David Sears creates art deeply rooted in the surroundings of his homes in Cushing, Maine, and on Matinicus Island.

“Exploring with the eyes of a child and the awareness of a student, parent, educator, photographer, filmmaker, woodworker, writer and painter, my pattern has been to gather knowledge from a small section of the natural world and share it through creative, site-specific activities.,” he says. “For the past two decades I have lived part of each year on Matinicus, a small Maine island on the outer edge of Penobscot Bay, where I make things and try to understand life on a mountaintop surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.”

He will share his art in person at the Wendell Gilley Museum as the Gilley’s People-Nature-Art speaker for the month of March on Tuesday, March 31 at 7pm, preceded by an artist’s reception at 6pm. Admission is free but reservations are required. The program will be livecast simultaneously; please indicate when you sign up whether you will attend in person or online.

“My carved and painted birds reflect a fascination with objects which convey an intense knowledge and awareness of the maker’s environment,” he says. “Combining function, sophisticated woodworking and designs with traditional knowledge, these birds are imbued with beauty, mysticism and the pragmatic need to attract sources of food. I hope my work honors those traditions, expands the concept and encourages a greater appreciation of traditional skills, the fragility of all environments and the critical need to preserve unspoiled locales and living things.”

People-Nature-Art is a free monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach to nature.  

The Gilley is in the midst of our fourth Winter Session and we hope you will come and visit. There is art to see, and art to make. We have activities for all ages, even the littlest patrons.

We are open regularly on Fridays and Saturdays, from 10am to 4pm, and we offer specials classes and programs on other days. Check our calendar for the most current updates.

Hope to see you soon at the Gilley, where we bring people closer to nature through art.

 Acadia National Park Artist-in-Residence Samantha DeFlitch will share poems from her in-progress manuscript, “Singing Ground,” at the Wendell Gilley during National Poetry Month.  Her work is informed by documentary poetics, making use of found materials such as specimen tags, regulations, and reports in her poetry. She is interested in how different registers of speech amplify the tension between loss and hope, and her work emphasizes the importance of perception in addressing environmental crises. 

Following the reading, DeFlitch will lead a brief writing exercise in which participants will write their own poems guided by DeFlitch's documentary process and they will be able to leave with a draft piece and prompts to strengthen their own process of noticing, journaling, and writing. 

This event is free and open to all, but registration is required.

Join us for our monthly evening paint ‘n’ sip workshops with instructor Erika Elizabeth at the Gilley for a fun evening of learning and art. Students are guided step by step through the process of painting, with plenty of explanation and instruction along the way.

Each month has a different theme and inspiration-painting. We’ll use ink and watercolor in April to paint an adorable mouse and a mushroom under a strawberry moon.

Sip on wine, tea or seltzer as part of this adults-only class, which is suitable for artists of all levels who are at least 21 years old. All materials and beverages provided.