ROCKPORT — The 16th Annual Art Show, now located at Pascal Hall, 86 Pascal Ave. in Rockport, will hold its opening wine reception on Saturday, December 2, 2023, from 4-8 p.m. All are welcome to this celebration of local artists to mark the beginning of the holiday season. The exhibition continues on Sunday, December 3, from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Participating artists vary from year to year in keeping with the show’s priority to feature Midcoast Maine artists in a variety of media, both two and three dimensional. The premier exhibition space at Pascal Hall offers a large open forum with dedicated spaces to feature each individual artist. Works range in price with many affordable gift opportunities from each artist represented, according to Monica Kelly, in a news release.

Patty Bolz creates her jewelry with a strong emphasis on both form and texture. Her work is built in high karat gold, and often incorporates gemstones. Giving particular attention to the integration of all elements within each piece, Bolz’s dynamic and wearable jewelry blends the feeling of both ancient and contemporary design.

Fine art photographer Arduina Caponigro captures surprising moments of beauty and wonder with images discovered as far away as the world’s largest ice fjord in Scoresbysund, Greenland and as close to home as her back yard in Cushing, Maine.

“She takes joy in sharing her curiosity and gratitude with you,” said Kelly.

Artist Abe Goodale focuses on watercolor portraiture that is representational to a great extent yet moves into abstraction as water and paint flow together. Goodale paints with primarily a monochromatic palette that mimics the fog and gives subtle hints of light and color.

“He strives to capture an emotion, a subtle gesture or attitude that may allow you, the viewer, to react and feel,” said the release.

Jacob Bond Hessler is a contemporary fine art photographer, known for his expansive and meditative landscapes. Hessler’s work has explored rising seas, industrialized farming, borders and boundaries, invasive species, extinction, and more broadly, mankind's relationship with, and impact on, the natural world. His keen eye and use of scale connects viewers with the vastness of the human experience.

Painter Monica Kelly will exhibit works from her ongoing migration series, begun several years ago after the passing of her Italian immigrant mother. The series has expanded to include imagery suggestive of both human and animal migration and the flight from what’s familiar into the unknown.

Antonia Munroe is foremost a painter, with an enduring love of textiles. She designs original stencils which are printed by hand and dyed in her studio in Maine or block printed and dyed in collaboration with Studio Bagru in India. Her collection of limited-edition textiles is informed by extensive travel, research and study of historical methods and materials, primarily in India but also influenced by the study of European and Japanese textile traditions. A distinct lyrical aesthetic and love of detail permeate all Antonia Textile designs.

Margaret Rizzio creates one-of-a-kind multi-layered collages filled with synchronistic and repeating elements sourced from magazines and ephemera. Rizzio pulls her inspiration from the euphoric colors and ubiquitous imagery of the “perfect woman” used in print in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Each collage is a tiny world unto its own, the new context lending a fresh perspective to familiar imagery.

Michaela Stone (Studio Crie) creates functional and non-functional objects, blurring the lines between art, craft, and design. Working predominantly in leather, wood, and textiles, she combines traditional craft techniques with innovative form. Inspired by nature, architecture, and history of material cultures, each piece is made by hand with ethically sourced materials, quality craftsmanship, and a commitment to sustainability.