PORTLAND (AP) – William Thon was a nationally recognized landscape artist whose paintings are part of the collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian.

His works will soon hang on the walls of 68 Maine schools. On Friday, the Fred P. Hall Elementary School in Portland accepted an untitled Thon watercolor of a solitary sailboat, becoming the first school to receive a Thon painting under terms of his will.

Thon, who died in 2000 at age 94, donated his art work to schools in hopes of inspiring artistic expression in Maine youngsters.

He directed his estate, with the assistance of the Portland Museum of Art, to donate one of his paintings to each public school in Portland and Knox County, as well as the largest high school and elementary school in each county.

In all, 68 Maine schools will receive a Thon original. The distribution began Friday, when representatives of the Portland Museum of Art arrived at Hall Elementary with the small sailboat painting under wraps.

Dana Baldwin, the museum’s director of education, said Thon wanted to donate his paintings to Maine schools because he believed that youngsters nourished in the arts evolve into artistic adults.

Thon often cited his experience growing up in New York City, where he had access to great paintings at an early age. He moved to Maine in 1940 and lived in the village of Port Clyde in the town of St. George.

“When he was in New York visiting their museums, he dreamed of growing up and becoming an artist someday,” Baldwin told a group of fifth-graders.

The schools must hang the paintings in a public place and protect them from harm. Hall principal Deirdre Steiner said the painting will hang in the library, where students and others will have daily access.

“I think it’s a great gift to the community, and it’s a beautiful piece of art,” said 10-year-old Gabe Terracciano. “It’s an honor to be the first school to get one.”

As part of the gift, the Portland museum will include a label with information about Thon to place next to the paintings, a lesson plan, information about educational programs at the museum, a video about Thon and information about how to care for the artwork.

James A. Houle, a legal counsel to Thon’s estate, declined to give a specific value for individual pieces of art in the school program, but said a Thon painting similar to the one donated to Hall recently sold for between $2,000 and $3,000.

At the time of his death, Thon’s estate, with hundreds of paintings, was valued at $3 million.

AP-ES-11-15-03 1220EST