River Arts in Damariscotta will present photographers Gail and Paul Karlsson in a two-person show “Wild Birds and Whimsies” in the River Room at 36 Elm St. This display runs from Thursday, July 13 through Wednesday, Aug. 2. A public reception will be held on from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, July 15.

Gail Karlsson, an environmental lawyer, writer and photographer focuses on protection and appreciation of the natural world. She grew up in New York City and spent summers at her family’s house in Tenants Harbor, where she learned to love wild creatures and landscapes, according to a news release from Heather Greene at the gallery.

Her images aim to evoke a deep emotional sense of our interconnections and impacts on the natural world. She especially loves watching and photographing the graceful great egrets. Gail shares, “They are most common in marshy areas or salt flats, where they wade into the shallow water to catch fish. However, their foraging areas are becoming increasingly vulnerable to flooding and erosion related to climate change and rising sea levels.”

Her brother, photographer Paul Karlsson of Rockland, looks at an object inviting the viewer to see intricate and often unnoticed parts of a subject resulting in a compelling abstract result. He says of his work, “The pictures in this show derive from sand, rocks, rust, clouds, reflections, mold and other unlikely sources of inspiration. Rather than render the real, I have tried to tease out what surreality or subreality the original image might conceal. Not everyone shares my whimsy but that of course is fine and I am always pleased when others see things I have not.”

Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit riverartsme.org or call 207-563-6868.

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