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Phil Poirier sits among rocks and forest light in Maine’s western mountains, the landscape that has shaped much of his painting over more than 40 years. (Courtesy of University of Maine at Farmington)

FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington Emery Community Arts Center will present more than 40 years of landscape paintings by Rumford native Phil Poirier in a solo exhibition opening June 13.

The exhibit, “A Retrospective, Interrupted: Landscape Paintings by Phil Poirier,” traces Poirier’s return to landscape painting through work shaped by the western mountains of Maine, from cool mountain lakes and icy streams to spruce-fir forests cut by footpaths.

The exhibit will be on display in Emery’s Flex Gallery from June 13 to Sept. 17. An opening reception is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. Saturday, June 13. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

Phil Poirier’s “Morning, Cathedral Woods” shows a forest floor and trees rendered in acrylic, part of his landscape work featured in “A Retrospective, Interrupted” at the UMF Emery Community Arts Center. (Courtesy of University of Maine at Farmington)

Poirier works in acrylics on canvas and masonite. His paintings are informed by Zen aesthetics, including simplicity and asymmetry, and focus on quieting the mind while distilling the essence of place, according to information provided by the university.

His early work moved toward hyperrealism, which he described as neo-luminism, after the mid-19th century luminist movement. Luminism treated landscape as spiritually charged, often through light and usually with some reference to people or human presence.

Phil Poirier’s “Holding On,” acrylic on canvas, depicts trees and open water in a Maine landscape, part of his exhibit “A Retrospective, Interrupted” at the UMF Emery Community Arts Center. (Courtesy of University of Maine at Farmington)

Poirier’s landscapes leave out traces of people. According to the university, Poirier has said the existence of people is already implied by the painting itself. His recent work has moved away from the precision of luminism and toward a looser, more impressionistic style, with more saturated and vibrant color.

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Poirier draws source material from time spent in the backcountry, including multiday solo trips with a camera. The woods, mountains, lakes and streams of western Maine are presented as both home and source material for his paintings.

Phil Poirier’s “Open Water,” acrylic on masonite, shows dark water cutting through a snow-covered Maine streambed, part of his landscape work featured in “A Retrospective, Interrupted” at the UMF Emery Community Arts Center. (Courtesy of University of Maine at Farmington)

Poirier is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine. He received the Carina House Monhegan Artists Residency in 1996, spending five weeks on Monhegan Island painting and hiking. His work has been shown at several Maine galleries, including Frost Gully Gallery, Greenhut Gallery, Bayview Gallery, Mast Cove Gallery, The Blaine House and the Jameson Gallery.

The Emery Community Arts Center gallery is on Academy Street, between Main and High streets, in downtown Farmington. During the summer, the gallery is open from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information, contact Ann Bartges, director of the UMF Emery Community Arts Center, at [email protected] or 207-778-7461.

Rebecca Richard is a reporter for the Franklin Journal. She graduated from the University of Maine after studying literature and writing. She is a small business owner, wife of 33 years and mom of eight...

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