Courthouse Gallery Fine Art is pleased to present two solo exhibitions—Philip Barter: Maine Oasis and Judith Leighton Restrospective—from June 21 through July 20. Also showing are Susan Amons, Judy Belasco, Philip Koch, Mark Kidschi, and Stephen Porter. The exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Philip Barter: Maine Oasis
Philip Barter (b.1939) is a self-taught artist from Boothbay, Maine, who was living in California during the 1960s when he met Alfonso Sosa, an abstract expressionist painter. Sosa took Barter under his wing and added a “charge of light and color” to Barter’s aesthetic vision that influenced his work for the next fifty years. Barter has spent a half-century painting narratives based on the Maine’s fiercely independent people and the landscape of his home state, becoming the “painter laureate” of the region. Barter was the subject of a feature profile in Down East magazine and went national when, in January 1995, Tim Sample highlighted his life in art in one of his “Postcards from Maine” segments on the CBS Sunday Morning program hosted by Charles Kuralt.
In conjunction with the show Philip Barter: Maine Oasis, Courthouse Gallery will host a Book Launch and Signing on July 12 from 4–7pm for Philip Barter: Forever Maine, a new book by Carl Little (Marshall Wilkes). At 5:30pm Little will introduce Philip Barter, who will talk about his narrative paintings, process, and career. The author will be available for book signing. Books can be reserved by calling (207) 667-6611. The event is free and open to the public.
Judith Leighton Retrospective
Judith Leighton (1929–2011) was the former owner of the Leighton Gallery in Blue Hill and an artist in her own right. She began painting with watercolors in the 1950s, gaining notice for her work by the 1960s. After moving to Maine in 1970, Leighton worked almost exclusively with dry pastels.Her modernist inspired motifs included flowers, landscapes, tables and chairs, and women, often seated as if engaged in an pleasant conversation, or standing, or holding a dog, cat or bird. Leighton was passionate about art that “celebrated life” whether it was the art she showed at her gallery, or the art she made.
Courthouse Gallery is located at 6 Court Street in Ellsworth. Hours: Monday–Saturday 10am– 5:30pm; Sunday 12–4pm. For more information on upcoming shows call 207-667-6611, or visit www.courthousegallery.com
Dowling Walsh Gallery Opens 2026 Season with Solo Exhibitions by Artists Lauren Fensterstock and Jacob Bond Hessler
Sidle House Gallery in Freeport opens its 2026 season with “Anne Hebebrand: A World That Is,” a solo exhibition of cold-wax and oil paintings on view May 1 through June 13. An opening reception is May 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibition draws from seven years of Hebebrand’s work, which she describes as […]
Waterfall Arts in Belfast is showing “Make Your Mark,” an immersive, community-driven exhibition in the Clifford Gallery through May 29. The opening reception was held April 18. Conceived by program director Amy Tingle, the show draws inspiration from street art and the call-and-response nature of public creative expression. The exhibition features participatory installations including doodle […]
Centre Street Arts Gallery in Bath will hold its spring reception May 15 from 5 to 7 p.m., featuring work by the gallery’s 22 member artists. Centre Street Arts Gallery is at 11 Centre St., Bath. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Email centrestartsgalleryllc@gmail.com or call 207-442-0300 for more information.
Artemis Gallery in Northeast Harbor opens its 15th season with a group exhibition and reception on May 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. The show features work in stone sculpture by Obadiah Buell, woodblock print by Nicole Herz, oil paintings by Liddy Hubbell and David LaPalombara, photography by Parker Stewart and bronze sculpture by Rebekah […]
The Kittery Art Association, in collaboration with the York Public Library, presents “Eleven Views from Here,” on view May 2 through June 30 at the York Public Library, 15 Long Sands Road, York. An opening reception is May 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibition features selected works by 11 KAA artists representing the […]
The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland will open “By Design: The Worlds of Betsy James Wyeth” with a public reception on May 1 from 4 to 6 p.m. The exhibition runs May 2 through Oct. 16 in the Hadlock and Wyeth Study Center Galleries, with additional programming in the Wyeth Center from June 13 through […]
Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland is showing “5AM in the Pinewoods,” a solo exhibition of paintings by Joanna Logue, through May 9. Logue, a native of Australia who has lived on Mount Desert Island since 2017, takes inspiration from daily hikes in Acadia National Park near her home in Somesville. The changing colors of the […]
The Maine Crafts Association will present STITCH: Runway Show + Style Market on June 4 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Maine Studio Works, 170 Anderson St., Portland. The annual fundraising event celebrates Maine’s slow fashion designers, textile artists and makers. Six Maine-based designers will present original handcrafted wearable work in a live runway show […]
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