Artists have been attracted for centuries to Maine’s rugged and romantic landscape. Today is no different, with museums, galleries, and studios exhibiting artists who continue to use their craft to depict Maine in all its forms and textures. Make the destinations on this list part of your itinerary the next time you’re looking to explore Maine’s arts scene.
Archipelago
386 Main Street
Rockland, ME 04841
207-596-0701
Like the seasons of Maine, Archipelago is ever-changing. Launched in 2000, the Island Institute store and gallery is the home for fine art, jewelry, pottery, books, home goods, body care, and other goodies representing the very best of Maine, from Kittery to Lubec, Rangeley to Swan’s Island and many places in between.
Archipelago’s Main Street storefront and its online marketplace help Maine’s island and coastal artists and makers gain exposure and earn income. It plays an important role in Maine’s creative economy by supporting more than 350 artists a year.
Since 2006, as part of downtown Rockland’s vibrant gallery scene, Archipelago Fine Arts Gallery has showcased work by internationally and regionally known artists as well as emerging talent. Archipelago features art that highlights natural, coastal, and working-waterfront themes inspired by living and creating in Maine. Oils, watercolors, pastels, fiber, sculpture, photography, encaustics are showcased to express the enduring beauty of Maine. Featured artists have included Ashley Bryan, Peter Ralston, Henry Isaacs, and Andrea Peters, among others. Coming this season are: Wendy Newcomb, Bill Hallett, Helene Farrar, Michele O’Keefe, Linden O’Ryan, Kathleen Perelka, Nina Devenney, Wayne Robbins, Val Aponik, Jeff Barrett, Sally Loughridge, Kaitlyn Miller, Martha Miller, and more!
Dunn Studios
Sandra Leinonen Dunn is a Maine artist represented by galleries throughout the state, as well as by the Cortile Gallery, in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Her works are part of collections throughout the U.S. and abroad. Her working studio is located in Chelsea, Maine, where she lives and teaches art.
Ms. Dunn paints the Maine landscape and seascape, and has recently worked on a series of Maine lobstermen. She is also well-known for her traditional still-life compositions. Her work is representational, capturing subject matter with lyrical brushwork and intuitively mixed colors. Depending on the subject matter and source of inspiration, her pieces can look “old masterly” or convey the spontaneous brushstrokes of an Impressionist painting.
Sandra Dunn’s paintings capture a moment in time; a moment that she hopes will bring the viewer a small bit of heartfelt joy. “The only constant in life is change,” and yet, in a painting, the moment can be captured and revisited. The brilliant yellow of a daffodil petal or the sunlight on the surface of an ultramarine horizon can be frozen in time to be enjoyed over and over again — like the treasured memory of a Maine vacation.
Sandra Leinonen Dunn is represented by the following galleries:
Cortile Gallery
Provincetown, MA
Roux & Cyr International Fine Art Gallery
Portland, ME
Lupine Gallery
Monhegan Island, ME
Art Space Gallery
Rockland, ME
Full Fathom Five Gallery
Eastport, ME
Renaissance Gallery
Farmingdale, ME
Gleason Fine Art, Inc.
31 Townsend Avenue,
Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538
207-633-6849
In 1985, husband-and-wife team Dennis and Martha Gleason opened their first art gallery in a Boothbay Harbor space that was little more than the size of two closets. In 2008, their son Andrew joined the family business. After three moves, the Gleasons found their dream space — an elegant gray-and-white farmhouse with sculpture gardens fronting Townsend Avenue. Today, it feels as though the gallery has always been in Boothbay Harbor.
Gleason Fine Art consistently ranks as one of Maine’s top art destinations. The gallery has been the winner two years in a row, 2020 and 2021, of Down East magazine’s Readers’ Choice Best Art Gallery in Maine award.
The gallery’s roster of contemporary painters and sculptors numbers more than two dozen of Maine’s most highly regarded artists, including Henry Isaacs, Andrea Peters, and Kevin Beers. The inventory of 19th- and 20th-century painters includes such notables as James Fitzgerald, Andrew Winter, and Stephen Etnier. Gleason Fine Art also offers art appraisal services and collection consulting.
From its inception, the Gleasons’ goal has been to offer the finest work by established artists inspired by the beauty of Maine. Equally important is the gallery’s atmosphere, where friendliness and approachability are as highly valued as professionalism.
Gallery at Somes Sound
1112 Main Street,
Mt. Desert, ME 04660
207-610-4622
Established in 2010, the Gallery at Somes Sound is a fine-art gallery located on Mount Desert Island, overlooking beautiful Somes Sound, in the historic village of Somesville. The gallery represents contemporary artists of national standing, showcasing fine art and custom furniture. Tucked away on the “quiet side” of the island, this is a real treat for art enthusiasts and collectors alike. Over the years, the gallery has carefully selected its stable of accomplished artists, offering their work in diverse subject, style, and medium. The gallery also enjoys working with clients who require assistance in choosing acquisitions for their home or business. Please visit our website to learn more about the Gallery at Somes Sound.
June LaCombe Sculpture
Hawk Ridge Farm
Pownal, Maine
207-688-4468
[email protected]
A naturalist and art collector, June LaCombe specializes in sculpture and oversees commissions and sales for a selection of New England artists. For 35 years, she has curated and sited exhibitions in Maine and helped clients add sculpture to their art collections, overseeing siting, delivery, and installations throughout the country. The artists she works with are inspired by the materials, patterns, and sacred geometry in nature.
Littlefield Gallery
145 Main Street
P.O. Box 601
Winter Harbor, ME 04693
207-963-6005
When Kelly and Jane Littlefield built their gallery in Winter Harbor 16 years ago, they were choosing a lifestyle as well as a location: the Schoodic Peninsula section of Acadia National Park, one of the most beautiful places on the East Coast. While it may seem like “you can’t get there from here,” Littlefield Gallery has become a destination point for art lovers from all over the country and has earned a half dozen wins and nominations in the Best of Maine gallery category since 2017.
Representing several of Maine’s most distinguished sculptors and painters, including Joseph Haroutunian, Caren-Marie Michel, Roy Germon, Amy Pollien, Sarah Faragher, and Alec Richardson, the works transcend all passions — from Mary Prince’s and James Groleau’s paper collage to Scott Baltz’s and James Linehan’s stylized landscapes. Sculpture is an integral part of the gallery, surrounded outdoors and in by pieces created by sculptors including Mark Herrington, Hugh Lassen, Don Best, Peter Dransfield, John Stass, and Dan Miller.
The gallery is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., from May 24 to October 15, and by appointment.
The Willard Gallery
Willard Square
South Portland, ME 04106
@thewillardgallery on Instagram
The Willard Gallery is a by-appointment gallery located in a garden cottage in South Portland’s Willard Square. Making the most of its small footprint, The Willard Gallery can create a tailored viewing experience by inviting collectors to share what works or styles they’re interested in seeing and then preparing the space accordingly for their appointment. Works from several Maine and New England–based artists are on view alongside those sourced from all parts of the United States and the United Kingdom.
Make an appointment to visit the gallery (on your way to Scratch Baking Co. or Portland Head Light) or subscribe to the gallery newsletter to receive an invitation to the summer garden parties.
