First Friday Artist Talk

Friday, October 2, 5:30PM

Elizabeth Adams, on her solo show in the Project Space:

Laundering Abstraction

In 'Laundering Abstraction', the language of textiles extends into the processes of making in Elizabeth Adams’ new acrylic-on-paper artworks, presented here in the gallery for the first time. What does it mean to “clean up” abstraction, and what happens when layering and concealing become part of the work? Through intuitive gestures of folding, pressing, and rearranging, patterns are softened, disrupted, and allowed to take on a life of their own.

Recurring references to textiles provide both structure and a place for change. Elizabeth writes, “Pseudo plaids and irregular tweeds, and other errant textiles serve as both organizing structures and sites of unravelling.” She is fascinated by how forms converge, double, separate, and repeat, seeking a state in which everything is simultaneously holding together and on the verge of coming apart—a condition that, for her, captures the uncanny beauty of being alive.

Everyone is welcome and there will be refreshments!

First Friday Blue Hill

The gallery is open late!

Friday, September 4, 5 -7PM

All are welcome!

Opening Reception

SEEN AT THE END OF THE WORLD

co-curated with Christine Lafuente

Sunday, August 23, 5 - 7PM

Scott Baltz Stanley Bielen Avy Claire

Carol Peletier Christine Lafuente Stuart Shils

Uncharted Seas:

Kate Emlen in the Project Space

First Friday Blue Hill

Artist Talk: Emily Hopkins

Sensing the Space in the Project Space

Friday, August 7, 5:30 PM

Everyone is welcome!

Opening Reception, Sunday, July 26, 5 - 7PM

Bright Company

DAVID HORNUNG BUZZ MASTERS VICKI SHER

Sensing into Space:  Paintings by EMILY HOPKINS in the Project Space

Rooted in observation, memory and emotional response to place, Hopkins’ paintings are large, immersive and emotionally charged, characterized by sweeping brushstrokes, layered textures, and vibrant color palettes. She writes, “rather than depicting the landscape in a literal sense, my experiences are distilled into dynamic compositions that evoke the sensation of being within a place”.

Opening Reception, Sunday July 26, 5 - 7PM

Opening Reception, Sunday June 28, 5 - 7PM

GATHERING HERE

 Co-curated with Lari Washburn

JACKIE SHATZ LARI WASHBURN KELLY POPOFF

BENJAMIN PRITCHARD ISABEL RILEY DAN DOWD

The Cynthia Winings Gallery presents Gathering Here, a group exhibition co-curated by Lari Washburn and Cynthia Winings, inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1986 essay The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction. In this essay, Le Guin reimagines the story of human culture not as one defined by conquest and heroic acts, but by gathering, holding, and sustaining. In this case, the “carrier bag” becomes a powerful metaphor for the exhibition: a vessel for what we collect, carry, and share. Bringing this idea into the realm of visual art, Gathering Here considers artists as gatherers—collecting materials, impressions, memories, questions, and experiences over time. The artworks become containers themselves: places where meaning is held, layered, and allowed to unfold.

The artists in Gathering Here embrace processes of discovery, transformation, and attention. Their works reflect a willingness to follow what emerges rather than impose a fixed conclusion, creating spaces where uncertainty and possibility can coexist. At a moment when so much of our world is shaped by speed, certainty, and division, this exhibition offers another way of seeing and making: one rooted in care, curiosity, and connection. Gathering Here invites us to consider the quiet acts of attention that shape our lives—the things we notice, remember, and return to—and how art can hold these experiences in ways that continue to unfold.

Sculpture in the Garden by LUNAFORM, Melita Westerlund, John Wilkinson, Mary Lou Reid

THREAD, PAPER, SCISSORS:

LUCY CHILD AND LARI WASHBURN in the Project Space

Cynthia Winings Gallery will present Thread, Paper, Scissors in the Project Space of the gallery from June 23 – July 18, in conjunction with Gathering Here in the main gallery space. This work features collages by Lari Washburn and hand embroidered textiles by Lucy Childs. Lari layers many paper elements into her work, thinking of them as everyday offerings from the world. Often these are snippets from drawings and paintings she has put aside. Lucy hand sews imaginary landscapes, beach scenes, maps, and abstract patterns, and includes lace-making and white work techniques in a contemporary way. Both artists use carefully considered details and color to evoke and give shape to thoughts and feelings which are more subtle than words.

