SACO — The Saco Arts Commission has installed five new pieces of public art as part of its newest community initiative.

These seasonal wheat-paste murals are displayed on buildings in Saco using a centuries-old process of adhering paper replicas of artwork to brick building surfaces using a paste made from wheat flour.

With an open-ended interpretive theme, “Memories,” the Commission gave artists an opportunity to reflect and showcase meaningful moments from life and history, with approaches from a personal perspective, an historical perspective, and concepts of past, present, and future.

“The goal for this project is to feature modern memories that are timeless and vibrant,” said Erika Dube, Saco Parks and Recreation Deputy Director, and member of the Arts Commission. “We hope you enjoy these murals featured on local landmarks around Saco.”

The Saco Arts Commission was created in 2021 to bring together members of the community, elected officials, and staff to improve the aesthetic quality of the City’s public spaces. In support of City beautification efforts, the Arts Commission’s first major project was completed in April 2022, featuring the installation of art-wraps on three downtown traffic light signal cabinets. Learn more about the Saco Arts Commission on their website: www.sacomaine.org/artscommission 

 

SELECTION 1

Artist: Amy Roberge

Artwork title: Exhale

Location: Paragon Barbershop, 182 Main Street

Original Media: Resin on canvas

Artist Statement: The beach, one of my favorite places to go.

About the Artist: Amy Roberge lives in Saco with her husband, two children, and two dogs. She recently started painting and enjoys experimenting with different mediums.

SELECTION 2

Artist: Kailleigh Archibald

Artwork title: Solitude

Location: Saco City Hall, 300 Main Street (Cutts Ave. side of building)

Original Media: Acrylic on birch cradled panel

Artist Statement: This piece was painted after observing a lone kayaker on a chilly late March evening in the Camp Ellis area. The calmness of the movement and determination to be on the water even though it was not warm was beautiful to witness.

About the Artist: Kailleigh Archibald is a member of Saco Bay Artists and Maine Women in the Arts and the American Society of Botanical Artists. She works in watercolor, acrylic paint or colored pencil to capture landscapes, seascapes and botanical subjects. She is trained in Commercial Design and Illustration and continuing her education in botanical arts with the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

SELECTION 3

Artist: Kellie Hebert

Artwork title: Saco

Location: Saco Community Center, 75 Franklin Street (By the garden)

Original Media: Digital

Artist Statement: I really enjoy the wildlife and birds here so I wanted to include the famous to Saco, “Piping Plover” on the beautiful beaches here. My concept was bright colors, simple design that stands out with a graphic design flare unlike a painting or fine arts.

About the Artist: Kellie Hebert was born and raised in Maine, moved away, and recently returned to the Lakes Region. She studied at the Art Institute of Phoenix where she changed her career outlook from the airline industry to design. She is interested in vector and 3-D art, but loves it all.

SELECTION 4

Artist: Sandy Atkins

Artwork title: Spirit of Place

Location: Saco Transportation Center, 138 Main Street

Original Media: Digital

Artist Statement: I wanted to create artwork that reflected Saco's rich tourism history and the happiness experienced living near the water. This composite piece harmonizes a photograph of my son Rory playing with the sand at the banks of the Nonesuch River, a vintage postcard of people frolicking in the ocean at Old Orchard Beach, with an engraving of people enjoying the scenic vistas of the falls from an 1879 map of the Boston & Maine railway system in Saco. This multigenerational piece speaks to the region's strong sense of place. It represents the enjoyment people receive in the timeless pleasure of its nature.

About the Artist: Sandy Atkins is a digital artist and photographer living with her family on the coast of Maine. She has a marketing, design, and photography background and enjoys creating visual narratives through art.

SELECTION 5

Artist: Angela Coulombe

Artwork title: Color of the Day 2023 (Series)

Location: State Farm Insurance, 224 Main Street (Storer Street side of building)

Original Media: Acrylic paint, ink, and wax on canvas

Artist Statement: My latest body of work, “Color of the Day 2023”, explores a new dynamic in the relationship I have with my two sons. The work focuses on types of spaces we, now as adults, are creating for each other to be recognized, heard, supported, and understood. The repetitive use of three circles emphasizes how we create that space, where we find ourselves in that space, and how we navigate the space. The work symbolizes the shifts and changes all relationships take throughout the life cycle. The many layers each work is created from symbolizing the layers of complexity in these shifts and changes, but ultimately, unique and beautiful growth takes shape.

About the Artist: Angela Coulombe has been fortunate enough throughout her career to exhibit her work in London, Brighton, and Nottingham, England; Barcelona, Spain; Glasgow, Scotland; Saco and Portland, ME, Newburyport, MA, and have has had her work featured in TV films in the UK. She is currently a member of the Newburyport Art Association and Abstract Artists Group of New England.