MOSS Galleries on Munjoy Hill Features Abstract Painter Through November 26

Posted on by
Share

One of the Abstract Paintings of Jaap Helder Currently on Display at MOSS Galleries, 100 Fore Street, Munjoy Hill.

A Second Acrylic Painting by Jaap Helder, Currently on Exhibit at MOSS Galleries, Munjoy HIll, until November 26.

The paintings of Jaap Helder, an abstract painter who grew up in The Netherlands and currently lives near Damariscotta, comprise the solo exhibit at MOSS Galleries, on Munjoy Hill. Last spring, he exhibited fifteen (15) paintings at MOSS Galleries, Route 1, Falmouth.

Celebrated for his strong colors and dramatic renderings, Helder has mostly lived near the ocean, whether it be the North Sea or the Atlantic Ocean.  And that proximity has been an important infuence on his paintings.  A fact that is helpful to know before visiting his current exhibit at 100 Fore Street.  Having lived most of his life near the Ocean, it’s not surprising that his paintings are heavily influenced by what he saw along waterfront shores.  Part of his mission statement confirms that.

For this blogger who spent her growing up years in boatyards with parents scrapping off old paint and repainting the bottoms of wooden sailboats year after year. Helder’s paintings resonnate.  Scraping off last year’s bottom paint to make way for a fresh coat was as much a spring ritual and as traditional as the winter holidays in my family.  That’s part of what I see when I look at Helder’s paintings on exhibit on Munjoy Hill.  Scraping off a previous coat of bottom paint to make way for the fresh and the new.  A pleasant memory of family time spent in Mamaroneck, New York boatyards over many years.

“Living in coastal Maine, I am inspired by the raw beauty of the landscape and the Atlantic Ocean, the worn surfaces I see around me.  The ships in the harbors with their many layers of industrial paint are scratched, marked and worn down by the elements,” said Jaap Helder, in a mission statement provided by Adam Powers, at MOSS Galleries, on Munjoy HIll last week.

The show opened on October 26, 2022 and runs through November 26, 2022.  Admission is free.  MOSS is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm.  (207) 804-0459.