BANGOR (AP) – A portrait of former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell that will hang in the Capitol is the work of an artist from Cushing who is best known for his realist depictions of Maine stones and other still lifes.

Alan Magee will join Mitchell on Tuesday as the Senate Commission on Art unveils the portrait of the Maine Democrat, who is being honored in the Leadership Portrait Collection for his work as Senate majority leader from 1989 until 1995.

The Senate established the collection in 1999 to honor majority leaders. Several former leaders, including Robert Taft, Howard Baker Jr. and Mike Mansfield, are already represented, but their portraits were gifts rather than commissions.

The portrait of Mitchell is the first commission of a 20th century majority leader to be unveiled. Artist Ray Kinstler is working on a portrait of Sen. Robert Dole, to be completed by the end of this year. Next on the commissioning lineup is Tom Daschle, said Diane Skvarla, curator of the Senate collection.

“Our collection is a history of this country,” Skvarla said. “The Senate feels we should honor the leaders – whether Democrat or Republican – because they have reached the pinnacle of what they can do in the Senate. The Capitol is a great symbol of democracy, and these are the leaders who help us achieve this.”

Members of the advisory board that picked Magee agreed that he was an unconventional choice for an official portrait. But the precision and scope of his talent made him a unanimous choice from a group of three finalists. The name of the other two – both well-known portrait artists – were not released by the commission.

Mitchell, who interviewed all three finalists, said it was not his intention to be daring, although he recognizes why Magee’s style might be seen that way. Magee’s portfolio of other works, he said, were “striking and impressive.” It helped, too, that Magee lives in Mitchell’s home state.

“All other things being equal, I’d like to have someone from Maine involved with this project,” Mitchell said. “I’m not an expert on art, but I was impressed by him personally and by the quality of what I saw in his work. Many of the portraits I’ve seen seem to be cluttered in the background and detail. His work seemed to be spare, clean and accurate in capturing the essence of the objects. His paintings are very direct. That’s a quality of Maine people, too.”

In the portrait, Mitchell looks directly at the viewer from his post at the historic Senate desk. He is dressed in a dark navy-blue suit, white shirt and a tie with geometric shapes. The tips of his fingers are spread open and rest assuredly on the desk.

“I had a strong impression of the way Mitchell worked, but it wasn’t until he was in the studio that I noticed his gestures,” Magee said. “Mitchell is a person who is really able to listen over long periods of time, looking at you and responding. I wanted the painting to be strong and to be relatively symmetrical, with a frontal alertness.”

The portrait will hang in the Capitol permanently, though its exact display spot won’t be determined until after the unveiling, Skvarla said.

“This portrait continues to bring our collection into the modern era,” the curator said. “People are used to seeing a traditional portrait painter. Alan Magee isn’t that, and I commend Senator Mitchell because he trusted the artist to go for a portrait like this. He chose something new and unique for the Capitol. We are all thrilled with the work.”