Marshall Point Light watercolor paintings and more for fundraiser silent auction to benefit Marie Ilvonen's humanitarian aideworker mission.

Marshall Point Light, Port Clyde, Maine - monochrome original watercolor painting by Catinka Knoth, 2009

Marshall Point Light, Port Clyde Maine, original watercolor painting by Catinka Knoth, 2008

Press Release:
Rockland -
Art lovers can see and bid on original watercolors of Marshall Point Light and more at the Lesvos Refugee Relief silent auction to raise funds for Marie Ilvonen's  trip as a humanitarian aidworker with refugees and volunteers in Lesvos, Greece.  Sandy Weisman, Wendleanne Agunas, and Representative Anne Pinney Beebe-Center co-host the auction, Saturday 5-7pm, 09/10/16 at Black Hole Gallery, 403 Main St. Donating artists include Simon van der Ven, Darlene Cocke, Nick Snow, Kathleen Florence, Catinka Knoth, Victoria Pitman and more.

Lesvos Refugee Relief Silent Art Auction benefit for Marie Ilvonen's mission, at Black Hole Gallery

Marie Ilvonen

     Marie Ilvonen went the first time, to Lesvos, Greece refugee camp in May 2016. She was able to work setting up a transition housing complex for refugees, provide group and individual therapy in a refugee camp for the most vulnerable and provide support for volunteers suffering from secondary trauma and compassion fatigue. Her stay lasted two weeks.

    Ilvonen felt compelled to return so that she could continue and expand her work. Expenses for the trip involve housing, food and transportation on the island, and providing for individual and programmatic needs in the camps. She will continue her work in the camps and her work with volunteers on her second trip.

    Ilvonen's usual line of work is psychotherapy and health coaching. When asked what prompted her to want to do this volunteer work, she replied, "We live in a time when we all must choose between hate and fear or hope and compassion. And, when I watched the news reports last fall and saw the trauma on the faces of the refugees in the boats, I knew I had to do something".

    Supporters will find creations by artists Simon van der Ven, Nick Snow, Kathleen Florence and many more contributing art to this silent auction. This offers  people  a chance to participate in a community effort to fellow human beings elsewhere in the world. "It strengthens our bonds with our fellow man." says artist Catinka Knoth.

    The Black Hole Gallery at 403 Main St, Rockland, is new to the growing art scene. A fundraising auction or an opening reception all serve to enrich the experiences of people's lives. People have the chance to connect with friends and new found acquaintances and to view artwork from a spectrum of artists. The artworks always offer viewers a different perspective of the  world - from viewing a scene as interpreted in a single color, and varieties of mediums, to art in limited palettes. The culture of exhibiting and selling art can often seem as if it just a business proposition, but its core spirit is about man's need to share and exchange his inner perceptions and possibly move others to try new perspectives. It is also a way of communicating with the future - the ancestors yet to be - and to keep weaving the fabric of life.

Gallery website: http://blackholegallery.com/BLACK_HOLE/Home.html