WATERVILLE — It was a gala night for Maine art collectors, as well as art enthusiasts, when the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce held its first annual Maine Art Auction last week at the Stern’s Cultural Center.

With proper dress required, some auction-goers took the opportunity to make the evening a festive one, with men in dark suits and artistic ties and women in party dresses and heels. An elegant buffet of finger-foods and an open bar added to the atmosphere.

For the first hour of the evening, potential buyers were able to view the more than 70 pieces of art on display. The paintings and prints were delicately lighted, with the room submerged in near darkness to draw viewers to the walls of the hall.

Of particular interest to many were several prints by John Gable, who was commissioned by Dennis Conner, skipper of several America’s Cup yachts, including the Stars & Stripes now in competition, to capture the intensity of the sailing races. Children’s book illustrator Mimi Carpenter had several prints on display depicting intricate seashell collages.

Many attending also appeared to have already picked out a spot in their homes to hang a beautiful acrylic and oil painting by J. M. Belle of a spray of white, pink and purple lilacs set off in a thick, wooden frame.

At 7 p.m., auction-goers took their seats to compete in the bidding. Bidding was subdued initially, with some people evidentally looking for art bargains. But auctioneer Channing Howard passed on any print or painting if the bid was not high enough to meet the suggested retail price of the work.

Cajoling bidders, Howard jokingly told them while auctioning one print, “The more you bid, the more you’ll like it.” Erika Frazee and Kimberly Nadeau handled the display aspect of the auction, even offering to carry the works into the audience to give bidders a better view of the art piece.

David Savage, president of the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, hailed the evening a success, with more than $6,000 taken in. Several paintings went for more than $400.

“The response from the artists was incredible,” he said. “We have a lot of good commments from them, and they want to come back next year.”

It looks like the auction will become an annual event, Savage said, but organizers will next year look to holding it on a weekend night.