June 17 – July 10, 2020
Downeast Narratives:
Philip Barter and Matt Barter
This exhibition highlights recent work by Philip Barter and Matt Barter, a father and son duo of self-taught artists who were both born and raised in Maine. Their motifs focus on narratives of Maine’s working waterfronts and the earthy beauty of her landscape.
Philip, who born and raised in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, has painted Maine for over five decades. In the early years, Philip has worked in all manner of traditional Maine jobs to support his family of seven. He dug clams and worms, was the sternman on a lobster boat, did carpentry, and dragged for mussels. By the 1990s, Philip was able to paint full-time after the Bates College Museum of Art acquired his work for their permanent collection and mounted a retrospective of his work in 1992. Philip’s work was subsequently highlighted in Downeast magazine and acquired by the Farnsworth Art Museum and the Portland Museum of Art.
Matt, who was raised in Franklin, Maine, learned to paint under the guidance of his father. He sold his first painting at age ten, and by his teens was learning the mechanics of oil painting and making his own wood reliefs. His carved fishermen and wood reliefs are fast becoming a signature motif. Made from reclaimed wood beam and oil paint, his rough-cut figures capture the brawn of these weathered men laden with lobster traps, hoes, buckets, and buoys.
This father and son pair has lived their lives immersed in art. They share an eye for composition, shape, and color, and a deep-rooted connection to Maine that makes their work authentic. Philip lives with his wife, Priscilla, in Franklin, Maine. Matt lives with his wife, Rebekah, and their two sons in Brunswick, Maine.
PHILIP BARTER
Approaching Saddleback Mountain II
acrylic on board, 24 x 30 inches
$3600
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PHILIP BARTER
Wave
acrylic on board, 30.5 x 30.5 inches
$4000
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PHILIP BARTER
Lilacs
acrylic on board, 28 x 22 inches
$2800
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PHILIP BARTER
Wave
acrylic on board, 30 x 24 inches
$3600
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PHILIP BARTER
Ironbound
acrylic on board, 36 x 33 inches
$7000
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PHILIP BARTER
Approaching Katahdin
acrylic on board, 48 x 36 inches
SOLD
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MATT BARTER
Schoodic Driftwood #4
oil on board, 24 x 30 inches
$2200
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MATT BARTER
Schoodic Driftwood #3
oil on board, 24 x 30 inches
$2200
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MATT BARTER
Schoodic Driftwood
painted wood relief with found object, 35 x 55 x 4.5 inches
$5500
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MATT BARTER
Worm Digger Digging
reclaimed wood and paint, 11.5 x 15 x 7 inches
$2000
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MATT BARTER
Worm Digger Son
reclaimed wood, 17 x 9 x 5 inches
$1800
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MATT BARTER
Schoodic Driftwood #2
oil on board, 24 x 30 inches
$2200
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MATT BARTER
Wood Island
oil on board, 24 x 36 inches
$2400
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MATT BARTER
Jim's Smelt Shack #2
oil on board, 30 x 24 inches
$2200
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MATT BARTER
Lost Trap, Driftwood Island
oil on board, 24 x 30 inches
$2200
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MATT BARTER
Day Workers, Stinson Packing Company
oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches
$4200
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MATT BARTER
Mackerel Cove #2
oil on board, 24 x 30 inches
$2200
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MATT BARTER
Stacking Traps
reclaimed barn beam, wire and oil, 21 x 8 x 10 inches
$1800
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MATT BARTER
Shoreline, Harpswell
oil on board, 48 x 36 inches
$4200
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MATT BARTER
Mackerel Cove, Harpswell #6
oil on board, 24 x 30 inches
$2200
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MATT BARTER
Odds and Ends
oil on board, 36 x 43 inches
$4200
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MATT BARTER
Sternman with Bait Box
reclaimed barn beam, paint, 19 x 4 x 12 inches
$1800
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MATT BARTER
Mackerel Cove II
oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches
$2200
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MATT BARTER
Downeast Icons
oil on board, 24 x 30 inches
SOLD
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MATT BARTER
Sunbathing
oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches
$2200
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