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Monday 10am - 7pm Tuesday 10am - 7pm Wednesday 10am - 7pm Thursday 10am - 7pm Friday 10am - 7pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Mainely Frames & Gallery

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Portland, ME
Mainely Frames & Gallery

Portland Maine gallery at 541 Congress Street, specializing in Maine artists, custom picture framing and rare maps.

Call us with questions or if you are looking for a specific map! Mainely Frames & Gallery is a unique store in the heart of the Arts District in Portland, ME. We specialize in quality custom picture framing, rare antique maps, assorted reproductions, and original artwork from several local artists.

05/27/2026

Bill Paxton (1930-2007), born in Lewiston, was one of Maine’s top selling artists. He had a passion for painting and from a young age was known for his talents in sketching. Paxton captured many popular Maine scenes with watercolor, acrylic, and oil. His work also includes historical scenes referenced in books dated as early as the 1920’s, painting locomotives, aircraft, and war scenes. Paxton’s art is sold all over the world.

As a student at Bridgton Academy, he was featured in his yearbook. It states, “When artist Bill picks up his pen, we all stand at attention, for his remarks and pictures are certainly worth mention.” He wanted to pursue a career selling his art, but it was during the time of the Great Depression.

Also in his younger years, Paxton had an interest in skiing and won a medal for Second Highest Ski Jump. From there he went to flying and received a certification for Second-in-Command, to fly alongside the Captain in a C-46F type aircraft. He then joined the Air Force in the 40’s, although his passion and talent for art was constant throughout his life.

Paxton quickly became the front line military sketch artist. He was a draftsman for the 14th Air Force in the Management Analysis section, holding a position at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, GA. for 22 years. In his spare time, Paxton also did humorous cartoon sketches about Air Force and civilian life. Some of his paintings are now hanging on the walls of the Pentagon in Washington D.C.

Paxton retired in Maine after his service. He was content living a somewhat hermit-like existence. His passion for art continued with vigor until poor health prevented him from painting any longer.

05/23/2026

Our William Harrison prints are also available in smaller sizes and already matted and ready for framing. Perfect for gifts, souvenirs, and just the right size for your suitcase. All of these prints and more are also featured in the William C. Harrison coffee table book which is available for purchase in store and online at mainelyart.com

05/20/2026

Step back in time with these matted prints from Portland's past.
These prints come from "The Beauties of Portland and Scenic Gems of Casco Bay", published by G.W. Morris in 1895.

05/16/2026

Have you seen our downstairs gallery?
We have a wide selection of maps, both antique and reproductions, in our downstairs gallery. We also have a room dedicated to the canvas wall maps that you see here. All maps are available for purchase.

05/13/2026

Artist Spotlight
William C. Harrison (1944-2016)
Cityscapes Capture Excitement in Black and White
Capturing the full impact of a scene color working in black and white is generally thought of as a photographic skill. William C. Harrison of Portland, Maine has made his reputation doing it with pen and ink. His use of fine lines and dots textures produces intensities of light and shadow which gives the distinct impression of color on color. This ability is used with great effect in Harrison’s panoramic sky cityscapes. Each drawing takes up to 200 hours to complete, though Harrison says, “I’m really working all the time.”
Harrison, or “bil” as he sometimes signs his name, was born in Chesapeake, Virginia, in 1944. He’s been a commercial success since the age of three when his grandfather paid him 25 cents an hour to draw anything he wanted to, just so long as he drew something. This led eventually to six years of formal art training in oil, acrylic, watercolor, and pen and ink. His closely rendered style is largely self-taught, however, and developed out from his 10 years of experience. “No matter what I’m doing, I’m always looking for that perfect view, the right light, the important detail. You could say that each drawing took all my life to do,” he says.
After he decides to do a particular scene, Harrison will spend hours choosing just the right angle. “Every town has a vantage point from which you can see its whole personality. That’s what I look for,” he says. He works from photographs, and will take up to 150 color shots in order to find that one “just right” view.
Why color photography and not black and white? Because Harrison achieves a dimension in his work that few others do by translating directly from color to black and white. Harrison has a photographic eye and works in meticulous detail, leaving nothing out. “It’s the opposite of impressionism,” he says, “I try to capture what the eye sees.”
His work has appeared nationally in such publications as Better Homes and Gardens, The New Yorker, Field and Stream, and Wooden Boat. His technical understanding of printing led him to adapt his technique so prints of his work reproduce like the originals. Prints of Harrison’s Cityscapes are signed, limited editions, and his originals are in demand. Some limited edition prints have sold out, and are now sought by collectors. He’s determined to do at least one cityscape in each of the 50 States. Then he wants to do the capital cites of Europe. And then? He grins through his beard, “And then, there’s always the rest of the world.”

