The Boothbay Region Art Foundation's annual Art in the Square event is an exhibition and art collector's dream.

Over 150 mini masterpieces created on 12 by 12-inch canvas squares are presented on every square inch of the gallery's ground level display area.

Oils, watercolors, acrylics, inks, pastel oils, collage, photographs, driftwood, and orange pot warp, aka “funk” adorn the pieces.

Walking in to the Art Foundation on Dec. 6, the opening reception for the show, between the art and the 50-60 people in the gallery was, well, overwhelming.

With all the color, sound and lights, where does an art critic begin? There were so many interesting pieces. Early on I discovered two pieces that drew me in. I had to find the artist, which wasn’t difficult since she was right at the desk.

June Campbell Rose has four pieces in the show. Two in particular, “Winter Moon” and “O Little Town,” comprise tissue paper and oil pastels. Rose said she waters down a special glue that makes the colors in the tissue paper run. Rose layers the paper and manipulates it with her hands. She then applies oil pastel color to the tissue paper colors.

These two pieces are fascinating to look at. “Winter Moon,” colorful layers draw the eye upward to a gold moon in a black sky.

In “O Little Town,” the effect of the manipulated tissue paper takes on the appearance of other dimensions slowly swirling, mist-like around the manger scene.

BRAF Trustee Bruce Burnham has the most unusual piece in the show, in an equally unusual medium — funk. “Orange Tree,” is composed of orange net twine. Burnham uses it to tie off shrink wrapped boats. When the end of the roll is cut off, it frays at the end.

“I started peeling it apart and my son, Matthew, peeled it some more,” Burnham said. “It just sat out where I could see it every day. I thought something about it looked artistic. One day I twisted the trunk a little and put it on the canvas I had planned to paint on. It looked like a tree, so I added some oranges and there it was, an orange tree.”

Many other Boothbay region artists created works for the show, including: Helen Farnham, Kim Despres-Villard, John Vander, Mark Mellor, Jo Bach Crary, Maria Boord (whose latest piece was delivered wet!), Sally G. Smith, Ann Hedgecock, Bruce MacDonald, Annette Stormont, Nathan Campbell, Charles Asbury, Jennifer Litchfield, June Elderkin, Hilary E. Bartlett, Sandra Stout, Maria Doelp, Virginia Forrest (Wiscasset), Tom Whittle, Cecile Clifford, Merlin Smith, Mary Ellen Serina and Michael Lewis.

In addition to the Boothbay region artists submitting works are others from Damariscotta, Bristol, Rockport, Rockland, Walpole, Waldoboro, Lisbon, Lewiston, Augusta, Dresden and Brunswick.

The Art in the Square show runs through early January and new pieces are always coming in. Works are expected from other local artists, including Roger Milinowski and John M.T. Seitzer.

For more information, call the gallery, Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 207-633-2703.