“Images From Ecuador,” by Sarah Shepley. (Submitted image)
BRIDGTON — Gallery 302 will welcome guest artist, Sarah Shepley, whose work can be seen from June 15 through July 18. A multi-media artist, Shepley will show her prints, which were inspired by her recent trips to Ecuador. As a professional artist, she has worked as a jeweler, a bookmaker and a printmaker. She holds a BFA in art and is an ordained interfaith chaplain/minister.
In 2001, Shepley began her journey through ministry, becoming a student at Bangor Theological Seminary and eventually becoming ordained through The Chaplaincy Institute of Maine in 2011. During her years in school, she became a hospice volunteer and co-facilitated bereavement support groups, as well as volunteering at the Center for Wisdom’s Women in Lewiston.
In 2013, Shepley served on the faculty at The Chaplaincy Institute of Maine for two years, and continues to offer workshops in art and spirituality.
In 2012, she traveled to Cuba on an arts and culture trip through Global Exchange. The experience opened a door and the following year, she traveled to the Dominican Republic with Partners For Rural Health as a chaplain. Since her trip to the Dominican Republic, she has continued her study of Spanish through travel. She traveled to Medellin, Columbia, in 2015 and discovered an orphanage where there was no art available to the children.
From that point on, Shepley has worked to combine her skills as an artist with her chaplain skills. Recently, she developed The Ecuadorian Arts Initiative, which serves the creative needs of children throughout Ecuador by teaching art and making donations of materials.
Here in Maine, she teaches printmaking and bookmaking classes. In her own artwork she is mostly exploring the medium of geli printmaking. Many of her pieces are inspired by her travels to South America and all sales go directly into the project. For information about her work and the Ecuadorian Arts Initiative, visit www.sarahshepley.com.
Join Gallery 302 in celebrating the art of Sarah Shepley on June 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. A half hour prior to the reception, Shepley will give a talk on the Ecuadorian Arts Initiative. The public is welcome.
Gallery 302 is located at 112 Main St. in Bridgton. Call 647-2787 or visit gallery302.com for more information.
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