WEBSTER - Featured Local Artist of the Month - “Seasons,” a collection of paintings by Kelly Anderson is on display April 1-30, at Booklovers’ Gourmet, 72 East Main Street, in the cafe gallery during regular business hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10-5, Wednesday 10-6.

 

 

Kelly is a self-taught painter working in oil and more recently, watercolor. Raised in Harpswell Maine and now enjoying Webster Lake, she is drawn to painting rocky coastlines, the beauty of trees, birds and all things natural and meditative lake water. Kelly is inspired by her favorite painters Andrew Wyeth and Winslow Homer.

Kelly is grateful for developing an artist’s eye for observation, now seeing beauty in things that previously lacked significance. Gratitude also extends to what she has learned from painting that has impacted her life in general: gaining patience to wait for the canvas to dry when it would be satisfying to continue painting, not being frugal with paint and materials in order to create a desired effect the first time, and having confidence that the ugly parts of the painting process in the beginning will bring forth the desired feeling.

The theme of Kelly’s show is Seasons. It captures many of her inspirations. Each of the naturally stained poplar floating frames were made Kelly’s husband, Matt.

Meet the author

Finding Mary, an author talk and presentation with Julie Rumrill, will take place on Saturday, April 9, 1-3 p.m. at Booklovers’ Gourmet. For more information or to reserve a space, call 508-949-6232. Signed copies will be available for purchase.

About the book: Finding Mary is the story of one sister’s journey through the dark confines of unresolved grief toward forgiveness and understanding. What begins as a simple wish to visit her sister Mary’s grave, turns into a compelling quest for truth, honor, and justice in the face of murder. The author, Julie, invites you to re-examine forgotten promises, old secrets, and the complicated ways families cope with traumatic loss. Part mystery, part reclamation, Finding Mary is threaded with beautiful descriptions of the natural world, and is a heartfelt experience you won’t want to miss. It will make you laugh, cry, and celebrate the enduring and precious gift of family.

Julie Rumrill is a faculty member in the Department of Earth Science at Southern Connecticut State University and Gateway Community College in New Haven, CT. She holds an M.S. in Geology and is a doctoral student at the University of Hartford.  In addition to her academic life, Julie is a certified yoga and Mindfulness instructor. When she is not writing, teaching, consulting or leading workshops, she enjoys adventure travel, volunteering, reading, painting, bird watching, and spending precious time with family.

How to Get Better Photos from Your Smartphone workshop with Bil Gardiner will take place on Saturday, April 16, 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. at Booklovers’ Gourmet. Call 508-949-6232 or email [email protected] to register. $25 per person and includes 1 complementary cafe beverage. Space is limited to 8 individuals. Pre-payment is required.

In this introductory course, you will learn how to get much better photographs from your very own smartphone. While not as manipulative as a more fully functional camera, the quality of smartphone cameras today has become really quite good and with just a few tips and tricks, you will start to produce images that your friends and family will marvel at.

This 90-minute course will be led by professional photographer, Bil Gardiner, owner of William Gardiner Photography in Worcester. In it, you will learn how to get the most out of your specific smartphone camera and learn about things like composition and perspective in order to “see” differently and create better images than you ever have before.