Emotional Attraction

Collector's Focus: Seascapes, Rivers & Lakes

introduction By Chelsea Koressel

The seascape genre is certainly a popular one for artists and collectors alike, and for good reason. Where there is water, there is life, so it’s only natural that we feel appreciation and connection to something so vital to our survival. Waterways can also be quite enchanting, leading many artists to find unique ways to understand and capture the enormous beauty of our seas, oceans, rivers or lakes.

David Sandell, Spindrift, oil on linen 13 x 20 in.

“If you have experienced the raw power of the sea, you will understand why artists and sailors are drawn to it,” says painter David Sandell. “Sailors often look forward to getting ashore when at sea, yet they also hear when it calls them back. Very soon they look forward to being at sea again. I feel to capture the essence of the sea, it requires close study of the rhythms and patterns created by waves, to get an understanding of what is happening within each wave, beyond the nano second capture of the camera.”

Sandell’s piece Spindrift, captures swelling waves just before they reach the shore, with seagulls shown hovering in the distance. Besides expertly depicting the intricacies of water scenes—lighting, color and motion—Sandell has also included the spray coming off each cresting wave, bringing it to life all the more.

Top: Craig Mooney, Petit Bateau, oil on canvas, 42 x 42 in. J. Peters Galleries, Return Trip, pastel on paper, 12 x 16 in., by Kathleen Newman. Bottom: Joseph McGurl, The Coastal Realm, oil on canvas, 24 x 36 in.

Also consider the work of Craig Mooney, who uses his distinctive styling, including abstracted components, that inform the narrative in his water paintings. In his piece Petit Bateau, we see an archetypical dory or skiff that is waiting on a nonspecific body of water such as a lake, or perhaps a canal to be utilized. “The addition of the boat creates the story, the mystery,” says Mooney. “Additionally, the composition allows for a dynamism of play between the realism of elements of trees and the boat, and the abstractions in the reflections. In an allegorical sense, this idyll represents the passage of time and the futility in fighting against it, just as the current passes by and the boat remains tethered.”

Artist Joseph McGurl feels that for many artists, “painting water is particularly enticing because it has so many qualities that are at odds with each other: calm/rough, reflective/transparent, shallow/deep, peaceful/energetic, expansive/intimate. In addition to the challenge of portraying these qualities visually, these features also provide a deep emotional attraction to the subject unlike any other. Water has a mood that can reflect what the artist is feeling, and that emotion can often form a connection between the artist and the viewer.”

Top: Waterfowl Festival, Home, oil on linen, 24 x 30 in., by Jill Basham. Waterfowl Festival, Evening Rhapsody, oil, 11 x 14 in., by Elizabeth Rhoades. Bottom: Anne Johann, Rising, oil, 12 x 12 in. Barbara Schilling, Cuyahoga River, oil on linen, 16 x 20 in. Dale Terbush, The Seas of Time, acrylic on panel, 24 x 20 in.

In McGurl’s painting The Coastal Realm, we see an “imaginary” scene, but still one based on what the artist has directly observed sailing along Cape Cod and the Elizabeth Islands in Buzzards Bay. “Most of my paintings are imaginary, but they are informed by interacting with the coastal realm and painting thousands of plein air sketches over the years,” he says. “I was interested in recreating that sense of awe as the fog is lifting, and the light and atmospheric effects are constantly changing. Adding the schooner provides a sense of tension—it is headed towards the narrow rock-strewn channel between the islands as the fog bank approaches.”

Artists continue to depict water in a celebratory fashion by unveiling its many truths: water can be serene, powerful, scary, important and so much more.

Continue reading this special section dedicated to seascapes, rivers and lakes, to hear more insights from artists, galleries and institutions that value and celebrate the genre.

Clockwise from top left: J. Peters Galleries, Late Summer Rhythms, oil, 12 x 24 in., by Debra Reid Jenkins. Waterfowl Festival, Magic in the Mist, oil on canvas, 24 x 36 in., by Christine Rapa. J. Peters Galleries, Surf Calligraphy, acrylic, 33 x 62 in., by Rein Vanderhill.

