Sky Nautilus by Judson Pealer Contributed photo

Judson Pealer Contributed photo

The Rangeley Friends of the Arts will host a reception for “Dreaming Awake” — Paintings by Judson Pealer and Dr. Susy Sanders from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, at the Lakeside Contemporary Art Gallery, located in the lobby of the RFA Lakeside Theater at 2493 Main St. in Rrangeley. There will be complimentary snacks and cash bar (beer/wine) and meet the artists. The exhibit will be on view through Jan. 2.

Pealer states “The enigma of abstract art interested me to study and resulted in my own love and use of modernistic style(s). The blurred area between representation and abstraction is fascinating. Landscapes, figures and portraits are of interest. Dreams, doodles and memories are resources. I find Maine to be a rich culture of art and artists. I look forward to showing with Susy Sanders who I find inspiring in her progress in painting,” according to a news release from RFA.

The artist has a Bachelor of Fine Art in studio work from Ohio State University and a Masters of Divinity from Seabury Western in Chicago. Both are a result of deep personal searches to understand and express this world and experience. He is retired priest who served as rector at Church of the Good Shepherd in Rangeley from 2009 through 2015. He lives on a ‘micro farm’ in South Paris with his wife, Sandra Pealer, who is an accomplished painter. He is a signature Member of Vermont Watercolor Society and an active member of The Western Maine Art Group and The River Arts Gallery in Damariscotta.

Susy Sanders Contributed photo

Sanders is a practicing psychologist. She states “My professional training is as a social scientist; however, I studied photography under Christopher Simons, MFA; graphic arts under Michael Larson of Seattle; and drawing under Michael Caldwell, MFT of Seattle Pacific University. I had earned fine art scholarships that afforded me the opportunity to continue to build upon the skills necessary to my tapestry weaving while studying sociology and anthropology.”

“I am a creator of emerging imagery, visionary art, mythological dances captured in paint. Imagination is my home-base. My philosophical perspective is Jungian. I embrace the dynamic, living energies of the unconscious mind and I recognize the activity of art as a vehicle to enlarge our awareness of that which we are yet unaware. My work is childlike and charming; it is rich in saturated colors and magical, whimsical imagery that tend to draw your attention in, beckoning you to see something else not yet depicted in its many layered form.”

For more information, visit rangeleyarts.org.

Artwork by Judson Pealer Contributed photo