About a quarter of all summer days in southern Maine are rainy. If your group is all adults, a rainy day can be enjoyed for free by visiting local art galleries. Of course, it could become a very expensive afternoon if you fall in love with something and end up making a purchase. However, if you keep your wallet in your pocket, you can see some extraordinary work by local artists and artisans at no cost. In fact, if you time your visit for the day of a show’s opening, you might even get some snacks as well.
The types of art we’re featuring here runs the gamut — from woodworkers to jewelers to painters. The painting styles in most of the listed galleries is representationalist, meaning that their art clearly portrays a recognizable object or scene, as opposed to abstract art, which may not depict an identifiable item.
In Portsmouth and Portland, the first Friday of every month is a special arts evening with galleries staying open late. Many provide wine and light refreshments. If you spend the evening gallery hopping, you can make a meal of it like we did recently!
Here’s a roundup of some of our favorite galleries going north from Portsmouth to Portland. It is not at all an exhaustive list, but will give you a great sampling of what the area has to offer. If there’s a gallery you love that we have missed, please let us know in the comments. Also, our focus here is retail galleries, not museums.
Finally, since gallery hours tend to change with the seasons, we haven’t included them on each listing. What we have done, though, is include a phone number or website or both.
Another great rainy day activity? A visit to the Classic Car Museum in Arundel, Maine.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
On the first Friday of every month, Portsmouth runs Art Around Town — think pub crawl for art from 5 pm to 8 pm. These free events let art lovers stroll leisurely through galleries that stay open a little later than normal. The galleries listed below all take part in this event. Best of all, you can pick up a map at the first gallery your visit and then you’ll know where to head next. We used this map to take in the galleries on Ceres Street, Bow Street, Congress Street and more.
Todd Bonita Gallery
39 Ceres Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-819-9100
http://www.toddbonitagallery.com/
Located across from the iconic tugboats on Ceres Street, the Todd Bonita Gallery is a fine art gallery representing the works of a small number of nationally recognized oil painters. Their styles tend to be representationalist. The owner, Todd Bonita is an artist who has a studio room in the gallery.
The gallery is open seven days a week, 11 am to 7 pm, later on weekends. The gallery’s other location is in Ogunquit, Maine and is open seasonally from May through October. Also, like many of the galleries in Portsmouth, the Todd Bonita Gallery is dog friendly. Look for #dogfriendlyportsmouth on gallery and shop windows.
A Pleasant Shoppe
79 Congress Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-373-0939
https://www.apleasantshoppe.com/portsmouth-artists
A Pleasant Shoppe offers an eclectic array of arts, from painting to photography to sculpture as well as jewelry, wood serving boards and ceramics. Art styles vary.
A Pleasant Shoppe also has a Newburyport, MA location. Visit if you find yourself along the Massachusetts seacoast. Newburyport pro tip: Grab a meal at the Joy Nest. Think Thai food meets tapas. Order a bunch of small plates. You can thank me later.
Ceres Gallery
23 Ceres Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-294-0657
https://www.ceresgallery.net/
The Ceres Gallery primarily represents representationalist painters. There is one sculptor on the gallery’s roster as well.
The Gallery at 3S Artspace
319 Vaughan Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-766-3330
3sarts.org
3S is a mixed use arts space with performance venues as well as an art gallery. Exhibits rotate. The style of art depends on the artist being featured.
Regina Piantedosi Modern Art Gallery
151 Congress St
Portsmouth NH 03801
https://www.reginapiantedosi.com/
As its name implies, this gallery focuses on modern art. While some of the work is representationalist, much of it is abstract. There are some examples of hand embellished handbags and furniture.
Kennedy Gallery
41 Market Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-436-7007
https://kennedygalleryandframing.com/
The Kennedy Gallery and Frame Shop is exactly that — a gallery on one side and high-end framing shop on the other. Whichever side you enter, you’ll be able to see original works from representational artists.
Nahcotta
110 Congress Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603) 433-1705
https://nahcotta.com
It’s hard to describe Nahcotta. It’s part art gallery and part eclectic shop of really cool things that have been carefully crafted. The artists rotate and styles vary accordingly.
New Hampshire Art Association
Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery
136 State Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-431-4230
New Hampshire Art Association (NHAA) is a nonprofit contemporary arts organization dedicated to presenting and supporting emerging regional art and artists in New England. Artists rotate, so the style of art changes regularly.
EAD Woodwork
15 Penhallow Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-380-9901
http://www.eadwoodwork.com/URBAN—Showroom.html
As its name implies, EAD is a woodworking gallery featuring hand crafted furniture, cutting boards and unique wood crafts. On the night we visited, one of the woodworking artists was greating people. We had a great conversation about famed wood furnituremaker George Nakashima from New Hope, Pennsyvania, where we once lived.
Robin Thornhill Gallery
250 State Street
Portsmouth, NH 3801
(603) 339-1000
Robinthornhill.com
This gallery focuses on the work of a single artist. Her work is primarily representationalist with a few abstract pieces.
Kittery & York
David Lussier Gallery
66 Wallingford Square
Kittery, Me 03904
860-336-9051
https://www.davidlussiergallery.com
When you think of Kittery, strip malls and outlets probably come to mind. Do yourself a favor and take a trip to the Foreside neighborhood to experience the quainter side of Kittery. In the heart of Foreside, you will find the David Lussier Gallery, a family-owned gallery specializing in the representationalist paintings of New England by gallery owners and husband-and-wife team, David and Pamela Lussier. Keeping it all in the family, the gallery also represents works by their adult children, artists Benjamin Lussier and Jennifer Simpson.
David and Pam have been painting for more than a quarter century. Their plein air (art-ese for paintings done live outdoors) impressionist work captures the landscapes and coastlines of the region.
