Once you've seen the artwork of John Kimball you don't forget it; nor do you have any difficulty recognizing it. If you have never been so fortunate, go to Goobies on McKown Street in Boothbay Harbor through Columbus Day to see examples of Kimball's paintings and mixed media pieces, all in frames created by the artist.

Kimball's work is both witty, colorful and humorous, depicting people, places and experiences in a fanciful way. One is drawn into Kimball's work; both through the facial expressions of his subjects, literary references, and the caricature-like appearance of his subjects.

Edgecomb artists Duncan Slade and Gayle Fraas are long-time friends of Kimball's.  

“John is self-taught and he is extremely literate,” Slade said. His paintings are social commentaries in which he responds to society, culture and human relations. His work reveal truths that are not necessarily spoken.”

Fraas likens Kimball's work to “a Leonard Cohen song.”

Kimball,  a former resident of East Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor, did not put imagination to canvas early on. He owned an advertising agency in Portland's Old Port for a few years, and in the mid-1980s opened an art gallery, Portland Pier Gallery, as a venue for new Portland artists. The opening show featured then-unknowns Eric Hopkins,  Allison Hidreth and Dozier Bell.

Throughout his life he supported the arts and immersed himself in the arts serving on the Maine Arts Commission, Portland Symphony Orchestra and Portland Museum of Art boards of directors.

“I had painted a little before I opened the ad agency,” Kimball said.

“The Commercial Street space for the gallery really kind of started it all for me. I had so much fun with that first show I decided I wanted to see my own paintings hanging there.”

Kimball, who describes his own work as “slightly satirical social commentary on people in social situations,” said he loved the works of Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer; and also the works of Henri Matisse, David Hockney, and abstract impressionist Richard Diebenkorn.

Now in his early 80s, Kimball resides in Falmouth where he has had shows at the Elizabeth Moss Gallery and the Harlow Gallery.

This weekend Kimball has a show opening at the Portland restaurant Dock Fore called Unexpected Insights. He is trying out a new concept with some of the pieces, combining photos with figurative characters. Some of those characters are three-dimensional made out of modeling paste.

“I'm curious to see what the response will be,” Kimball said.

If you are curious now yourself, see the paintings on display at Goobies here in Boothbay Harbor and then take a drive down to Fore Street to see what Kimball is creating now.