In the latter part of his life, Wayne Thompson was a dedicated patron of Artistree, the community arts center in South Pomfret. An artist himself, he submitted numerous paintings and sculptures to group exhibitions over the years.

But Thompson made perhaps his most generous contribution just before his death last October at the age of 83, when he donated most of his remaining body of work to raise money for Artistree’s scholarship fund. Pieces from the collection will be available for purchase by donation in the gallery’s upcoming exhibition “Hats Off to Wayne Thompson,” which opens with a reception on Saturday, April 12.

“We want people to be able to take his work and remember him,” Deborah Goodwin, who helps run Artistree Community Gallery, said.

A life-long artist, Thompson graduated from Woodstock Union High School in 1959 before attending Rhode Island School of Design where he studied photography.

After art school, Thompson worked as a graphic designer in Boston and New York, but eventually returned to his hometown of Woodstock where he became immersed in the area’s art and theater community.

“Everybody knows Wayne,” said Artistree’s gallery coordinator Azusa Mihara.

His participation in Artistree ran the gamut from attending life drawing classes to taking part in the collaborative support group Daily Artists to talking to young students about his sculptures as a gallery instructor. “He really liked engaging with others,” Goodwin said.

Thompson’s work was varied, too. His sculptures, wooden shapes rising from thin lengths of wire, are simple and lighthearted. Sometimes, the pieces are coated in primary colors, making the sculpture look like a three dimensional rendering of a Mondrian painting.

When it came to painting, clouds were a perennial source of inspiration for Thompson. “I think he found the shifting light and colors fascinating,” Goodwin said.

Like his sculptures, the paintings, with their Day-Glo hues and billowing forms, betray a similar type of optimism.

“He was a pretty spiritual guy, too, so I like to think he found some spiritual meaning in the clouds,” Goodwin said.

Thompson ultimately donated some 70 works of sculpture, painting and photography to Artistree. The majority of pieces will be for sale by donation during a reception at the Lobby Gallery from 3 to 5 p.m. this Saturday. The remaining work will be on display in the gallery and available for purchase through May 24. For more information, visit artistreevt.org.

The upcoming week is a busy one for arts in the Upper Valley. Some events of note are included below:

A center for the arts

After 15 years of bringing arts programming to New London and its neighboring towns, the Center for the Arts will unveil an exhihibition and classroom space of its own on Thursday, April 10. The grand opening will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. and is open to the public. For more information, visit centerfortheartsnh.org.

Films for anglers

Also that evening, the Lebanon Opera House will take part in the 19th annual Fly Fishing Film Tour with a 7 p.m. screening of short films from around the world. 

For tickets ($17) and more information, visit lebanonoperahouse.org or call 603-448-0400. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to the Greater Upper Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the New Hampshire and Vermont Chapters of the Native Fish Coalition, a national nonprofit focused on the conservation of wild fish.

How to use your eyes

Another film screening about the natural world is slated for Sunday, April 13 at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) in Quechee. “Observer” is the latest project from Ian Cheney, a documentary filmmaker and Vermont College of the Arts alum based in Maine. In an age where our perception of the physical world is often derailed by the distractions of modern life, “Observer” invites viewers to reconnect with their most basic powers of observation. The premise is simple, a group of writers, artists, scientists, even a hunter, are taken to undisclosed locations across the globe and tasked with describing what they see. The screening starts at 3 p.m. For tickets ($13), visit vinsweb.org, or call 802-359-5000.

New art exhibitions

The work of four artists are on view at AVA Gallery through May 10. In the Clifford B. West Gallery, the soft sculptures of Massachusetts artist Cynthia Atwood are displayed alongside the abstract paintings of Concord native Mark Lorah. Heidi Broner’s portraits of everyday life and Chris Papa’s makeshift sculptures are exhibited in the adjoining rooms. Both artists are based in Vermont. 

The show is free to the public. For more information, visit avagallery.org.

Across the river, on Gates Street in White River Junction, Kishka Gallery’s new exhibit, “Art from Hexagon Bridge,” includes a series of intricate scenes by New York-based cartoonist Richard Blake. The show offers a kind of behind-the-scenes peek at Blake’s comic series “Hexagon Bridge,” an adventure story about two cartographers who become trapped in a parallel dimension. “Art from Hexagon Bridge” is on view through April 26. For more information, visit the gallery’s Instagram page @kishka.vt.

Also in White River Junction, JAM will be hosting an installation by Arantza Pena Popo, a fellow at the Center for Cartoon Studies. Bright and colorful, Pena Popo’s work explores political events and activism through a marriage of cartooning and journalism. The show opens on Friday, April 11 and is free to the public. For more information, visit uvjam.org.

Marion Umpleby can be reached at mumpleby@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.