Summer Lovin’ Series
Above: Williams 24 × 36 showing at Meetinghouse Arts Gallery, $795.00
Others in the series include 9×12 and 6×6 variations showing at Zephyr. Images below.
Oil on Canvas. If interested, feel free to contact me directly, and I can coordinate shipping.
“Summer Lovin’” Coastal Maine Islands Series
This summer marked my first full season as a Registered Maine Sea Kayak Guide, leading trips for locals and visitors through the L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery Program. What began as a goal—something I had to work incredibly hard for—became one of the most joyful and fulfilling summers of recent years.
The process of becoming a Maine Guide was not easy. It demanded patience, persistence, and more humility than I expected. I took the course twice, studied countless maps and tide charts, and worked entry-level jobs hauling boats to gain experience. When I failed the test the first time, I truly doubted myself — maybe it wasn’t meant to be. I rallied and tried again—and when I finally passed, I felt not only relief but pride in representing the state I love — the planet I treasure - by sea kayak.
What I didn’t know then was how deeply I would fall in love—with the islands themselves.
Sisters, Pettingill, Williams… each one became a familiar friend one shift at a time. Sisters, with the ledge where seals soaked up the sun. Pettingill welcomed a day’s halfway point and a curious juvenile bald eagle. And Williams, with weather, would allow us to visit enormous osprey nests. Often, as our kayaks glided through the water between these islands, curious seals would pop their heads up just a few feet away, studying us as if we were the entertainment.
Guiding was more than leading trips—it was sharing the wonder of this place. I watched families from away kayak for their first time- to be on the OCEAN for their first time. I helped nervous first-timers find their rhythm and watched their confidence grow stroke by stroke. I saw locals, who had driven past the coastline a hundred times, finally see their home from the water’s perspective—and ruminate how blessed we are to live here.
Lucky for me, there are over 4,600 islands on the coast of Maine.
Seeing from Sea Level: How Guiding Transformed My Art
This past summer, guiding sea kayak trips gave me something I hadn’t expected—an entirely new way of seeing. Shimmer of light on water, waves splashing on granite, the slow bend of trees shaped by years of salt wind. The islands aren’t just destinations anymore; they have become my friends — full of deep personalities, moods, colors.
That perspective began to seep into my art. Instead of painting from photos—those tidy, contained moments—I started painting from memory of sensations. ( Getting photos is rather a challenge with a paddle in hand.) Painting became “What did it feel like to be there as the tide turned? How did I feel as sky shifted from peach to lavender, or when the moonlight rippled across the bay and we paddled in rare stillness?
I began reaching for my palette knife more often than my brushes. It allowed me to capture the edge of a wind-bent pine or the textured pull of clouds before a storm. I could drag paint across the canvas the way a gust of wind drags across open water. There’s freedom in that gesture. The wildness transferred to my canvas.
Each painting became less about place and more about presence. They are not portraits of islands so much as impressions of time spent among them. The chosen colors and tools meant to capture my feels.
WHAT TO DO NEXT SUMMER: HOW TO GET ON THE WATER
Here are three top-notch ways to explore the water in Freeport next summer — from guided paddling to boat tours. And…not that far from my lovely little Studio in the Woods!
L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery Programs
I recommend an introductory kayaking course, including equipment, safety instruction (engaging, fun guides!), and a paddle of the islands. For next summer, consider booking earlier for sunset or moonlight paddles. Or one of my other favorites - exploring our local oyster farm!
Tours on Casco Bay include a “Lobstering Demo & Wildlife Cruise”, an Oyster Farm tour, and scenic coastal cruises. for those who want to relax, learn about marine ecology (oyster farming, lobstering, seals, birds) and enjoy the coast from a boat rather than paddle. Good for mixed ability groups (tourists, families).
From land, I recommend an afternoon at Wolfe’s Neck. Family-friendly paths, winding in and out of woods and water views, are always peaceful and rejuvenating. This is the Freeport so few get to explore.
