Maine Artist, Celene Farris, grew up in the 1950's in Manchester, Connecticut, a small town bordered by farms and rolling tobacco fields.  This instilled in her a love of nature and an appreciation of simpler times.  A serious artist, she is basically self-taught and has studied under various artists such as David Curtis and Barbara Applegate.  She received a certificate in Advanced Oil Painting from The North Light Art School in Cincinnati.  “Because both my parents were artists and musicians, art and music have always been an important part of my life.”

Collections

An artist for over 30 years, Celene has shown extensively in galleries and juried art shows from Florida to Maine.  Her work is in private and corporate collections in the United States, Canada and overseas, including MBNA America, Midwesco Corporation, Waldo County General Hospital, McNally & Associates, Damariscotta Bank and Trust Company, J. Briery Corporation and others. 

She is represented by The Red Roof Gallery, Enfield, New Hampshire; Bucks County Gallery of Fine Art, New Hope, Pennsylvania; The Stowe Art Gallery, Stowe, Vermont; and in Belfast, Maine, by The Working Art Gallery and The Ocean's Edge Gallery at The Comfort Inn.   

Awards

Celene has received numerous awards and her work has been featured on the cover of two publications, The 2003 Belfast Chamber of Commerce Guide and the Maine travel guide, Captain D Downeast. 

She was voted the best artist in Waldo County, Maine, by The Citizen's "Best of the Best 2008 Readers Poll."     

About

A Maine resident for more than 38 years, she resides with her family in Morrill, Maine, a small, rural community situated among the farms and rolling hills that she loves.  This quiet life is reflected in her paintings.

Since January 1999 she has shared her love of oil painting by teaching weekly classes and workshops.  She served as the oil painting instructor in the 2000 Alpha Omega Summer Program in Belfast, Maine.

In January 1999, Celene became co-founder and co-owner of The Working Art Gallery in Belfast, Maine, serving as general manager and financial officer as well as a participating artist.  She has coordinated and managed numerous juried art shows at the gallery.  The gallery moved to its own building at 65 Main Street in September 2003. There she implemented a separate Visiting Artist’s Gallery on the second floor, giving new, up & coming artists the unique opportunity to display their work in a gallery setting.  In 2000, she co-founded The BelfastArt Galleries Association, serving as coordinator and financial manager until December 2004.

The gallery was voted one of the best art galleries in Waldo County, Maine, by The Citizen's  "Best of the Best Readers Poll" in 2007 and 2008.   

In 2007, as the gallery continued to grow and the painting time became less, she decided to retire from the gallery operations and go back to painting full time.  Celene continues to serve as co-owner and consultant to the gallery and continues to teach classes and workshops.

She is a member of The Maine Arts Commission; The Waldo County Art Association of Maine; Art Coast Maine and The Anderson Art Center in Anderson, South Carolina.

  Shows

May 2008 - Senior College Festival of Art, Belfast, Maine, sponsored by The University of Maine, Hutchinson Center.

March 2008 - Matanzas Beach Art Show, Summer Haven, Florida.

September 2007 - Juried Art Show, P.S. Gallery, Litchfield, Connecticut.

August 2007 - Aldermere Farm Art Show, Rockport, Maine, sponsored by The Maine Coast Heritage Trust.

May 2007 - Senior College Festival of Art, Belfast, Maine, sponsored by The University of Maine, Hutchinson Center.

April 2007 - 32nd Annual Juried Art Show, Anderson Art Center, Anderson, South Carolina.

March 2007 - Matanzas Beach Art Show, Summer Haven, Florida.

August 2006 - Aldermere Farm Art Show, Rockport, Maine, sponsored by The Maine Coast Heritage Trust.

May 2006 – 26th Annual Juried Art Show, Bangor Art Society, Bangor Maine.

May 2006 - Senior College Festival of Art, Belfast, Maine, sponsored by The University of Maine, Hutchinson Center.

March 2006 – The Florida Artisans Show, Gainesville, Florida.

August 2005 - Aldermere Farm Art Show, Rockport, Maine, sponsored by The Maine Coast Heritage Trust.

May 2005 – Juried Art Show, St. Augustine Art Association, Florida.

May 2005 - Senior College Festival of Art, Belfast, Maine, sponsored by The University of Maine, Hutchinson Center.

March 2005 – Juried Art Show, St. Augustine Art Association Show.

November 2004 - Passy-Greenway Art Show, Belfast, Maine, sponsored by The Coastal Mountains Land Trust.

August 2004 - Aldermere Farm Art Show, Rockport, Maine, sponsored by The Maine Coast Heritage Trust.

May 2004 - Senior College Festival of Art, Belfast, Maine, sponsored by The University of Maine, Hutchinson Center.

September 2003 - Art at the Boathouse, Belfast, Maine.

August 2003 - Aldermere Farm Art Show, Rockport, Maine, sponsored by The Maine Coast Heritage Trust.

June 2003 - Belfast Paint-Off, Belfast, Maine, sponsored by the Belfast Sesquicentennial Council.

May 2003 - Senior College Festival of Art, Belfast, Maine, sponsored by The University of Maine, Hutchinson Center.

August 2002 - Summer With the Arts – Topsfield, Massachusetts.

July 2002 – Art Show by the Sea,  Charleston, South Carolina.

July 2001 - Beautiful Walls Art Show, Belfast, Maine, sponsored by Waldo County General  Hospital.

July 2001 - Art at the Farm Paint-Off, Lincolnville, Maine, sponsored by The Kelmscott Rare Breeds Farm.

September 2000 – Art in the Mountains, Conway, New Hampshire.

July 2000 – Manchester Art Show, Manchester, New Hampshire.

September 1999 - College of The Atlantic Art Show, Bar Harbor, Maine.

August 1999 - Art at the Beach, Lincolnville, Maine.

July 1999 - Arts in the Park, Belfast, Maine.

March 1999 - State of Maine Sportsman Show, Augusta, Maine.

December 1998 - The Art Show, Harbor Hill, Belfast, Maine.

August 1998– The Art Show, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. 

August 1997 – Maine Center for Contemporary Art, Rockport, Maine.

July 1996 – Maine Center for Contemporary Art, Rockport, Maine. 

Events

July 2003 - Coordinator for The Working Art Gallery Student Art Show, Belfast,  Maine.

August 2000 - Oil painting instructor at The Summer Alpha Omega Program, Belfast, Maine.

July 2000 - Oil painting instructor at The Summer Alpha Omega Program, Belfast, Maine.

May 1999 - Coordinator for The Working Art Gallery Student Art Show, Belfast, Maine. Coordinator for numerous juried art shows at The Working Art Gallery, Belfast, Maine.

1998 - Coordinator for monthly art shows at Artworks Together Gallery, Belfast, Maine.