Michael Costello Exhibition Opens at The Wonderful Gallery in Freeport, Maine

FREEPORT, Maine, July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Costello's "New Works on
Paper" will be the subject of a solo exhibition opening this week at The
Wonderful Gallery / FINE ART, in Freeport, Maine. More than a dozen
large-sized, pastel on paper drawings will be on display through August 23rd.

An artist's reception is scheduled for 5 to 8 pm on Saturday, July 18th, 2009.

About Michael Costello

Michael Costello is a Boston-based contemporary realist painter with a long
history of exhibitions enlivening the Boston, Provincetown and Maine art
scene. His latest show, "New Works on Paper," reflects the artist's long-term
relationship with plein air work along the Maine coast. Costello's mastery of
this particular medium combines with his outstanding use of strong color to
produce these meticulously detailed yet almost abstract depictions of lobster
boats, rural scenes and the Maine woods.

In 2007, Costello was one of five artists chosen to be a Pollack Krasner
Byrdcliffe Master. The Byrdcliffe Art Colony was founded by Ralph Radcliffe
Whitehead to establish an environment in which artists could return to working
while inspired by their natural surroundings. For more than 20 years this
artist-in-residence program has offered deserving writers, visual artists and
composers month-long residencies during the summer.

Costello's work is included in numerous public and private collections
including The Abrams Collection, The Federal Reserve, The Kemper Collection,
and the Boston Public Library.

About The Wonderful Gallery/FINE ART

The latest addition to Freeport's art scene, the gallery is located in a
beautifully restored 200-year-old house. It is just steps from the luxurious
Harraseeket Inn and directly across from Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers.

The Wonderful Gallery / FINE ART currently displays the work of 15 artists,
many of whom are native Mainers. More than 70 works of art are on exhibit,
including paintings, drawings, photography, hand-crafted wooden signs, painted
furniture, handmade lampshades, and batik silk wall hangings.

"It's much more than a typical art gallery," said curator Andrea Rouda, an
artist in her own right whose own outstanding paintings and beaded objects are
on display. "With five rooms, and three more upstairs slated to open next
spring, it has the feel of a small European museum."

The Wonderful Gallery / FINE ART is located at 152 Main Street, Freeport.
Telephone number: 207-865-6077. The gallery is open Wednesday through
Saturday, and by appointment. More information, including gallery hours, can
be found at http://www.thewonderfulgallery.com.
For more information:

Contact: Andrea Rouda, curator
202-258-0214 (mobile)
207-865-6077 (gallery)
email: andrea@thewonderfulgallery.com
WWW: http://www.thewonderfulgallery.com

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SOURCE The Wonderful Gallery / FINE ART

Andrea Rouda, curator of The Wonderful Gallery - FINE ART, +1-202-258-0214
(mobile), +1-207-865-6077 (gallery), andrea@thewonderfulgallery.com