Fall is here and with it the smell of apples, leaves, pumpkin spice and . . . paint? Maine Audubon’s Brush (and weave and sculpt) with Nature benefit exhibition and sale opens October 6 and runs through November 12 at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth.
Earlier this spring, 28 artists were selected to participate in Maine Audubon’s annual benefit art event Brush with Nature. We accepted work from plein air painters and also opened up the event this year to include other types of art, all inspired by Maine Audubon’s sanctuaries and mission.
One of the goals for Brush with Nature is to engage a community of people around the connection between art and wildlife. To that end, Brush with Nature Maker Days were held in July and August at Scarborough Marsh, Fields Pond, and Gilsland Farm. The featured artists came and set up their easels and work stations, and visitors responded by bringing their own materials ready to be inspired by the sanctuaries and the artists.
On a warm and windy day in Scarborough, four artists came to paint. Denna S. Ball, Haley Johnson, MJ Benson, and Russel Witten each took inspiration from the marsh’s unique habitat and ever-shifting colors. Visitors and artists together painted a marsh mural and made masks. Many brought their own paints and joined in the fun!
At Fields Pond, our center just outside of Bangor, we explored the assorted plant species found in the meadow including sumac, high-bush blueberries, goldenrod and many more. The plants became the subject of a giant sun print (cyanotype) on fabric.
At Gilsland Farm, we continued creating the cyanotypes with a drop-in activity table for kids and adults alike. Jessica Barzell spent four nonstop hours working with families who dropped in and wanted to learn. She showed them how to make sunprints on squares of cotton fabric using plants and feathers found in the orchard.
Brush with Nature artists could be found scattered throughout the sanctuary all day.
Sculptural basketry artist Kimberley Harding taught visitors to make woven bracelets from lily fronds and worked on her piece for the benefit sale, a Marsh Wren.
The Gallery Exhibition and Benefit Sale opens on October 6 and runs through November 12, 2023, both online and in the Gilsland Farm Gallery. The paintings will be sold with proceeds benefiting Maine Audubon’s education, conservation, and advocacy programs. To purchase art, you can visit the gallery to browse and shop, or you can view the art online, and purchase online for pick up in Falmouth. The gallery is located at the Visitor Center at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, 20 Gilsland Farm Road, Falmouth. The center is open seven days a week, 10 am to 5 pm. (Note: All artwork will be available for pick up once the show closes on November 12.)