Lucy Childs lives and works in mid-coast Maine. Her detailed and colorful textile work is evocative and an effort to make visible the invisible: ideas, perceptions, sensations, and emotions. A focus on letting the work of her hand guide her is an organizing principle. Her art practice includes artist’s books and drawing as well as textile art.

Lari Washburn, a Maine resident for the past 23 years, will show a body of collage work completed at a recent retreat. Making collages provides her with an opportunity to compose without immediate commitment in a way that is not as possible in her painting and drawing practice.

OPENING RECEPTION:  SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 5 - 7PM

FIELDWORK

LOUISE BOURNE   ANNA DIBBLE  ANNE HEBEBRAND NINA JEROME JERRY ROSE ROBIN REYNOLDS LARI WASHBURN   PATRICIA WHEELER   CYNTHIA WININGS   AND MORE..

Sculpture in the Garden by LUNAFORM, Melita Westerlund, Mary Lou Reid

WINKY LEWIS: ‘Shadow Kids’ in the Project Space

OPENING RECEPTION:  SUNDAY, MAY 24, 5 - 7PM
WELCOME TO A NEW SEASON

As the gallery opens for a new season, FIELDWORK brings together artists whose work reflects a shared sensitivity to landscape, memory, imagination, and the inner life. Inspired by the idea of wooded glens and gathered spaces—places that have been a focus in Winings’ own work, with their associations of shelter, growth, healing, and renewal—the exhibition becomes a conversation between interior and exterior worlds.

The works move between direct observation and invention, bringing together Maine landscapes, imagined terrains, fragments of narrative, and emotionally charged spaces. Rather than presenting landscape simply as scenery, the exhibition considers the artist’s reflection, immersion in process, and engagement with the world around them as something lived through, remembered, and felt.

Painting, sculpture, drawing, and collage extend throughout the gallery and garden, creating an environment that feels both intimate and expansive. The exhibition includes outdoor sculpture in the garden by Lunaform, Melita Westerlund, and Mary Lou Reid.

In addition, the gallery presents Winky Lewis’s Shadow Kids in the Project Space. Lewis’s photographic series emerges from a fascination with the wonder and vulnerability of childhood, exploring both imaginative freedom and the underlying dangers that shape children’s experiences. Created through layered silhouettes and photographic imagery, the large-scale works evoke themes of memory, innocence, and the fragile realities children often navigate beyond their control.

Please join us for the opening reception on Sunday, May 24 from 5–7PM as we welcome a new season at the gallery.

Cynthia Winings Gallery Presents
 

THE MIDWINTER VALENTINE'S DAY SHOW

'WHETHER, WEATHER'

Friday, February 13, 4:30 - 7:30PM
 

Jenny Brillhart   Marechal Brown  Avy Claire  Anna Dibble  Sarah Doremus  Devta Doolan  Maureen Farr   Nina Jerome  Heather Lyon  Megan Magill   Buzz Masters  Patricia Wheeler  Cynthia Winings  Goody-B. Wiseman and more...Midwinter Valentine's Day Show, The annual wintery show featuring many local artists; it's a one day show! The gallery will be full of beauty and sparkle to lift the spirit! Please dress warmly!

First Friday: Nightfall
Friday, October 3 | 5–7PM

Join us at the gallery for a special First Friday evening celebrating Nightfall, our current exhibition devoted to the mystery and beauty of the night sky.

I’m honored to welcome Nancy Hathaway, co-founder of Dark Sky Maine, who will share about Maine’s Dark Sky Heritage and how we can help preserve it (5:30). Ray Santullo, a Blue Hill–based astronomer, will set up his telescope for lunar viewing in advance of NASA’s International Observe the Moon Night. And thanks to Pugnuts Ice Cream Shop, there will be a special dark-sky-inspired flavor to enjoy.

