True realism consists in revealing the surprising things which habit keeps covered and prevents us from seeing. ~ Jean Cocteau
Off New Harbor 20x50 Oil on Linen $15,500
Maine Art Hill in Kennebunk, Maine, is inviting you to the Gallery at the Grand in Lower Village Kennebunk. The gallery at 1 Chase Hill Road is hosting a solo summer show featuring artist William B. Hoyt. The show opens on Saturday, August 31, at 10 AM, with an artist reception from 5 PM to 7 PM. Everyone is welcome to attend.
William B. Hoyt is known for embracing realism in his art, a style also referred to as “naturalism” or “objective realism.” Realism depicts everyday people and scenes with careful attention to light and color. Hoyt’s painting style seeks to represent reality as accurately and authentically as possible.
Heron Rookery 30x60 Oil on Panel $18,000
Before Dawn, Cape Porpoise 16x24 Oil on Linen $4000
"I have explored marine, landscape, and intimate domestic still lifes in my work, all influenced by my fascination with capturing the effects of light at specific moments," explains Hoyt. "The elements of the canvas, the ocean, Vermont, Maine, my family, and friends have become deeply intertwined in both my psyche and my artistic creations.”
For Hoyt, seeing something ineffably beautiful or moving and resolving to make a painting of it is a challenge and a joy. He changes his work surfaces frequently and experiments with his oils and how the paint mixtures interact with each surface. Each of his canvases has an attention to detail that forces the viewer to lean in closer to experience every facet that forms the whole.
“If I am working on something with great detail, I choose a panel for the smooth texture. A rough canvas with lots of tooth will show all the gradations but makes for a beautiful sky,” says Hoyt. “Normally, I sketch on the surface before I begin with any paint, so another variable for me is what I use to draw the image: charcoal, a pencil, or even a stick of silver.”
"It is at this point that the magic starts. Artists have visited coastal Maine for decades, each striving to capture the land's beauty and surrounding waters. William B. Hoyt is one such artist who knows and loves this area and frequently works and plays here.”
“I am a wanderer and an adventurer,” shares Hoyt. “I have been fortunate in this life to be able to find and create and reproduce the beauty around me.”
Tiger Study 10x16 Oil on Linen $1600
Hoyt’s work will be on display from August 31 through September 25. The Gallery at the Grande is open daily at 10 a.m. Though Hoyt’s art is best viewed in person, it can be viewed virtually at maine-art.com. For more information, please contact 207-967-2803 or info@maine-art.com.
If you are in town on opening day, Saturday, August 31, please come meet the artist and share a glass and a nibble from 5 to 7 PM.