Union of Maine Visual Artists

Poster for ROOM TONE, an exhibition of ambient sound collages by Shanna Compton. June 1–30 at Anodyne, 175 W. Main Street, Searsport, ME. Artist reception Saturday, June 21, 5–7 p.m. In addition to that text at top and bottom, a collage in the center consists of a linocut house on torn and cut pink strips of paper with a cutout full moon in a pink sky behind the house. A closed-caption sound effect in a dark gray box says (ROOM TONE) in the lower right.

ROOM TONE, an exhibition of ambient sound collages SHANNA COMPTON

June 1–30 at Anodyne
175 W. Main St (Rt 1)
Searsport, Maine

Artist reception Saturday, June 21, 5–7 p.m.

yay! 🩷 ✂️

#MaineArt #HoHArtist #CollageArt #MaineArtist #Linocut #Monotype

INKY 2: Room Tone in June + On Loss & Found Materials SUBSCRIBE TO INKY here. This is the website version of my once-a-month email newsletter called INKY. For the first few months I will be cross-posting them here as well. The newsletter is free, only…

Shanna Compton’s newsletter INKY includes brief reviews of UMVA’s exhibition Washed Away, CMCA’s 3 new shows, recommended reading (2 memoirs on loss & art), + an invitation to respond.

INKY 2: Room Tone in June + On Loss & Found Materials shannacompton.com/2025/05/27/i...

#Maine #Art #MaineArtists

“Big Fish in a Little Pond”
Acrylics on stretched canvas, 20 x 16
DebBergmanArtist.com

#debbergmanartist #localcolorgallerymaine #maineartist #acrylicpainting #fishpainting #koipainting

A week from tonight—Monday, 5/5, 7 pm
SPACE @spacegallery.bsky.social
538 Congress
Portland ME

@johncotter.bsky.social & Shanna Compton, The Color of Sound

We’ll be reading/talking about hearing & visualizing sound. John’s got a new story & I’ve got a fresh slideshow. Copies of our books too too.

Monday

The yearly spring snail parade to the garden, immortalized on this mug! #ceramics #pottery #art #garden

Screenshot of Maine Home + Design article re: the show

Washed Away exhibition poster with details and a life preserver artwork by David Lewis.

TONIGHT in Portland!

Washed Away: 60 Maine Artists opening reception at Lewis Gallery, Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square. 5–7.

Come say hi & check out the artworks selected by juror Carl Little!

mainehomedesign.com/showcase/was...

Screenshot from the Member Poll post for Printing Servies for Artists at https://theumva.org/printing-services-for-artists-membership-poll/. Image shows a fanned stack of Pantone swatches. (Photo credit: Mourizal Zativa on Unsplash)

UMVA member poll!

Do you print these things as a Maine artist? Would you like to?

UMVA members are invited to respond at theumva.org/printing-ser...

We’ll create a members-only resource page from the answers we collect. Stay tuned!

#MaineArtists #theUMVA

A closeup of an collage featuring a large ram or bighorn sheep skull, alongside a vintage clock, lottery sign, and partial landscape. A closed-caption sound effect in the lower right says (TRAFFIC NOISE). Handwriting in green is layered over the image, a note to myself. ©Shanna Compton, 2025.

A hand-drawn schematic of a book layout, with columns of pages and notes about what goes where. ©Shanna Compton, 2025.

The collage from which the book takes its title, (DEEP WHOOSH). It features a green polar bear standing on a torn sheet of typescript iceberg, with a floating hot pink eye in the upper left. ©Shanna Compton, 2025.

[Makes I Don’t Know Sound], collage with closed caption, 5 x 7 inches, 2020. A man with a banana flower for a head is surrounded by adoring cameras, for which he spouts what is likely self-important nonsense. A calm lake and green mountains in the distance. ©Shanna Compton, 2025.

Woke up wayyyy too early & nailed down the pages for DEEP WHOOSH, figured out how to deal with the landscape orientation #collages (most are portrait), and tapped the printer.

Wanna blurb it? Tight timeline but it could be real short. 😉

Thinking about the cover & colormatching the scans is next.

New book coming soon! One I’ve been wanting to exist for a few years now. Suddenly the stars have aligned.

DEEP WHOOSH, 50 closed-caption collages + an essay & a few poems. (Black Square Editions, 2025).

Looks like I’ll be reading/conversing on stage about writing/poetry/art & hearing loss with John Cotter in early May in Portland at SPACE.

Stay tuned!

#Maine

Made some colorful postcards to send to our reps. Link in bio. 💌

#snailmail #penpals #art

Announcement graphic with large UMVA logo and same basic info as our post (except it says Instagram instead of Bluesky). The website is https://theumva.org.

Are you a UMVA member? Tag us and we’ll help boost your news here on 🦋.

And be sure to take advantage of the DIY options on the new website: Create and update your Artist Page for the Meet Our Artists gallery, and post your events whenever you like!

#MaineArtists

Posted around NYC, Chicago, DC and other cities. Be creative. Do something!

