“Maybe this one?”
Adam Perkins points out an image on his computer screen to his brother, Eric, while Adam’s wife, Jessie, curls her hair behind them.
In front of the two are images of people with painted faces. Black around their eye sockets and noses creates a sunken, skeletal appearance, and their eyes are rimmed with floral patterns of bright color. They’re meant to mimic “sugar skulls,” representations of departed souls unique to the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, which is celebrated Nov. 1 every year.
After choosing a painting style to copy on their own faces, Adam and Jessie prepare for Rick Tardiff, a local photographer, to take their photos to include as part of their upcoming exhibition called “Dia de los Muertos.” The show is being hosted by The Gallery @ School Street, a space that can be found in School Street Picture Framing Inc. in Brewer, which Adam Perkins owns and operates.
“Dia de los Muertos” will feature drawings, paintings and mixed media illustrations celebrating the Mexican holiday. More than 15 new pieces, including Tardiff’s photography, will be on display as well as a collection of the artists traditional works, including Jessie Perkins’ illustrated pet portraiture and Adam Perkins’ oil paintings.
Their upcoming exhibit is part of a relatively new undertaking that began in December of last year, when Adam Perkins decided to use the extra space in his family’s professional framing business.
“We’ve been a custom picture frame shop for 13 years now,” Perkins said. “Two years ago, we expanded our services and started doing fine art printing. With our building expansion we had a little extra space left over, so we thought ‘what can we use this space for?’ We just figured that everything we do is art related, so let’s open up a mini gallery.”
Adam’s father, Ed Perkins, opened the business in 2002 and has been working for custom framing shops for 35 years. School Street Picture Framing Inc. is one of only a few businesses of its kind left in the area, and Adam Perkins has taken it a step further by offering patrons and those interested in the arts a gallery displaying work by local artists.
“One thing the gallery is trying to do is bridge the gap between fine art and illustration,” Adam Perkins said. “Unfortunately in art culture we’ve labeled what fine art is and what illustration is. So we want to merge that together and say, ‘You know what? Illustration is fine art.’”
Though the Perkins have no cultural ties to the Mexican holiday, their art will act as an appreciation of the imagery associated with the celebration and the purpose behind it.
“It’s a celebration of the people’s life as opposed to mourning their death,” Jessie Perkins explained.
The exhibit will feature two back-to-back openings, one from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, and another from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. The exhibit will remain on display at 33 School St. in Brewer until Dec. 5.
For more information about The Gallery @ School Street and their upcoming exhibit, visit their website at schoolstreetpictureframing.com or their Facebook page at facebook.com/schoolstreetpictureframing.