The Art Coast of Michigan has long connected the Midwest to the national art scene, presenting museum-quality exhibitions and acclaimed artists along the shores of Lake Michigan. Inspired by winding rivers, vibrant marshlands and bustling harbors, the region’s artists and gallerists have cultivated a creative community of uncommon depth and sophistication. Visitors expecting a quiet lakeside retreat instead discover galleries rivaling major metropolitan markets, alongside intimate studios where collectors engage directly with artists.

As a cornerstone of this thriving arts corridor, J. Petter Galleries is honored to partner with the American Impressionist Society to host the 2026 Small Works Showcase. On view the entirety of May, the exhibition will present 171 juried paintings reflecting the society’s commitment to technical excellence and the vitality of contemporary American impressionism. Collectors may preview the works online and at the gallery, with opening events May 1 and 2, offering opportunities to meet participating artists. A week of plein air painting will culminate in a “wet wall” competition unveiled May 2, giving collectors the rare chance to acquire freshly completed works capturing the immediacy and atmosphere of the lakeshore.

In June consider attending the San Juan Island Artists’ Studio Tour,a free, self-guided tour celebrating the island’s robust artist community. Founded in 1991, the studio tour was created by island artists who wanted to open their studios to the public, offering glimpses into their workspace and creative process firsthand. The natural beauty of the island inspires many of the artists on the tour, often finding its way into their work. This year’s tour will be held June 6 through 7, featuring 68 artists and 26 studios.

The San Juan Island Artists’ Studio Tour, Golden Hour, oil on wood panel, 12 x 12 in., by Alaina Scheffer. The San Juan Island Artists’ Studio Tour, Ethereal, dry pastel, 22 x 36 in., by Nancy Spaulding.

As a life-long resident of San Juan Island, painting views of the ocean is one of Alaina Scheffer’s specialties. Whether under the waves themselves, deep amongst the swaying kelp forests or walking along the coastal paths, her seascapes are a unique reflection of San Juan Island. Pastel artist Nancy Spaulding also creates work that celebrates breathtaking island landscapes: “The unique beauty of the island environment captures the hearts of many, including artists. An island offers a safe refuge to its inhabitants, human and otherwise. It is a meditative place,” she says”

For more than 55 years, artists have found enduring inspiration in the landscapes of Maryland’s Eastern Shore as well, where wide horizons, tidal marshes and working waterways shape the scenery and set the quiet tone. Along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, shifting light and endless, cloud-filled horizons transform tidal waterways and open fields into luminous studies of color and atmosphere. Painters, sculptors, photographers and decoy carvers have translated these elements into art that celebrates an outdoors lifestyle that is tied to the rhythms of nature’s changing viewscapes.

In historic Easton, Maryland, the 55th Annual Waterfowl Festival will take place November 13 through 15 with a Premiere Night celebration on Thursday, November 12. This year’s celebration highlights featured artists Paul Rhymer, Randy Conner and Ray Brown. The festival also features nationally and internationally recognized wildlife artists in over half a dozen venues. Drawing more than 30,000 visitors each year, the Waterfowl Festival continues its mission of advancing conservation while honoring the cultural heritage of the Eastern Shore through art.

Artist Anne Johann has always had a deep fascination with water, especially the ocean. “One of my clients invited me to stay at their beach front condo and Rising was inspired by that visit,” she shares. “I awakened early and was on the beach before the sun started its climb. As it began to rise, clouds lifted from the ocean. The light of the sun reflected on the surface of the ocean and glimmered in the seafoam. The dark, wet sand made the perfect contrast to this light show.”

Top: Barbara Schilling, Hiking Rifle Falls, oil on linen, 12 x 16 in. Kathleen Kalinowski, Last Color, oil on linen, 16 x 20 in. Dale Terbush, Enter My Dream of the Sea, acrylic on panel, 20 x 16 in. Bottom: Dale Terbush, The Sound of a Wind Swept Tide, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20 in. Kathleen Kalinowski, Wave Races, oil on linen, 24 x 36 in.

