BATH

The Centre St. Arts Gallery in Bath was built to celebrate local Maine artists and to preserve that classic Maine feeling that can only evoked by its natives. Run by 20 local members, the gallery features a number of accomplished artists in its monthly exhibits. This Saturday, the gallery welcomes Maine’s own Sarah Greenier, an oil painter who along with her husband owns her own private studio in Bath and has made a living painting lavish landscapes of the Maine outdoors.

“I love to paint outdoors,” said Greenier. “Painting outdoors helps you paint indoors, because it helps you to see better.”

Greenier, who grew up on Orr’s Island, grew up painting in watercolor, but has recently painted primarily in oil. She specializes in coastal scenes.

“I love to travel up and down the Maine coast and paint,” Greenier said. “This summer my husband and I went up to Stonington, where there is something to paint around every corner. Then we came back and painted in Bath and Boothbay.”

Greenier didn’t always have that luxury. She left Maine in the early ‘80s to attend Pratt Institute in New York, and then moved to Boston.

“When I finished college I missed Maine life and the coast,” said Greenier. “Boston was nice was awhile, but I liked the lifestyle up here so I had to come back.”

When Greenier returned, she worked in commercial art for 10 years. Then in 1996, she began exhibiting and selling her paintings at art shows throughout New England, winning numerous awards in the process. In 2006, after seeing success in that avenue, Greenier did something that she’d been wanting her whole life.

“My husband and I built a gallery next to our house in Bath,” said Greenier, who wanted to focus on painting outside in her backyard. “I decided to switch to oil because its harder to paint outdoors in watercolor. Oils are more forgiving than watercolors, you can go back over them. I love their permanence.”

Greenier compiled a numerous amount of paintings over the next several years, and when she got the offer to display her work at Centre St. Arts Gallery in her hometown, it was a natural fit.

“This is my first time at Centre Street, and it feels great,” said Greenier. “The shows they do at the gallery are wonderful. I took everything I had in my home gallery down to Centre. I’ve already sold a piece, and I’ve had inquiries about others. It’s nice to be (at Centre) because my home gallery is off the beaten path. This will help me get more exposure.”

On the flip side, the folks at Centre St. cited the importance of signing local artists to exhibits.

“It’s very important to get local artists into the gallery,” said Livy Glaubitz, a member at Centre St. Arts Gallery. “As we get more local people into the gallery, more local people become aware of it.”

Though many artists work with the Maine outdoors, Glaubitz stressed that no two artists are the same.

“There are 20 artists who are members at our gallery, and no one really paints the same,” Glaubitz said. “Sarah is not the same as any of us. She has very clear values in her technique. Very clear lines, and a lot of geometry.”

Glaubitz pointed out that those skills coupled with Greenier’s love for the Maine coast make for a perfect guest artist, something that Centre St. Arts Gallery is always looking for.

“We are always excited to have other artists come in and join us as guest artists,” Glaubitz said.

“I feel really blessed to be able to do what I love to do,” said Greenier. “I have a purpose in life and I know what it is at this stage. It’s still work, but it’s work that I love to do. It’s gratifying work.”

There will be a public reception celebrating Greenier’s exhibit on Friday, Sept. 9, from 5-7 p.m. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served. To learn more about Sarah Greenier’s art, visit sarahgreenier.com.

bgoodridge@timesrecord.com