Deena S. Ball
Falmouth, ME
Deena's artwork has gained national recognition for its innovative use of watercolors, textured ground, and specialized surfaces in landscape paintings.
Message
Deena's passion for nature, science, and art converges when she paints outdoors. Intrigued by the natural world, she is a perpetual student of nature. Through her paintings, she aspires to make others see, appreciate, and preserve the beauty of our environment.
Deena is nationally renowned for her landscape paintings, which are known for their innovative use of watercolors in combination with textured ground and specialized surfaces. Recently, She has also started painting in oils on copper panels. The majority of her work is painted Plein Air or derived from sketches and observations while she is immersed in nature. Her goal is to create simple but expressive paintings inspired by nature, capturing a moment in time and striking an emotional chord with the viewer.
Deena earned her BA in Art History and Studio Art from Colby College in Waterville, Maine. She furthered her studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and Tyler School of Art. After her formal education, Deena participated in numerous workshops and studied under the late Domenic DiStephano.
Deena is represented by the Richard Boyd Art Gallery in Portland, Maine and North Light Gallery in Belfast, Maine. Her solo show at Richard Boyd Art Gallery in April of 2024 was well received and she will be having an additional solo show there in September 2025. In April 2023, she concluded her Falmouth Land Trust Project with a solo show at the Falmouth Memorial Library.
Recently, Deena has won several awards. Her painting "Exuberance" was selected as the Floral Honorable Mention recipient for the August Plein Air Salon Art Competition. She received the Jurors Award for the painting “Rushing In” at the Maine Art Gallery event Paint It! Wiscasset.
Furthermore, her paintings have been showcased in several esteemed juried watercolor society shows, both online and in-person. These include the Philadelphia Watercolor Society, New England Watercolor Society, Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, Green Mountain Watercolor, National Watercolor Society, and the American Watercolor Society.
Deena's work has also been part of exhibitions at the Randy Higbee Gallery in California, the 35th Northern National Competition in Wisconsin, the Maine Art Gallery, and Northwind Fine Arts in New York. Other notable showcases include the "Back to Nature 2021, A Landscape Painters Invitational" at the Wayne Art Center,Wayne, PA, the "Great American Paint In - Cero Gallery" in Florida, and the American Impressionist Society Member Exhibition.
As an engaged teaching artist for both adults and children, Deena seeks to share her passion for creativity and nature. She is frequently invited to lead workshops and presentations for artists' groups, non-profit organizations, and public schools. Recent teaching engagements have been with Bar Harbor Historical Society, Merrymeeting Adult Education, Maine Art Gallery, Artascope, Artwaves, Auburn Senior Center, Lyseth Elementary School and Friends School of Portland. These engagements take the form of both online presentations and in-person classes. Additionally, through her studio, she offers a series of online classes that draw participants from across the country.
Deena served as the former president of the Philadelphia Watercolor Society and co-founded LandArt Events, a non-profit organization where she also acted as the Artistic Director. This organization hosted Farm to Table Plein Air events. Deena has dedicated herself to fostering connections among artists, providing opportunities for them, and facilitating public interaction with the artistic community. In Falmouth, she is working to establish the Falmouth Open Studio Tour so residents can learn about the artists in their midst.
Statement
When I decide to paint a scene, I'm often inspired by the way light interacts with the landscape. The clear northern light, expansive vistas, light refracting off jagged shoreline rocks, and the perpetual shimmer of the ocean all serve as sources of inspiration. I'm also captivated by how light dances among the dense pines, birch and oaks in the forest.
On foggy days, I shift my focus to the changing colors and subtle value shifts. As I paint, a specific mood emerges from capturing the effects of light. The sun sparkling across rocks and ocean is invigorating, while the dawn's early light, turning the world pink and tranquil, brings a sense of calm and hope.
The Maine landscape also has a darker, stormier side, with deep pine woods where silence prevails, powerful rivers that can wash out roads, and a rising ocean that threatens and claims human creations. Perhaps it's the frequent gloomy skies that make an artist appreciate the nuances of gray and the profound impact of sunlight.
My paintings aim to capture a moment in time and evoke an emotional response from the viewer, fostering a greater collective appreciation for our land and nature.