Love for the Plump Series

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The Story of Plump | My Obsession with Gorgeous Maine Blueberries

An Ongoing Series that Sells Out Quickly - Commissions Now Offered

Prints, Journals and Cards Available

A friend visiting from outside New England this summer called our rustic, raw residential landscape “wild.” I took it as a compliment. We don’t tend to manicure everything here. Instead, we work with what’s already here — enhancing it, caring for it, and stewarding what Maine has to offer.

That’s certainly how I’ve approached my five acres. When I first arrived, I didn’t have a grand plan for the land. I started by paying attention to what was already growing. Blueberries were an obvious place to begin.

The property has its own blueberry history. Wild lowbush blueberries grow throughout the land, likely remnants from nearly 80 years ago when the property was a summer camp for schoolchildren. I love knowing that kids once wandered these woods picking berries long before I arrived with a shovel.

Over the years, I added a few bushes at a time. For a while, it hardly looked like I was getting anywhere. But slowly, they took hold. One became two, then four, and now there are about a dozen scattered across the property. Nothing manicured. Nothing particularly organized. Just slowly becoming part of the landscape.

Highbush Blueberries

• Highbush varieties grow on taller bushes, reaching heights of 6-12 feet, and produce larger berries. Highbush blueberries are common in farmer's markets, grocery stores, and many U-pick farms.

Lowbush Blueberries

• Lowbush blueberries are the quintessential "wild Maine blueberries." They grow low to the ground, often only 6-18 inches tall, and spread through rhizomes, creating dense patches across rocky, acidic soil. Lowbush blueberries are small but intensely flavorful, packing a sweet-tart punch with higher antioxidant levels. They’re often used in baking, harvested commercially, often by hand or with specialized rakes, and are widely used in products like jams, pies, and muffins.

My Oil Painting Process

That same connection to the land shows up in my painting, but this piece is anything but muted. I wanted to capture the intense chroma of blueberries — those deep, velvety blues and juicy violets, and the almost tactile sensation of their heavy, plump little bodies. I build the color in layers, pushing and adjusting until the berries feel lush and alive — almost good enough to pick.

Where to Find Blueberries When Visiting Maine

If you want to choose wiser and support the best possible practices, search for certified organic wild blueberry, hand-harvested, organically managed, and traditionally farmed, and MOFGA. (Maine Organic Farming and Gardening Association.)

This is possibly the best blueberry-finding website out there. Check out the map, farms, dates, etc here at Wild Blueberries. I especially love the pages on Why Wild and Growing and Harvest. Beautifully done!

Early August is the time to plan and often you will head north of here so of course stop in by my studio on your way!

• Gray Wild Blueberry Festival - August annually; on the second Saturday every August; blueberry menu items and delicious food trucks: Wild Blueberry Pie Eating Contests & Bake-off, Live Music, Crafters & Vendors, Farm Animals. Adding this to my calendar now!

• Crystal Spring Farmer’s Market: Located just outside Freeport in Brunswick, this vibrant market features an array of fresh produce, flowers, and handcrafted items, connecting you to the community’s rich agricultural heritage. You will find me here on most given summer Saturday mornings.