Artist Mensah Bey of Norfolk seeks through his paintings to express the connection between the physical world and the digital world. He views the virtual world as “an evolutionary subconscious that bridges our imaginations with the physical world.” The elongated, curved necks he paints for his subjects represent the traveling of the mind and ideas through the different spheres. He calls them Ajents.

“It’s how we connect with each other and represent ourselves,” said Bey during a recent interview in Gloucester, where he was staying as Arts on Main’s most recent artist-in-residence.

BETSY HENDERSON PHOTO

Sponsored by the Cook Foundation, the residency program provides chosen artists in any medium with the opportunity to spend an extended period of time working on their art in a secluded, bucolic area of Gloucester. The only requirement is that the artist produce some works that are representative of the county.

For one representative piece, Bey chose to interview and paint K...