The Unity College Center for the Arts (UCCA) will host a new exhibit featuring work from Maine landscape painter Matthew Russ titled On-site. The show will run Oct. 9 through Nov. 15.

Russ works entirely outdoors, and in a series format. Returning to a single painting location for a prescribed number of visits, he explores an area’s many moods on different days. By doing so, he feels he understands each place better, and cherishes it more. Recently, Russ has been painting along the coast from the Kennebec River to Penobscot Bay. 

“With my backpack easel, I engage directly with my subject matter: the land, water, and sky of Maine. I favor locations that allow for ‘the long view.’ A mountaintop in Camden, say, where the islands of Penobscot Bay can be seen trailing off to open ocean,” said Russ. “Such distances heighten the effect of atmosphere on light and color, but also invite the viewer to imagine what exists out there. Through painting, I strive to achieve the feelings of expansiveness and possibility such places inspire.”

For more information about the artist, visit matthewruss.com 

An artist reception will be held 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9. For more information, contact Ben Potter, Professor of Art and Curator of the Leonard R. Craig Gallery at 207-509-7239, or email bpotter@unity.edu. The UCCA is located at 42 Depot St. in Unity.