Gleason Fine Art in Boothbay Harbor opens its 38th year with fresh Monhegan paintings from Kevin Beers. "Monhegan" opens Thursday, June 22, and runs through Tuesday, July 18, with a reception for Kevin on Friday, July 7, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Perhaps as much as any other Maine artist, Kevin Beers' name is linked with the near-mythic artists' island, Monhegan, and its tiny sidekick, Manana. For decades, Beers drove from his condo in Brooklyn, New York, to Maine and spent long summers painting, living frugally, holed up on the top floor of the Monhegan House. Eight years ago, Beers fulfilled his life-long dream of moving from Brooklyn to midcoast Maine full-time.

Monhegan is Kevin Beers' muse. It is to him as haystacks were to Monet, sunflowers to Van Gogh, and the Olsen House to Andrew Wyeth. As with those artists, Beers never tires of visiting his muse, where he immerses himself in island life and lets the island show him new light effects.

"Monhegan dazzles me with the light. Whether it is a sunny day or a foggy one, there is just a sparkle there," says Beers. "I find that I like being on Monhegan and looking at Manana. It's very rocky, with tall grass and no trees. The rocks are beautiful and as the day goes on, they change. In early morning the rocks are orange, then in the afternoon they are green, and in the evening they are bluish-purple in color."

Using the colors of a Maine summer--bluebird skies dotted with dramatic cumulus clouds; sparkling, white-painted buildings with neat, red rooves; and sea waters changing colors from deep blue to green and back to blue again--Beers paints the simple, clean forms of Monhegan's weathered architecture. He describes his passion this way: "Monhegan has incredible light, and it's so remote and untouched. I love to paint the buildings there. I just finished one of the light keeper’s house, and it is beautiful. I love the color and the structures of the buildings; the patterns and geometry of buildings as well as the patterns of light and the buildings within the landscape."

The magic of Monhegan Island is that as time goes on, Monhegan remains the same. Nature and man have established a kind of peace on this island. Kevin Beers discovered this special place by chance over 30 years ago, and we are so lucky he did.

Kevin Beers' new Monhegan paintings can be seen at Gleason Fine Art in Boothbay Harbor, starting June 22 and running through July 18. Please come to the gallery on Friday, July 7, from 5 to 7 p.m., to enjoy a glass of local beer with Kevin and share your own Monhegan stories. For more information, call the gallery at 207-633-6849 or email us at info@gleasonfineart.com. View Kevin's show, and the gallery's inventory of paintings, at gleasonfineart.com. Summer hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.