Last updated on September 8th, 2017 at 05:31 pm

Being emerging artists themselves, gallery owners Mike and Elizabeth Marks, know all too well the artist’s need to have a venue for displaying the work of one’s hands. And Fore River Gallery in Portland, Maine, is the perfect place to exhibit photorealistic landscape paintings like Mike’s, his wife’s dramatic ceramic creations (formed using the Japanese Raku technique), and works by other up-and-coming artists from the area.

Named after the estuary that separates Portland and South Portland, the Fore River Gallery was founded by the couple who met in, and graduated from the Maine College of Art.

Mike and Elizabeth have been heavily into the arts ever since childhood. Mike taught himself oil painting when he was 15 until college where he received more formal training. Elizabeth, on the other hand, had attended magnet art schools in Miami but began studying ceramics at the New World School of Art and later, at the Maine College of Art where she met Mike.

Despite the differences in their training and preferred medium, it was always a dream for both to become self-sustaining artists. Perhaps it was a windfall then that, after sharing an art studio for five years, they had the opportunity to start their own gallery where they can showcase the work of Portland artists (themselves included).

Fore River Gallery is housed in an antique building that was once a millinery in the 1920’s and more recently, the home of a well-established gallery in Portland that has since relocated. Its 600-square feet of exhibition space has featured many aspects of the art world like paintings, ceramics, furniture, sculpture, design, photography, stenciled airbrush paintings, and more.

According to Mike, however, Fore River Gallery is unique because “ as you enter our gallery you get a chance to speak to artists and not just gallery owners. We are the creators and know in depth what has taken to create these pieces of artwork.” At Fore River Gallery, the Marks give thoughtful care over how they display the artists’ works, affording them with the respect they deserve.

It is Mike and Elizabeth’s hope to be successful and well-known in a city full of artists such as Portland, Maine. The gallery, they hope, will a great place to promote artists with great skill and craftmanship. Mike says “we want to see the artists hand in the work.” -A statement that echoes the Mike and Elizabeth Marks’ appreciation for the artistic process. In fact, when asked why they chose to specialize in the techniques they use right now, Mike replied “we are both drawn towards the process of our mediums; to see how far we can push, and further develop ourselves in our disciplines.”

In order to let young artists and art-lovers know that Fore River Gallery is open for exhibitions, they have ordered postcards and posters from UPrinting. They have found UPrinting’s prices to be a better alternative to paying for newspaper advertising. Mike has even been quoted as saying “UPrinting is affordable, dependable, and the customer service is top-notch.”

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