Croghan Showing at Ford Performing Art Center

At right, Island artist Maeve Croghan holds one of 25 pieces of her work that will be shown at the Ford Performing Arts Center in Dearborn from September 13 through October 27. Her work also can be seen at her Market Street shop in the Carousel Mall.

As a steady stream of customers flows in and out of her Market Street store, artist Maeve Croghan is preparing for a show this month at the Padzieski Art Gallery at the Ford Performing Arts Center in Dearborn. At the request of the curator at the gallery, Julie Moreno, who believes that a retrospective of Ms. Croghan's work is long overdue, the showing is scheduled to run from September 13 through October 27.

Ms. Croghan, who has a Bachelor of Arts degree in art and education and resides in San Francisco in the winter, is organizing 25 oil paintings for the show.

"It's a nice compliment, said Ms. Croghan, to have someone interested in her work invite her to show paintings.

In June, the curator and a photographer visited the Island and filmed Ms. Croghan as she worked on a painting. Both the film and the painting will be shown at the Dearborn exhibit.

Her unusual technique of sitting on the ground while she paints adds to the visual impact and perspective of the scene.

"It offers a very intimate view of my subject," she said.

The focus of much of her work is on trees, rocks, and vines. Some pieces include fields of flowers or the lakeshore.

The expressionist nature painter, who also enjoys painting birds, particularly in the winter, begins with a toned canvas. In one sitting, she will have the painting's early stage completed. Once the first layer of oil paint dries, she will complete the work in her studio, where brushes are put to work as she adds layer upon layer of details until she is satisfied with the piece.

"I want to bring the viewer into the painting," said the artist, who is always looking for sites for her next piece of work. She already has a couple of Island locations she plans to paint when fall colors become more vibrant.

A few years ago, she entered a design contest for a wine label. The painting she offered for the label was a vineyard scene using a striking yellow against black vines. She won the contest and Castoro Cellars in Templeton, California, hired her to design more labels for its wine bottles.

In addition to her Island store, her paintings are featured at her Campbell Street Gallery in Grand Marais.

Within the last year, her paintings were included in the publications, "Art of Northern California," "American Art Collector," and "Fine Art of the Great Lakes." She also was accepted into the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Sales and Rental Gallery.

"I feel like I'm finally arriving into the art world," she said.