BELFAST — “Shula 2.0,” the new exhibit in the Kramer Gallery of the Belfast Free Library, features recent works by Jeff Shula. The exhibit will be on display through January 2021.

Since his first exhibit at the library in 2018 Shula has continued to paint plein air landscapes delving more deeply into effects of sunlight on the landscape throughout the four seasons.

He says of his approach to painting that, “I’m always looking for the balance between expressiveness through loose handling of technique, and faithfulness to the subject matter.”

Some of his favorite local painting spots represented in this exhibit include, the Head of Tide Preserve, Frye Mountain Game Management Area, Belfast City Park, Kelley Cove in Bayside, and “the yard around my house,” according to the Library, in a news release.

A former English teacher at Searsport High School, Shula took up painting in earnest in 2015 upon retirement. Classes at Waterfall Arts and the Hutchinson center helped to hone his skills; he began painting still life’s and soon found inspiration in the landscape around him.

Prior to teaching, Jeff Shula worked for the Republican Journal and Waldo Independent. He recently published the book Fireside Chats, featuring interviews from the Waldo Independent with Waldo County old-timers and the photographs of Peggy McKenna.

Shula lives in Belfast with wife, Kris.

For more information please call the library at 207-338-3884 ext.10.