"MAINE: Harbors and Headlands" - An exhibition at The Craignair Gallery, Spruce Head, ME 9/13 - 10/1

AN ART EXHIBITION TO BENEFIT THE GEORGES RIVER LAND TRUST

An exhibition of watercolor paintings entitled “MAINE: Harbors and Headlands“, by artist Robert Steinmetz AWS NWS, will be on display at The Craignair Gallery in Spruce Head, ME from September 13 to October 10, 2023.

Mr. Steinmetz has always been drawn to the strong character and visual richness of Maines’ small harbors and the powerful nature of its coastal headlands. Included in the show are paintings focused on these subjects, that have been created by the artist during his 33 years as a resident of Spruce Head.

 A nationally recognized water media artist, elected to “Signature Member” status in America’s two most prestigious watercolor societies, The American Watercolor Society in New York and The National Watercolor Society in California, Mr. Steinmetz was recently honored by having his Signature Membership in NWS upgraded to “Master” status.  Prior to 1990, when he moved to Maine, he was a practicing architect in Connecticut for 28 years.

 There will be an opening reception on September 13 from 4:00 – 7:00 at the Craignair Gallery, 5 Third Street, Spruce Head, ME.  Fifty percent of the artist’s proceeds from the sale of each painting or print will be donated to The Georges River Land Trust.

 For more information on the gallery and the artist visit craignair.com/gallery and   robertsteinmetzart.com.

Steinmetz's "On Axis" selected for Annual Signature American Watermedia International Exhibition

“ On Axis “, a watercolor painting of the interior of a famous mosque in Cordova Spain, has received an award in a prestigious watermedia exhibition at the Fallbrook Art Center in Fallbrook, CA.  The painting, by Robert Steinmetz AWS NWS, was selected by a jury to be included in the Annual Signature American Watermedia International Exhibition which is held each year at the Fallbrook Art Center.  Paintings included in this exhibition are referred to as “ the best of the best “, because entry is limited only to artists who already have achieved “ Signature “ status in one or more American watercolor societies.

1. Signature status enables an artist to include the initials of a specific watercolor society after their name, indicating their selection by artist peers as someone who has achieved a degree of artistic excellence that qualifies them for special recognition as a society member.  It also generally means their work has been juried into multiple exhibitions of that society over the years.

As indicated in the exhibition title, submissions to this show came from qualified artists around the world, not just from the USA.  Approximately 90 - 100 paintings are included in the exhibition and about 15 % of those receive awards.  Those that are recognized might be considered “ the best of the best of the best “.   It is obviously a significant honor for an artist to receive an award in this exhibition.

Mr. Steinmetz is a signature member of three American watercolor societies, including the two most important nationally :  The American Watercolor Society in New York and the National Watercolor Society in California.  He is also a signature member of the North East Watercolor Society.

The online catalog of the show, including an image of each painting included, is available at www.fallbrookeartcenter.org.

"Architectural Accents II" - An exhibition at USCB Center for the Arts, Beaufort, SC 5/6 - 5/26

Architectural Accents

“This exhibition is composed of 29 paintings of various sizes, but all with an architectural theme.  However, the majority of these (18 paintings) are part of an ongoing series I’ve been working on for 2-3 years.  They are all relatively small with a 13” square painted image and are all bounded by a ¼” border, color-coded to the painting.  Consequently, they work equally well individually or in various arrangements of two, three, four, or more.

All the paintings in this series share a focus on a fragment of the built environment, which has been enlarged to emphasize its design and detail, and removed from its surrounding context.  They were carefully selected by me, as appropriate subjects for the series, from streetscapes wherever I happened to be with my digital camera.  The series also is intended to provide an expanded appreciation of design and craftsmanship in man-made construction over the many years of architectural history.  As such, the subjects represent skilled work in a wide variety of materials including stone carving, metal work, cast iron, terracotta, and various forms of woodworking, etc.  Many were created by trades and skill sets no longer available.  On the painting lists, I have indicated the city and state or country of origin for each image.

The other 11 paintings in this show involve close-ups or partial views of architectural interest to me for compositional purposes and their unique opportunities to render shade and shadow with the watercolor medium.”

Robert Steinmetz

An opening reception for the exhibition was held on Friday, May 6.

"Architectural Accents" - An exhibition at The Charles Street Gallery, Beaufort, SC - Opening May 4. 2021

The Beaufort Gazette

The Charles Street Gallery

Architectural Accents

“This exhibition is composed of 33 paintings of various sizes, but all with an architectural theme.  However, the majority of these (19 paintings) are part of an ongoing series I’ve been working on for 2-3 years.  They are all relatively small with a 13” square painted image and are all bounded by a ¼” border, color-coded to the painting.  Consequently, they work equally well individually or in various arrangements of two, three, four, or more.

All the paintings in this series share a focus on a fragment of the built environment, which has been enlarged to emphasize its design and detail, and removed from its surrounding context.  They were carefully selected by me, as appropriate subjects for the series, from streetscapes wherever I happened to be with my digital camera.  The series also is intended to provide an expanded appreciation of design and craftsmanship in man-made construction over the many years of architectural history.  As such, the subjects represent skilled work in a wide variety of materials including stone carving, metal work, cast iron, terracotta, and various forms of woodworking, etc.  Many were created by trades and skill sets no longer available.  On the painting lists, I have indicated the city and state or country of origin for each image.

The other 14 paintings in this show involve close-ups or partial views of architectural interest to me for compositional purposes and their unique opportunities to render shade and shadow with the watercolor medium.”

Robert Steinmetz

"Up Close" - An exhibition at Craft Gallery, Rockland, ME - Opening July 5, 2019

Up Close

“Craft Gallery opens on July 5th with a new exhibition called Up Close which asks the viewer to examine objects in closer detail, as well as at a distance. Robert Steinmetz, […], presents water media paintings as fragments as the big picture of our building environments. He closely inspects and renders supporting elements that enhance architecture. Extracted from their original context, they become the featured image of each painting.”

Craft Gallery owner, Barbara Michelena

http://www.craftonelm.com

Craft Gallery

12 Elm Street
Rockland, Maine 04841
Phone: 207.594.0167

info@craftonelm.com

IG @finecraftonelm