This program is presented as part of Dark Sky Maine’s seasonal festival and celebrates the gallery’s commitment to connecting art with the natural world. I am grateful to Nancy Hathaway, Dark Sky Maine, and all participating artists for inspiring us to turn our gaze upward!

Friday, October 3 | 5–7PM

On This Ground

Co-curated by Jenny Brillhart and Cynthia Winings

Moira Holohan Bob Heimstra

David Wilson Jenny Brillhart

Opening Reception, Sunday August 24, 5 - 7PM

On This Ground, co-curated by Cynthia Winings and Jenny Brillhart, brings together four artists—Moira Holohan, Bob Hiemstra, David Wilson, and Jenny Brillhart—whose work engages the idea of a base, ground, and a sense of gravity, be that through landscape, the floors we walk on, flowers rising from the earth, or the ruddy tone a painter may lay down as ground from which the painting arises. Their visual language is drawn from observation, memory and material surfaces, echoing the tactile presence of our earthly floor, inside and out. 

 The exhibition’s title points to both the literal ground—flora, fauna, and raw matter that artists draw upon to build images—and the conceptual ground of material pigment, composition, and narrative. These works move between the earthy and the ethereal, opening meditations on mortality, place, and beauty. With painterly surfaces, woven textures, and bold contrasts, the artists present works that are at once ephemeral and firmly rooted. 

 As curators, we were drawn to how each artist uses their visual language to explore abstraction and materiality, introducing new perspectives into the gallery. For Jenny, who is also a participating artist, curating the show extends her own deep engagement with process and material. For Cynthia, co-curating again this season is especially inspiring, as it continues the dialogue with new voices in the creative community.

In spirit, On This Ground is like a love letter to Maine—its expansive landscapes, its creative community, and the many ways artists capture space, time, and memory.

Presenting Kathy Hodge in the Project Space,

Complex World

In this series of large-scale oil paintings, Kathy Hodge explores the meeting of organic and abstract forms in the untamed corners of New England. Tangled vines, branches, and winter trees mirror the chaos of our times, yet within them she searches for hidden patterns that suggest order, peace, and balance. As climate change and development threaten this fragile harmony, her work calls us to protect the natural world we share.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Hodge began painting at 14 with her parents’ oil paints, later earning her BFA from the Swain School of Design. Her work has ranged from industrial waterfronts and salt marshes near her home on Narragansett Bay to Russian cityscapes, machinery, and landscapes glimpsed from trains. More recently, she has deepened her focus on nature through residencies in 15 National Parks and Forests. She received the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Fellowship in Painting in 2017, and her work is held in private, corporate, and National Park collections. She maintains her studio in East Providence, RI.

On View through September 13

Opening Reception for Echolocation

Co-curated by Josephine Burr and Cynthia Winings

Josephine Burr Dana Clancy Grace DeGennaro Crystalle LaCouture Isabel Riley

Sunday, July 27, 5 - 7PM

Echolocation
July 21 – August 16, 2025
Opening Reception: Sunday, July 27, 5–7PM

Co-curated by Cynthia Winings and Josephine Burr, Echolocation brings together the work of five artists—Dana Clancy, Grace DeGennaro, Crystalle Lacouture, Isabel Riley, and Josephine Burr—who each engage in sustained, contemplative practices that reveal patterns both sacred and mundane. The exhibition draws its name from the biological phenomenon of echolocation: the way animals use sound to navigate the world. Here, it becomes a metaphor for how these artists use material, rhythm, and repetition to orient themselves within—and reflect upon—the larger forces that shape our lives.

Whether through geometry, gesture, or the layering of imagery and form, each artist reveals an underlying structure or resonance—a kind of signal—that connects the personal with the cosmic. From Clancy’s intimate painted collages to DeGennaro’s luminous sacred geometries; from Lacouture’s radiant drawings and protective bead installations to Riley’s enigmatic sculptural forms, and Burr’s tenderly hand-built ceramic objects, the exhibition becomes a chorus of transmissions—works that are both receivers and senders of quiet, searching inquiries.

As curators, we were drawn to the way each artist’s work acts as both signal and receiver—sending out inquiries, offering transmissions, inviting reflection. It has been tremendously inspiring to build this exhibition together. For Josephine, who is also a participating artist, curating this show is a natural extension of her own deep engagement with material and process. For Cynthia, it is a privilege to introduce several new artists to the gallery, and to bring their voices into this creative community.