Pro tip: If you are there around meal time, AJ’s Wood Grilled Pizza (next door at 68 Wallingford) is one of our favorites.
Kittery Art Association
2 Walker Street
Kittery, ME 03904
207-451-9384
https://www.kitteryartassociation.org
Also located in the Foreside neighborhood, the Kittery Art Association is a nonprofit organization of volunteers committed to promote knowledge of the arts, stimulate interest in the work of local artists, and express appreciation for the creativity in the seacoast area. It showcases visual art in a variety of styles from its members in rotating exhibits. They also host a live music series.
Blue Door Gallery
2 Southside Road
York, Maine 03909
207- 332-2938
https://blue-door-gallery.square.site
The Blue Door Gallery is a passion project of local artist Janice Santini. The gallery features local painters and sculptors. Exhibitions and, therefore, art styles change about every 6-8 weeks.
George Marshall Store Gallery
140 Lindsay Road
York, ME 03909
207-351-8200
https://www.georgemarshallstoregallery.com
In 1867, York businessman George Marshall built a store, where he sold general merchandise as well as wood, building materials, and coal. The store remained in the Marshall family until 1954. After multiple other uses, the space was revived as an art gallery in 1996. Today, the George Marshall Store Gallery is a contemporary art space specializing in exhibitions of emerging and mid-career artists from Maine and New England. Artists and styles vary.
York Art Association
394 York Street
York Harbor, ME 03911
207-363-4049
Yorkartassociation.com
The York Art Association is a nonprofit that provides opportunities for people from all walks of life to enjoy the arts. It’s a place for local artists of all styles, performers, and exhibitors to showcase their work.
Ogunquit & Wells
Abacus Gallery
213 Main St.
Ogunquit, ME. 03907
207-646-0399
https://abacusgallery.com/
This small “chain” of galleries features artwork, hand-crafted jewelry and housewares. You’ll find them in:
- Freeport
- Kennebunkport
- Ogunquit
- Portland
Todd Bonita Gallery
102 Perkins Cove Rd.
Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Main
(603) 819-9100
http://www.toddbonitagallery.com/
This seasonal gallery is an extension of the gallery of the same name described in the Portsmouth, NH section of this post.
Corey Daniels Gallery
2208 Post Road
Wells, Maine 04090
207-646-5301
https://www.coreydanielsgallery.com/
Corey Daniels Gallery exhibits contemporary artwork by emerging and mid-career artists working in diverse practices. The gallery presents paintings, drawings, sculpture and photography.
Scully Gallery
680 Main Street Rt.1
Ogunquit, ME 03907
207-646-2850
http://franscully.com/
This gallery displays the representational work of Fran Scully.
Maine Art Collective
309 Shore Road
Ogunquit, ME 03907
maineartcollective.com
Maine Art Collective’s mission is to create spaces and opportunities for emerging artists to show and sell their work. We are run by artists who work in multiple media and styles. They also have a gallery in Portland.
Kennebunk & Kennebunkport
Abacus Gallery
2 Ocean Avenue
Kennebunkport, ME 04046
207-967-0111
https://abacusgallery.com/
This small “chain” of galleries features artwork, hand-crafted jewelry and housewares.
KW Contemporary Art
Maine Art Hill
14 Western Avenue
Kennebunk, Maine 04043
207-967-2803
https://www.kwcontemporaryart.com/
KW Contemporary Art is a premier destination for showcasing the works of emerging, mid-career, and established contemporary artists in a variety of media and styles from around the globe.
The gallery is located at the Shipyard Shops in Lower Village by Federal Jacks and next to The Deep Blue right off Western Avenue. There is parking in the lot too! It serves as a retail space and studio and features landscapes of Kennebunk and the surrounding areas. All the work in the gallery is original art.
Deborah Randall Gallery
8 Western Avenue
Kennebunk, ME 04043
207-409-5911
https://deborahrandall.com
The Deborah Randall Gallery features Randall’s landscape and abstract paintings.
The Wright Gallery
5 Pier Rd, Unit 1
Kennebunkport, ME 04046
207-502-0012
https://www.thewrightgallery.com/
The Wright Gallery is a traditional fine art gallery in Kennebunkport, Maine. Located in a 19th century post and beam building near the center of Cape Porpoise. The gallery showcases traditional artwork.
Portland, Maine
On the first Friday evening of every month, Portland’s artists, galleries, and arts venues open up their doors for Portland’s thriving First Friday Art Walk. Creative Portland has also launched an accompanying live music program in the heart of the city.
Abacus Gallery
44 Exchange Street
Portland, ME 04101
207-772-4880
https://abacusgallery.com/
This small “chain” of galleries features artwork, hand-crafted jewelry and housewares.
Anderson Art Gallery
32 Fore Street
Portland, ME 04101
978-500-3661
http://www.rockportartist.com/
This single artist gallery exhibits the representationalist and abstract paintings of George Allen, who also runs a Gallery in Rockport, MA.
Maine Art Collective
157 Middle Street
Portland, ME 04101
maineartcollective.com
Maine Art Collective’s mission is to create spaces and opportunities for emerging artists to show and sell their work. We are run by artists who work in multiple media and styles. They do popups seasonally throughout Southern Maine.
Portland Art Gallery
154 Middle Street
Portland, Maine 04101
207-956-7105
https://portlandartgallery.com
This gallery represents more than 50 artists in a variety of media and styles.
Roux & Cyr
48 Free St. Suite 140
Portland, Maine 04101
(207) 221-7700
https://www.rouxandcyrgallery.com/
Roux & Cyr represents almost 50 artists whose paintings are representationalist.