The first Friday of most months Wintergreen Arts Center participates in the First Friday Art Night. This wider community event brings local businesses together to celebrate and showcase local artisans. The event is free and open to the public.
Wintergreen to feature artist Sarah Smith in November
Gallery Showing: November 6, 2026, 6:00 pm – 7:45 pm
Wintergreen Arts Center, Aroostook Centre Mall
Live music provided by Janice Santos
Please join us on Friday, November 6, 2026, from 6:00 pm to 7:45 pm as we celebrate the amazing artwork of Sarah Smith. See her artist bio below.
Open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
Visit artist website: www.sarahjsmithart.com/
Live music will be provided by Janice Santos
Artist Bio: My artwork reflects a lifelong love of animals and nature. My favorite subjects are animals and environments, as well as close-ups of fungi or other unusual subjects that catch my interest while hiking here in northern Maine. I paint both scenes I’ve seen personally, as well as imagined ones. When I paint wildlife a large part of the process involves research, sketching, and compiling various references that help build a foundation for the painting. Some of my favorite animals to draw include ungulates (hooved animals), birds, and reptiles. I hope to bring awareness to lesser known and often endangered animals, as well as simply depict the beauty of nature.
I have always loved creating and experimenting with different mediums and forms of art. When I discovered oil painting it quickly became my favorite medium, and most of my paintings are currently in oils. I taught myself how to paint using online resources and books, and enjoy trying out new techniques. I like oil paints primarily because of the slow drying time, which allows for easier blending and a more relaxed way of working. I also enjoy the color richness and variety of pigments, as well as the layering possibilities. I’m particularly inspired by 19th century oil painters and the techniques they used. Some of my favorite artists from this period are Ivan Shishkin, Edwin Landseer, and Rosa Bonheur. Lately I have also been creating more with watercolor and other mixed media over pencil drawings, which works great for quicker illustrations or field studies.
Along with art I have a strong interest in the scientific side of the natural world. I pursued education from the University of Maine at Machias and earned a degree in Wildlife Biology. During my time there I held an independent work study position articulating animal skeletons for display in the Science building. Alongside this display I created paintings of the animals as they would appear in life. This deepened my understanding of animal anatomy, which is something I consider important in my art. After graduating I continued to hone my art skills and completed a variety of commissioned artwork for individuals.
My other hobbies include hiking, photography, fishing, collecting rocks/fossils, and the occasional antique, and caring for my dog. I currently live in Houlton with my husband and our pets.
In the future I will continue to work on a portfolio of wildlife and environment art, paying attention to how an animal would live and interact in the habitat. I’m also interested in extinct animals and plan to work more on reconstructions depicting ancient animals as if they were still alive. Alongside this, I have been working more on plant and landscape paintings. Eventually I would love to have artwork published in educational media such as books, museums, or field guides.
About Wintergreen Arts Center: The Wintergreen Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2006 and located in Presque Isle, Maine. Wintergreen is an organization based on the idea that inspiration, advocacy, and community can produce great things. Our mission is to stimulate creativity and curiosity through the arts in Aroostook County.
Wintergreen Arts Center and our participation in Presque Isle’s First Friday Art Night is supported in part by the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.