Presenting David Hornung in the Project Space:

Improvisations

Opening Reception Sunday July 27, 5 - 7PM

Hornung writes, “The work included in this exhibition reflects the two parallel streams of my studio practice- oil painting and mixed media work that combines drawing with painted paper collage. I think of them as separate activities, painting being "plastic" and collage, constructed. 

I never make them in tandem but instead take occasional breaks from painting to devote time to collage. My approach to both is improvisational, an extemporaneous process that usually involves getting lost and then struggling to find my way home. The visual connections are obvious, but I don't try to connect them. It's like comparing singing to playing a musical instrument. For me, painting is like singing.”

On view through Saturday, August 16

P A I N T I N G T H I S P L A C E

Painting Demonstration with Jerry Rose

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 3:30 - 5PM

Please join us on Wednesday, July 16, from 3:30 to 5PM for a special painting demonstration with Jerry Rose. A perceptive and expressive painter of the local landscape, Jerry works with palette knife and brush, capturing the mood and texture of this place with great sensitivity. His paintings are grounded in direct experience and convey a deep, personal connection to the land. Come see his process in action—all are welcome!

Location: Cynthia Winings Gallery, 24 Parker Point Road, Blue Hill

CONVERSATIONS IN LAYERS

DIANE BOWIE ZAITLIN CAROL PELLETIER ANNE HEBEBRAND

Opening Reception, Sunday, June 29, 5 - 7PM

HIGHLIGHTING THE ARTWORK OF JERRY ROSE

with Artworks by Cynthia Winings, Avy Claire, Robin Reynolds and Lari Washburn

In the Project Space:

terra incognita, Paintings by Anna Dibble

The Gallery is pleased to present in the Project Space:

On the Horizon, Art by Mary Frank

A British-born, American artist of remarkable range, Mary Frank has spent over seven decades exploring the human figure and the natural world through drawing, sculpture, painting, and printmaking. Her work emerges from an intuitive, personal language shaped by a lifetime of experience. Whether it’s an owl-human embrace, a solitary tree, or a luminous, earth-bound form, Frank’s images resonate with emotional depth—touching on transformation, mythology, and the human condition. From her early studies in modern dance with Martha Graham to learning sculpture and drawing with Max Beckmann and Hans Hofmann, Frank’s diverse influences have found expression in a body of work that is at once intimate, mythic, and profoundly universal.

This exhibition invites viewers into Mary Frank’s world, where nature and the figure intertwine in powerful, poetic forms. Her works speak to resilience in the face of grief, to the quiet strength of women, and to the enduring cycles of life. Frank’s art, housed in major museum collections including MoMA, the Met, and the Whitney, is a testament to her vision as an artist who has forged her own path—one that continues to inspire and resonate across generations. We are honored to share her work with you and welcome you to join us in celebrating her remarkable career at the First Friday reception on June 6th.

ALL OF OUR GOOD AND MANY PLANS

LOUISE BOURNE   AVY CLAIRE   BUZZ MASTERS   
MARJORIE MOORE   BEN POTTER  ROBIN REYNOLDS   LARI WASHBURN   PATRICIA WHEELER   CYNTHIA WININGS   AND MORE..

Sculpture in the Garden by LUNAFORM, Melita Westerlund, John Wilkinson, Mary Lou Reid

MARY FRANK in the Project Space
 

OPENING RECEPTION:  SUNDAY, MAY 25, 5 - 7PM
SEASON THIRTEEN!

With the arrival of a new season, All Our Good and Many Plans invites viewers to consider themes of renewal, intention, and creative momentum. The exhibition highlights the strength and diversity of the gallery’s artists, each offering a unique and thoughtful vision. Among the featured works are vibrant new paintings by local artist Louise Bourne, created during a recent month-long stay in France. Her work exemplifies the depth and vitality of what is produced during the quieter winter months—evidence of these artists' continual searching, looking, and engaging, even when the gallery doors are closed.

