Moore’s Rock is right behind the house where we used to live at the top of Sherman Street in the Harbor. At the suggestion of Bernard Coady, my barber for what little hair I had, we bought his mother’s house. Verna Coady had shared her house for years with seasonal women workers, a boarding house of sorts. Nettie Mitchell, our next door neighbor on Sherman Street, rented rooms to seasonal young men workers. It was a lovely neighborhood for our family. Uncle Harry and Aunt Alice Gray lived across the street. We bordered Moore’s Rock. The location was one of the highest points in the area, once sporting a tower for signal flags.
Not long after we became residents, we learned that the rock was to be listed for sale, which inspired us and others who bordered the rock to come together, pitching in to purchase the property and protect all from a potentially complicated and destructive development. It was a cooperative collaboration which benefited our small group of abutters. Mitch Billis was one of the group who helped secure the purchase.
We became friends with Mitch, who would, from time to time, join us and a small group of card sharks to play an invigorating game of UNO at the kitchen table. This was “BC,” before children, for us and others in the group. At that time, Mitch was beginning to gain recognition for his artwork, developing a significant following in the region and beyond.
Not too long after we met Mitch, after his return from a painting trip out west, we learned that Kathleen (Mahoney), now Billis, would be joining the neighborhood and beginning her own painting career mentored by Mitch. They had met in the small town of Ferndale, California, where Kathleen operated a large B ’n B. Mitch, on a painting mission along California’s magnificent Route 101, showed up looking for a room, and found one! Mitch created a small painting studio and Kathleen began to accompany Mitch on his painting excursions, becoming totally fascinated and smitten. It was then that she realized her renewed interest in the creative process, having initially pursued a career in ballet, which, at the tender age of 15, had been derailed by severe rheumatoid arthritis.
This was the beginning of a magical 36-year marriage and a developing plein air career with Mitch. But, during this time, Kathleen struggled with her physical challenges and unusual circumstances. The arthritis was relentless but not debilitating, at least as far as her evolving art. She had overcome many obstacles over the years, including a horrific incident in Portland where she was accosted and seriously injured, leaving her with a badly damaged shoulder and additional restrictions. Not to be undone by it all, Kathleen recalled her aunt’s great admonition, “time to cowgirl up,” a phrase she had come to appreciate during visits and working summers on a large cattle ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Kathleen powered on and continued to evolve and improve as an artist.
And now, today, with all that she has endured, she has continued to bring beauty to her palette and the world with ever improving new work and successful accomplishments. Her work, as with Mitch's, can be seen at Gleason Fine Art in Boothbay Harbor. The painting shared today is from a time of early work in the Stonington harbor area. Kathleen celebrates with her art in the natural world by sharing her glimpses of beauty and color and light. Mitch would be very proud.