Dark Skies: Night Sky Tour & Zine Making - Waterfall Arts John Meader and Serena Sanborn will present an all-ages program about our need to preserve the night sky and how light pollution affects our ecosystem, including humans.  There will be […]

@umva-members.bsky.social In conjunction with the Dark Skies Exhibition at Waterfall Arts in Belfast ME this event will happen this coming Saturday February 15th waterfallarts.org/event/dark-s...

Announcement graphic for the UMVA Midcoast / Downeast chapter meeting. It’s a pale pink and light aqua seascape with hot pink and dark purple islands. Text details meeting location, time, and agenda. (Full text version at https://theumva.org/event/midcoast-downeast-chapter-meeting-2/) Illustration © Shanna Compton, 2025.

Next Midcoast / Downeast Chapter meeting: Saturday, March 8, 11-1 at Camden Public Library

Details on the site: theumva.org/event/midcoa...

#MaineArt

This show is really looking amazing, very happy to be included and able to fill this space with so much color, light and love!
All works created from repurposed or reused materials.

Announcement graphic on a light pink square with red, orange, and hot pink curves crossing in different directions. The black text in white boxes says: Thank you. The call for art for Washed Away is now closed. More than 100 UMVA members sent 1–3 artworks to be considered for this exhibition, scheduled for Portland in May and June. Our juror, Carl Little, is reviewing the entries now. Notifications will begin in mid February. theumva.org

Thanks! The call for art for WASHED AWAY is now closed.

100+ UMVA members offered artwork for consideration. Our juror, Carl Little, is reviewing entries now.

Mark your calendars: WASHED AWAY, Portland Public Library, Lewis Gallery, May 2–June 21, 2025.

#MaineArtists #WashedAwayExhibition

“Half a Boat is Better than None”
Acrylics and pen on stretched canvas, 14 x 11
Available
DebBergmanArtist.com

#maineartist #debbergmanartist #boatpainting #acrylicpainting

Poster for Judith Greene-Janse’s exhibition, Art Rocks 3, featuring one of her paintings of a rocky seaside cliff alongside event details.

Judith Greene-Janse • Art Rocks 3

Watercolor and Acrylic Paintings of the Maine Coast + figure drawings

Opening: Sat, 2/1, 5-8pm

Come & enjoy the company! Food cart options & the Belleflower libations available

Belleflower Brewing
66 Cove St.
#PortlandMaine

It’s digitally manipulated for the poster, but it’s her work, and it’s the graphic she chose to represent the call for art, which ends tomorrow. You are welcome to argue with her about I guess? But she’s probably in the studio, or hanging her show that opens tomorrow.

It’s not AI. 🙄 It’s a digital graphic based on a painting, done by the artist herself, Judith Greene-Janse, who is organizing the exhibition. I’ve seen her original work (whole show up right now in Portland). So consider this: you might not know what you’re talking about?

Attn: Maine artists.

As the web admin for the Union, I get a little peek into the process, and this is going to be another complex, varied & important show in Portland.

It’s not too late!

$35 annual membership in UMVA. No fees for shows. You heard me.

#Maine

The Washed Away exhibition graphic is a mixed media work by Judith Greene-Janse, the exhibition organizer. A hot air balloon decorated like the globe is attached to a drowning house tossing in rising seas against a sunset background. At the top of the image, text in a white banner says Important Update: deadline extended to February 1 for UMVA exhibition, Washed Away.

REMINDER: Tomorrow—Sat, Feb 1—is the last day to submit for WASHED AWAY.

UMVA artists may submit up to 3 images of 2D, 3D or video art. As always, no fee.

Our juror, Carl Little, looks forward to reviewing your work!

Details & application form here: theumva.org/event/call-f...

#maineart

A photo of a letterpress card that reads "I (heart) my queer kid!) in blue ink, positioned next to a blue jar candle, which says "You Are Loved" on the label.

As I was taking this simple product photo today, I suddenly felt a little bit emotional... thinking about how little gestures of kindness and statements of love and support are especially important right now.

I've got an exhibition coming up at the Foundry in Biddeford, Maine this February!

"What’s Old is New Again"

Screenshot of the Portland Press Herald article on the UMVA exhibition called Dark Skies. Examples of the art are a painting by Emily Sabino (top) and Alan Fishman (bottom). Full text available at https://theumva.org/press

😉

4x6" mail art card I'm sending to my niece Sara who is recovering from a broken leg... it's an ink monotype with an encaustic wax monotype with sheet music chunk and piece of dried acrylic paint peeled off a palette...so very #mixedMedia ... @art.bsky

This was my final painting of 2024, “Lobstah”.
Acrylics on stretched canvas, 14 x 11.
AVAILABLE
DebBergmanArtist.com

#maineartist #lobsterpainting
#debbergmanartist

This exhibition continues through February, and the response has been very lovely. Thanks to everyone who came out to the opening last weekend.

I have two #linocut prints in the show, which also includes paintings, assemblages, and photographs.

Press clips are here: theumva.org/press