By Gillian Graham
Staff Writer

Tina Stevens bounced around the studio, showing off weaving machines and newly fired pottery.
Each time she picked up a piece of her artwork, she described her inspiration for the piece and the techniques she used. Standing next to a quilted wall hanging, she fingered the hand stitching and smiled broadly.
“I made this one by sewing, but I do weaving, too,” Stevens said.
Stevens, 27, participates in the Creative Work Systems’ Community Day Program along with other adults with cognitive, physical and psychiatric handicaps from across southern Maine. The Lucky Go Gallery at the Saco facility features art created by clients of the private, non-profit agency. Artwork also is displayed at the Portland facility.
All artwork in the gallery is for sale and the artists are eager to share their work with the community, said art coordinator Martha Baldwin. Art pieces range from oversized wood sculptures to portraits to T-shirts featuring a smiling President Barack Obama. Half of the proceeds from each sale go directly to the artist and the other half helps fund the program.
The door to the gallery is rimmed with painted horseshoes, which also are sold at Freeport Tack Company. The brightly lit gallery opens up into the studio, where visitors can watch artists at work at long tables or behind weaving machines.
“People from the community can actually see what’s going on, “ Baldwin said.
Baldwin said the art program, which began in July 2008, was created as an opportunity for participants to generate income after budget cuts forced a work program to close.
 “We look at this as such a win-win. You come in here and there’s so much color and people are laughing,” Baldwin said. “There’s so much creative energy.”
Baldwin said the artists benefit from the program because they learn art skills and take pride in their work. She said they feel a sense of accomplishment whether their work sells or not, largely because of the positive reinforcement from staff and other artists.
The amount of time spent in the studio each week depends on the individual artist, Baldwin said, but most spend at least an hour at a time working on their project. The day program has a monthly thematic curriculum – November is storytelling and folklore – around which some art projects are centered. Other artists prefer to work on individual projects with less guidance, she said. 
Baldwin said the artists currently are busy working on holiday projects to be sold at area craft fairs and the gallery. Art specialist Jen Davis helped artists make paper pulp heads to attach to thin wooden dowels. The heads will be transformed into angels and other festive figures.
Baldwin said community members have generously donated supplies to the program – anything from boxes of small wood pieces to bags of yarn and fabric.
“We get so many people from the community who donate phenomenal materials,” she said.
The program also depends on wood donated by Maine WoodWorks, which is located next door to the studio. Baldwin said wood scraps are used both for framing art and to create three-dimensional pieces. Artists help frame their work and offer advice on how to display pieces in the gallery, she said.
“They’re really learning the behind the scenes of what it takes to get their artwork out there,” she said.

Last month, artist Donna Cluff of Dayton hosted her first art show at Community Partners in Biddeford. As visitors paused to look at paintings and wooden sculptures, Cluff said she draws her inspiration from swimming pools and summer because she loves both.
Baldwin said Cluff is a “prime example” of how artists benefit from the program. Cluff has “transformed” by gaining confidence and learning to work on her art independently, she said.
 “It’s little by little. Everyone here is so positive. They’re really encouraging each other because they’re working together in the studio,” Baldwin said. “Their confidence is tremendous.”
Davis, the art specialist, said she offers artists some instruction and often shows them new techniques to use in different projects.
“I like to find out what people’s interests are because they are usually motivated by their interests,” she said. “We try to explore as much as we can.”
Davis said she appreciates the positive work environment where “everyone is appreciated and noticed for their talents.”
“They only get positive feedback because all art says something about the person who created it,” she said. “I just want them to realize they’re valid as an artist.”

Artist Sarah Libby said she is proud of the work she does in the studio. Holding a stuffed cat, she said she made her feline creation using scrap fabric in colors and patterns she likes. She said she also enjoys working with clay and creating pink wooden giraffes.
“It took me a little while to make [the giraffes] because I had never made them before,” she said.
For Ron Race, artistic inspiration often comes from the faces of his favorite musicians. Race is partial to painting portraits. He also prefers to stand at an easel to paint instead of sitting at worktables. His favorite portrait is of Elvis, and his other work includes images of musician Glenn Campbell and a colorful self-portrait.
Race’s painting of Obama was a big hit at a Maine College of Art holiday fair last year, Baldwin said. He sold at least a half dozen T-shirts featuring the painting in one day, she said.
Like many of his fellow artists, Bob Morris is inspired by the things he loves. Morris, who is legally blind, sat at a work table with two model RVs in front of him, one made of wood and one of cardboard.
“What we did was take some scrap wood and traced around the cardboard. Then I added pieces to it,” he said. “I see a lot of campers on the road and I just wanted to make one to see how it would come out.”
Morris said he used many recycled materials to create his campers. He created a bumper from a piece of an old tire, then used a hinge to attach a spare tire to the back of the vehicle. He created an antenna from used wire and the windshield from a plastic bottle.
“I use whatever I can find,” he said.
Morris said he also enjoys working with clay. Holding a black ceramic dish with red and white designs, he traced his fingers over stars he stamped into the clay.
“I like the feel of it. I could see the outline,” he said. “I like working with my hands. If I’m not doing anything with my hands I get bored easily. Art is one of my favorite things to do because I come up with all kinds of ideas.”

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.