‘Yearning for this place’

From “Dog Years’’ show by Maine artist Dean McCrillis at Cove Street Arts, Portland, Maine, Nov. 29-Jan. 17.

The artist says show is of “recent paintings that explore personal and profound connections to formative spaces. This body of work is a recognition of the ephemeral, and of a fundamental sense of interconnectedness to a place, its people, flora, and fauna.

“The woods and waters of Western Maine serve as a backdrop for this group of pictures, as it holds the deepest love and connection of any area I have known. However, with the passing of time, and an ever-growing distance between my present station in life and the tributaries of my youth, I feel a sense of yearning for this place that shaped me.’’