When collecting artwork of the genre, Johann notes, “The intriguing qualities of water, reflection, transparency, sparkle, color, movement, are captured by artists in many ways. Artworks may be representational, abstract or conceptual. Art inspired by the sea, rivers or lakes often stir memories of places visited or special times in life. Buy work that you connect with, that brings a feeling of pleasure. This will give you deep satisfaction.”

Having been fortunate enough to have lived on the ocean in Laguna Beach, California, Dale Terbush says, “The ocean has way of becoming a part of you, and as an artist, it becomes part of your art. It would lull me to sleep every night and nudge me to wake up in the morning with the never-ending crashing of waves. The area that has inspired so much of my ocean artwork over the years, is a place just south of Carmel, California, called Point Lobos—it is a magical place right out of one of Tolkien’s stories. This is the world that I try to create on my ocean canvases. It’s a maze of spiderweb trees, surging tide and crashing waves, all wrapped up in rolling blankets of fog. If you want a bucket list location, go to Point Lobos. You will understand why it captured me and my art so many years ago.”

Water is a central presence in Barbara Schilling’s work because “it carries energy in its purest, most expressive form,” she says. “I’m especially drawn to waterfalls and intimate streams—places where motion is immediate and continuous, where water is actively shaping, cleansing and renewing the landscape while nurturing and sustaining the life it touches. There is a vitality in moving water that feels both physical and spiritual, a reminder of life’s ongoing cycles of growth, release and becoming. Whether rushing over stone or winding quietly through the woods, water holds a quiet intelligence. It adapts, persists and transforms without force. That balance of strength and surrender deeply influences how I think about symbolism in my paintings.”

Melissa Imossi, Light Dance, oil, 24 x 36 in.

Water often becomes a metaphor for emotional flow, resilience and the passage of time rather than a literal setting, for Schilling’s work. Her impressionistic approach allows her to respond intuitively to this energy. The artist’s expressive brushwork, layered textures and shifting edges mirror the movement and rhythm of water itself. “I’m less interested in precise description than in conveying sensation—the sound, weight and life within the water—inviting the viewer into a space of reflection, renewal and connection to the natural world,” she adds.

As a contemporary impressionist painter, the inspiration and concepts which inform Kathleen Kalinowski’s studio work stems from 30 years of painting in plein air. “Working often on location further enhances the authenticity of how I see a painting within the landscape,” she notes. “I paint to capture the unnoticed miracle of the land around us, to remember a moment in time that struck me as unforgettable. In my work, I look to capture the sense of place with a visual poetry of impressionistic color and brushwork. My intent is to engage the viewer, creating a sense of being present and evoking a memory of a particular place and time.”

Kathleen Kalinowski, Fleeting Moments, oil on linen, 18 x 14 in. Barbara Schilling, Oak Creek III, oil on linen, 32 x 46 in.

As a native of Michigan, Kalinowski grew up enjoying the outdoors while traveling and camping with her family. Her passion for painting is often fueled by the many lakes, rivers and small streams within the state, and a short drive from her studio. “The Great Lakes, particularly Lake Michigan, is a favorite subject of mine,” she says. “I spent many hours painting barefoot along the shoreline and in the sand dunes capturing the long vistas. I am partial to the early morning shadows cast on the sand and the later golden hour colors of the sky reflecting on the waves.”

Melissa Imossi’s connection to water began early. Growing up on Long Island, she spent hours at the beach or swimming in the pool in her backyard. “I often floated on my back, watching sunlight refract across the surface of the water and shimmer onto the undersides of the maple leaves overhanging the pool,” she shares. “The gentle rhythm of those reflections felt soothing and infinite, a quiet refuge that has stayed with me.”

Imossi’s painting Light Dance is part of an ongoing series of intimate studies of the lake behind the artist’s studio, where she observes how light transforms the surface of the water. “Rather than depicting a wide landscape, I focus closely on the shifting patterns of light—those fleeting moments when sunlight skims across the ripples and breaks into gold, flickering points of light,” the artist explains. “In this sunset scene, the lake becomes less a location and more an experience. Through layered oil paint and subtle shifts in tone, I aim to capture not just what the water looks like, but how it feels: immersive, luminous and restorative, inviting the viewer to slow down and reconnect with nature’s quiet magic.” —