ROCKPORT — During the months of May and June, artist Maria J. King will exhibit a selection of her handcrafted shadow boxes in the Marine Room of the Rockport Public Library. King will be rotating in and out different boxes to showcase a variety of themes reflected in her collection of nearly 60 boxes.

King’s shadow boxes are created with printed artwork (paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, and digitally manipulated images), as well as three-dimensional items like lichen, moss, sea shells, stones, and miniature bottles.

Her interest in making shadow boxes began in May 2023 when she learned that the term “shadow box” originally referred to a box containing sailor's mementos (his shadow) of his time on a ship. Intrigued by the custom, King decided to create boxes filled with images she cherishes, which constitute her own shadow.

A complete catalog of the boxes, with titles, images, sources, and descriptions, will be included with the exhibit.

Maria J. King hails from Warsaw, Poland, and she and her husband, Richard, have lived in Liberty, Maine, since 2011.