Two Local Artists Featured in Timely VerandArt Project at Clay Hill Farm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Cape Neddick, Maine

                
Two Local Artists Featured in Timely VerandArt Project at Clay Hill Farm                    

To honor Ogunquit’s long-standing history as an artists’ colony and showcase the local artists in the community today, Clay Hill Farm- together with TaleSpinStudio in Ogunquit, launched the #VerandArt Project in the spring of 2018. This unique outreach program featured the collections of new up and coming local artists in Clay Hill Farm’s Veranda Room every 6-8 weeks for the public to view and enjoy- kicked off with an intimate meet and greet Reception. After a reception hiatus in Covid, the artist meet and greet is back with two local artists featured this fall. Artists Amy Kelly and Anne Banfield will be featured together in the ‘Buoys, Boats...and Lobsters!’ show opening Monday, October 10th. A public meet and greet Reception with the artists is scheduled for the opening on 10/10 from 2-4pm in the Veranda Room at Clay Hill Farm, public welcome, and a portion of the proceeds from all sales in this show will be donated to the Maine Lobstermen’s Association’s Save Maine Lobstermen’s campaign, to help save Maine’s vital industry.                                       Amy Kelly’s path to artist and gallery owner was anything but certain. At age 56, she took a job as stern woman for a local lobsterman to maintain sobriety. “I met him at a meeting and asked if I could work for him. After years of drinking, I needed to get my body and brain straightened out,” Kelly said matter-of-factly. Kelly had owned a health club as well as a home medical equipment company in the past. But she became homeless as alcohol had taken over her life. So, for four years,                                                                                                from 2015 to 2019, she woke before dawn during the fishing season and headed down to the boat, baiting, banding, lifting crates, and slowly rebuilding herself. With sobriety came a renewed interest in photography. While she was in New Jersey caring for her ailing mother, she began playing with some of her photographs, many of which were related to lobstering. “I                                                                                                abstracted a tail, changed the colors, and posted it on social media. People liked it. So, I started playing with colors. My therapist suggested I print some, so I did,” she said. Amy’s passions are art and the Maine lobster industry. “Amy understands that Maine’s lobstering heritage ties us all together as a community and appreciates that we can all contribute to its preservation.” Said Kevin Kelley of the Maine Lobsterman’s Association. Native New Englander Anne Banfield rediscovered her passion for photography through her life-long love of Maine. What began as an interest in her 20s, soon became a professional hobby, shooting family portraits and weddings after many years of courses and workshops. As the industry shifted to digital, Banfield put the camera down while living out of state. Back in Maine to stay, and with a new career in real estate, her passion reignited with all the natural beauty we live with daily. "I photograph what I love," says Banfield. "The ocean, boats, buoys...anything coastal. The ocean, weather, and surroundings are changing constantly, so the background is never the same. I thrive on the beauty in my own backyard."  Kelly and Banfield’s, “Buoys, Boats...and Lobsters!” collections will be displayed in the Veranda Room at Clay Hill Farm beginning October 10th for public viewing, with the Opening Reception scheduled at Clay Hill Farm this Monday, October 10th, from 2-4 pm. This event will be hosted by the VerandArt curator, co-founder, and featured artist, Amy Kelly, artist Anne Banfield, and VerandArt co-founder Jennifer Lewis of Clay Hill Farm. The #VerandArt Project is an artistic collaboration between Clay Hill Farm and TaleSpinStudio in Ogunquit, bringing the love of art and food into experiential harmony. More information on the mission for the #VerandArt Project is available on Clay Hill Farm’s website: www.clayhillfarm.com _______________________________________________________________________                    TaleSpinStudio is a working art studio/gallery in Ogunquit’s Perkins Cove dedicated to creating art from photography, spawned from Life and Lobstering. Local artists interested in being a part of the #VerandArt Project at Clay Hill Farm may contact Amy Kelly at Amy@talespinstudio.com. Clay Hill Farm is an experiential dining and event venue on 11 private acres in Cape Neddick, Maine- just 2 miles from downtown Ogunquit. A certified environmental sanctuary committed to local outreach; Clay Hill Farm is proud to celebrate the natural beauty of Maine by supporting the arts in our community. (207) 361-2272. www.ClayHillFarm.com