Visual artist Catherine Adelman, a two-time Festival of Trees decorator who is beginning the process of collecting materials for this year’s tree, reflects that her artistic practice is shaped by “a strong hunter-gatherer instinct.” Two years back, her ornaments were made from dried iris pods with beads hanging bell-like, and spruce cones with a white dry brush paint. Last year, she used a gold dry brush finish over white-painted poppy pods.
“I love the creative challenge of searching for design possibilities in what is at hand,” writes Catherine. “Paper fragments on the studio floor begin a collage or willow twigs combine to become sculptures. The flora found in the forest, on the shore, and in meadows surrounding my home in Pembroke provide ample possibilities.” Catherine serves as an EAC Board member, and has shown her artwork in community exhibitions at Washington Street Gallery and Eastport Gallery.
The 13th Annual Festival of Trees—a jovial gathering amidst a forest of sparkling trees, lovingly decorated by EAC community members and available for bid—will be held on Saturday, December 10. Decorators and decorator teams are invited to sign up to make their special creations, and all are asked to please save the date of this important fundraiser for EAC’s year-round programming. Please watch for more inspiration from past festivals and glimpses of decorations in progress as December nears. Questions about the festival may be sent to margedhigginson11@gmail.com.
The work of Eastport Arts Center is funded in part by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.