Karen and John Vander have been representing artists from Tuscany, Italy for 28 years with great pleasure. This summer, for a brief two weeks, the Vanders have curated an exhibit for six of these very unique and talented painters. Some have shown at their gallery for years and two are brand new to the gallery.

The “Six Tuscan Painters” exhibition opens Aug. 23 and runs through Sept. 5.

Francesca Bettaccini lives near Lucca and is a true naive. Her medium is oil and her subjects are creatures from her imagination. She is a fine colorist and paints in oil on board. She loves birds especially, so her small rich paintings are her feathered friends. This is her first exhibit in the U.S.

Marco Minozzi is a Florentine oil painter who will also be having his premiere exhibit in America at the gallery. His subjects are vistas of past, present and future landscapes. They are like dreams that you may remember and certainly will never forget.

Laura Bianchi, Pisa, is a Hyper-realist who paints unforgettable, precise portraits of people. Her work is so real you cannot believe they’re not photographs. Laura has shown her amazing paintings at Gold/Smith Gallery for 25 years.

Carlo Albucci is an oil painter who loves to laugh at life. His work is surreal and quite ironic.

Also represented are Claudio Stefanelli, Pescia and Lorella Ciampelli, Livorno, Italy. They have shown their paintings at Gold/Smith Gallery for 20 years.

This exhibit offers the public a peek into the talents of six painters, all from the same region and all extremely diverse and unique from each other. It is with great pleasure the Vanders offer up this opportunity to experience a “taste” of Tuscany.

There will be an artists reception at the gallery Saturday, Aug. 25 from 4-7 p.m. The public is invited to come and meet Francesca Bettaccini, who is visiting Maine just for this exhibit.

The gallery is at 8 McKown Street, Boothbay Harbor. For more information the gallery can be reached at 633-6252 or at their website, www.goldsmithgallery.net.