To the average American, the name Gintarė (ghin-TAH-rey) doesn’t generally ring a bell. Mention her name in Europe, however, and you can almost certainly expect to get some exclamations of praise.
Gintarė Jautakaitė was born in Lithuania and, as a very young child, exhibited an extraordinary talent for singing. After winning a singing contest at the age of 6, Gintarė’s fate as a musician was sealed. She was accepted into the famed Stasys Šimkus Conservatory in Lithuania and received degrees in classical piano and jazz. Upon winning a young pop artist’s singing competition in Ukraine in 1981, her career as a pop singer was born. She became a European starlet, performing for thousands of fans over the years, eventually signing a major record deal with EMI Records in England as well as a publishing contract with Sony. She spent the early 2000s hitting the top-10 spot on the British pop charts and working with famed musical artists including the Bee Gees, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. She even performed for Pope John Paul II during his 1992 tour.
Her career brought her to America in 1982, where she gained her citizenship soon after. After living and working in big cities such as London, New York City and Washington, D.C., she found herself residing in the small coastal town of Camden, Maine. With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantine, she found herself stuck at home and itching to do something new and challenging. She decided to teach herself to oil paint!
Throughout her life, the famed musician had dabbled in painting but never before did she have the time to spend hours at an easel. By watching YouTube videos and practicing her newfound craft for over a year, she gained her voice in oil painting, and she is now ready to add “fine artist” to her already-impressive repertoire.
Her first-ever fine art show, “Sinking Gardens,” is currently on display at the Sohns Gallery in The Rock & Art Shop in downtown Bangor. “Sinking Gardens” is a statement about the dangers of climate change and rising ocean levels, a subject she found herself reflecting on heavily while living on the Maine coast. Her stunning and moody yet whimsical floral waterscapes are passionately rendered and display remarkable skill as well as vision.
“Sinking Gardens” is on display at the Sohns Gallery located in the Rock & Art Shop from Feb. 21 to April 3. A reception is being held at the gallery from 5 to 6 p.m. March 4. An artist talk will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland is featuring “IDK,” an exhibition of paintings by Tollef Runquist that explores the intersection of personal reflection, archetypes, fantasy and play. Runquist’s paintings combine images and symbols drawn from lived experience, emotional landscapes and cultural influences, creating an intuitive dialogue between imagery and meaning. “My work explores a space where […]
Meetinghouse Arts in Freeport is presenting a full schedule of fall exhibitions and performances, including a members show, a collaborative exhibition by longtime artist friends Tim Sample and Linda Rowell-Kelley and several concerts. The gallery’s fall members exhibition, “Nature’s Palette: Art Inspired by the Season,” will remain on view through Oct. 18. Featuring paintings, drawings, […]
Local Color Gallery in Belfast will feature printmaker, collage artist and sculptor Jeff Wahlstrom from Oct. 19 to Nov. 22. An Art Walk reception will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 23, with an artist talk at 5 p.m. Based in Bangor, Wahlstrom creates block prints and watercolor collages inspired by the natural […]
Women Eco Artists Dialog (WEAD), based in Berkeley, California, is accepting submissions for its 2027 members exhibition, “Prototyping Futures of Making: Water, Data, and Living Systems.” The exhibition will explore the relationships among water, data, ecological systems and emerging technologies, asking how artists can engage with living systems as sites of collaboration, construction and consequence. […]
Triangle Gallery in Rockland is presenting three exhibitions through Oct. 31, including an extended solo exhibition by Carter Wentworth, a group fiber arts show and a fall exhibition of work by gallery artists. Wentworth’s “Sound of Rain Crossing the Lake” will remain on view in the upstairs gallery through the end of October. “Interwoven,” a […]
Waterfall Arts in Belfast will present “Found in Translation,” a mixed-media exhibition featuring Maine artists Deborah Jellison, JoAnne Houlsen and John LeBlanc, from Oct. 23 to Nov. 28. An opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 23. The exhibition brings together three artist friends whose work explores familiar Maine landscapes, objects […]
Courthouse Gallery Fine Art in Ellsworth is presenting “Form Meets Surface,” an exhibition highlighting porcelain ceramics by potter Mark Bell and collaborative works created with painter William Irvine. The artists, both established in their respective fields, have worked together since 2015 to create porcelain vases and plates that combine Bell’s ceramic forms with Irvine’s painted […]
Barn Gallery in Ogunquit concluded its 2026 exhibition season Oct. 12, but the venue will continue to welcome visitors for two performances in the 19th annual Elizabeth Dunaway Burnham Piano Festival. Pianist, composer and vocalist Zahili Zamora will return to Ogunquit with her Afro Cuban Jazz Trio for a performance from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. […]
The Brunswick Guild Fine Craft Show will return to the historic Fort Andross Mill in Brunswick on Oct. 24 and 25, celebrating its 10th season with work by 40 juried Maine craft artists. Presented by Shop Maine Craft, the indoor show will feature basketry, ceramics, decorative and wearable fiber art, furniture, glass, jewelry, mixed media, […]
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