05/09/2026

Artist (and mapmaker) Spotlight:

For 40 years, Jane Crosen has been on a journey of discovery in making and interpreting maps, and exploring Maine's landscape and its history. She found her niche in maps and editing working at DeLorme Publishing in Yarmouth, where she compiled the Gazetteer listings for the all-new 1981 edition of the Maine Atlas. Jane Crosen has made a variety of hand-drawn maps of Maine's coast, lakes, and waterways, and we are proud to feature these works in our collection.

05/06/2026

Artist Spotlight:
Paul Vose
After spending summers in Maine as a child, Paul Vose moved to Maine from Colorado as soon as he was grown and able to make his own decisions. His love for the sea and for the mountains is evident in his photography. His photographs represent his love of the state. Sometimes he takes shots from airplanes and helicopters. He especially enjoys panoramic photography because it seems to tell a larger story than conventional sized photographs. His keen eye is always on the look-out for the next great photograph. He now lives in the Greater Portland area with his family.

05/02/2026

Artist Spotlight:

Ronald Goyette
1941 – 2002
Ron was born in Brockton, Massachusetts on September 5, 1941 to Eugene and Beatrice Goyette. They soon moved to Lowell, Massachusetts, where Ron spent most of his youth, and graduated from Lowell High School.
While living in Massachusetts, he worked primarily in the food service industry. He spent several years as a corrections officer at Concord State Prison, as the Head Chef in the kitchen. During this time he was also painting and learning the craft that would become his passion.
In the early 1960's, he began to sell his artwork locally. After a weekend trip to Ogunquit, Maine, he returned home and proceeded to put his paintings into two metal barrels and burn them. He claimed that the quality of the work he had seen in Maine, and the fact that the artists were selling their paintings for less than he was asking for his own, woke him up to the reality of the profession. From then on, he became much more serious about developing his skill.
He left his job at the prison, and moved to Maine in the late 1960's. He established a studio in Lower Village, Kennebunk, which he made his home for the rest of his life.
In 1980, he purchased the property at 11 Western Avenue in Lower Village, and turned it into both his studio and his home. Later in that year, he became the founding president of the Art Guild of the Kennebunk’s.
Ron's artwork focused on the natural strength and beauty of the Maine coast, his depiction of water being most impressive. He also had a fondness for "turn of the century" pieces, showing local Maine areas as they looked in the early 1900's. Several of his paintings were made into limited edition prints.

04/05/2026

Mainely Frames & Gallery will be closed today for Easter. We will be back tomorrow, Monday, with our regular hours. Thank you!

04/02/2026

There's more than one way to frame:
Beyond traditional framing, Mainely Frames & Gallery also offers a mounting/framing process through ArtiPlaq.
Artiplaq takes your piece and mounts it onto a wood board and treats it with a coating that ensures protection from UV rays.
Your work will be permanently mounted, and comes complete with hanging hardware to make it easy to memorialize your piece.
This framing method is great for larger reproductions, nautical charts, and other memorabilia. We have worked with clients looking to frame flyers, advertisements, art prints, maps, and much more. This is a great option to preserve artwork et. al. while eliminating the need for traditional framing with glass etc.
We have plenty of pieces in our gallery that have been Artiplaq'd; stop by and see if this is the right option for you.

Address

541 Congress Street
Portland, ME
04101

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 7pm
Tuesday	10am - 7pm
Wednesday	10am - 7pm
Thursday	10am - 7pm
Friday	10am - 7pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+12078280031

Website

http://mainelyart.com/

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