“Oil Paint & Brine” | Philip and Matt Barter
A Father & Son Collaboration at Kerr+Jones Gallery

Kerr+Jones Gallery in East Boothbay is honored to present an exhibition featuring paintings by iconic Maine artist Philip Barter alongside recent works by his son, Matt Barter. The gallery will host a reception on Thursday, September 17, from 4 to 6 p.m. All are welcome.

Philip’s paintings depict the shoreline and cliffs of Frenchman’s Bay and the Gaspé Peninsula. Also on view are works from Matt Barter’s recent Downeast Kids exhibition, which tells the story of his upbringing in Downeast Maine and the people who shaped his youth.

A native of Boothbay, Philip Barter was self-taught, though deeply inspired by legendary American Modernist Marsden Hartley and Frederick “Fritz” Rockwell, a sculptor and painter who worked in both New York City and East Boothbay.

By the 1970s, Barter had moved to Downeast Maine, where he and his wife, Priscilla, raised seven children. To support his young family, he took a ten-year hiatus from painting, working as a clam and worm digger and as a sternman on a lobster boat. In his spare time, he studied art history, and with Priscilla’s support, the family lived a life immersed in art.

Matt Barter has followed in his father’s footsteps while developing his own distinctive style. In both his stylized paintings and wooden sculptures, he often creates Maine vignettes inspired by the working waterfront. His work is bold, distinctive, and often playful, clearly reflecting his father’s love of color.

The exhibition will be on view at Kerr+Jones Gallery, 268 Ocean Point Rd., East Boothbay, from September 17 through October 12. Gallery hours are Wednesday–Saturday, 10am–5pm, and Sunday, 11 am–4 pm. All works will be available for purchase.

For more information, please contact the gallery at info@kerrjones.com.

Image credit: Philip Barter, “Winter in Gaspe”, oil on canvas.