is known for creating works depicting "wild women," animals and landscapes, all rendered in oil pastels. C.K. uses acrylics and collage to craft whimsical images.

We wrap up our tour at Rabelais (86 Middle St.), where a quirky show called "Food Industry Mug Shots 1899-1954" is on view.

The collection assembled by local chiropractor Lou Jacobs features a motley crew of folks who bring us our food -- everyone from butchers to bartenders. The crimes that landed them behind bars may have been a simple matter of being drunk and disorderly or a more serious depravity, such as murder.

Whatever the case may be, on a night when free wine tends to flow like water, the show is a good reminder that a little self control goes a long way.

Staff Writer Avery Yale Kamila can be contacted at 791-6297 or at:

akamila@pressherald.com