Barter, Barter, Emerson: The Painters from Maine exhibit in Freeport

FREEPORT — The exhibit Barter, Barter, Emerson: The Painters from Maine is on display in the showroom at Thos. Moser, 149 Main St., Freeport. As part of the company’s ongoing commitment to showcase Maine art, the exhibit features over 100 paintings, wood reliefs and wood assemblage from 20 Maine artists. The collected works will on display through Sunday, Oct. 28.

Showing for the first time together are Philip Barter of Sullivan, his son, Matt Barter of Brunswick and his son-in-law, Brian Thayne Emerson of South Portland. They all paint in the American modernist tradition of Marsden Hartley.

Philip Barter was born in 1939 in Boothbay Harbor. While in his ’20s and living out West, he discovered the work of Marsden Hartley and felt a strong connection with the Maine modernist painter. Barter returned to Maine in the late 1960s and eventually settled in Sullivan, where he and his second wife, Priscilla, opened a home studio as a place to live, work and raise their children. Philip’s career as a self-taught expressionist spans 50-plus years, including multiple solo and group exhibitions.

Matt Barter was born in 1975 in Bar Harbor. He studied with his father, Philip, working as a studio apprentice, which is where he learned art theory and the mechanics of painting. Having spent two years on a lobster boat, Matt’s art focuses primarily on an authentic Maine experience and telling the story of downeast fishermen and lobstermen. Matt works mainly in oil on board, but also sculpts in wood, metal and mixed media. He lives in Brunswick with his wife and two sons, where he has his home studio and Barter Art House gallery.

Brian Thayne Emerson was born in 1975 and raised in New Hampshire. Brian moved to Maine in 1996 and in 1997 he married Colleen Barter, daughter of artist Philip Barter. He was then able to study with Philip, which developed his technique and modernist style. Brian currently resides in South Portland with his wife and daughter. His expressionist paintings of Maine can be found in multiple galleries along the coast.

Ongoing exhibitors include: Janice Anthony, Linda Bail, André Benoit, Michelle Hero Clarke, Tom Curry, David Estey, Gifford Ewing, Erin McGee Ferrell, Joshua Ferry, Philip Frey, Anne Ireland, James Kucheman, Ann Mohnkern, Don Ripper, Marguerite Robichaux, Judy Taylor and Chris Wriggins.

FMI: 207-865-4519 or thosmoser.com.