PORTLAND — As an abstract painter, Maine artist Frederick Lynch uses a system of repeated geometries and mathematical divisions to create his art.

Thirty of his works — paintings, works on paper, wooden sculptures and painted reliefs — are on view in the “Division and Discovery: Recent Work by Frederick Lynch” exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art.

Lynch’s paintings evoke the type of order and chaos found in patterns of nature — branching, veining of leaves and molecular systems. He often begins a work by drawing a 120-degree line, and then continues to further divide the picture plane into hundreds of increasingly smaller shapes, each layered with variations in color, line and scale.

In Lynch’s recent work, he dissected these vibrant, painted geometries, isolating them into individual units, or segments as he terms them. Once distilled, the shapes are then magnified in drawings, gouaches and wooden constructions.

The exhibition pairs sculptural segments and their companion drawings and large-scale paintings, highlighting the evolution of specific forms through shifts in scale and media.

Lynch, born in 1935, has lived in Maine for more than 35 years. He was a faculty member of the University of Southern Maine’s art department from 1981 to 2006, and has exhibited widely throughout New England and beyond.

In 2005, the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland mounted a 20-year survey of his work. His work is in numerous public and private collections, including the PMA.

As part of the exhibit, Lynch will give a talk on his career and process, with a question-and-answer session, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 13. Free with museum admission. A reception will follow in the McLellan House.

The museum at Seven Congress Square is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday; and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students with ID, $4 for youths ages 6-17 and free for children under 6. Admission is free from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday.

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