This First Friday Art Walk, travel from Portland to Florence by way of May’s artist, Kelly Ufkin.
Kelly Ufkin is a young artist raised locally. Ufkin left the comfort of New England to pursue a degree in Art Therapy at Merrywood University. After earning her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts, she re-enrolled and acquired her Master’s of Fine Arts in painting. She says her school “became my home for seven years,” leaving only for two semesters abroad in Florence, Italy.
In Italy, Ufkin studied oil and fresco painting. She also got a chance to study a few of the country’s greatest artists. “Caravaggio and Artemisia Gentileschi’s realism and extensive technique have helped me enhance my style and progress as an artist,” she says. Monet, Renoir, and Corot are also listed among her influences. Ufkin says these artists have taught her how to capture a moment in time in a simplistic manner.
This Friday, Kelly art work will don our walls. We’ll our store’s doors open until 8:00pm. We’ll have wine, as well as cheese and crackers, to share with First Friday Art Walkers who are at least twenty-one years of age.
If you can’t make it this Friday, stop by to see Kelly’s work all month long.