art shows worth making time for before they come down at the end of the year

When the ball drops on 2011, some of the season’s most impressive art shows will go down with it. But there’s still time left to treat yourself to a gallery while shopping and celebrating this holiday season.

For its season finale, The George Marshall Store Gallery in York, Maine, has brought together the work of 10 regional artists representing eight different cultural backgrounds in an exhibition titled “Visual Language.”

None of the exhibiting artists are native English speakers, but they have established themselves as strong communicators in the visual arts. They include Brian Chu, K. Min, Noriko Sakanishi, Ling-Wen Tsai, Shiao-Ping Wang, Josefina Auslender, Amparo Carvajal-Hufschmid, Brigitte Keller, Barbara Tieaho and Melita Westerlund,
Tsai, who was born in Taiwan and now lives in Portland, Maine, explains in her artist statement that a new culture means different values, expectations and logic. She says she has been liberated from the expectation of Eastern Culture.

Carvajal-Hufschmid explores the mark making of travelers in her large format prints, called “The Hobo Series.”  Others create their own language with symbols. Auslender repeats a red circle in her graphite drawings, called “Series Stendhal.” Wang uses multiple circular shapes, and Westerlund fashions painted aluminum into wreath-shaped sculptures. Most of the work is abstract, but Chu and Min paint the landscape and interior spaces.

Portland artist Roy Germon concurrently has a solo show in the gallery. He combines loose acrylic brush strokes with strong drawing in his real and imagined landscapes. His brushwork is fresh and immediate. A coral under-paint peeks through broad strokes of sea blues and soft greens in many of the mid-sized coastal scenes. 
Both exhibitions continue through Dec. 18, and then by appointment through the end of the year. The gallery reopens in April with new shows. It’s at 140 Lindsay Road.

Through Dec. 31, the Portland Museum of Art is featuring “Madeleine de Sinéty: Photographs,” among other exhibitions.

During the past 40 years, photographer Madeleine de Sinéty has been documenting the everyday lives and public events of those who reside in rural corners of the world. The selection of 71 images on view explore the breadth of her photographic essays. They vary from her multi-year exploration of traditional French farm families to village life in Uganda to the work of a single logger in northern Maine who still uses draft horses to pull logs from the woods. Also in Maine, de Sinéty has documented well-known photographer William Wegman making large Polaroid portraits of his dogs in Rangeley, where De Sinéty also lives.

This exhibition is the fourth in a series called “Circa” that explores contemporary art in Maine and its surroundings. The museum is at 7 Congress Square.

The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire in Dover is currentlyhosting “David McPhail: Looking Back ... and Beyond” in its Gallery 6, which seeks to promote creativity in children. It’s a fun way to entertain children of all ages.

Author and illustrator David McPhail has been an artist since childhood and began illustrating books for children in 1972. He’s created more than 75 imaginative books, including the celebrated “Mole Music,” which was named Best Illustrated Book of the Year by the New York Times Book Review.

The show gives insight into the creative process from initial drawings, sketches and dummy books up to the finished product. The characters include Henry Bear, Waddles the Raccoon, Emily Duck, Budgie & Boo, and others from the recently released book, “The Abandoned Lighthouse.”

The “Early Winter ’11 Exhibition” at The Gallery at 100 Market ranges from abstract expressionism to photorealism, with work from both seasoned professionals and emerging artists from around the region. It’s hanging through Jan. 13.

On the four floors of wall space, 16 artists from three states show off multiple works, allowing viewers to get a real feel for their individual styles. It’s located near the center of downtown, where shoppers can take a break from the carols and chaos.

Exhibiting artists at 100 Market include Maddi Alana, Judith Andrews, Russell Aharonian, Martine L’Etoile, Marina Forbes, Gillian Fournier, Christopher R. Gowell, Kate Higley, John Rufo, Caroline Rufo, Meghan Howland, Jasmine Inglesmith, Aline Lotter, Bill Oakes, Christopher W. A. Potheir and Regina Valluzzi.
Several galleries have holiday sales on view with small, affordable art for giving. It’s an easy way to sneak in some sparkle and shop at the same time.

York Art Association will be hosting a “Holiday Gift Sale” with fine art and craft items priced under $100 during the second and third weekends in December, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. It’s another opportunity to support artists by shopping locally for photography, jewelry, pottery, fiber art, soy candles, and cards.

Also, The Barley Pub in Dover will be hosting local artisans and crafters for a last-minute holiday sale on Sunday, Dec. 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in a new event called the “The Barley Pub Local Artists Market.”