Jun-2018
Vibrant hues common thread at Gallery Mozelle

Maureen Farr’s Holey Moley! pendants are individually cut by hand with holes in varying sizes placed randomly. They are enameled on both sides. PHOTO BY JENNIFER OSBORN
Maureen Farr is a lover of color and finely made objects. Her Deer Isle gallery reflects those passions.
At Gallery Mozelle, color and quality are common threads, whether it’s Farr’s own bold, mod-shaped enameled copper necklaces or Rhode Island artists Elizabeth Pannell and James Watkins’ Peàn Doubulyu Glass line including zigzag- and dot-patterned glassware.
“For all of my adult life, I have had my hands in and on materials of all kinds — from yarns, fabrics, paints and paper, to clay, fleece,” Farr said. “Most recently my hands have been involved in all forms of metalsmithing.”
A graphic artist who hails originally from Portland, Farr took a few classes at Deer Isle’s Haystack Mountain School of Arts and Crafts, a world-renowned nonprofit school, which greatly expanded her horizons for creating new things with her hands.

“I really love seeing someone’s joy as they come into the gallery and encounter the beautiful work by artists that I love and have carefully chosen to represent.” — Maureen Farr, Gallery Mozelle
PHOTO BY JENNIFER OSBORN
Enameled jewelry is among her most recent creations.
“Starting with flat pieces, I fold-form [copper] to create interesting patterns and surfaces, and then add enamels in a range of vibrant colors,” the artist explains. “The finished pieces are unique — even when having the same basic shapes.”
Wondering why the gallery is called Mozelle? Farr’s friend Diana didn’t think “Mo,” the standard nickname for Maureen, fit such a creative person and called her Mozelle. The moniker came in handy when naming the gallery.
“The gallery gives me an outlet for my work, allows me to curate work by other artists and craftspeople, and keeps me surrounded by beauty,” she said.
“I love showing clients not just the work of the makers’ hands, but how it is made, the story of the maker, and sometimes the connection to history or other artists,” she continued. “I really love seeing someone’s joy as they come into the gallery and encounter the beautiful work by artists that I love and have carefully chosen to represent.”

Maureen Farr used Sterling silver to create this locket. The inside is 24K gold. The piece has antique script stamped on its cover. Ancient heiroglyphics adorn the edge.
At Gallery Mozelle, this summer, Farr is featuring will feature Massachusetts oil painter Roz Sommer, who summers in Deer Isle. For 30 years, the Cambridge artist taught art to young people in New York City before focusing largely on her own work starting in 2008. Whether it’s a still life or figurative painting, the artist revels in her medium, applying oil paint thickly and expressively.
Last summer, Sommer’s gouache paintings of peonies, capturing their extravagant blooms, were included in Mozelle Gallery’s “In the Garden” show. This July, Sommer’s dahlia series will be featured in another garden-inspired show.
At Gallery Mozelle, August will kick off with a house-themed show. Farr, herself, uses Japanese paper and other odds and ends to construct tiny, delicate houses. She also will highlight Deer Isle metal artist Sarah Doremus and her playful, often tongue-in-cheek pieces that are commentaries on the human condition.
In addition, Portland photographer Cynthia Farr-Weinfeld’s lavish landscapes and other fine art images are on view.
Farr will open her gallery officially on Thursday, June 21, just in time for the start of Deer Isle’s “Third Fridays,” where many of the town’s art galleries and businesses stay open later. (The nearby town of Stonington holds First Fridays.)
Gallery Mozelle is located at 5 Main St. in Deer Isle. Hours are: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more info, call 460-2329 and visit www.gallerymozelle.com.