Greg Mort continues his annual summer tradition hosting “NIGHT and DAY – OPEN STUDIO 2015” together with his son artist Jon Mort on August 1st and 2nd, from 10 am to 5 pm at Fieldstone Castle in Port Clyde, Maine. A “Studio Tour and Talk” will take place on Saturday at 1pm. New works of art by Greg and Jon will be on display and a behind-the-scenes tour of their work-space will include: works-in-progress, still life arrangements and preliminary drawings and sketches. Greg works exclusively from life or his own handcrafted models and figures. He will present many of these including the model created for “One World” his painting that is currently on exhibition at the White House.
Throughout 2014-2015 Greg’s art garnered global attention with feature articles in International Artist Magazine and ArtScope Magazine, a one-man exhibition at The Academy Art Museum and major acquisitions by the Biggs Museum of Art, the American Visionary Art Museum and the Brandywine River Museum. This spring the United States American Embassy in The Hague acquired four new Mort paintings for permanent display. Greg has been represented by two world-class galleries for his entire career: the Carla Massoni Gallery and Somerville Manning Gallery which will host a major exhibition titled “TWO ROADS A Father and Son Exploration” opening November 19th, 2015 featuring artwork by Greg and Jon. In 2016 the Serlachius Art Museum in Mänttä Finland will exhibit Greg’s celestial themed works of art in an exhibition titled “Starry Skies of Art”. It will include his watercolor “ZERO –G Apples” which was part of the first art exhibition in space, aboard the International Space Station.
As artist, astronomer and outdoorsmen Greg’s artwork reflects a fascination with the intersection of art and science that clearly displays his innate and insatiable desire to discover and explore. Maine’s fabulous clear night skies as well as stark sun drenched days have been Mort’s artistic subjects every summer since 1977. His earliest collectors were St George fishermen and lobstermen. Now his art can be found in the private collections of three US presidents, two vice presidents as well as in premier museums around the world including the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum and Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art and the Portland, Delaware, Farnsworth, Academy Art Museums. Luminaries such as Carl Sagan, Neil Armstrong and John Hendricks are counted among Greg’s patrons. He has served on the Board of the Lowell Observatory for twenty years combines his avocation and vocation as a NASA artist since 1983 producing numerous works of art inspired by man’s exploration of the universe.
Mort’s passion for ecological issues is a favorite artistic subject. An advocate and speaker for water conservation he partners with Circle of Blue, the global media leader highlighting the freshwater crisis. In 2007 Mort founded The Art of Stewardship Project to assist and encourage artists to form similar collaborations with environmental organizations. Locally Unity College and The Georges River Land Trust have been prior Art of Stewardship allies. This year Trekkers, Inc. was the 2015 recipient of The Art of Stewardship Recognition Award. Through The Art of Stewardship Project Greg produced and will soon release a new children’s activity book “Rainbow Colors - The Art of Stewardship” to inspire the next generation of environmental artists.
Jon, a rising star in the art world, has exhibited at the Portsmouth Museum of Art, The Phillips Museum, the Sandy Spring Museum and many more. His recent "Local Legends" one-man exhibition was featured on Maryland Public Television's Around Town with Robert Aubrey Davis. Jon started participating in juried showings as a teen and has been in over twenty gallery exhibitions. The Carla Massoni Gallery also represents his art worldwide as well as the Somerville Manning Gallery.
Painting since childhood Jon is a recent Masters graduate in Architecture from The Rhode Island School of Design. He is a frequent and enthusiastic speaker leading Masters Art Classes at the University of Maryland and his The Art of Story Telling video was just released by Ignite. Jon's new creations in the challenging medium of colored pencil have received rave critical reviews siting their unique design and exceptional artistic execution: " Jon Mort’s remarkable contemporary colored pencil creations elevates the medium to new heights."
This unusual farther and son creative collaboration will offer viewers a unique opportunity to see works in progress as well as completed paintings and drawings. Creating with very different mediums, Greg in oil and watercolor and Jon in colored pencil and graphite, each artists offers their own very unique interpretation of the mysteries of the Night and visions of the Day. Both artists share a passion for science, astronomy and the outdoors. Traveling and hiking together they have visited over forty National and State Parks throughout the United States.
Greg and Jon’s studio is located in Port Clyde at historic Fieldstone Castle on the road to the Marshall Pt Lighthouse. To learn more: 207 372 8658, www.facebook.com/GregMort , GregMortCollection.com, http://www.JonMortStudio.com, facebook.com/JonMort, facebook.com/GregMortandJonMortNIGHTandDAYOpenStudio