Midcoast Conservancy is currently hosting a new exhibit of local artists’ work at its office gallery at 36 Water St. in Wiscasset. Artists featured in the new exhibit are Barbara Bean, Ed McCartan, Jackie Melissas and Ann Slocum.

The works range in style and medium, but all are informed by organic and natural forms and materials.

“This exhibit of recent work is of botanicals. Many are from Maine; a lot more are from remote climates that I can only imagine,” Bean said. “My subject is the depiction of rare and exotic specimens introduced to us by 17th and 18th century botanists and explorers who risked their lives collecting plants in wilderness never before explored. The stories and art work generated by their travels continues to excite and interest me. I believe it accounts for my strong attachment to plant life and my drive to depict it.”

McCartan’s work features botanical themes as well.

“These works represent my exploration of botanical and gestural imagery,” he said. “I often use the double image because I am interested in the ‘dialogue’ that this creates between the different areas of the work. Small natural forms, twigs, ferns, flowers, etc. leave room for experimentation with sumi-like strokes and lines and the layering of glazes throughout the composition. I often incorporate stenciling and prints into the work. I go to nature and the possibilities inherent in the materials for inspiration.”

Jackie Melissas’ ceramic creations, many of them smoke-fired to an almost iron-like hue, reflect that she is “drawn to the sensual nature of clay and fire and to the organic use of media,” she said. “My current work reflects an examination of archeological roots and contemporary aesthetics.”

Mixed-media artist Slocum likes a bit of everything.

“I am an abstract artist intrigued by architectural and geometric shapes and images,” said Slocum. “I began as a painter and subsequently explored quilting and fabric art before settling on mixed media painting. My interest in pattern and design lends itself well to the mixed media experience. I take collage elements made of different substances and use them to solve the design puzzle — to discover how they fit together. Then I apply acrylic paint to emphasize the key elements and unify the whole. I rarely title my work. I want the viewers to enjoy solving the puzzle themselves and to find their own meaning in my work.”

The exhibit is open to the public daily during Midcoast Conservancy hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at this month’s Wiscasset Art Walk July 28 from 5-8 pm. For more information, call (207) 389-5150 or go to midcoastconservancy.org.