Renowned Maine painter William Irvine is signing copies of his new book “William Irvine: A Painter’s Journey” and talking about his art at Gleason Fine Art on Thursday, Aug. 28 from 3 to 5 p.m. The public is cordially invited and refreshments will be served.

In the book’s forward, arts writer Carl Little says of Irvine: “He transforms elements of the landscape into abstract entities, innovates in line and color, and grasps the essential in the world before him. Drawing on a vital sense of place and a passion for paint, over the past half century, (Irvine) has brought forth a body of work that has earned him a special place in Maine and American art.”

A Scotsman by birth, Irvine spent his childhood in the southwest coastal village of Troon. Moving to the Blue Hill peninsula of Maine in 1967, Irvine has remained stateside ever since, except for frequent trips to the other side of the Atlantic to favorite haunts such as Brittany, France, and the coasts of both Ireland and Scotland. Maine’s rugged coast suits Irvine’s sensibilities — sailboats, clouds, working boats, sailors, blue skies, tidy white houses peopled by figures in bright shirts — it is all material for Irvine’s paintings.

Irvine’s decidedly modern style toggles between abstraction and depiction, “at once playful and primal, lush and spare,” as one arts writer puts it (April 2010, Down East). His painting technique is unique: eschewing brushes, he uses paper towels, which allows him to build up the many layers he needs to achieve his desired effect.

Now in his 80s, William Irvine still greets every day with the sense of wonder and adventure that has always driven him to paint.

Gleason Fine Art is located at 31 Townsend Avenue in Boothbay Harbor.

For more information, call the gallery at 207-633-6849, email us at info@gleasonfineart.com, or view Irvine’s work online at www.gleasonfineart.com.