Portland has such a vibrant art community, and we’ve chosen to showcase some of the local talent here, in Maine, through a rotating gallery in common spaces at The Francis. Each exhibit will either feature an artist or subject from Maine.

Scenic lobster boats docked near Portland Maine hotel, offering rich coastal experiences.

Leslie Anderson

Artist Statement
“In 2002, my husband Dan Nygaard and I left our lives in high tech and bought a farm in Sedgwick, Maine, on the Blue Hill Peninsula. I wanted to paint; he wanted to be a flower farmer. Twenty years later, we are still married, still painting, and still farming. I feel blessed to live in Maine: summers Downeast and winters in a downtown Portland loft. Painting the local landscape deepens my connection to my adopted home.

My summer subject is the landscape of the Blue Hill Peninsula, which I interpret in oils and watercolors. In winter, working in my Portland studio, I paint still life and people and places glimpsed during days of summer painting. Whether out-of-doors or in my studio, my artistic concerns are the same: light against dark, pattern and repetition, and vibrant color.”

-Leslie Anderson

Learn more at leslieanderson.com

Abigayle Clark

Abigayle Clark is the General Manager of The Francis, where historic character meets modern hospitality in the heart of Portland. She’s a go-to for local insight, and when she’s not at the hotel, she’s likely hanging with her cat George or skating with her roller derby team.
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