“I’m deeply grateful for the ongoing support of the community and I am looking forward to welcoming visitors back to the gallery for another season,” says gallery owner and curator Cynthia Winings.

OF SIBYLS AND SOURCE

An early season exhibition at Cynthia Winings Gallery

May 9 - 17

OPENING RECEPTION:

FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2025

4 - 7PM

I am honored to begin the season with Of Sibyls and Source, a unique exhibition emerging from an international residency and curatorial project led by artist Heather Lyon.

Developed through immersive residencies—first at the International Center for the Arts in Italy and later in virtual collaboration—this evolving work invites reflection on land, myth, and embodied presence.

Artists:
Heather Lyon
Kristin Mariani
Samantha Jones
Susan Bickford
misael solo (collaborative documentarian in Italy)

The exhibition features textiles, video, installation, and performance that explore oracle, mapping, story, and source.

Opening Reception:
Thursday, May 9, 4–7PM

Live Performances (In-person & virtual):
Saturday, May 17, 4–7PM

Gallery Hours:
May 9: 4–7PM
May 10 & 16: 12–5PM
May 17: 12–7PM
And by appointment

I am grateful to these artists for their profound work—and to you for joining us at the start of a new season.

Cynthia Winings Gallery Presents
 

THE MIDWINTER VALENTINE'S DAY SHOW

Friday, February 14, 4:30 - 7:30 PM

Louise Bourne  Jenny Brillhart  Avy Claire  Sarah Doremus  Devta Doolan  Maureen Farr  Richard Keen  Megan Magill  Buzz Masters  Robin Reynolds Patricia Wheeler  Cynthia Winings  Lari Washburn  And More..

*Please Plan to Dress Warmly! 

LET'S GO: FIRST THURSDAY WITH A PERFORMANCE BY

HEATHER LYON AND SAM JONES

THE ALPINE THEATRE OF PECULIAR DREAMS

Celebrate First Thursday with us on October 3 at a special performance art event featuring Heather Lyon and Sam Jones at 5:30PM. This evening, we are thrilled to present "The Alpine Theatre of Peculiar Dreams."

In the words of Lyon and Jones: "We invite you on a journey outside of time through unknown terrain. The Alpine Theatre of Peculiar Dreams incorporates abstract puppetry, sound and a scroll to tell non-linear tales of geo-mythic lands and chimeric beings."

Everyone is welcome and the gallery is open late! 

ENDURING TRUTHS

JOSEPHINE BURR BEN POTTER

With new artworks from Ingrid Ellison and highlights from the season..

Opening Reception, Sunday, September 22, 5 - 7PM

Opening Reception for 'Enduring Truths' featuring Ben Potter and Josephine Burr, the fifth show of the season and one in which the art reveals a kind of truth that transcends language, offering insight into the human experience through emotion, perspective, and creativity. Experience the quiet power of Josephine Burr's ceramic sculptures and Ben Potter's paintings as they communicate an elemental and refined beauty—grounded in the materials of the earth and the landscape. Sunday, September 22, 5 - 7PM, Everyone is welcome

MATINÉE

Co-curated with BUZZ MASTERS

GIDEON BOK POLLY BURNELL JOSEPHINE BURR MEGAN MAGILL

BUZZ MASTERS BARBARA SULLIVAN

The Cynthia Winings Gallery presents Matinée, a co-curated exhibition by Cynthia Winings and Buzz Masters that explores the storytelling nature of art. Featuring new artists Barbara Sullivan, Polly Burnell, and Gideon Bok, alongside gallery regulars Josephine Burr, Megan Magill, and Buzz Masters, this show invites viewers into a theatrical world where life's narratives unfold. Through diverse mediums and perspectives, each artist offers a unique interpretation of the human experience, creating a rich visual dialogue that blurs the lines between reality and imagination.

OPENING RECEPTION, SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 5 - 7PM

In The Project Space, presenting

Chance and Intention by Anne Hebebrand

Hebebrand writes, ‘the paintings explore the dance between chance and intention involved in the creative process.” For Hebebrand, the challenge is always to make paintings that feel both alive and cohesive. The freedom to chose colors, create textures, and make and marks is followed by a more intentional approach to developing the composition.

