Maine has always been traditionally linked to American art. The natural resources of wood and gems were first traced to Native Americans and later to the early Colonial days. However, the fertile ground that lies as a backdrop for picture-perfect summers and dreamy hushed winters has a magnetic attraction to many area artists.
Eileen Patten Oliver has been painting in Maine and Massachusetts for over 50 years, but her time in Cape Ann in 2010 brought her skill to new heights. The Down East Maine coast and Cape Ann artists such as, Emile Gruppe, Frederick Mulhaupt and Aldro Hibbard offered uniqueness apart from her Massachusetts upbringing. Eileen’s oil paintings have a crisp and natural depth that takes you on a journey through the best of how the world appears. Whether the landscape painting is one of Acadia in October or a small child creating ripples in a summer pond, Oliver is able to capture the essence of beauty as seen through her eyes.
Going to high school in Boston allowed Eileen to recognize her gift in painting by being exposed to great art teachers, colleges and museums of fine arts. She was particularly taken in by an exhibit of Monet’s haystacks. The brush strokes had an almost hypnotic focus on Eileen, one that she remembers to this day.
In addition to the influence of Monet, Oliver studied at Massachusetts College of Art and learned from Paul Shea, Peter Nyren and Constantine Sgouras. She was manager of the art gallery at West Quoddy Head Light Visitor’s Center in Lubec, Maine and taught Adult Education Painting at Lubec Consolidated School. Her background in solo and group shows have delivered many awards. Many framed originals can be seen in private homes and public buildings as an honor to the natural beauty of the East Coast.
Today, Oliver is still deeply influenced by the special feeling that the East Coast delivers and is considered a fine oil artist that has been able to capture and display the very qualities of Maine and Massachusetts. She is married to James Oliver, an award winning graphic artist from Cape Ann. They reside in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
For more information on this artist, see: www.eileenpattenoliver.com or view her works at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=35&v=CzWF32ZdAHE
Click on – Portrait of Eileen Patten Oliver-The Spirit of Cape Ann – to view the print edition format
