FREEPORT — Freeport Community Library is pleased to be featuring the artwork of two Maine artists – France Shea and Wren Davis – during the month of December. For the library’s hours of business and directions please go to its website: www.freeportlibrary.com

France Shea Images are about the beauty of simple things. Her photographs are more than a picture; they are works of inspired photographic art with a subtle contemporary edge. She has been capturing the world around through the lens of a camera since her teens but it wasn’t until she studied her craft at the Maine Photographic Workshops in Rockport that it became a passion. As a student originally focused on producing black and white prints, it was instruction in the techniques of hand coloring images with photo oils that ultimately changed the course of her artistic path in photography. She utilizes digital technology to give her images dreamy or abstract effect. Sometimes the result are subtle and others times they offer a whole new perspective. However, when it comes to enhancing an image with color, she stands by the traditional method of hand coloring with soft pastels. Whether adding just a hint of color to make something pop or spending hours on detailed augmentation, this hands-on technique remains part of her creative process. You can view France Shea Images on Facebook or contact France at [email protected].

“The opportunities for creating new and exciting images, for turning photographs into works of art, are only limited by your imagination,” says Shea, a resident of Auburn. “ I’ve always been fascinated by the beauty and intricacies of our natural surroundings; winter ice clinging to a tree branch, the curves and crevasses of a flower, the colors of a red barn in a golden field, these are the types of subject I like to capture.”

Also on exhibit in December at Freeport Community Library is Wren Pearson’s new collection of artwork, titled Sparrow Dreams of Summer. Inspired by the cyclical departures and returns within the seasons, the exhibit seeks to recall the colors, shapes and textures that disappear yearly with the onset of winter in the north. Working with acrylics on canvas and wood, Pearson’s na?ve style embraces her roots in folk art and decorative painting, and a love of outsider art.

A native of Maine, Pearson’s own migrations took her to Britain, Texas, and Florida before an unexpected return to the countryside of her birth. “During that first Maine winter after living in warmer climates, I found myself a bit desperate for things now missing in the landscape,” says Pearson. “Color gets obscured by snow and low light, and warmth gets challenged by temperature and temperament. Watching the birds at the feeder, I wondered of their winter dreams and if they missed the sunflowers and the swallows, too.”

Along with the library show, Pearson’s work will be featured at Fuego Diablo in Pownal during their holiday sale November 28 through December 6. Located at 52 Loring Lane, Fuego Diablo is the home and creative space of Wren Pearson and her husband, composer and musician Jaime Pearson. Paintings, photography and poetry by Wren Pearson can be found at www.facebook.com/fuegodiablopownal or contact Wren Pearson at [email protected]