Maine Art Gallery honors Maine’s natural beauty with ‘Song of the Wild’

Maine Art Gallery in Wiscasset is presenting a curated group exhibition of 10 artists, “Song of the Wild: Honoring the Natural Beauty and Wildlife of Maine,” a highlight of the gallery’s 2026 season. The show runs June 18 to July 26, with an opening reception June 20 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. In addition to the art on its walls, the gallery is offering classes and events designed to deepen visitors’ connection to the natural world.

Jane Dahmen’s large-scale canvases immerse viewers in forests, rivers and coastal landscapes, while Eric Hopkins’ paintings focus on aerial views of land and sea. Sarah Farragher’s paintings capture glimmering waters, Matt Barter paints the midcoast’s working waterways, and Katherine Shagas expresses the area’s elemental energy in her abstract paintings. Barbara Sullivan creates three-dimensional hanging frescoes of local mammals, while Lesia Sochor uses birch bark in her 3D depictions of wildlife. The photography of Liv Kristin Robinson highlights backyard insects, and visionary naturalist painter Emily Sabino celebrates the area’s healing plants and seeds. Abstract painter Joy Vaughn is inspired by the seascapes and landscapes of her South Bristol environs. The exhibit is co-curated by Dahmen and Sabino.

In addition to being a painter, Sabino is a musician and will sing with her husband, Lenin, at the reception. Their group, “The Flying Seeds,” combines musical styles from the Peruvian Andes with folk traditions of the United States, with Lenin playing a variety of Peruvian instruments and guitar. Their first album was “Street Songs and Meadow Music,” and their soon-to-be-released album, “Cielo Azul,” is a collection of visionary troubadour ballads. Music critic Dan MacIntosh wrote that their music “is filled with expertly played and sung music,” and that “Emily sings…in a Karen Carpenter-like voice over a pop backing with just the right amount of Peruvian instrumental spices.” Also performing at the reception will be Eenor’s Sonic Wallpaper, a one-man band who mixes electronic sounds to create multilayered soundscapes tailored to specific environments.

Concurrent events during the exhibition include a talk on July 11, “The Impact of Air,” by Sarah Gladu, community science director for Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, and a panel discussion, “Nature as Muse,” on July 16.

On June 23, former National Geographic director of photography David Griffin will offer pointers to photographers with any digital camera, including cell phones, in “How to Shoot Better Photos.” Students will take photos throughout the neighborhood in Wiscasset. Sign up for this class by June 18.

In July, popular instructors Kat Logan and Jude Valentine will return to guide studio classes for all levels of skill. Logan will lead two classes for beginner and intermediate artists: “Discover Your Inner Artist,” a single-day class on July 1 (sign up by June 25), and “Draw and Paint Our Feathered Friends” on July 8 (sign up by July 3). All materials are provided by the instructor. Valentine will lead the next two classes for advanced beginners and intermediate artists. “Compose with Color” on July 15 (sign up by July 10) offers an opportunity to combine pastel with acrylic, watercolor or gouache, pencil and charcoal. In “Charcoal and Line — Drawing the Landscape” on July 22 (sign up by July 17), students will translate color images to new compositions using tonal value and charcoal techniques.

No reservations are required to come to the gallery and observe Jean Kigel’s demonstration of the traditional Japanese art of fish painting on July 9, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. This process, called gyotaku, dates from the mid-1800s. Sumi and/or printers’ inks are applied to a fish, after which a piece of rice paper is pressed onto the fish, and then pulled to give an exact impression. Historically, fishermen used gyotaku to record their catches, and gyotaku prints can still be seen hanging in tackle shops in Japan. It is rumored that samurai would settle fishing competitions using gyotaku prints.

Maine Art Gallery is grateful to Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust for its sponsorship of the exhibition. The trust’s mission is to care for the lands and waters of the Damariscotta-Pemaquid region by conserving special places, protecting water quality, creating trails and public access and deepening connections to nature. The gallery is also grateful to Sherri Dunbar of Tim Dunham Realty, a season sponsor, and Ames True Value Hardware, capital sponsor.

A nonprofit organization, Maine Art Gallery is dedicated to the advancement and preservation of the visual, fine and applied arts through exhibitions, lectures, demonstrations and educational programs for children and adults since 1958.

Maine Art Gallery is at 15 Warren St., Wiscasset. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. For more information, visit maineartgallerywiscasset.org.