THE GASCOINE GALLERY
APEX
I am amazed that 'Apex', our mountain-themed fine art show, is the seventh annual exhibition that we have hosted at the Gascoine Gallery. Artists who explore very different media were invited to hone in and celebrate this 'larger-than-life' subject, one which is ever-present in the natural world around us here in Piscataquis County. Monson, where the Gascoine Gallery is located, is the last town on the Appalachian Trail before the famed '100-mile Wilderness', the last push towards the summit of Mount Katahdin. Katahdin, the tallest mountain in Maine, is something of a spiritual mecca to many just as many mountains often are to cultures in their regions.
As usual, the Gascoine Gallery features traditional art forms, such as Nancy Glassman's enormous watercolor and testament to Blueberry Pickers, Alan Bray's striking chartreuse Borestone casein-on-panel, and James Pullen's sculpture, Slate Monolith, an eight foot Monson slate obelisk resplendent with its sparkly diamond mica. Also on display is work that fits under the 'decorative arts' umbrella, such as the diptych tapestry entitled The Mother, The Shadow, The Moon… woven with locally sourced wool, by Katia Ancona of Belfast.
The photography in the show depicts and documents mountains and mountain ranges from different continents as well as abstract ones. Photographer Bert Call lived and worked in Dexter over a hundred years ago capturing black and white images of Mount Katahdin and its environs for railroad-sponsored tourist brochures.
What is unusual about our exhibition this year is that we invited three esteemed poets, Michael Alpert, Marjorie Wentworth and Dawn Potter to offer their tributes to the muse of mountains. Both Marjorie and Dawn are poet laureates. The poems are 'mounted' on pedestals, giving them a sculptural as well as metaphysical presence in the gallery.
The following artists are represented: Michael Alpert, Katia Ancona, Alan Bray, Randy Fein, Jemma Gascoine, Nancy Glassman, Helen Glazer, Matt Landis, Paula Laverty, Killian MacCarthy, Dawn Potter, James Pullen, Candace Thomas, Todd Watts, Marjorie Wentworth.
The Apex exhibition is located on the second floor at 16 Greenville Road, Monson, Maine above Monson Pottery. The exhibition opened on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, and will run until the end of the year. The opening reception will be on July 19th, from 12 to 3 PM.
