Tom Hughes, Sunlit Rocky Coast, oil, 20 x 30"

What Connecticut native Paul Beebe likes best about New England is its diversity of subject matter. “You can paint at the coast one day and an inland waterfall the next without having to do more than a couple hours of driving,” he says. He often returns to Martha’s Vineyard where he has found an inexhaustible supply of marine and coastal scenes to paint. His painting Moonglow depicts the island’s Edgartown Harbor Lighthouse illuminated by the moon on a summer night. “I decided to work up a composition that would try to capture the essence of walking to the lighthouse under the light of a full moon,” he shares, adding that he created the study for the painting mid-day and decided to make it a nocturne after seeing the light of the full moon that evening. 

Katie Swatland, August Moonset (triptych), oil, 24 x 36"

Tom Adkins’ New England roots run deep. He has been vacationing along Maine’s Mid-Coast since his childhood and now keeps a second studio there, on the Pemaquid Peninsula. “It has offered me year round opportunities to explore all the hidden nooks and crannies along the coast,” says Adkins. His piece Sailing By provides a view only “a few steps” from his studio. He says, “Passing by this scene a thousand times nothing ever quite spoke to me, then one day, out for a early morning stroll, I noticed this sailboat being framed by the porch of a harbor home as it was heading out to sea, and felt it was a special moment. The porch and shadows, distant peninsula, clouds and reflections…all seem to say 'look at this passing sailboat.'”

Thomas Adkins, Sailing By, oil, 30 x 30"

Del-Bourree Bach doesn’t play favorites when it comes to the seasons—he loves them all and “the changes they bring to land and sea”—but he is partial the region he calls home. “Nowhere are those changes more apparent and inspiring than in New England, whether it is the first pristine snowfall, the first pale greens of spring, or the deep saturated colors of summer, as in Summer Idyll,” he says. “Here, it is that light afternoon fog that often comes creeping in on a warm midsummer day, the feeling of that slight moisture just beginning, and how it softens those bright colors just a bit. The catboat is already at the mooring, sail wrapped in its red cover; tomorrow the wind will be up again, but for now, it’s time to rest.”

Alison Hill, Sunset Gulls, oil, 30 x 30"

Born in Boston, raised in coastal Hingham, Massachusetts, with summers on Cape Cod, and the past 24 years living on Maine’s tiny Mohegan Island, Alison Hill has spent her entire life close to the sea. “I am inspired by the seasons, the light reflecting from the ocean, the rugged cliffs and crashing waves and the wildlife, especially the birds,” she says. One day the gulls waiting for scraps at the fish market caught her eye. “I started doing life drawings of them on a large canvas, and it was so engaging capturing their movements that it became a favorite subject of mine,” says Hill, whose featured work is Sunset Gulls. “Gulls can take on many shapes, so I find it fascinating to capture their moods and personality.”

Paul Beebe, Moonglow, oil, 20 x 24"

The reflected cool and warm light on the rocky coastal outcropping and the balance between the blues of sea and sky in Sunlight Rocky Coast showcase Tom Hughes’ mastery of the seascape. “I want you to feel that everything is there, but I won’t draw every stone,” he says. “It’s more a weaving of painterly brush marks.”

Del-Bourree Bach, Summer Idyll, acrylic, 8 x 26"

All year long, Katie Swatland can be found walking along the eastern shores. “I am absolutely in love with coastal New England,” she says. “It captivates me with its rich, ever-changing textures—from windswept dunes and rocky coastlines to soft grasses and blooming seaside meadows.” Her favorite moments are when a nearly full moon is setting while the sun sits low in the sky, as depicted in August Moonset. “In this quiet pairing, the sun casts a soft glow that illuminates both the moon and the dune grasses in a mystical light.