Maine Art Gallery’s 'Plein Air: Paint It Maine!' event
Jillian Herrigal, "Sail Fragments," mixed media 2026 on exhibit in “The Art of Alchemy: Collage/Mixed Media Exploration" at the Maine Art Gallery
Joseph Fiore, "West Branch," watercolor 1980 on exhibit with wet paintings from the Maine Art Gallery's plein air event. Courtesy of the venue
Jillian Herrigal, "Sail Fragments," mixed media 2026 on exhibit in “The Art of Alchemy: Collage/Mixed Media Exploration" at the Maine Art Gallery
Joseph Fiore, "West Branch," watercolor 1980 on exhibit with wet paintings from the Maine Art Gallery's plein air event. Courtesy of the venueThe woods, meadows, lakes and streams of Midcoast Maine have always beckoned to artists who enjoy working outdoors - en plein air. This year, the Maine Art Gallery (MAG) has encouraged the 18 plein air artists who have been chosen to participate in its annual “Paint It Maine!” event to use some of their time to paint in one of the many Midcoast nature preserves that are maintained by Midcoast Conservancy, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Running concurrently with “Paint it Maine!” is a juried collage and mixed media show on the second floor of the gallery, “The Art of Alchemy.”
Both shows open on Thursday, July 30 when the gallery will be open late for Wiscasset’s evening Art Walk. A reception with the artists will be held on Saturday, Aug. 1 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. with music by jazz pianist Sean Fleming. Regular gallery hours are 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, through Sept. 6.
Midcoast Conservancy’s preserves include land where legacy Maine Art Gallery artist Joseph Fiore created his art. He cleared the brush, maintained trails, and painted its vistas. Several of his paintings are on loan to MAG for exhibit alongside the wet paintings by contemporary artists in the show. A panel discussion, "Why We Like Painting Plein Air," will be held at the gallery on Aug. 13 at 4:30 p.m.
“The Art of Alchemy: Collage/Mixed Media Exploration,” allows artists the opportunity to combine multiple mediums in one work. Originating with Picasso and his Cubist colleagues, the collage technique has evolved to offer a wide range of representational and abstract possibilities. Mixed media is broader than collage, encompassing it and any form of combining different media, such as assemblage, to create a work of art.
The Maine Art Gallery is grateful to Barnes Custom Window Treatments for sponsorship of “Plein Air: Paint It Maine!” and to J. Edward Knight Insurance for its sponsorship of “The Art of Alchemy: Collage/Mixed Media Exploration.”
For more information about the Maine Art Gallery, located at 15 Warren St., Wiscasset, visit www.maineartgallerywiscasset.org and on Facebook at Maine Art Gallery Wiscasset. (photo captions)
