It would be difficult to paint a more idyllic setting for an art installation than that of Hawk Ridge Farm in Pownal. Driving into this quiet country town nestled along rolling hills, lush foliage becoming bright with the first touch of fall, a scene is being set. Quietly. Unobtrusively.

Only 20 minutes out, the steady pace and traffic flow of Portland is a distant memory. Turning onto a narrow country road hard-packed with dirt and heaves and low, overhanging trees, intrigue turns into anticipation.

June LaCombe and Bill Ginn’s place is, I am sure, a homestead like no other. At first glance it’s charming, and then, you breathe.

Take in the surroundings and feel a sense of serenity that can only come from a kind of adoration its tenders surely must have for the natural beauty that envelopes this truly special place — an unassuming farmhouse with a stately post and beam addition, and a berry-colored barn perched behind it, up on a hill.

A meadow with two white horses grazing, their manes moving with the wind. The occasional cackle and cluck from the chickens out back and an autumnal light that, on this late afternoon, delivered its truest splendor.

We are not here to view art in the traditional sense of the word.

We have gathered at June LaCombe’s Autumnal Equinox Celebration to experience sculpture sited within a carefully and thoughtfully cultivated landscape setting.

“As we cut back our gardens in fall and the November landscape approaches,” explains LaCombe, “it is good to have the sentinel features of a piece of sculpture. It acts as a focal point, and you see that place in a whole new way. Your eye is drawn to it. Eyes go between piece and place, so they must complement each other.”

LaCombe, an independent arts consultant specializing in sculpture from New England, doesn’t just curate and site exhibitions.

She also oversees sales and all logistics, including delivery, siting and installation. No small feat, considering the materials these artists are working with.

The installation, “Autumn at Hawk Ridge Farm,” features 94 pieces by 26 New England artists. Works in granite, limestone, stainless steel and gold leaf are sited throughout the property — some nestled, some tucked away, others making more of a dramatic statement.

“The movement of water and the way that affects nature and forms inspires me,” said Jordan Smith, a sculptor from Pownal whose glacial boulder fountain attracted many admirers during the afternoon.

Placed in a garden cut back for the approaching winter, it inspired a quiet, contemplative mood — an impressive contrast to the materials and effort that went into creating it.

“I use boulders typically part of the glacial till, rounded out and dragged along by nature,” he said. “Stone, especially granite, are relics that will be around for eternity, certainly outlasting most things that exist in raw form now. Metal rots, wood, paint but stone is archival.”

That was a sentiment appreciated by Betsy and John McIlvian of Georgetown, patrons of LaCombe’s and admirers of Smith’s fountain. “We love to support the artists,” says John, “and we love to look at it too.”

Once folks enjoyed the opportunity to walk around and take in the splendor of both the lovely afternoon and the striking artwork, LaCombe gathered her guests back at the house to offer a warm thank-you and introduced Kat Logan, who treated us to a wonderful song, sung in her breathtaking a cappella: “You’ve got to sing like there’s nobody listening/ You’ve got to laugh like you’ve never been heard You’ve got to live like it’s heaven on Earth.”

“Autumn at Hawk Ridge Farm” in Pownal runs through Oct. 8, and is open daily (but please call first) and on Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.

Also on view by LaCombe is “On the Wing” at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, which runs through Oct. 8.

For more information, visit junelacombesculpture.com.

Margaret Logan is a freelance writer who lives in Scarborough. She can be reached at:

margaretlogan.squarespace.com