“David Estey Reengaged” is a solo exhibit of 20 paintings by the Belfast, Maine artist, after a two-year hiatus leading the nonprofit Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA). The paintings are improvisational abstract images often with narrative references, done in a variety of sizes using acrylic paint on canvas, wood panels or synthetic paper mounted on panels. This is his fifth solo show at Studio 53 in Boothbay Harbor and it fills two rooms. An opening reception will be held Friday, Aug. 31 from 4-7 p.m.

“Reengaged is a reference to my getting back into painting full-time with new work and reworking older or unfinished pieces to discover new, exciting possibilities that reveal themselves,” Estey says. Of the altered work, Gallery Owner Terry Seaman has said, “The addition of David’s superb drawing skills to the older pieces revitalizes them and adds a welcome element of spontaneity to the alterations.”

Estey is an award-winning native, with a BFA degree from Rhode Island School of Design as a participant in the European Honors Program in Rome, a MSA degree from George Washington University, and years of study at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He has exhibited widely in the Mid-Atlantic States, North Carolina and Maine. He has produced over 11,000 pieces of art, some of which are in private and public collections in 21 states and seven countries. For more information about him and his work, visit www.davidestey.com

Studio 53 Fine Art Gallery is open daily 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., with free off-street parking. Telephone: 207-633-2755; studio53bbh@aol.com and studio53fineart.com.