NORWAY — The Western Maine Art Group has named Molly Mains as September artist of the month at its Main Street gallery.

Mains has created art her entire life and also has taught art to middle school students. She is currently working in wood cutting and carving. She enjoys working with Shina plywood — a member of the Linden tree family — as well as birch. She enjoys the carving process and the sound of woodcarving with the Shina which is dense enough to hold sharp edges and the details needed for multiple printings.

Mains recently changed over from using oil paint to artist-based aqua inks — soy based — which are very translucent and allow the wood grain to show through. She prefers mixing colors to get the right combination known as producing a “varied edition.” She leans toward printmaking from flowers, stone walls and landscapes near her home in Bridgton.

Mains also works in gelatin prints and is currently exhibiting some of these works at the McLaughlin Gardens in South Paris. Gelatin prints rely on the use of sponges and many layers of paper to allow masks and stencils to create one final print work. For more information, visit www.westernmaineartgroup.org.