(Peaks Island, ME) Subtle satire, protest and humor are some of the thoughts evoked by artworks in the new exhibit at Richard Boyd Art Gallery opening April 5th at 10:00 am. The exhibition explores social, political and environmental issues creating an exhibit that is meaningful, challenging and relevant. The multi media exhibit features paintings, drawings, sculptures and prints united by the common theme of exploring contemporary issues through the use of satire. The works engage the viewer to discover the hidden truth or pause and reflect on the issue at hand. Works by Gordon Carlisle, Kenny Cole, Scott Minzy, Bud Swenson, Brandon Lutterman, William Hessian, Nancy Benner and Jay LaBrie are on exhibit through April 30th. There will be an artist reception on Saturday, April 6th from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm.

Gordon Carlisle’s works are satirical, humorous and full of social and political commentary. Carlisle’s work is influenced by his youth in the 1950’s when “B-Science Fiction movies flooded the screens and printed color looked a little more washed out than today.” A trained fine and commercial artist Gordon studied at Carnegie-Mellon, the art Student’s League of New York and the Boston Museum School of Fine Art before graduating from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1973. Gordon is known in New England for his murals, portraits, illustrations, graphics and set designs. Since 1984 Gordon has primarily worked as a mural artist in Maine and New Hampshire and was recognized for his work as a mural artist in 1999 when he was awarded a New Hampshire State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship. Carlisle’s works are exhibited nationally and held as part of numerous public and private collections.

Artist Kenny Cole’s work is edgy, graphic and often political reflecting a clear understanding of contemporary issues and modern art. A 1981 graduate of the Pratt Institute in New York, Kenny’s early works were inspired by the neo-expressionist art scene in New York’s East Village. After the 1991 American aerial bombardment of Iraq, Cole’s subject matter began to evolve into explorations of military matters and his art became politically engaging. In 1994 Kenny moved his family to Maine where he continues to create politically relevant art. Kenny’s current body of work in gouache on paper explores the use of the color red and the political, cultural and social connotations it evokes. Each piece of Cole’s art imparts a relevancy in terms of meaning, content and style. Kenny’s works will captivate you with a healthy amount of cynicism and satire.

Scott Minzy is a printmaker, artist and educator known for his dark humor and bold linocut prints addressing social issues. Scott creates interactive works that speak to issues of the day by combining his love of communication and printmaking. Minzy is a 2006 graduate of the University of Southern Maine with a BA in Art Education and a graduate of Curry College in Milton, MA with a BA in Communications. Scott’s prints and interactive videos depict a world where the omnipresent bombardment of electronics, social media and corporate culture make it impossible to turn your mind off and be free of chaos in an increasingly electronic world. Minzy currently resides in Pittston, ME where he is the Art Instructor at Erskine Academy and an artist Mentor at Spindleworks. Scott’s prints are exhibited internationally and nationally and are part of the collections of the George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections and Archives at Bowdoin College.

A 1969 graduate of the University of Connecticut with a BFA, Bud Swenson spent a year painting in Mexico where he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Instituto Allende. Bud moved to Aroostook County, Maine in 1972, where he built a house in the woods and lived off the grid for three years with his wife and three children. From 1972 through 1975 Swenson was an instructor of Design and Painting at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Bud remained in Aroostook County through 1982 when he moved to Kennebunk. An educator, preservationist and artist Bud’s career began as an abstract expressionist painter with his body of work growing to include landscapes, realism and social and political works. Through the years Swenson’s art has not gone without controversy as with his 2007 exhibit at the Kennebunk Free Library featuring his series “Portraits in a Time of War” American flag collages”, which was a statement about war and the American psyche. In this offering Swenson’s series of collages created in 2009 titled “Commissioned by God” (The Bible Collaged) were inspired by the “Jefferson Bible” and are a spiritual and political statement about art. A long time member of the Maine Union of Visual Artists (UMVA) and a participating member of the Maine Artists Guild Swenson’s works are in numerous private collections and in the permanent collection of the Davistown Museum.

Brandon Lutterman received his Bachelor Fine Arts and a Master of Arts Degree in Ceramics at Minnesota State University- Mankato and later received a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from Kansas State University. An educator and sculptor, Brandon moved to Maine when he was hired as facilities director at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts. Brandon’s inspiration comes from his youth growing up on a farm in southern Minnesota and his deep appreciation of nature and the planet we call home. His ceramic sculptures are a statement about the balance between industrial man as a steward of the world and our diverse planet. Brandon’s ceramic sculptures show the serenity of landscapes incorporated among elements in the round. Lutterman lives in Wiscasset, and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maine at Augusta, University of Southern Maine, Gorham and Southern Maine Community College. His ceramic sculptures are exhibited nationally and held in public and private collections including the Beach Museum in Manhattan, KS, the Kansas State University Collection and Kerameikon Collection of Contemporary World Ceramics.

William Hessian is nationally known for creating paintings on a miniature scale and organizing interactive art hunts across the United States to discover works in miniature hidden in free public spaces. Hessian a gifted artist doesn’t use the size of his art as an excuse to skimp on detail each painting is expertly rendered with minute details employing all the principles of larger scale works. William’s current works are a satirical statement about the perceived value of art in today’s market.

Nancy Benner is a graduate of the University of Maine with a BA in Studio Art. An art director and graphic designer, Benner’s works are an expression of her inner self and surroundings. Nancy’s ideas and images come to her during meditation and yoga and allow her to explore her place in time and the space around her. Benner’s mixed media pieces began as larger self portraits but were torn into smaller works with a watercolor wash applied to represent mans ego and his grandiose plans over nature.

Jay LaBrie is known for his landscapes, cityscapes and subtle humor. LaBrie’s work offers a look at environmental issues and man’s reaction to them. Although Jay studied with several artists including Claude Picard and Lily Michaud he considers himself self taught transforming those early influences on his work into his own signature style.

Richard Boyd Art Gallery is located on Peaks Island, Maine at the corner of Island Avenue and Epps Street, the first building on the right. The Gallery is open April through October from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily. In November and December, hours are Friday through Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. January through March, the Gallery is open the first Friday of each month and by appointment. Additional hours are by appointment or chance. For more information please contact curator Pamela Williamson by phone at 207-712-1097, via email at info@richardboydartgallery.com or visit www.richardboydartgallery.com.