A new exhibit of paintings and pastels, celebrating art, life, every day objects and summer in Maine opens June 13 as part of The Art at The Damariscotta River Grill series. Three talented Midcoast Maine artists, Léa Peterson, Denise Rankin and Rebecca Yates Shorb share a variety of subject matter and approaches to create a show that is whimsical, unexpected, mysterious, and descriptive of life and landscapes in Maine.

An opening to meet the artists while sampling appetizers by Rick Hirsch and his staff will be held on Wednesday, June 15 from 4-5:30 p.m. All artwork is for sale.

Léa Peterson of Georgetown, has been painting and studying art since she was a child. Her paintings are usually part of a series that might be a study of coastal skiffs and dinghies; Maine lobstermen at work; fields of lupines in bloom; tugboats and cranes at Bath Iron Works shipyard; North Atlantic puffins in their nesting habitats; or the look of the stormy sea. Painting is a daily event for Léa both plein air or in her studio.

She shares, “My goal is to convey the extraordinary beauty in ordinary places, objects and events. When people look at my work, I want it to strike a chord--evoke a positive memory or emotion and in some way resonate with and reinforce something good in their lives.”

Damariscotta artist Denise Rankin paints everyday objects. Collectors of her work enjoy her offbeat subject matter and the nostalgic reverberations they often generate. Work from her current series, “Advice Your Mother Gave You,” and “Saints Drinking Coffee” will be part of the work she shares. She leaves painting beautiful landscapes of Maine to others, as the thrill to her is eye-catching composition, whimsy, strange juxtapositions, a piece of a dream, everyday things blown up big,  or a play on words.

Rankin says of her subjects, “I paint what tickles my fancy, unencumbered by logic or even common sense, as a way to love life, the pure messy joy of it.”

Rebecca Yates Shorb, a pastel artist living and working in Maine and Pennsylvania, is passionate about the outdoors and painting plein air. She conducts the critiques for “Plein Air Painters-the Real Thing,” a group of 25 artists painting the Midcoast.

Yates Shorb has received numerous awards, the most current being the Doris Cohen Memorial award conferred in May. She and husband Harold are avid collectors of art and share their collection with interested groups in Pennsylvania. She also mentors newcomers to the pastel medium, serves on the Board of the Arts Guild and conducts Salon Critiques.

Damariscotta River Grill is located at 155 Main Street in Damariscotta. FMI about the show, contact Kim Traina at jumpstartcreative@gmail.com.  For more information about the restaurant, visit www.damariscottarivergrill.com.