ROCKLAND— It’s not readily known, but in the south end of Rockland on 9 Water Street opposite from the former Sweets & Meats shop, there is a gallery for wildlife lovers.

Throughout August, the nonprofit organization Friends of Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge is holding a juried art show called “Fins, Feathers & Fur: Maine Coastal Wildlife” in the Maine Coastal Islands Art Gallery on the second floor.

The show exhibits 18 artists, including two students, displaying 36 pieces of art.

“This is a new show we’ve done, mainly to raise funds for the Friends of Maine Coastal Islands and partly to celebrate the diversity of art around Maine coastal wildlife, the environment and conservation,” said Carney M. Doucette, Outreach Coordinator.

A walk around the gallery reveals a variety of mediums: from oil paintings to photography to sculpture and even a glass mosiac table. The majority of entries came statewide from Maine with one entry from New Hampshire..

The art show awarded a “Best In Show” category for adults to Camden artist Sue Mondabaugh for her needlepoint of a loon titled “Loon Tune” as well as a student “Best In Show” award to Verity Boyer, from Exeter, NH, for her pencil/watercolor of a Common Pipefish.

“During the last Art Walk, we also had people vote on a ‘People’s Choice’ category and that award went to Belfast artist Julie Cyr, for her oil on wood painting of a Red Fox,” said Doucette. “Cyr will be doing a full show at the Gallery in September through November, 2017. The student ‘People’s Choice’ went to Deegan Shi from Camden for his whale shark sculpture.”

The gallery has been open for about five years. “A lot of people aren’t aware that we even have a Visitor’s Center here much less even a gallery upstairs,” said Doucette. “We are on The First Friday Art Walk map, but the building is so tucked in behind foliage it’s easy to miss. We want to encourage people to go down the street just a little further for the Art Walk and check out the gallery because it’s worth it,” she said.

Doucette said the Gallery will be repeating this juried art show next August, and hope even more artists, including students, participate.

 The Maine Coastal Islands Art Gallery is open Monday-Friday from 8 to 4:30 p.m.To ensure more people get to visit this exhibit before it wraps up, they will also be open on Saturdays from 10 to 4;30 p.m. For more information visit: mainecoastislands.org

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com