Anne Hebebrand is an abstract painter known for her vibrant use of color and texture, working primarily with oil and cold wax medium. She holds a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University in Boston, MA, and an MA from the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Her work has been featured in publications like The New York Times and Art New England, and she has exhibited in galleries across the United States and Mexico. Hebebrand currently resides in Bath, Maine, and spends her winters in Todos Santos, Mexico. Please join us for her exhibition, on view through September 14!

BE STILL FOR A MOMENT

CO-CURATED BY AVY CLAIRE AND CYNTHIA WININGS

JONATHAN MESS, IAN TRASK, LARI WASHBURN, STUART SHILS, AVY CLAIRE

With New work from Louise Bourne, Nina Jerome, Robin Reynolds, Patricia Wheeler, Cynthia Winings, Diane Bowie Zaitlin and more

Cynthia Winings Gallery presents its first co-curated exhibition, "Be Still for a Moment," featuring new artists Jonathan Mess, Ian Trask, and Stuart Shils alongside gallery regulars Lari Washburn and Avy Claire. The show highlights the fluid and unexpected exchanges that occur between the studio and gallery walls, shaping both artist and viewer experiences. The selected works, born from an intuitive process and internal exploration, invite chance and transcendence through playful and rigorous engagement with materials. This exhibition encourages viewers to pause and experience the alchemical transformation of art.

With M P LANDIS in the Project Space

Opening Reception, Sunday June 30, 5 - 7PM

FIRST FRIDAY: ‘CONVERSATIONS’

Presenting the 'first' First Friday on June 7, with a celebration of the Project Space show, 'Conversations.' Step into a captivating dialogue between paint and photography where the worlds of Larry Dobens' canvases and Marechal Brown's photographs converge. Dobens' oil paintings and Brown's poignant photographs invite viewers to contemplate the profound beauty of urban landscapes and untouched wilderness. Join us at 5:30 PM for a special poetry reading, adding yet another layer to this colorful dialogue of artistic expression.

Refreshments will be served and everyone is welcome!

Friday June 7, 5 -7PM

I N F I N I T Y

Elizabeth Gourlay Grace DeGennaro Christine Lafuente

With New work from Louise Bourne, Diane Bowie Zaitlin, Robin Reynolds, Patricia Wheeler, Cynthia Winings and more

Sunday, May 26, 2024

5:00 - 7:00 PM

I am excited to invite you to the opening reception of our first show of the year, "Infinity," featuring artists Grace DeGennaro, Elizabeth Gourlay, and Christine Lafuente. This exhibition marks the beginning of our 12th season; Come join us as we explore the boundless creativity captured in their artworks. Your presence will make this event even more special, and I extend my heartfelt gratitude for your continued support. Thank you for being a part of this momentous occasion.

In Memory of Elizabeth Gourlay, March 16, 1961 - April 27, 2024

Presenting in the Project Space:

‘Conversations’

Marechal Brown and Larry Dobens

THE CYNTHIA WININGS GALLERY PRESENTS:

The Midwinter Show

Kisses from the Hinterland

BOURNE | BRILLHART | CLAIRE | DOREMUS | DOOLAN | ELLISON

LANDIS | LYON | MASTERS | WHEELER | WININGS | WISEMAN

Friday, February 9, 2023

4:30 – 7:30 PM

24 Parker Point Road     Blue Hill

LISTENING AND NOTICING

INGRID ELLISON DIANE BOWIE ZAITLIN

New work from M P LANDIS, with Louise Bourne, David Hornung, Carol Pelletier, Libby Mitchell, Jenny Brillhart, Megan Magill, Nina Jerome, Lari Washburn, Buzz Masters, Robin Reynolds, Cynthia Winings..and others

Opening Reception

Sunday, September 24, 5 - 7PM

Sculpture Garden is Open with work from

LUNAFORM, Melita Westerlund, John Wilkinson

JUST IN VIEW

JENNY BRILLHART NINA JEROME MEGAN MAGILL CAROL PELLETIER

with new work from gallery artists..

Opening Reception Sunday, August 27, 5 - 7PM

Introducing Pamela Elias in the Project Space