We made our second visit to the OMMA today on a gloriously clear autumn morning. We had visited it a year ago with our friends and hosts, Joan Jacobs and Larry Drake of neighboring Portsmouth, NH. We had fond memories of its Maine seaside locale and the charming village of Ogunquit, widely recognized for its rich arts, crafts, and theater offerings. The museum is on the edge of town fronting a dramatic seascape. 

Andrea and I spent much of our time in the outdoor sculpture garden that surrounds the sleek, low to the ground, building. The garden features great natural vistas, as well as a sculpture called “Luna” in the background of the next photo, and many others tastefully arranged to reflect the natural beauty of the setting.

 Inside the gallery, there were special showings of two mid-20th century American artists: Russell Cheney and Lee Kramer. 

 Cheney was a New Englander who lived and worked in Portsmouth, NH and neighboring Kittery and Ogunquit, ME. He painted in a somewhat traditional realist style with great sensitivity to the humanity of his portraits and a poetic rendering of light and space.

Cheney was a gay man who lived quietly with his life partner, the Harvard professor and author F.O. Matthiessen, for decades. He is much celebrated in Ogonquit by the large gay community there who have long lived in peace with their neighbors. The painting below is a self-portrait of Cheney (l.) and Matthiessen. 

 Lee Kramer is one of the important originators of an abstract movement in late 1930’s America. She was inspired by the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian’s style of precise, geometric abstractions.

 Kramer was the spouse of the more celebrated artist Jackson Pollock. Personally, I much prefer her own contained, visually pleasing abstract creations to the wild expressionism of her alcoholic husband. 

 We took a second stroll into the adjoining sculpture court before driving into town for lunch and a long, energizing walk on the expansive Ogunquit Beach.

Remembering a great time together last Fall.

John Bayerl, 1/16/2025