AUGUSTA (AP) – Maine will mark artist Andrew Wyeth’s birthday with a special proclamation each July 12 if a bill moving through the Legislature is enacted.

The bill, which awaited only a final Senate vote before being sent to Gov. John Baldacci, says the governor shall annually issue a proclamation designating July 12th as Wyeth Day. The bill says Wyeth had “long and lasting ties” with Maine and that his family had made significant contributions to the state’s artistic and cultural heritage.

Wyeth, who kept a summer home in Maine, died Jan. 16 at the age of 91.

AP-ES-05-21-09 1135EDT