The last exhibition of the season at the Maine Art Gallery, “Nocturne,” drew a large crowd to the opening Sept. 14. As one observer said, “It’s fascinating to see how artists handle light in the relative absence of it.” Indeed, creating a visual work with the theme of nighttime presents unique challenges to an artist.

Works in the show include just about every medium, from photography to acrylic and oil painting, mixed media collages to sculpture. There are many outstanding pieces in all categories, so it’s difficult to select a few to mention.

In the photography realm, three artists stand out. Don Peterson, a retired architect who, in addition to being an accomplished photographer is also a fine abstract painter, has two black and white prints titled “After Midnight, Paris.” He captures a couple of figures walking, but shows only their legs, which creates an interesting perspective and piques the imagination. Jonathan Lavan, an internationally known photographer, has a stunning photo in black and oranges, “Card Cove Dusk.” Jim Nickelson is a wizard not only with his camera but in how he processes his archival prints to create surreal images that appear as if they’re from another dimension of reality, like in “Pyrotechnic #53” and “Pyrocene.”

Winslow Myers paints large acrylic works on canvas. As one enters the second floor gallery, he is greeted by Myers’ impressive painting “Garret Room.” It’s a work that epitomizes the challenge of creating a nocturne scene. It’s a scene of a room, a lamp on one side and a canvas on an easel on the other, with a view through a window to a dusky sky beyond and a snow-covered rooftop. It is with great skill that the artist creates such subtle gradations of color to delineate the objects in the composition.

Stephanie Pruzansky shows often at MAG, and has a wonderful abstract work, “Third Shift,” in the show. She uses oils, cold wax and mixed media on canvas to create a vibrant, graphically and texturally complex work in oranges and black that brings to mind perhaps a third shift working at Bath Iron Works, though that is just a guess. Ericka O’Rourke has a gorgeous oil, “Liminal Nature,” on display, and Deena Ball, well-known as an artist and painting instructor in the area, has a lovely watercolor, “Dusk.” One of the most striking pieces in the exhibit is an acrylic by Bernadette deCesare called “Night Magic.”

On Sunday, Oct. 6 at 3 p.m., there will be an artist talk by Kevin Johnson, photo archivist for the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, about a photographer in the exhibit, Kosti Ruohomaa, who was from Rockland and whose work is in the museum’s collection.

“Nocturne” will be up until Oct. 20. Maine Art Gallery is located at 15 Warren St., Wiscasset. Hours are Thursday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.