A special feature of photographic images, “Celebrating the Year of the Sheep” by Nina Fuller, will open on Thursday, Aug. 27 at Sylvan Gallery in Wiscasset. The reception with the photographer will be open to the public on Aug. 27 from 5 to 8 p.m. The exhibition will continue through Sept. 27.

Fullerʼs photographic images are visually compelling, personal and sensitive. She describes her life on her farm and her relationship to her work in the following artist statement:

“I have been a photographer for over 40 years, a shepherdess to some 40 Scottish blackface sheep for only five years. In the years that I have raised sheep on my farm in Hollis, I have fallen in love with every aspect of it. It’s not all cute lambs and beautiful faces, there is tragedy in farming livestock that can bring you to your knees. Maybe this makes the beautiful parts even more beautiful.

“In ‘Farm Worker,’ the photograph of the young man in the barn was taken during the gathering of the sheep for their shots. It’s a treat to have people come help because itʼs hard on my back, and most importantly, I am able to photograph activity with sheep and people. Most of the time I am alone, with the sheep, the light, the barn and my camera.

“All of these photographs include the animals and me. In ‘Roy (the Goat) and Casey,’ Roy looks at me as if he has a question, probably wondering where his cracker is.

“In ‘Running Lambs,’ I was in the center of the field while the lambs ran around and around me. In ‘Bernadette and her Lamb,’ Bernadette looks at me with that strong mother instinct to protect her young lamb. I love the tiny horns on the lamb compared to Bernadetteʼs mature horns. ‘The Gathering’ is of the horses in the snow with the sheep, and Emma, the Merino, pops her head up to see what I am there for.”

Fuller has had the honor of photographing our presidents and first ladies including Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, George and Barbara Bush, and George W. and Laura Bush.

She has traveled the world photographing and writing about her experiences. Her work has appeared in the Boston Globe, The New York Times, Maine Sunday Telegram, National Geographic Traveler, Practical Horseman and many other national and international publications.

Fuller works in a carriage-house studio on her sheep farm where she offers group and individual workshops in photography and Equine Assisted Photography Therapy (EAPT).

For more information, and to view more of Fuller’s work, visit www.ninafullerphotography.com.

A selection of the work by the gallery’s other contemporary American fine artists will also be on display, including paintings by Peter Layne Arguimbau, Joann Ballinger, Al Barker, Angelo Franco, Susannah Haney, Tina Ingraham, Charles Kolnik, Paul Lipp, Greg Laderer, Heather Gibson Lusk, Stan Moeller, Robert Noreika, Crista Pisano, Ann Scanlan, Polly Seip, Morgan Starr, Shirley Cean Youngs, and Trenton Forster Youngs.

Call Ann or Rick Scanlan at 207-882-8290 for more information or visit sylvangallery.com.

The gallery, located at 49 Water Street in Wiscasset (next to Red's Eats), is open daily, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.