Valerie Upham dreamed of Pinecone Studio for more than 40 years. Now, almost three years in, her dream has become a lively and exciting reality.
Branding itself as a “creative resource,” Pinecone Studio is a nonprofit dedicated to offering arts programming. On its 3-acre campus near Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, artists gather to sketch, play music, recite poetry, have creative discussions, make digital art, or practice printmaking.
“We are not an art school,” Upham said. “We are an opportunity for creative thinkers to interact, be inspired, and then expand into the avenues and the options that we have in Maine that will expand on your interest. You get launched here.”
Upham brought Pinecone Studio to Harpswell in May when she partnered with Salt Cod Cafe, on Orr’s Island, to display items made by Pinecone artists.
Now, the shelves of the cafe hold unique goods and artwork from local creators, such as paintings, pottery, prints of Harpswell landmarks, Orr’s Island T-shirts, and items crafted out of shells and driftwood.
Upham has always devoted herself to creative pursuits. She has a background in corporate advertising and owns a business, Upham Design, which offers consulting services and sells her own paintings and drawings. She graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston with a major in illustration and a minor in graphic design.
Upham has family ties to Stonington, an island community Down East, and grew up visiting Bailey Island. Although she lived in Lexington, Massachusetts, with her family, she always knew her heart was in Maine.
“Everyone who knows me says (Maine) is so in the marrow of my bones,” Upham said. “I wanted to bring my skill set into the state of Maine because we have so much talent (and) creative thinkers.”
When her husband, Michael Gauthier, died from cancer 10 years ago, she decided to move to Maine with her son and pursue her dream: Pinecone Studio.
“I could have stopped breathing when my husband did, and I believe my husband is sitting right next to me,” Upham said. “When I can’t get going, I do it for people who can’t get there.”
Upham met Gauthier at a meeting with a design client, his employer, in 1997. She brought a pinecone into the meeting as a gesture of appreciation for the outdoors. Gauthier interpreted it as representing the collaboration between their companies. Later, it became a symbol for their relationship.
Now, the pinecone represents Upham’s dream and the creative seeds planted by every artist who comes through Pinecone Studio as they explore their ideas and passions.
The Pinecone Studio property on Cranberry Drive is more than an art studio. Upham lives in the home, but has redesigned the building and grounds to create numerous spaces devoted to creative pursuits.
There is a garden for fostering sensory experiences; a screened-in porch where people gather once a month for Poetry on the Porch; a room devoted to digital design for the In Media program, where participants work on video game design; and a music room filled with unusual instruments, where musicians — or “sound makers,” as Upham refers to them — can gather to make or watch live music.
Poetry on the Porch, the only free workshop Pinecone Studio offers, often attracts 15-20 people each month. Participants recite poems they have been working on based on a prompt given the month before. They also share poetry that speaks to them from books scattered on a center table. At a recent workshop, Upham’s cat, Ollie, took a seat in the room, quietly observing the readings and zigzagging among the poets in search of affection.
John Wright, a carpenter and artist who owns the gallery WoodWright on Harpswell Neck, helped build Upham’s porch and has attended the workshop since its beginning two years ago.
“I enjoy the conversation and learning from it. I feel like I have something to say, and sometimes it’s refreshing to hear some feedback,” Wright said. “Valerie is a very interpretive listener.”
Wright said the “sense of community” is what he enjoys most about the group.
Pinecone Studio also hosts Sketch, a program where participants explore portrait and figure drawing; C.H.A.T.S, or Creative Help Active Thinking Sessions, which brings in various speakers for discussions; In Press, devoted to printmaking; and Earth, where participants engage with the natural world to produce art.
The property has ample outdoor space, which Upham hopes to use for retreats or company gatherings. She also hopes to incorporate a creative food experience in the kitchen of the house, what she calls the “nucleus” of Pinecone Studio, by partnering with local private chefs.
“I just wanted people to climb into spaces, ask questions, discover something they never noticed before,” Upham said.
Pinecone Studio became a nonprofit just four months ago, and Upham is committed to supporting other local nonprofits. The studio is partnering with The Theater Project for an event in August, Song 4 Support, which will benefit the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program.
Upham is also passionate about supporting young people. She wants to help younger adults use creativity to make a difference, and while Pinecone programs are only open to adults for now, she hopes to eventually expand its services to children.
Only two years in, Pinecone Studio is just getting started with fostering creativity in the Midcoast. Upham overflows with passion, dedication, and confidence in her cause, and in the local artists who support it.
Pinecone Studio “is my 40-year-old dream and hopefully my legacy,” she said.
Pinecone Studio is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday at 3 Cranberry Drive in Brunswick. For more information, go to pineconestudio.org.
